Library Student Assistant Training

Here are some VERY IMPORTANT guidelines to keep in mind regarding phone calls at work:

• The office or desk phone is a business line and needs to be kept open for business purposes. Personal calls should not be made from the work phones unless it is an emergency.
• If you have to answer a personal phone call, keep it brief and wrap it up as soon as possible. Follow the guidelines for your department regarding cell phones. Most service desk do not allow the use of cell phones when you are on the desk.
• Calls to on-campus numbers require only the last five digits of the number (for example, the extension for 615-343-2800 is 3-2800 from an on-campus phone).
• Long distance calls require an authorization code.
• If you receive a phone call from a sales representative or a media representative, it is very important to either transfer the call to your supervisor or take a message and let them know that a full time staff member will return their call. Do not answer any questions from sales representatives regarding products that the library may or may not possess. Simply let the caller know that they will have to speak to your supervisor. If your unit has other specific procedures for handling these calls, follow those.

Your employing department may have a specific manner of answering office phones. If so, please follow their guidelines. If, however, no office-specific way is presented, adopt the following methods for effective and efficient service.

1. All incoming calls should be answered with "Vanderbilt (insert the name of your library) Library, how may I help you?"
2. All incoming calls should be answered:
   • promptly
   • personally, when possible (use voice mail only when necessary)
   • professionally
   • courteously

   Make an effort to give each caller your full attention.

3. Handling multiple calls and visitors.
   • Answer calls promptly
   • Excuse yourself from the first caller and;
   • Place him/her on hold to answer the second call
   • Return to the first caller as soon as possible. When returning, say, "Thank you for your patience."
   • If a visitor is talking with you in person and the telephone rings, excuse yourself to the visitor and answer the telephone. Ask the caller to wait a moment or offer to return the call.
   • If a visitor approaches while you are on the telephone, excuse yourself briefly from the caller and acknowledge the visitor. Ask if the visitor can wait a moment while you finish the call.
4. Effective call-screening techniques allow you to better serve customers and co-workers. In such cases when call-screening is required or requested by your office personnel, follow these examples:
   • "May I tell her who's calling?"
   • "May I tell her what your call is in reference to?"
5. If the individual whom the caller requests is busy, offer to take a message or connect the caller to the individual's voice mail, as appropriate to your office's preference.

   "Mr. Smith is away from his office. Would you like me to connect you to his voice mail?"

6. Tranferring calls should be done only when necessary and in a positive, efficient manner.
   • Listen carefully and attempt to fully understand the caller's needs.
   • Complete the transfer quickly and correctly.

   To transfer a call, follow these procedures:

   • Let the caller know you are transferring the call.
   • Give the caller the department name and extension that they are being transferred to, in case the call is disconnected.
   • Announce the caller to the person to whom you are transferring the call and provide any information the caller has given.
      "I will need to transfer you to the Admissions Office. The number is 555-5555 and they should be able to assist you."
7. Taking telephone messages is a skill that saves time and is beneficial to both caller and recipient. If you need to take a message for someone, get as much information as possible. Include:
   • Date/time of call
   • Full name of the person calling
   • Phone number
   • Nature of the call
   • Your name at the bottom of the message

   While most callers will opt for voice mail over a written message, if you do need to take a message, take enough information to make the return call productive. If the individual the caller is trying to reach is out of the office for a length of time, let the caller know their message will not receive an immediate response.

   When taking a message, avoid saying, "I'll have John call you back when he returns." A more appropriate response is, "I'll make sure John gets your message as soon as he returns."