This is a template for a phone policy that you can cut and paste (or rip off, if you like) to use for your company. The purpose is to provide you with an understandable, easy and smart policy to use practically in your business.
The phone policy will help you talk with clients the right way, keep an eye on your phone usage and forward calls properly when you’re in a meeting, at lunch or on vacation. Whether you’re a CIO, work in customer service, or if you’re a temporary consultant, it’s nice to have a phone policy to follow. That way, everyone in the company does the same thing.
We at Telavox have created this template to make things easier for you and your colleagues. If you’re buying an extensive system or getting a new PBX, now is a perfect time to update your phone policy!
In the Background section, it’s a good idea to clarify why you have a phone policy in the first place and who’s going to use it. Here’s an example:
[The Company’s] phone policy applies to all employees and hired consultants in the organisation. Telephony is strategically essential for us to communicate in the right way with each other, our clients, partners, and the world. Therefore, the purpose of our phone policy is to support and help all employees to communicate easily, effectively and correctly.
In the section Telephony strategy, specify how you use fixed and mobile numbers in the organisation. Explain why you should do it in a certain way, and how it simplifies things for both clients and colleagues.
At [Company], we primarily use our fixed direct number [XXX-XXX-XXX] in contact with customers, partners, suppliers, and others. We use our fixed number daily and refer to it in contact with people outside the company. If someone isn’t available, we’ll use call forwarding, which will give our clients quick and correct information on how they can get assistance.
Your mobile number should only be used in exceptional cases, in order to differentiate between your professional and private role. During work hours, the phone number should primarily be used for private calls only.
By always using our fixed direct number, we ensure that there’s someone to answer the telephone or keep track of the communication – even if someone’s on sick leave, vacation, or have ended their employment. At the same time, we avoid that employees get distracted after work by not exposing their mobile numbers to customers and work related contacts.
In the case of discontinued employment, it’s not allowed to forward or take your phone number with you (so-called porting) without specific permission from [the Company]. Your nearest manager handles eventual deviations from the phone policy.
With this dictionary, you’ll make sure that every coworker speaks the same telephony-language. Plus, it’s a useful tool for them to learn about a new switchboard or telephony system, and for them to understand the contents of the phone policy!
Administrator –A person with authorisation to manage and edit user permissions in the queue, for example.
Greylisted destinations –A list of countries that you can’t take calls from or make calls to.
Forwarding –Options for the caller when you can’t pick up the phone.
Keypad options –Different choices that the caller can make by pressing a number on the keypad.
Queue system/ Hunt group –How and in what order the call will be received in the queue.
Mobile connection –A number that’s answered by a mobile phone with a SIM card.
MEX –Mobile Extension – a mobile connection that’s equal to a fixed one.
Caller ID –The number displayed when a user calls. This can vary depending on the profile, mobile, landline, etc.
Profiles –Individual settings for every user. Controls how the telephony works.
Call routing –Managing calls for every user, such as speed dials or destinations.
Answering service –An external partner that answers with our name and receives messages.
Voice mailbox –An automatic voice that informs of the active forwarding function, such as a voicemail, another number, or the option to get a get a call at a later time.
Hunt group –A phone number that a group of users at the company answers.
Top up –Adding mobile data at a cost.
Here, list the key personnel in your organisation responsible for your telephony and PBX system. For example:
In Mobile connections, describe how the company handles mobile phones. What status do they have? Is a mobile number equal to a fixed number? When and how should you use the mobile number? And how personal should your answering machine message be?
Every coworker’s mobile phone at [Company] is a part of the telephony system. The mobile phone is an ordinary connection in the PBX, just like a fixed number.
Default settings for mobile connections
TIP! Manage a profile or use forwarding in your telephony system to give the client the best service possible. For example, add a schedule for your work hours, so that the caller gets the message “at lunch” between noon and 13:00 or “Left for the day” after 17:00 on weekdays.
Voicemail
Here, describe how you work with answering machines and voicemail. Should it be the same for the entire organisation, and what should the message say?
Every employee at [Company] should record a personal message to your answering machine according to the following template:
”Hello! You have reached [First name Last name] at [Company]. I can’t take your call right now, but please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for calling!”
Psst! Did you know that as many as 80% call a competitor if you don’t have a personal greeting? Not having a voicemail might mean that you’ll lose loads of potential customers!
For companies with lots of different roles, departments or teams, you might need specific settings for mobile phones. Here are two examples of different positions:
Sales
Technical Service
Important! Different roles have different requirements. However, it’s just as important to differentiate between work and free-time for both managers and coworkers. You have to be able to choose when (and how) you want to be contacted.
Here, list your subscriptions and the amount of data available to different employees, teams or departments.
When you’re in [the Company’s] office, you should use our wireless network. If you’re outside the office at places with a wireless network, you should primarily use that one.
What is the right amount of data, really?
The average usage in Sweden is just 2,5 GB per month, so you can probably skip the 50 GB subscriptions. Surely, no one’s going to stream movies in 4K at work?
Which mobile phones can your employees choose from? List them below!
Tip! By only offering a few select models, you’ll save both time and money on support and extra gadgets. No employee must have the latest Iphone!
Here, you describe what applies to phones that don’t belong to the company. Do you accept private phones at work, and if so, how will it work?
In some cases, a private phone that doesn’t belong to [the Company] can be connected to our telephony system and PBX. However, this should be an exception that mainly applies to temporary staff, hourly employees, consultants, or before a new employee has received his or her SIM card.
Heads up! Having private phones connected to the PBX for an extended time can become troublesome. For instance, if someone is stuck with their subscription, a private phone might be the best solution at the moment.
Here, you describe what applies to the employees’ fixed phone numbers. Do you have any shared numbers that are unique to specific departments or teams? Are there employees that shouldn’t have a phone? How are fixed connections managed?
Default settings for fixed connections
Voicemail
Voicemails are managed the same as mobile numbers.
Unique settings for different roles
These are managed in the same way as mobile numbers.
Psst! Today, there isn’t that big a difference between a fixed or mobile connection – neither for the user nor the caller. The experience is the same whether you’re at the computer with a softphone or if you’re talking on a mobile phone. That’s why the guidelines for fixed contra mobile connections can be pretty similar.
Tip! For a lot of companies, it’s important to communicate with clients and partners primarily through the fixed connection, in order to maintain a corporate profile and gather all incoming calls in one place. That’s why the direct number is often shown during outgoing calls and forwarded to when communicating with clients. Unity comes first!
In the Phone queue or the Hunt group (depending on what it’s called in your system), clarify your policy regarding waiting times, button prompts and how you should answer the call. Different phone queues can have different routines depending on the department or the team. Here are a few examples:
Shared routines for the phone queue
Heads up! A telephony system often comes with music, but if you pick music externally, make sure that it’s royalty-free to avoid violating the copyright.
* IVR = Interactive Voice Response, a spoken call forwarding.
Greeting
All employees that answer the phone queue should greet the caller as follows:
“Hi and welcome to [Company], you’re talking to [Name]. How may I help you?”
Default settings for the phone queue
For the specific phone queue “Sales”
For the specific phone queue “Support”
With Profile management or Forwarding (depending on what it’s called in your system), you can easily manage the availability of every employee, depending on the situation. Here are some examples of standard profiles, plus some individual profiles that might be applicable to your company.
We use profile management to supply both customers and colleagues with the correct information and the best service. In our PBX solution, an admin can create and edit profiles. These profiles are easy for every employee to select at different moments, depending on the situation.
Tip! Offer the customer different options when you’re not available. For example, give the option to leave a message, get a call at a later time, or to be forwarded to your number of choice. This enables the client to move on with their matter directly, instead of having to wait in a queue. It’s service made easy!
These are the most common profiles and call forwarding routes that should be used at [the Company]. Incoming calls connect to different numbers and receivers, and the displayed number for outgoing calls differs.
Special profiles
These are the special profiles at [the Company] used by groups and departments, depending on roles and requirements.
Special profiles can be different types of call forwarding that don’t apply to the entire company. Here, specify what applies to industry-specific roles – if a teacher is holding a class or if a doctor is busy operating, for example.
Here, list other details that apply to the company’s phone policy. This can relate to outgoing text messages, blocking specific numbers or destinations to prevent fraud calls, or what applies to recorded calls. Your telephone system probably contains a lot of small but important functions that might need special routines and guidelines. Describe them here!
Text messages
When we send text messages to our customers and partners, the sender should be [the Company] and not a phone number. Customers shouldn’t be able to respond to text messages, and employees’ phone numbers shouldn’t be displayed.
Blocked international calls
We have activated a filter to block fraudulent calls from certain countries. The list is called Greylisted destinations and is updated frequently to prevent outgoing calls to numbers that you shouldn’t be able to dial.
Recorded calls
If you have access to the service “Recorded calls”, you should record all calls to landlines, as well as mobile numbers, on weekdays 08:00–17:00. You can’t record calls if you’re absent.
Good luck with your phone policy!
We’d love to show you what Telavox can do for your business – contact us now to arrange a demonstration.
