A telephone call is more effective than a letter as a last minute
reminder or an incitement to action. The telephone is good
for getting a person to do something he should do although he might prefer
not to such as attending a meeting. He can dodge a letter more easily than
the personal commitment of a personal conversation. But for a technical
or monetary commitment both parties will find it advisable to put it in
writing to seal the telephone agreement.
The secret of success in a large-scale telephone campaign is to
obtain reliable telephone operators – people with pleasing telephone
personalities and the persistence to keep after each number until they
actually reach the proper party and drive the message home.
The maximum effect is obtained in a telephone drive when every
prospect is reached over the phone by a personal acquaintance. The
telephone being an instrument of human contact, courtesy and tact in its
use are important in winning the understanding and goodwill of the person
on the receiving end. The telephone personality of an organization and its
employees is a vital aspect of its relations with the entire community, with
many different publics, and with every individual connected by phone.
A glaring telephone discourtesy is to have a secretary put through a
call and then hold up the party being telephoned because the caller has
become tied up with something else. It is better for people in business to
make their own calls.
People in business can win goodwill by answering their own tele-
phones if possible, it is not pleasant telephone manners to have a secretary
ask every caller ‘Who’s this? ‘Who are you with? and What’s the call about?
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