History of Phone Etiquette

[LarryAndro]

Do you answer the phone by saying, "hello"? If so, you are, shall we discretely say, uncivilized. And, I have that on the authority of none other than AT&T! The early 1900s AT&T that is.

Here is a great recap of the way phone etiquette has changed thru the years. It includes the way answering calls with a "hello" went from uncouth to couth.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...tm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

As an aside, the article mentions the much greater place etiquette books played in society years ago. Which made me think of my mother's hand wringing (1960s) over her kids' manners. For a few weeks, she read us daily excerpts from Emily Post. Yikes!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Post

Back to phone etiquette. The first operators were men, I saw on a documentary once. When they tended to cuss out the customers, they were replaced by gentler females.

... "I am so glad you called. My name is LarryAndro. You wish to speak to the lady of the house? She is temporarily busy. But, will return your call at her earliest convenience. And, she wants to express her appreciation for your call."

There! I can do it. I'm couth...

"I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess." Red Green

 

[kwk285]

I try to avoid picking up the phone at home. I have found that when I do, there is usually someone on the other end of the line.

 

[Big Kev]

Best part of the caller ID on my cell phone is so I can ignore more calls.

Love Red Green, don't get to watch him as much as I did when I lived in Michigan. Me and my dad are members of the Possum Lodge.

 

[honed]

I've always found the American "hello" phenomena interesting & somewhat strange.
If I would do the same here in Sweden I would be down-right rude.
First name or last name when answering at home & at least first name when answering the cell.

 

[Defend Tacoma]

Interesting. Never thought much about it really. I'm another one who uses the phone sparingly.

 

[LarryAndro]

I've always found the American "hello" phenomena interesting & somewhat strange. If I would do the same here in Sweden I would be down-right rude. First name or last name when answering at home & at least first name when answering the cell.

Who knows where my wife learned phone etiquette and propriety. But, her response would be that you don't know who is calling, and for security reasons you shouldn't give them information until they have identified themselves. According to her, it should be...

• [The person who is called]Hello...
• [Caller]This is President Obama. Is this LarryAndro?
• [Called]Yes, this is LarryAndro. Nice work on that health bill, Mr President.
• [Caller]And, thank you for the many times we conversed privately, and for your invaluable advice.

She says, don't tell them who they are until they have identified themselves. But, I'm a knothead. It is "Hello, this is Larry", and let security worry about itself.

 

[Granaura]

When I was a cub leader one star included a section on using a telephone. Part was the proper way to introduce yourself when calling.

Hi! This is mr. Smiley calling. I'm wondering if Susie is there.

Also when I pick up a phone I have to introduce myself. Unless caller I'D as a marketer. Then they get the hang up!

 

[dklaiman]

The etiquette suggestion for incoming calls makes little sense to me. If someone calls my home, they should know whom they are calling. I have no issue identifying myself if I am the caller, but with my home phone--when I bother to answer it--I always so hello and wait for the other person to identify himself or herself. At work, I do say "This is David Klaiman" whenever I answer the phone.

-Dave

 

[honed]

Who knows where my wife learned phone etiquette and propriety. But, her response would be that you don't know who is calling, and for security reasons you shouldn't give them information until they have identified themselves. According to her, it should be...

• [The person who is called]Hello...
• [Caller]This is President Obama. Is this LarryAndro?
• [Called]Yes, this is LarryAndro. Nice work on that health bill, Mr President.
• [Caller]And, thank you for the many times we conversed privately, and for your invaluable advice.

She says, don't tell them who they are until they have identified themselves. But, I'm a knothead. It is "Hello, this is Larry", and let security worry about itself.

Yes, I've heard that argument & I have to respect it.
But as I see it, the person already has your number & your first name ain't gonna give much away anyway.
But, since it's an accepted way to answer the phone in the States, then it's a choice you can make.
If I would answer only "hello" over here, it would be a greater risk that I offend people so bad that become my enemies

By the way, Obama hasn't called me.
Maybe his office phone is restricted to local calls only

 

[LarryAndro]

... By the way, Obama hasn't called me. Maybe his office phone is restricted to local calls only

Odd! He thinks highly of your health care system. As he himself told me several times, he thinks Sweden is a good model, showing the way to "Cast the galling yoke of Socialism around the neck of all Americans!"

 

[Seraphim]

AT&T is wrong yet again!



The analogy they use:

Back then nothing bugged phone company executives so much as a practice that we regard today as utterly normal—the use of the word "hello" in initial telephone conversation. In 1910, Bell's Telephone Engineer magazine sponsored a contest for the best essay on proper telephone etiquette. AT&T had the prize article distributed to telephone directories. Here's what it said about the h-word:

"Would you rush into an office or up to the door of a residence and blurt out 'Hello! Hello! Who am I talking to?' No, one should open conversations with phrases such as 'Mr. Wood, of Curtis and Sons, wishes to talk with Mr. White...' without any unnecessary and undignified 'Hellos."

This should put the onus of introduction on the one rushing up to the door (i.e.-the caller), not the one answering the door/phone. As said above, the one making the call already knows whom they are calling, the person upon answering has no such information.

 

[Bertilak]

I've always found the American "hello" phenomena interesting & somewhat strange.
If I would do the same here in Sweden I would be down-right rude.
First name or last name when answering at home & at least first name when answering the cell.

Well, with today's phones you generally can see who is calling, if you know them ahead of time. So it is usually "Hello Frank" (or whomever). If it is a call from someone you don't know, a simple "hello" does not volunteer info you may not want to give out (or confirm).

Or it is some $%^@ recorded message and a big long cheery greeting just makes you feel like a dope.

 

[C Reed]

If I don't know the number calling or its a work contact that I don't know well I answer with my first and last name. If my intern has my phone she answers "Studio, how can I help you?" If a friend of mine she knows answers (we have become close friends through the term of her working with me) she will answer hello or hi.

 

[hotwheels]

Do you answer the phone by saying, "hello"? If so, you are, shall we discretely say, uncivilized.n

Hi LarryAndro,

I'm a phonephobic. I am anti-phone. I don't want to be called. Now that we have this out of the way, please let's be clear about it that the caller has the advantage, because he or she knows who will be at the other end. For example, the phone will be picked up by Mr Smith, his wife, his kid, the maid, etc. I absolutely hate it when someone calls me and asks me, before introducing him or herself, "With whom am I speaking?" Well, who did call? I actually ask them that. Sometimes, when in a real foul mood, I pick up the phone and say gruffly, "Speak!" That's a real mood setter. Of course, I am on the do-not-call-list, but I do get the occasional telemarketer. I put them on hold, I play retarded child, I ask them for their number so I can call them back when they are home having dinner. I really don't like phones.

Cheers,
-Snick

 

[Luc]

I've always found the American "hello" phenomena interesting & somewhat strange.
If I would do the same here in Sweden I would be down-right rude.
First name or last name when answering at home & at least first name when answering the cell.

Interesting, I never heard of that one.

I try to sound enthusiastic when I pick-up the phone but 99% of my calls (I know, don't have much friends here...) are either a wrong number that hang up without speaking (maybe I did something wrong on the street) or a telemarketer where I either goes:

Telemarketer: Hi, this is such for a survey for bla bla bla, would you be interested?
Me: YES! (Almost screaming, I'm not kidding! Those who saw Seinfeld understands)
I hang up there

or

Telemarketer: Hi, this is such for a survey for bla bla bla, would you be interested?
Me: All right!
I leave the phone on the table for 30 minutes.

I know, I'm not nice...

Back to the topic....

What am I supposed to do to be proper?

Edit:
Seinfeld clip
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQjp_c6ynU0[/youtube]