Top 10 Phone Etiquette Training Courses Available Online for Receptionists, Support Staff, and Salespeople

Phone etiquette is still a huge part of business. If your support staff, salespeople, and other employees aren’t delivering the best experience over the phone, you’re going to hear about it, and so are others. People are used to a world of automation and scripted answers that are often frustrating to try and navigate. They want—nay, demand—better solutions, and you can do that by training your staff on phone etiquette. 

Thanks to the Internet, you can even do this without spending a lot of money. There are plenty of learning portals online that allow you to take courses for relatively cheap, or sometimes even free. You can often find free resources and training videos on sites like YouTube, too. Of course, not all of these solutions are created equally. And if you want your team to be the best, you want uniform training across the board. 

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. We’ve taken the time to find the 10 best phone etiquette training courses available online for your receptionists, salespeople, and support staff. No matter who you’re trying to train or what type of etiquette you want them to learn, there’s so much out there to choose from. You can also figure out what’s going to be best for your needs by comparing the options to what you had in mind for your team(s). We’ll talk about that, too. 

You could spend a fortune creating your own training programs, but then you’d also have to invest the time in keeping them going and delivering the training. And even then, you’re not guaranteeing that your people are getting the best possible resources for their needs. Fortunately, there are online training courses in all shapes and sizes that will help you give your team the best professional etiquette for the phone and any other type of communication they encounter. 

Once you’ve figured out what kind of courses you need, you’ll be able to review the courses below and others to set your team up for success. And remember, whether the training is free or not, it should deliver exceptional value for the money and give your team the skills they need. 

Should I pay for training courses?

Since we mentioned potentially free courses, we feel a responsibility to answer this often-pressing question. Should you pay for training courses when you use online resources? That depends, and on several different factors. What type of training are you looking for? If you want professional phone etiquette training that is uniform across the board and comes with certification, it may be worth paying for. If, on the other hand, you find some great free videos that offer tips and decide to share those with your staff, that’s an option, too. 

Formal training is always the better option for businesses. After all, you can’t trust that everyone will gain the same value from informal training opportunities and resources. With a dedicated course, however, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page. And like all of your employee costs, this is an investment, not an expense. That’s important to differentiate. Training is investing in your team because when they are better trained your business will be more successful in every way. 

So, should you pay for training courses? If they’re relevant, useful, and going to be worth the investment. If, however, you are just paying for training because you don’t know what else to do, it may be time to reevaluate your plan and see where you stand. Think about how your team can benefit from training and what types of perks come with having people who are better at communicating on the phone. 

Even answering the phone with a smile on your face can make a huge first impression on your audience. When they hear you speaking with a smile, they will feel welcome, wanted, and like you will be able to assist with whatever they need. Don’t buy training programs just to do it, but certainly don’t turn down a phone etiquette course (or any other training) just because it costs money—it may well be worth the investment. 

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t utilize the free resources that are out there—a simple Internet search can return plenty of articles on phone etiquette rules and tips. You just have to make sure that everyone is consuming the content and gaining some value from it. That’s sometimes easier done with formal training courses. 

And now, let’s look at some of the best training courses available today. 

The top 10 online phone etiquette training courses

1. Universal Class: Customer Service 101

This program is designed for all areas of business, including sales and support roles alike. It offers customer service training to help with active listening and how to deal with customers. It also covers various call techniques and etiquette topics to ensure that your people are prepared. It comes with practical application knowledge and discusses relationship building, customer interactions under various conditions, and so forth. Plus, it comes with certification so that your team can take a little professional expertise with them throughout their career. 

• Price: $75 with certification, $50 without
• Learn basic customer service skills
• Telephone techniques and call etiquette
• Customer service policies and procedures
• Understanding the importance of customer service 

2. Udemy: Professionalism 101

This course offers the chance to learn the best practices for business interactions and communications, including everyday etiquette, phone etiquette, professional ethics, and more. You’ll even learn about confidence and other personality skills that can help you become better in a professional setting, both on the phone and otherwise. Plus, Udemy courses are generally taught by real people who have been through the process and they’re affordable, giving you a chance to learn a lot more for a lot less. 

• Price: $14.99 
• Learn how to boost your career
• Improve professional skills in several areas
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• 4.7 stars 

3. EdApp: Excellent Customer Service Through Communication

This course is a great one for developing essential communication skills. It teaches things like enunciation, active listening skills, confidence, and more. Skills will help employees interact better with customers, vendors, and anyone else that calls your business. It can also ensure that employees are confident, clear communicators, and engaged on the phone. It’s a free course, too, which makes it a great choice for your team to check out before you invest a fortune in training. 

• Price: Free
• Focuses on enunciation and active listening
• Customizable banners and achievements 
• Improves communication all-around
• Helps establish better connections with callers

4. The Call Center School: Contact Center Basics

This program is a training course that is based on the foundations of communications and telephone etiquette. It’s designed by the Call Center School, and it covers everything from enunciation and vocal impression to the power of positive words and voice characteristics. Customer service agents and receptionists can learn how to open and close calls, improve communications, and deliver a more professional, respectful phone experience for all callers. 

• Price: $699 
• Offers vocal makeover tips and skills
• Teaches navigating customer calls
• Helps improve confidence
• Offers training via video, self-assessments, and more

5. Udemy: Essential Business Etiquette

This course teaches professional business etiquette for several situations and encounters. You get access to lectures and other content and learn how to use technology to connect with people while still being courteous and professional. The course offers a 30-day money-back guarantee like all Udemy courses and you will even learn things like business dining skills, polished networking skills, and more. 

• Price: $13.99
• Learn effective telephone communication
• Professional dress and manners courses
• Networking and relationship building skills
• Create lasting first impressions

6. International Business Etiquette

Another Udemy course, it focuses on international business etiquette, which as many business professionals already know may be different than what’s traditionally expected within one’s home country. After all, you’ll need to learn how to interact with other cultures and do so respectfully, while making proper introductions and adhering to cultural norms so as not to offend anyone or make things difficult. For those in international business, this course offers a lot of invaluable resources. And it’s cheap, too. 

• Price: $13.99 
• International focus
• Business etiquette for phone and other interactions
• Soft skills like confidence and communication
• Learn cultural respect 
• Important business taboos included 

7. A Practical Guide to Professional Telephone Etiquette

This course offers all kinds of tips and techniques to help anyone create a lasting impression over the phone, no matter what business they’re in. This course teaches helpful skills for inbound and outbound calling, how to be confident and convey that over the phone, and even how to deal with negative calls or angry callers positively and professionally. There’s a lot here to learn, and it’s relatively cheap for what you get. 

• Price: $14.99
• Professional courtesy
• Dealing with displeased callers
• Learn to send and receive professional messages
• Learn how to make outbound calls, too

8. Customer Service: Handling Complaints

This is another free course offered by EdApp, allowing you to learn all about how to deal with the negative side of customer service. This course is valuable because it focuses entirely on negative interactions and how to avoid them, as well as how to resolve them peacefully. Agents learn skills like active listening, empathy, and more. The program also teaches the LAST strategy (listen, apologize, solve, thank) to help your agents improve their online complaint management skills. 

• Price: Free
• Working with customer complaints 
• Includes training for online complaints and negative reviews
• Free course means you get more training without breaking the bank
• Courses can be deployed through the mobile app

9. The Call Center School: Contact Center Basics

This course is offered by the Call Center School, again a favorite for teaching these kinds of skills and abilities. The self-paced program allows your agents to learn about navigating customer calls, how to make over their voice for telephone etiquette and understanding, and more. The course will include things on opening and closing calls, dealing with negative callers, and improving their vocal impression. There are also lessons on enunciation and phrasing to ensure that your team is always ready to answer the call. 

• Price: $699/month
• Teaches all aspects of navigating calls
• Creates professional etiquette in all aspects of business
• Includes videos and self-assessments
• Confidence and communication training

10. Udemy: Master Business Etiquette & Social Skills Essentials

This program is another great one from Udemy that comes at an affordable price. It helps people learn how to build trust and gain respect in a professional setting using the rules of etiquette. It also helps people apply social skills to business situations and get a better understanding of how to communicate effectively over the phone and in person. It includes how to use appropriate communications for various mediums, how to interact in social settings, proper introductions, and more. 

• Price: $13.99
• Learn how to show value 
• Effectively communicate on the phone and via video
• Learn how to attend business events 
• Professional etiquette in a social setting
• Builds confidence 

Or, just hire a team with years of experience and save the hassles

At Smith.ai, we specialize in phone etiquette. Our dedicated virtual receptionists offer 24/7 solutions for all kinds of needs, including answering calls, outreach campaigns, scheduling and qualifying leads, and even handling general inquiries, and so much more. Ask about our temporary receptionist services if you only need part-time help, and find out how we can help you craft the perfect strategy to manage it all. 

You can rely on our agents to assist with live website chat and SMS message answering, and anything else that you may need, along with answering phones and routing calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that your callers get the level of service they deserve. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do to improve your communications and more. You’ll also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.