In nearly every administrative position, you will be in charge of at least some of the business' incoming calls. This provides you with a unique opportunity to bring in business, and with just a little fine-tuning, you can easily make yourself indispensible to nearly any service-oriented business simply by answering the phone effectively.  In no time, you will find that your phone manner actually helps bring in more business and even is the deciding factor in winning over potential clients.

Here are some simple tips to super-charge your professional phone skills:

Infuse your voice with warmth and enthusiasm
Many professional administrators say that they literally make sure to smile when they pick up the phone because customers can "hear" the smile through the line. This is the first impression that a customer will get of your company, so it is important to sound ready, willing and able to help.

Grab all calls before the third ring
Wait longer than this, and you give an impression of being too busy to handle more business at best, and not caring at worst.

Always provide identification
This can require a little experimentation to get the right information. You should provide your business name and your name, and then offer help. However, some businesses find that they get good results from adding in their slogan as well, or supplementing their greeting with phrases like "It's a beautiful day at [your business]. This is [your name.] How can I help you?"

Use positive vocabulary
Even when you are having an awful day, simply making it a habit to answer "of course," or "certainly' instead of simply "yes," or "okay" can give your phone conversations a positive, enthusiastic tone. Excluding "fillers" like "uh" and "um" can also make you sound more enthusiastic, professional and eager to assist.

Use consistent greetings when answering the phone
Callers like to hear the same thing each time they call. It also helps with recognition so that people do not have to ask if they have reached the right place. Make sure that everyone in a business who is answering the phone is doing so in the same way so that your service sounds professional.

The phone is the first place that a potential customer will encounter your business on a personal level, and an initial conversation is often the crucial factor when people decide with whom they are going to work. Make sure that this factor is working in your favor with carefully honed phone skills.