Telephone Etiquette

-A matter of using courtesy and good manners

1. Anyone who is part of organization and who answers the phone should be trained to use proper
telephone etiquette and treat each caller with courtesy and professionalism. However, answering
the telephone as a top flight service professional requires training and practice.
2. Regardless of which the department the employee belongs to, all staff who interacts with the guest
using the telephone needs to understand how to deliver superior guest request.
3. Front desk associates, restaurant staff, (including food servers and managers), room service order
takers, reservation agents, etc… are all in a position to increase the perception of service and drive
profits by simply being properly trained.
4. Follow up training, practice, and role playing are important steps to develop and refine your team’s
telephone etiquette. Don’t overlook the importance of role playing. This is a great tool that allows
your staff the opportunity to practice their new techniques in a safe environment that allows them
to build their confidence and skills prior to hitting the phones with your actual guests.
5. All phone calls should be answered by the third ring. Every time the phone rings beyond the third
ring the dissatisfaction and agitation level of the caller escalates. Answering the call by the third ring
will assure the guest interaction gets off on the right foot.
6. The first rule of telephone etiquette is to be polite and speak with a smile in your voice. Train your
staff to actually smile when speaking to a guest, even though the person on the other end of the like
can’t see them.
7. Answer the calls promptly and with enthusiastic, standardized greeting to establish a positive first
impression to the guest. An energetic, pleasant greeting with a smiling voice will set the tone for the
rest of the guest interaction. It is up to the management to determine the most appropriate script
for the standardized telephone greeting and ensure it is consistently delivered to each caller.
8. Using a persons name is the most valuable tool you can utilize to make the guest feel valuable,
whether the interaction is conducted via telephone or in person. At a minimum, the name should
also be used in the closing interaction such as “thank you for calling Judith. Have a fantastic day.” if
you absolutely cannot obtain the guest’s name, it is acceptable to use “Sir” or “Ms.”
9. Avoid placing callers on hold unless you absolutely must do so. When placing the a guest on hold, be
courteous and ask if it is OK to do so prior to actually pressing the hold button. A simple way to ask
would be, “May I please place on hold?” wait for an answer, then thank the caller and inform them
you will be back with them shortly.
10. Train the staffs to be active listeners. Listen to the caller, absorb the information they are giving you
and to ask the right questions to ensure the caller is serviced quickly and thoroughly.
11. Avoid common words and slang such yep, yeah, nope, uh huh, sure, no problem, um, ya know, etc…
use polite words such as please, thank you, absolutely, pardon me, would you prefer, may I offer,
etc..
12. Make sure all key information is accurately and properly noted. During the course of the guest
interaction, the following key information typically necessary for restaurant reservations:
a. Guest name
b. Call back number
c. Date and time of call
d. Reservation details
e. Is this reservation for a special occasion?
f. f. Do you have any special request? (Particular table, specific dietary needs, particular server, etc.)
g. g. Do you require directions to the restaurant?

13. When ending a guest call, always stay on the line and only hang up after the guest has done first. Thank
the guest for calling with a pleasant farewell and stay on the line until you hear the call ended by the
familiar click from the caller hanging up.
14. Lastly, unsure the telephone is only used only for business purposes. Tying up the telephone talking with
friends or family means guests cannot get through which causes aggravation and potentially loss of
revenue.

Taking Reservations in the Restaurant

- when guest come to your restaurant, you should treat them as if they are friends visiting your home.
Treating your guest with care and providing an exceptional place for them to enjoy a meal is part of the reason they
will come back to your restaurant again.

EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY
- when costumers come through your doors, they expect quality in every aspect of the restaurant. Guest are
looking for a value in the things they see, taste and touch, and so providing them with exceptional quality will
certainly leave a good taste in their mouths.

FOOD QUALITY
- food and beverages are probably the biggest indicator of quality that a costumer notices. Food quality is not
only important to the costumers’ impression of the over all restaurant experience, but it is important for their health
as well. Guests’ health should never be compromised. Take the following considerations when assuring food quality
in your restaurant.
a. Be sure to follow proper first-in, first-out (FIFO) rotation with all food products.
b. Properly label and date all food products.
c. Never serve food that is expired.
d. Prepare products safety, avoiding cross contamination with dangerous bacteria or cross-contact with
allergens.
e. Wash hands before and after handling food products.
f. Prepare and serve foods at proper, safe temperature.
QUALITY ATMOSPHERE
-when guest enter your restaurant, they should fell as though they are special, comfortable place.

a. Make deliberate choices with lighting- consider your concept, and be sure the strength of the lights suits the tone
you wish to portray to your guest.
b. Choose music carefully – make sure the volume of your music is audible but not distracting. Music should help
create the ambience rather than overwhelm it.
c. Decorate Appropriately – decorate your restaurant with a special, unique theme or focal point.
d. Keep the restaurant Spotless – even a quick service restaurant needs to demonstrate a high standard of cleanliness
for costumers to feel good about the quality of food.
e. Maintain the Temperature – maintain a comfortable inside temperature in your building. 70*F is usually
acceptable. Minimize drafts or hot spots from lights as much as possible.

MEMORABLE SERVICE
- perhaps even more important than food quality is the service the costumers experience from the time they
enter the restaurant until the time they walk out the doors. Although restaurants thrive because of sales, the sale
should never be put before the costumers’ needs:

a. Use respectful titles, such as “sir” and “ma’am.”

b. Be optimistic, and speak with a smile.
c. Never interrupt or talk over guests’ conversation if you can help it.
d. Know your menu so you can speak intelligently to educate guests.
e. Listen with respect and care to what the costumer has to say.
f. Be sure you ask question to clarify a costumer’s order if there is any confusion.
g. Be honest and straight forward with costumers at all times, especially if there is a problem.

How to Answer a Phone in a Busy Situation

-when answering the telephone in a busy restaurant, never answer with “thanks for calling, hold please.” as
this immediately belittles the person on the other end.
a. If the phone rings while you are helping another guest, politely ask the guest to excuse you for a moment, and
then answer the phone.
b. After greeting appropriately, let the person on the other line know you will be able to help them
momentarily.
c. Finish helping your current guest and come back to the phone within the next minute if possible.
How to Serve and Clear Food
-serving etiquette varies depending on the restaurant serving type. The restaurant types where this matters
the most are upscale or fine dinning restaurants. Managers should train their servers in proper table etiquette if they
are unsure of how to proceed in a serving or clearing situation.

a. Serve in the Appropriate Order

-service order is usually an important standard upheld in fine dining restaurants or formal banquets. In this
dining establishments, it is appropriate to serve the guest of honor first, then the female guest then the
males. In less formal restaurants, it is acceptable to simply serve women before men.

b. Serve and Clear Food from the Left

-servers should serve and clear food from the diner’s left side. Some format restaurants advise serving with
the left hand for these tasks. Serving from the left is best since most dinners are right handed. Politely excuse
yourself if you find that you are interrupting or reaching.

c. Serve and Pour Beverages from the Right

- serve or pour beverages from the dinner’s right side since that is usually where the glasses are set on the
table.

d. Serve the Correct Order to Each Guest

e. Never rush a Party to Finish

- good service extends beyond the meal to the entire length of time the party is inside the restaurant.

f. Clear all Plates at the Same Time

- unless otherwise requested, clear all plates and empty glasses at the same time, and before presenting the
check.

SPEED SERVICE
-speed service is an important phrase in most quick service and fast casual restaurants. These
restaurants capitalize on convenience and speed. They often have a speed service goal built into their policies.

Speed Service is integral to a positive dining experience no matter what the restaurant service type is.
A guest will likely form expectations as to how long they should wait for the food, depending on the
restaurant. The guest will be annoyed if his two dollar cheeseburger took ten minutes to serve, but in fine
dining restaurant, that guest will probably not get upset if he has to wait half an hour or more for his entrée.

CARING FOR UPSET COSTUMERS

-now and again there are bound to be problems. A costumer may be dissatisfied with his meal or may
find the quality to be below his standards. Sometimes guests will find the need to vent anger or annoyance
before the problem can be resolved. Be sure to train servers the proper way to handle customers complaints.

Retaining upset costumers can be a challenge. When you put in the effort and respect to recover distressed
costumers, you may be able to convince them to return to your establishment in the future.