Everyone knows how casual a phone call can be, especially these days when almost everyone has a phone with them most of the time. Many people probably rush through their phone calls because they hardly have enough time to make them, but this can be a dangerous mistake when it comes to business phone calls. A certain level of etiquette is required to display professionalism, an absolute necessity in good business practice.
The same level of etiquette is required when conducting conference calls, but there are also some additional rules to keep in mind. Conferences are often used to form and close deals, bringing professionalism to a new level of importance. By having your business managers, associates, and colleagues follow a few basic rules of etiquette, you can look forward to successful and professional conference meetings.
• Be clear about who is present: Because people on a conference call cannot be seen, it can be difficult to determine who is present in a meeting. Not only can some people feel like they don’t get credit for being in a meeting, but it can also make communicating effectively difficult.
Also, there may be some privacy issues if all participants in a conference do not know each other. To avoid any problems, it is important for everyone in a conference call meeting to introduce themselves. Additionally, it will be beneficial to provide a list of each attendee indicating who is scheduled to be present.
• Be clear about the time and don’t make last-minute changes: It’s important that everyone who attends a conference call meeting arrives on time. Obviously this is difficult if the meeting time changes frequently or if others end up with last minute obligations that prevent them from attending.
To avoid any time issues, it is important to schedule meetings well in advance. Additionally, regular reminders should be sent to attendees to ensure everyone is well informed about the schedule. Certain programs have a reminder option on their systems.
• Try to overcome language barriers before a conference call: Entrepreneurs often find themselves attending conference calls with colleagues abroad. In these cases, there may be certain language barriers that need to be taken into account, and this should be done before holding a conference call.
Whether your group decides to use a translator or plans to translate over the Internet, it’s important to address this issue before you’re in an actual meeting. And make sure you don’t try a word you don’t know because you don’t want to offend your outside colleagues.
How professional you are says a lot about your business, and professionalism shows in the etiquette you maintain on a conference call. Using free conferencing software is easy, but maintaining proper manners can be a bit trickier. As long as you keep these tips in mind for your next conference call, you’ll be good to go.