Answering the Phone at Home Based Businesses

"Hello! This is Jacqueline on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this clip I will be talking about how to take a call when the kids are around. When the phone rings with your children around, it can vary how you choose to deal with it. If you have caller ID and voice mail and the luxury of returning calls at your convenience, then I suggest doing so. However if your business is demanding and time sensitive and you must answer the call, try to subdue your children for long enough to take the call. Use toys, have some special toys sitting nearby the phone that you can give to them only during phone calls. My advice would be to keep it professional but at the same time, inform the caller that you may have a distraction as a result of being home with your children at the moment. Most people would be understanding and appreciate honesty. Otherwise you will run the risk of being stressed out under the pressure of being discovered if a distraction arises. In this situation, I believe that honesty pays off best. If you have older children, send them away to their room or somewhere else out of ear shut. If you have younger children, sometimes just walking with them calms them down."