From being quoted in the national news to answering the phone at a local UF/IFAS Extension office, UF/IFAS faculty and staff interact with the public in many different situations each day. To present a consistent identity across the organization, we must refer to UF/IFAS similarly in each interaction. Remember, each public contact is an opportunity to be an ambassador for our brand and present UF/IFAS as accessible, friendly, knowledgeable, and practical.
Answering the phone
When answering the phone, let the person know you are with the University of Florida and IFAS. To do this, answer as follows:
- “UF/IFAS [insert your department, program, or entity].”
- For example: “Good morning. Thank you for calling the UF/IFAS Soil Testing Laboratory.”
- UF/IFAS Extension offices should answer the phone with the following:
- “UF/IFAS Extension [insert county name]”
For example: “Good afternoon. Thank you for calling UF/IFAS Extension Collier County.”
Introducing yourself and UF/IFAS
UF/IFAS has many program areas, which can create confusion when people in UF/IFAS introduce themselves. First, acknowledge that you are a part of UF/IFAS, and then you can add the program area or department to which you belong.
The same is true in Extension. If you are with UF/IFAS Extension, always introduce yourself as part of UF/IFAS Extension, and then add your program area — whether the Master Gardener program, 4-H, Sea Grant, etc. Because UF/IFAS Extension offices are a part of the county government, they should also acknowledge that they are affiliated with the county.
For example: “Hello, my name is Jane Jones, and I’m with UF/IFAS Extension Collier County, and I am a horticulture agent. Our Extension office is also a part of the Collier County Public Services Department,” or “Hello, my name is Joe Smith, I am a UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County family and consumer sciences agent.”
Promoting UF/IFAS in your email signature
Another way you can help to introduce yourself and promote UF/IFAS is by correctly using the UF/IFAS logo in your email signature and including the short equal employment opportunity (EEO) statement (optional). In general, an email signature should be set up as follows:
- Name
- Title
- UF/IFAS, along with your department, unit, or county office
- Phone number (cell is optional)
- Optional promotion/campaign/initiative graphic
- Email signatures must use official UF web colors. The typeface should be Arial or sans-serif, the default font. The name and title should be bold and 10 points in size; additional contact information should be 8 points in size.
For example:
Those in UF/IFAS Extension should use the UF/IFAS Extension logo and include their county logo either below or to the right of the UF/IFAS Extension logo.
- Name
- Title
- UF/IFAS Extension [county name]
- Phone number
- Optional promotion/campaign/initiative graphic
For example:
Download the UF email signature templates here: Email Signature Instructions.
Find instructions on how to use this downloadable template in Microsoft Outlook’s desktop client here: Create an email signature from a template. NOTE: Copy and paste the signature template using the Menu bar instead of keyboard commands.
Instructions on using this downloadable template in Microsoft Outlook’s web browser client can be found at Create and add an email signature in Outlook.
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