To skip small talk politely I will usually use “Hey (person’s name) what’s going on?” Which I use for my daily post as well. I try to sound positive. This way I sound interested in them and not put upon.

I’ve always found this to be out of place at work. I get about 3-4 soliciting calls a day and they all lead with this line. All of our actual customers jump straight to business. “Hey. I was wondering if I could put in an order?”

I open with “Thank you for calling –. My name is –. What can I do for you today?”