Office Administration I
Unit 3: Communication
Lecturer: Mrs J. Harmon
Oral communication
Advantages of Oral Communication
Time Saving
Quick feedback
Effective for all
Gives room for complete understanding
Powerful means of persuasion and control
Oral communication
Disadvantages of Oral Communication
Absence of permanent record
Emotions involved causing unclear message
Parties may be distracted
In short, we can say that oral communication has also some
drawbacks but the use of oral communication is still immense
because of its inherent nature.
Written communication
Advantages of Written Communication
Record for future reference
Gives the receiver sufficient time to think, act and react
It is suitable for sending statistical data, chart, diagram,
pictures, etc.
Easy to send unpleasant or bad news
Written communication
Disadvantages of Written Communication
No scope for immediate clarification if not understood
properly
Is not effective in the case of emergency
It is time-consuming
It cannot maintain strict secrecy
Telephone Skills & Techniques
Using a telephone effectively within an office requires the
following skills:
Receiving and making calls in a professional manner
Taking a clear message
Telephone Techniques
These relate to the way you receive information and relate
messages by telephone.
This places emphasis on telephone etiquette.
Proper telephone etiquette is an important facet of
communication, since you represent not only yourself, but
often your organisation. Remembering to use proper
telephone etiquette, whether answering or making calls,
leaves your respondents with a favorable impression of you
and your organisation.
Taking a message
Telephone techniques
Answering Calls
Answer promptly with your organisation’s standard
greeting
Sound pleasant and cheerful and listen carefully
Have a pen and a notepad at hand
If you cannot help, pass the call to a colleague or take a
message
Say ‘thank you for calling’ at the end of the call.
Telephone Techniques
Making Calls
Write down the information you must give or find out
Introduce yourself and explain why you are calling
Do not use slag or jargon such as ‘ok’ or ‘bye’
Do not gabble. Ask the other person to slow down if they
speak too quickly
If you mishear something, never say ‘what’ Say ‘sorry,
could you please repeat that?’
Reception
Good reception skills include:
Good customer service
Multitasking and prioritizing
Dependability
Problem-solving
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Professional phone etiquette
Discussion
Describe an ideal reception area
Receptionist work
Read the scenario below and outline the poor reception skills
used and explain what should have happen instead.
Sara Thomas works in the front office at the RXM
company. A customer telephoned to enquire about an item
advertised for sale. She answered and quickly raced
through the greeting. She remembered the previous caller
had upset her by asking redundant questions so she was
already annoyed before answering the call. Having stated
the purpose for the call, Ms. Thomas realized that she
hadn't knowledge on what the person was seeking so she
automatically placed the caller on hold to find out from her
supervisor.
Recording Systems
These enable callers to leave a message when the office is
closed. These include:
Voicemail
Answering services
Answering machine
Voice mail
Employees may have their own voicemail box that answers
calls with a pre-recorded message if they are unavailable.
Recording Systems
Answering Services
A company that receive calls and take messages on
someone’s behalf. Mainly used for small businesses
where a person is often away.
Answering Machine
A device used for answering and recording a caller's
message in the event that no one is available to answer
the phone in person. An answering machine is a device
that is attached to or directly incorporated into a physical
landline telephone.
Telephone Systems
The three most common kinds of telephone systems used
by businesses are:
Multi-line telephone systems
PBX (private branch exchange) telephone systems
VoIP (voice over internet protocol) telephone systems
Multi-line Telephone Systems
A multi-line phone system is similar to a traditional phone
system, but it enables you to have multiple phone lines –
easing up the competition on each individual line and
ensuring more calls are answered in good time.
Every employee (or department, if your company is big
enough) can be allocated their own phone number
(extension number), which rings through to their specific
handset.
PBX Telephone Systems
A PBX telephone system is a step up from a basic multi-line
phone system, and is a little more complex. The main
difference you'll notice, though, is that PBX enables
automated call handling, so you and your team won't need to
manually transfer any calls.
Callers phone in, and are greeted by an automated attendant
who talks them through the department/team options. The
caller then presses the number that coincides with their
query, and the PBX connects the call to the right line.
VoIP Telephone Systems
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you
to make voice calls using internet connection instead of a regular (or
analog) phone line. Some VoIP services may only allow you to call
other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call
anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance,
mobile, and international numbers.
This affords greater flexibility — in fact, you need only use a CELL
phone app to turn your employees' mobiles into a cloud-based VoIP
system. It also offers more reliability, as the only thing that'll affect
the quality of your calls is the strength of your internet connection,
and you should be investing in that anyway.
