Re: May I know who is on the line?

Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:

Etiquettes vary. For instance, did you identify yourself at the
*real* start?


I do when I answer my office phone, but not when I answer my home
phone or cell phone.  If I answer someone else's home phone or cell
phone, I'll identify whose phone it is, but not, typically, me.  (A
friend of ours, who's often at our house, answers our phone "Susan
and Evan's; this is <X>", which tends to confuse solicitors.)

These things seem to vary from one culture and country to the other. For example, in Finland, it is customary to always state your name (or at least the surname) when answering the phone, no matter whether you're at home or at work. A mere "Hello" just isn't an option: callers would feel awkward and obliged to ask who they are speaking with if you did that.

It is also customary to introduce yourself by your name if you're calling someone ("Hi! This is so-and-so. May I speak with...") so the outcome is that both ends usually know each other's names before the discussion commences.

On the other hand, now that landline phones are disappearing and cellphones have taken precedence, this custom has slowly changed. Cellphones are viewed as personal devices and they have caller-id services as a standard feature. More often than not you _know_ who's calling before you're going to answer, and the person who's calling expects specifically you (and not anyone else) to answer your personal cellphone number. Hence, the introductory step is often skipped, and the discussion may begin directly with "How's it going?", or with something similar. But on a landline phone, it is still a cultural requirement to introduce yourself by saying aloud your name, regardless of whether you're originating the call or answering it.

--
znark

.

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