The Telephone

For a busy professional who spends a lot of time talking on the phone, they know it is an indispensable piece of equipment. And yet many people do not take full advantage of the features today's technology has to offer. One piece of advice I give my clients is to spend a little time with the office phone's manual. About a half an hour of reading and playing around can reveal several useful functions. This allows them to take control of the day. For instance many office phones have a Do Not Disturb or Screening function. These are invaluable for those times when focus is needed. With Voice Mail and Call Screening we can set aside time for important tasks that require uninterrupted attention, and still be available for emergencies. Several phones have Call Forwarding which can facilitate needed breaks to the corner coffee shop by simply forwarding calls to a cell phone. Remember that breaks are important in keeping momentum and a good attitude. Don't let the threat of missing an important call keep you locked up all day long. Other features like Speed Dial are designed to save time, but many people only use a few of the available banks. Go ahead and program numbers until you either run out of banks or run out of numbers. Don't worry about memorizing the Speed code, with time the important and most used numbers will stick. Clients are often amazed at how a little time up front spent learning their phones capabilities can pay off in little ways for years, making each day just a little bit easier.