26 May 2014

When to Answer the Phone in Meetings

Business people are busy, and often it is with other busy business people. Inevitably, once you sit down for a meeting a phone call will come in.

This is not a moment of panic, but it is important to identify in advance how to handle these calls that come in.

First, consider the type of meeting it is.

If it is a very important meeting, it is likely that you may not want to talk calls at all. In this case, it is often best simply to mute or turn off your phone so you are not aware of calls that come in; they could become a distraction.

Of course, should you want to ensure that all your calls are answered, that is the perfect time to forward calls to your answering service so that your callers needs are meet right away.

If you are in a meeting that is less important, you may still want to try to answer your calls briefly (especially if you do not have a call centre that can do this for you).

Identify the caller.

If this is the case, take a look to see who the caller is. If it is a family or friend, it is almost always best to let it go to voicemail when you’re in a business meeting. They will leave a message and you can call them back on your personal time.

If it is another important business call coming in, it is very simple to both answer the call and remain in your meeting as long as this is communicated effectively to the person with whom you are meeting. For example: ‘I have a personal policy of answering my calls. I will just be two seconds to advise them I will call back. Would that be okay?’ 99.9% of the time this will pose no problem for the person with whom you’re meeting, so you are free to answer the phone, let the caller know you are in a meeting and that you will call them back when it is over.

Remember never to get into a discussion with the caller while still in your other meeting.

Handling your calls this way when you’re in meetings reflects your professionalism and underscores the fact that you value their time.

Of course if you are not in a meeting when the phone rings‰Û_just answer it then and there.