Professional Office Etiquette for USD Student Employees

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Professional Office Etiquettefor USD Student
Employees

• Burr House (across from Dominos)
• Phone [phone] Email cdc_at_usd.edu
• Website www.usd.edu/cdc

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Why Etiquette Training?

• You represent the office and University.
• You are often the first and only contact a person
  has with your department. Satisfied customers are
  vital to the success of the University.
• The office etiquette that you learn as a student
  employee builds transferrable skills that will
  someday relate to full-time employment. This is
  real-life training that will benefit you for the
  rest of your life.
• You will need references from your supervisors.
  Training improves the quality of your work, which
  ultimately strengthens your references.

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Overview of Presentation

• Reliability
• Dress
• Positive Attitude Customer Service
• Professional Communication Greeting Visitors,
  Phone Etiquette, Email Etiquette
• Confidentiality
• Technology Use

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Reliability

• Be punctual for your scheduled work times.
• If you are unable to work, you are expected to
  notify the office and/or locate a replacement.
• Notify your supervisor in advance if you know you
  will not be able to work your scheduled hours.
• Avoid personal calls, Facebooking, or visitors
  while you are working.

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Dress Code

• Business Casual is encouraged. Speak with your
  department to identify their own dress code or
  the special events that you may need to dress up
  for.
• The following items are prohibited
• T-shirts with
• inappropriate sayings
• descriptions of questionable activities
• advertisements
• the logo of other institutions
• Shirts that display your midriff
• Sweats
• Pajamas
• Flip Flops
• Dirty or Torn Jeans
• Baseball Hats
• Short skirts or shorts

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Positive Attitude Customer Service

• Customers include Prospective students and their
  families, current students, alumni, employers,
  financial donors, and other campus departments.
• A Professional Attitude Means . . .
• Respect for Customers wishes and problems
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Sympathy and patience and
• Professional conduct even when it is not
  reciprocated.

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Communicating a Positive Attitude
Listening includes Body language Eye
contact Attentiveness Repeating for clarity
The way you listen to your customers concerns
Body language Eye contact Attentiveness Repeating
for clarity
The way you respond to customers concerns
How you say something is often more important
than the words you use!
How you say something is often more important
than the words you use!
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Greeting Visitors

• When people enter the office, always help them as
  quickly as possible. Never let our customers
  wait without assistance.
• Be polite and greet visitors with a warm smile.
• Ask how we might be of service. For example,
  Hi! How may we help you today?

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Inter-office Calling

• To call someone on-campus, dial their four
  digit extension.
• To call off campus, dial 9 the four digit
  extension number.

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Creating a Good Impression

• Answer the phone as quickly as possible.
• Before picking up the receiver, discontinue any
  conversations or activities that may be heard by
  the calling party. These activities include
  typing, shuffling papers, eating, or chewing gum.
  Reduce the background noise when taking or making
  a call.
• Keep the phone two-finger widths away from your
  mouth rather than your neck or shoulder. Speak
  clearly, slowly, and directly into the receiver.
  Lower your voice if you normally speak loud.
• If you have to sneeze or cough, turn your head.
  Cover your mouth and the receiver.

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Building Rapport with Your Callers

• Answer with a friendly greeting. State your name
  and the name of your department.
• "Good Afternoon, Career Development Center, this
  is Tara. How may I help you?
• Smile it shows even through the phone lines.
• Use the callers name.

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Putting Callers on Hold

• Use the hold button when leaving the line so that
  the caller does not accidentally hear nearby
  conversations.
• Use hold to reach another staff member. Yelling
  from one office to another is inappropriate.
• When putting a caller on hold, always ask
  permission and give the reason. "Would you mind
  holding while I get your file?"Please hold
  briefly while I see if Mr. Jones is available.
• May I put you on hold while I answer a second
  call?
• When taking callers off hold, always thank them.

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Transferring a Callwithin your Department

• If the caller needs to speak to another person
  within your department, please transfer the
  caller directly to the desired person's
  extension.
• To Transfer a call,
• Press Flash
• Dial the four digit extension number
• Press Flash

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Transferring a Call to a Different Department

• When transferring callers to another department,
  tell them who you are transferring them to and
  given them the departments extension in case
  they get disconnected or need it in the future.
• If you transfer someone to a different
  department, announce the call to the transfer
  person.
• The next slide will show you how to do this.
• This will prevent the caller from having to
  explain his/her requests another time and it will
  cut the number of times the caller needs to be
  transferred. You can identify that you have the
  correct office prior to transferring the person.
  

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Announcing Calls to Other Departments

• If you need to transfer a call to another
  department,
• do the following
• Say I am going to transfer you to the _____
  office. They will be better able to answer your
  question and meet your needs. Their direct number
  is - .
• Press Flash and the four digit extension.
• Wait for the other department to answer.

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Announcing Calls to Other Departments(continued)

• Announce the name of the caller and the reason
  you are transferring the call.
• Hello, Linda. This is Crystal from the Career
  Development Center. I have a
• student on the line that has questions about the
  Orientation Schedule. Is
• Academic Advising the correct department to refer
  this caller to?
• If the department wishes to take the call, press
  the Flash button again to connect the caller to
  the office.
• If the department is not the correct office to
  refer the call to, place the caller on hold and
  seek help from your supervisor.

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Screening Calls

• If the caller asks to speak directly to someone
  within your office
• Say May I ask whos calling? rather than Whos
  calling?
• Ask the caller "What is this in regards to?" (if
  appropriate)
• Press Flash and the extension.
• Wait for the person to answer.
• Announce the name of the caller.
• Wait for a response as to whether the call will
  be taken.
• If the called party wishes to take the call,
  press the Flash button again.
• If the calling party does not wish to take the
  call, press the Line button where the caller is.
  SAY "________ is unavailable at the moment may
  I take a message or would you like his/her
  voicemail?"

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If Someone is Unavailable

• What you Know "He is out. "I don't know where
  he is. "He is in the men's room.
• What you Say He is not in the office at the
  moment. Would you like to leave a message on his
  voicemail?
• What you Know "He hasn't come in yet.
• What you Say "I expect him shortly. Would you
  like to leave a message on his voicemail?
• What you Know "She took the day off.
• What you Say "She is out of the office today.
  May someone else help you or would you like her
  voicemail?
• What you Know "He doesn't want to be disturbed.
  He is eating lunch at his desk.
• What you Say "He is unavailable at the moment.
  Would you like to leave a message on his
  voicemail?

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Wrong Number

• If callers have reached the wrong department, be
  courteous.
• Sometimes they have been transferred all over
  campus with a simple question.
• If possible, identify the department they should
  call. Become familiar with the services of other
  USD offices so you can refer individuals to the
  appropriate offices.
•  

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Taking Phone Messages

• When taking a phone message for someone, always
  be sure to include the following information
• Time and date of call
• The caller's name and Company (ask for spelling)
• The callers phone number
• The best time to return the call
• The reason for the call
• Follow-up action (e.g., requested that you return
  call, will send you an email, etc) best time to
  reach the individual

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Taking Phone Messages(Continued)

• Initial the message, so if people have questions,
  they can contact you.
• Repeat the message to the caller to confirm
  accuracy.
• Speak with your supervisor to identify the method
  for taking messages. Some individuals may want a
  paper message, while others prefer email.
• Don't forget that you can transfer callers to
  voicemail if you know that the person is out of
  his/her office instead of taking a paper message.
  Ask the caller, "Would you like me to transfer
  you to ______'s voicemail?" Do not assume that
  the caller would rather go to voicemail. Always
  ask first.

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Scheduling Appointments

• Open Microsoft Outlook.
• Click on Calendars.
• Open the persons Calendar.
• Double click on the appropriate time slot or go
  to new appointment.
• Speak with your supervisor to confirm the
  information required for a new appointment. This
  includes
• The persons name
• Reason for the appointment
• Length of the appointment
• Persons contact information
• Initial the appointment in the notes area
• Click on Save Close.
• Notify the staff member of modified appointments
  for that day.

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Sharing Information with Others

• Repeat or spell out information.
• Be specific. Instead of saying, "We'll be open
  again tomorrow," say "We'll be open from 8 a.m. -
  5 p.m. tomorrow.
• Confirm information by asking callers to repeat
  it. Say, Do you mind repeating that number back,
  so I can confirm that I correctly gave it to?

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Last Impressions

• Before hanging up, be sure that you have answered
  all the caller's questions.
• Always end with a pleasantry "Have a nice day"
  or "It was nice speaking with you."
• Let the caller hang up first. This shows the
  caller that you weren't in a hurry to get off the
  phone.

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Responding to Disgruntled Callers

• Stay calm. Remain diplomatic and polite. Getting
  angry will only increase their frustration.
• Always show a willingness to resolve the problem
  or conflict.
• Offer to have your supervisor talk with the
  caller or call him/her back.

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Top 10 Complaints from Callers

• "The telephone rings for a long time before it is
  answered.
• 2. "They place me on hold for a very long time."
• 3. "The line is busy for hours.
• 4. "They answer with an aggravated voice, as if I
  disturbed them by calling.
• 5. "They let me talk on and on only to realize
  that they're not the person I should be talking
  to.

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Top 10 Complaints from Callers

• 6. "If I call the wrong department for help, they
  don't direct me to the appropriate office that I
  should be calling, they just say, 'I don't know,
  not our department.
• 7. "They don't listen to my needs and transfer me
  to the wrong person.
• 8. "Sometimes they disconnect me while
  transferring my call.
• 9. "They told me to call back, but never gave me
  a name or number or division to ask for.
• 10. "The person says, 'Wait', and then talks to
  other co-workers without putting me on hold I
  hear all their small talk.

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Helpful Words Phrases

• Phrases Not to Use Substitute With
• Hang on One moment please
• Yeah Yes
• Uh dunno Let me find out for you.
• We cant do that. What we can do for you is
• What you have to do is What you need to do is

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Confidentiality

• Information that passes through the office is
  both personal and private. You are required by
  Federal law (FERPA) to keep this information
  confidential.
• This information cannot be share with
• Your friends
• A students parents or family members
• Other individuals within the office (unless it
  benefits the student)

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Computers

• Do not upload or download programs onto office
  computers unless you have permission. It will
  slow the computers performance.
• Computers are intended for work only, not instant
  messaging or Facebooking.
• Keep your work space neat and organized.

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Email Etiquette

• Write a salutation for each email.
• Dont use all caps unless you intend to shout.
• Save your smiles for personal notes.
• Be careful not to overuse exclamation points.
• Avoid abbreviations.
• Always check for punctuation, spelling, and
  grammatical errors. Read your email twice before
  sending it.
• When writing directions, number or bullet the
  information.
• Write in a positive tone. Negative words are
  often overlooked (e.g., non, un, ex, etc).

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Email Etiquette

• Keep the email brief.
• Always include a relevant subject line.
• Build relationships by speaking directly with
  others.
• When sending attachments, identify the name of
  the file and its format.
• Be careful not to hit reply all unless you
  intend for everyone to receive it.
• Keep your emails professional. Never send an
  email while you are angry. Before sending an
  email, ask yourself Would I say this to this
  persons face? Would I want this published in the
  newspaper?

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Office Machinery

• Copier
• If you are making more than 20 copies, please use
  the U-Copy Print Shop.
• Jams are fixable. If you are unable to repair it
  yourself, please ask for help.
• Fax Machine
• Speak with your supervisor to learn how to use
  the fax machine.
• Faxing is for office related use only.

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Final Thoughts

• Questions?
• Visit with your Supervisor for additional details
  regarding dress code and office procedures.
• Best of luck to you!