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ANSWER PHONESAnswer Phones
One of my first jobs after college was at a reception desk. I had to answer phones, though luckily, they weren’t very busy. It’s not always an easy job, though it sounds like it might be. When you first start a new reception type job, you really don’t know everyone at the company yet, and this many cause some confusion as you take calls and try to reroute them to the proper person. It can be even more confusing when you have to learn a complicated phone system. After a while though, it becomes second nature.
You should have a bright and cheery voice when you answer phones, and you have to remember to smile when you talk. Even though they cannot see your face as you speak, a smile does change the tone of your voice. You must always be positive, even if someone is shouting at you. After I had to answer phones for a few weeks, I found it easier to detect who was who, and I started to know some of the more frequent callers by the sound of their voice. If you can do this when you answer phones, you are doing a favor to your company. If a client feels like you know them when they call, they appreciate that you and your coworkers appreciate them. It’s always good for business.
I had a problem with this though. I had been answering phones at my new job for quite a while, but there were two men who called and they sounded almost exactly alike. To make matter worse, their names were Dan and Don. On top of that, they were always both calling for the same person. I could never tell them apart, and I knew they were getting irritated with me. I wasn’t a mind reader though, and when you answer phones all day, you may end up just not knowing who someone is on occasion.
You should know that when you take a job that requires you to answer phones, you will probably have more duties than that. I often did data entry for payroll, and a lot of miscellaneous typing for the administrative assistants that got behind. Though my duties were many, I had to answer phones as the priority. I was grateful for the extra work though, because there is nothing worse in my mind than not having anything to do at work. It makes the day crawl by, and can lead to job boredom and dissatisfaction.
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