Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-12-14
HELLO" NOT IN FAVOR
More Courteous Forms OF Ex-
Preston Are Being AdOp-
ted By Users OF The
Telephone
A COURTEOUS SALUTATION

.
Polite Greeting Telephone Opera
tors Are Human But Subscrib.
srs Don't Think So
1t is strange how few people are
polite and courteous. Those who are
in business life and rub shoulders
daily with the business world, are
made to feel, oftentimes, that polite
ness, like conversation, is lost art,
so few people exercise politeness in
their daily walk and conversation, es-
pecIally conversation over the tele-
phone. Telephone operators are hu-
man. even If subscribers who pay
their little nickle day to talk over
the phone don't think so.
Do you use the telephone?
Then you will be interested in the
following extract from pertinent
article on courtesy between telephone
users by Frank j. Wisse, which ap-
peared in the Telephone Engineer re-
Gently:
"Would you rush into an Office or
up to the door of a residence and
blurt out Hello! Hello! Who am
talking TOP and then, when you re-
ceive reply, follow up your wild
discourteous salutation with i don't
want you; get out of my way. want
to talk with Mr.. Jones'. Would you?
That is merely a sample of the impo-
lite and impatient conversations that
the telephone transmits many times
a day.
There is most agreeable mode of
beginning a telephone conversation
which many people are now adopting
because it saves useless words and
is, at the same time, courteous and
direct. 1t runs thus: The tele-
phone bell rings, and the person an
swering it says Morton & Co., Mr..
Baker speaking. The person calling
then says Mr.. Wood, of Curtis &
Sons, wishes to speak with Mr..
White.
when Mr.. White picks up the re-
ceiver, he knows that Mr.. Wood is
on the other end of the line, and
without any unnecessary and undig-
nified 'Hellos,' he at once greets
him with the refreshingly courteous
salutation Good morning. Mr..
Wood That savors of the genial
handshake that Mr.. Wood would
have received had he called in per-
son upon Mr.. White.
Undoubtedly there would be far
higher degree of telephone courtesy,
particularly in the way of reasonable
consideration for the operators, if
the 'face-to-face' idea were generally
held in mind. The fact that line
of wire and two shining instruments
separate you from the person with
whom you are talking takes none of
the sting of unkind words.
The telephone courtesy means
answering the telephone as quickly
as POSSIBLE when the bell rings not
keeping the caller waiting until
one gets good and ready to answer.
Telephone courtesy, on party lines,
means being polite when some one
else unintentionally breaks in-not
swapping, Get off the line; I'm
using it.
I'm a word. it is obviously true
that which is the correct thing to
do in a face-to-face conversation is
also correct in a telephone conversa-
tion, and any one has to apply the
rules of courtesy, prescribed long
years before the telephone was first
thought of, to know the proper man
ners for telephone usage.
BE forbearing, considerate and
courteous. Do over the telephone
as you would do face-to-face.
These words are timely and to the
point. At this late day there is no
excuse for harsh or impatient tele-
phone manners. The telephone, al
though it is such an absolute neces-
sity nowadays, is of comparatively
modern birth. The lack of courtesy
in its usge is relic of the time when
the telephone service had not reach
ed the perfection of today, and there
was some excuse for losing ones
temper. Clear, pleasant, deliberate
telephone talk should be the order
of the day.
Many firms have specially in
structed their employees to answer
with their names or departments,
or whatever other Identification
will Immediately signify that the
right person has heen reached.
The great development in tele-
phone buying accentuates the neces-
sity of facilitating Telephone orders
as much as possible. The depart
ment stores especially has recognized
this, and now one is almost uniformly
GREETED with the name of the store by
their private branch exchange oper-
ators. and with the name of the de-
partment by the salespeople.
Any word about telephone manners
would be incomplete without a men,
tion of the operator. Many folks
who are Otherwise perfectly kind and
considerate forget to be so to these
much-maligned young women. As a
class, operators are highly trained
and competent women. They must
answer many calls day from impa-
tient and unreasonable persons, as
we'll as from many who are quiet and
considerate, but their equanimity
seems tobe unimpaired. and they gc
on patiently answering number,
please. in q. pleasant voice. 49,
Many people would be surprised
! and horrified could they hear theil