Phone reference best practices
I break some of these rules all the time, but here are some best practices I try to follow for phone reference questions.
ask permission to put callers on hold before actually doing so - most people want to wait, some don't.
hear it the first time - this can sometimes be impossible with static, volume, background noise, speaker phones, etc. but it's my goal to not have to ask people to repeat themselves
remember the details - type up titles, authors, etc. in notepad or word or write details down on scratch paper so you don't forget as you're working the question
avoid interference - you don't want to talk at the same time as the your caller. Don't overlap: let them talk, then take your turn, then let them respond... It's like radio call-and-response communication.
if it's taking a while to find something, either let them know (and put them back on hold and continue working to find it for them), or take down their number to call them back
warm transfer - if you have to transfer someone to a coworker, different department, etc., let your coworker know any details of the caller's question before hanging up
maximize post-call work - if you have to place a hold or do something like filling out an ILL request that will take a while, let the patron hang up as soon as you have enough information to complete the request. I don't want to take any more of the caller's time than necessary to serve them.
e nun ciate - I don't mean talk so slowly as to insult the intelligence of the person on the other end of the line, but make sure to speak as clearly as possible.
