Updates & Services

Office Working Etiquette

Being Organized

1- Your desk and reasons for keeping it organized!!

• Do you know that most people are wasting around an HOUR daily looking for STUFF that's lost on their desk? How about you?
• How many times last week did you call someone up, asking them a question & they respond saying, "hold on a second and let me find the letter/file/paper, I know it is Here... Somewhere". The second becomes minutes and then they come back saying" I can't find it, let me call you back"

It always happens at the most inappropriate time.

Reasons for keeping it organized:

1. Your desk is your appearance.
2. Your desk is your work center; the more it is organized the more you have a fresh spirit for work & the more space there will be for more work.

3. It enables others to follow up and find information easily in case you are unavailable.

Organizing is about identifying what's important to you and giving yourself access to it.

So,
Have you discovered a way to stay organized?
Have you transformed your office from chaos to order?

Ways to organize my desk:

A) Mental organization:

1. Encourage yourself: Write a list of reasons why you should get organized & post it where you can see it.
2. Schedule an appointment with yourself to get organized, write it on your calendar, and KEEP THE APPOINTMENT;
3. Try to spend the last 15 to 30 minutes of your work day organizing your priorities for the next day;
4. NO Interruptions: turn off the phone, close the door, think of this as a meeting with our boss;
5. Plan before you organize, you have to figure out what goes where, what you're keeping and what you're throwing out. Organize do not store, focus on finding them not storing them.
6. To keep yourself on track make a to do list: Tape it up by your computer or on a big colored piece of paper or you can save it on your Microsoft outlook;
7. Use a day planner note book & always put it on the same place.

B) Physical organization:

For Papers:

Step 1 : Organized chaos

• sort papers into categories.
• Gather all your post it notes: make a pile of them, read it, and then either add information or throw it; then form a big to do list.
• Review your files: that are lying for weeks on your desk, then decide whether to keep them or get rid of them.

Step 2: Devising the system

• Use folders and files and sort them.
• Get a new filing cabinet, and allocate a drawer to each subject.
• Shelves also help where you can keep documents separately. The target is to be able to find any piece of paper quickly and easily.
• Do a filing system having all your folders either by topic or alphabet.
• You can also use Labels, colored separators, and office trays.

Step 3: Day to day running

• Deal with papers when you receive them right away, don't let them pile on your desk. The efficient way to deal with papers is to read it only once;
• Pick a paper by Paper & ask yourself 3 questions:

1. What is it?
2. Why do I have it?
3. What I am going to do with it?

If you can't come up with a good answer, throw it away.
File your papers, if you need to keep a piece of paper, put it in a properly labelled file folder. If one does not exist create one on the spot.

As for office supplies:

• Organize your supplies(pens, pencils, phone, printer..), then clean up your desk, get rid of anything that you won't need, and then rearrange all the desk top items (pens, pencils.....), your phone, and printer;
• You have to have a good functioning stapler, a container for pens & pencils, a scissors.......;
• Try to have all your stuff in one area;
• Keep Often-Used Items at Close Range:

C) Electronically organization:

• Reduce your paper clutter by entering some of this information in your computer;
• Put folders on the desktop for documents that you need frequently;
• Organize the icons on your desktop;
• Put related icons together in one folder;
• You can use the Microsoft office reminder also;
• Only use one calendar;
• Keeping a constant schedule is important;
• Find time to go through every email message in your inbox, read it, respond to it, and then delete it;
• Remember to update your phone book list & email contact list each month.

TIPS

1. At the end of each day give your desk 15 min. to get it organized.
2. Have some personal items on your desk; ONE family photo, ONE desktop gift from a friend...........
3. There is no correct organizational system. Your system needs to make sense to you.

By this you will be organized, efficient & productive with a professional look

Phone Etiquette

1-What is the Importance of the phone?

• The telephone is appropriate when communicating simple information to few people.
• The phone also has more impact and sense of urgency than written communication, but not as much as a meeting.
• To follow up & ensure that messages are understood & to ask for feedback and check to make sure that the communication link is complete.

2- Phone Usage:

A-Doing a call

1. Prepare before initiating a customer call;
2. Plan a mini-agenda so that you can remember to cover all the points you want to make;
3. Always identify yourself to the speaker and use a three-point introduction: "May I speak to Jason Johns? This is Lisa Lane of IBM, and I want to talk with him about software.";
4. Be cheerful and accurate;
5. Speak clearly;
6. Get to the point;
7. Watch your speaking volume;
8. Stand when you want to give your voice more energy;
9. Conclude a call with statements such as "I appreciate talking with you, and I'll get back to you with those figures by Friday.";
10. Return all phone calls.

B- Receiving a call

1. Answer the phone promptly: "Promptly means within no more than three rings;
2. Answer your own phone if you are available: You may be the boss, take the call yourself;
3. Always answer with the name of your company or business;
4. If you are at some one's office, you may use their name.

Good morning, Mr. Mark's office, this is Nihal.

5. Smile;
6. Call customers by name - the right name
7. Take notes;
8. Focus on the caller: Do not chew gum, Sneeze, blow your nose, or cough directly into the receiver. Complete other tasks while talking. Leave a radio or music playing in the background. Avoid running noisy office equipment during a call;
9. Listen: This simple advice is too often ignored. Do not interrupt a conversation to answer a second incoming call;
10. Do not Pick up a ringing phone using caller ID;
11. Transfer callers only if you are sure that the person you will transfer to can help the caller.

Stay on the line when transferring a caller:
Don't ask someone to call back;

12. Do not ask someone to call back.
13. Avoid the hold button;
14. Don't fight back with a rude caller; your role is to resolve the conflict peacefully;
15. Put yourself in the customer's shoes.

C-Voice mail
It keeps you from missing calls, but people feel that it is now almost impossible to get through to someone who has voicemail.

If you have to leave a message:

• Be concise about what you need.
• If you really need to talk to the person "live" schedule a telephone appointment or leave specific times for a call to be returned.
• Leave your name & contact no. clearly.

If you are getting a voicemail message from others:

• Never Use a speaker phone to listen to your messages.
• If you expect prompt response to your telephone messages, be sure to return your voice mail messages quickly as well.

When should you use it?

• Voice mail can be used when you are in a meeting.
• Loaded at work, when you are really busy or unavailable, in vacation.

3- Cellular Phone usage:

• Use your vibrating alarm feature at the office.
• Take only urgent calls.
• Let voice mail take calls that are not pressing.
• Get a "hands free" kit for making & taking URGENT calls in Business....
• At the office you can use the beep once option, don't let it ring so as not to disturb others.
• Be courteous to those around you by speaking in low, conversational tones.
• Observe wireless-free quiet areas.

Do not

• Force others near you to listen to you doing business. Do not shout.
• Use your cell phone to make silly calls that proper planning could have prevented.
• Place your cell phone on the table in a restaurant in a business dinner or meeting;
• Answer calls during a luncheon.

Survey Results:
Is there a cost to rude behavior? Most definitely! Surveys conducted by North American etiquette companies indicate that 80% of people polled reported an increase in rudeness in business and that when they encounter rudeness, 58% of them will immediately take their business elsewhere regardless of cost or inconvenience. (Columbia, SC, 1999) This study also concluded that most people in business situations have no idea that their behavior is considered rude, or how negative the impact is to their productivity. Some of the rudest behaviors reported by respondents to the survey were:
Telephone rudeness, not returning calls, poor telephone skills:
1. Disrespect for people's time
2. Abrupt tone of voice and rude language
3. Too personal conversations in business situations
4. Interruptions, cutting off conversations or dismissing discussions

4- Etiquette Problems:

"My time gets seriously wasted when I am with people who take phone calls in the middle of our conversation with no regard to the fact that I am listening & waiting as they converse"
"I was working with someone in his office; the phone rang, he answered it & then got involved in a lengthy conversation while I sat there"

5- Common Phone Mistakes

• Waiting for a person who called to end the conversation first

• After the purpose of the conversation is filled either party may terminate the phone call.

• Tracking down a caller when the line is disconnected during the call

• Whoever started the call initially has the responsibility to call again.

• Talking loudly on the phone.

Business Cards

1. Importance of Business cards

A business card is a mini snap shot of you professionally & it will be a factor in people's first impression of you.

2. When Should I use it?!

• Only give cards when business is involved. Don't give out cards in social situations like weddings, funerals, house parties; this is considered a very poor taste;

It is not appropriate to attach your business card with flowers or a gift that you send to your colleague.

• It is essential to keep a supply of cards on hand at all times, wherever you go ex: when you are going to a meeting or event etc.....;
• You should offer your card if you are in a conversation & others expressed interest in you & what you do especially for who offer you theirs;
• As an employee, wait until your superior offers you, his card.

You can include your business card along with business correspondence.

3. How to present it?

• When you are giving your card, present it with the writing away from you so the receiver can take a moment to read it & ask questions;
• You should present your card as if it is a gift, you are giving someone. Don't become known as the "Collector" who picks up cards everywhere he goes;
• Give the card with its face up so that people can read its face easily;
• Do exchange cards individual to individual using both hands;
• Business cards should be translated into English & Arabic;
• It is considered polite to take a moment to read each individual's name card upon exchange so do read & acknowledge the name & the position when exchanging cards;
• Never distribute the card in a manner similar to dealing with playing cards;
• Don't write on another person's business card, in their presence. You may write on your own name card to add information (E.g. email, home phone no., etc...);
• If someone offers you their card don't turn it down, if you don't want it dispose of it later;
• Never place a stack of your cards on the table & offer others to take from the stack;
• Treat the card with respect.

4. How & Where to keep it?!

• Keep them in your pocket or in a convenient location in your bag;
• They should be in a place which is easy to reach, so that you don't search for them when you need one;
• If you have more than one card keep them filed separately so that you can find the one you need easily;
• Never carry business cards in your wallet; nor keep them in your pants pocket. A simple card case is useful;
• Make sure your card is not bent or spoiled;
• Do not use cards corrected by hand or curved this does not look professional;
• Business cards should always be clear, neat & clean.