This headline has been floating around—
Some of my older readers might not believe it's gotten this bad, and some of the younger wants might not believe it matters. But let me assure you, this is indeed happening, and it's going to have deleterious knock-on effects that could reverberate for your entire career.
So today I'm going to tell you how to answer the phone, and why you should care.
Ahoy Hoy
First of all, yes, if your phone rings and you pick it up, you speak first. That's how phones have worked from the beginning.1
“Hello” is perfectly acceptable if you're answering your personal phone, and you're not sure who is on the other end. “Hello, this is [name]” is more professional if you're expecting/hoping for a call from a potential employer. But if you're in the office, answering the office phone, a generic "Hello?” will never do.
The correct way is to identify the company (or person you're assisting), and then yourself: “Krustylu Productions, this is [name]” or “Amanda Huggenkiss's office, this is [name].” Sometimes, the company doesn't want to be identified publicly (mostly so they don't get gouged by vendors or swamped by fans); in those cases, they'll give you a pseudonym to use, like Blue Harvest.
The caller almost certainly doesn't want to talk to you; they'll ask for your boss or someone else in the office. In which case, never, ever, ever say, “one second” or “just a minute.” First of all, it won't be a second or a minute. It'll be some small but indeterminate amount of time, so you say, “Just a moment.” (Try not to be obnoxious about it, of course.)
But don't stop there, because your boss may not want to talk to the caller. Say, “Just a moment, let me see if they're available.” That way, you can come back a moment later and say that they're in a meeting or on another call, instead of picking their nose and dodging network's notes.
If they do want to take the call, tell the caller, “I'll transfer you,” so they don't think the little click means they got hung up on.
If they don't want the call (or they really are in a meeting), tell the caller and ask for their name and number so your boss can call back. Sometimes they'll tell you that the boss already has their number. Do not believe them. Unless it's your boss's spouse, I guarantee the one time you don't take down a phone number is the one time your boss will have lost it.2
Also, always ask what the call is regarding. There's a world of difference between, “That bitch in wardrobe parked in my space again” and “The set's on fire.”
Aside from emergencies, you should also make a habit of offering alternatives— “Can I help you with something?” or “The coordinator's not here, but the APOC is.” I worked on one show where it took the head of make-up six months to figure out that I could issue drive-ons, and she didn't actually have to talk to my boss every time she hired day player.
This is all pretty simple and straightforward. Be clear and polite, and it's hard to go wrong. But now the question is...
Why Should You Care?
Having an assistant in your office isn't really practical anymore (if it ever was). It's a status symbol.
Sure, you could order lunch and coffee with Door Dash, manage your calendar with a scheduling app, and answer the phones with an AI chatbot. But spending the money to hire a real human being is a sign that you have money to spare, because you're so successful.
But do you, dear reader, want to be a luxury good? Probably not. What you want is access.
Working for a producer, executive, writer, or any other major decision maker is a window into how the business really works. You can only learn so much from film school, or even blogs like TAPA. Being in the trenches is how you pick up on the nuances and keep up with the latest developments.
When you transfer a call, you should still be listening on the other line. If you schedule a meeting, ask if you can sit in on that meeting. When you pick up a coffee order, add a drink for yourself. You deserve it.
But all of this hinges on making yourself a presentable status symbol, which includes phone etiquette. If you can't manage that, you can add “personal assistant” to the long list of jobs that'll be replaced by AI.
The Future is Now
TAPA is dedicated to helping those of you on the bottom rung of the career ladder. If that step disappears, it'll be so much harder for anyone without connections (or money) to climb it.
Mostly.
Don't trust caller ID, either. A lot of time it just shows the company switchboard, which doesn't do much good if they're calling from Universal studios.
I do miss the art of the real-time phone call. Thank you for this important PSA!
1. The reason many people don’t say anything when they answer the phone is due to spam calls. If you get a call from an unknown number and speak first, there’s a good chance the bot on the other end is marking you down in their system as an active number.
2. If a company is worried about whether their assistants say “one moment” or “one minute”, they need to really take a hard look at their priorities. With all due respect, I predict the attention paid to these meaningless little details will soon fade away as older generations retire. As Bob Dylan said, “the times are a changing”.
3. Overall I enjoyed the read. Some great points were raised!