The Girl at the Telephone. It is nerve-racking to stand at the door to receive callers, but it is much more so to sit at the switchboard and receive messages. The only point of contact is through the voice, but it is remarkable how much of one's personality the voice expresses. If you are tired your voice shows it; if you are cross your voice tells it; if you are worried, your voice betrays it. It is possible for one (everyone) to cultivate a pleasing voice. The telephone companies have learned this, and there is no part of her equipment upon which they spend more time and effort than on the voice of the telephone girl. It is interesting to know that their very excellent motto, “The voice with the smile wins” did not spring into being without thought. On the early bulletins this clumsy phrase was printed: “A smiling voice facilitates service.”
The girl at the telephone, even though she receives a thousand calls a day, must answer each one pleasantly and patiently. Some people call without a very clear idea of what they want, and the fact that business houses have so many different names for exactly the same job often makes it difficult for them to locate the person they are asking for, even when they are fairly sure who it is they want.
“May I speak to your personnel manager?” comes the query over the wire to a girl who has never heard of a personnel manager.
“I'm sorry, I did not quite hear you.”
The person at the other end repeats the word and the girl is sure she had it right the first time.
“We have no personnel manager here. Maybe there is some one else who would do. If you will tell me what you want——”
“I want a job.”
“Just a minute, please, I'll connect you with our employment manager.”
Advertising engineers, executive secretaries, and many others are old jobs masquerading under new names.
More business men complain of the girl at the telephone than of any other person in business. She must, under the handicap of distance, accomplish exactly what the man at the door does, and must do it as efficiently and as courteously.