You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name is Edwin, and today we're going to learn how to start a telephone call.
On the telephone, you can't use your smile or body language to communicate feelings or ideas.
You've only got your voice, so it's really important that you know what to say and how to say it at each step of the call.
This is especially true of the start of the call.
Whether you're the caller or the receiver, you need to cover the basic information right away so you can move on and deal with the matter at hand.
So, what are those basic things you need to cover at the start of a call?
Well, that's what we'll learn about in this lesson.
If you're the receiver, you're going to have to answer the call with a greeting and something to identify yourself and company.
On a very simple level, that might sound like, good morning, this is Jane at City Contractors.
If you're the caller, you're also going to have to identify yourself before you ask to speak to someone.
Once you've identified yourself, what happens next?
Well, as the receiver, next you will want to connect the caller with the right person.
But before you do that, or before you take a message if the person is not available, you want to find out why the person is calling.
So you'll ask about the purpose of the call.
In today's dialogue, we will learn how the call works from both sides.
We'll hear Claire, who works at a company called Airtronics.
She's answering the call.
We'll also hear Nathan, the caller, who works for Cyclops Aircraft.
Nathan is calling to talk to someone named George Klein in the contracts department.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
One, what are the different parts of Claire's first statement when she answers the phone?
2.
How does Nathan ask to speak to George Klein?
3.
How does Claire ask about the purpose of the call?
Good morning, Airtronics.
Claire speaking.
How may I help you?
Yes, good morning.
This is Nathan from Cyclops Aircraft.
Could you put me through to George Klein in your contracts department?
Oh, I'm sorry, but we're closed for the holidays and I'm just here to take messages and handle emergencies.
May I know what it's in connection with?
Perhaps I can take a message for you?
Well, Claire, this is very urgent.
I'm the subcontracts manager for Cyclops and the reason I'm calling...
Let's go through the dialogue again and have a closer look at the language and vocabulary that Claire and Nathan used in their telephone conversation.
And as we go through the lesson, we'll give you some examples to practice.
Let's start with Claire answering the call.
Good morning, Airtronics.
Claire speaking.
How may I help you?
Claire shows us every possible element you might use when answering the phone.
There's a greeting with good morning.
Then she identifies her company and herself.
And finally, she asks, how may I help you?
Now, when you identify your company, you can just say the name.
Or you can introduce it with this is, like this is Excel Enterprises.
And you can be even more specific and give the name of your department as well, like this.
Hello, Excel Enterprises Purchasing Department.
Giving your own name works the same way.
Just stating your name is fine, like Tony Hall.
Or you can say, this is Tony Hall.
Or, as Clara said, you can say your name and speaking.
That's just a short way of saying, this is Claire speaking.
The amount of information you include will depend on the situation.
If you are a front desk receptionist at a company, you might include every element, just as Claire has done.
But if you're answering your mobile phone, you might just give your name or a greeting and your name.
Now, let's practice some of the different ways to answer a call.
I want you to repeat what you hear so you can practice each expression.
Okay, so now that Claire has answered the call, how does Nathan respond?
Yes.
Good morning.
This is Nathan from Cyclops Aircraft.
Nathan's response is pretty simple.
He repeats Claire's greeting and then identifies himself, including his name and his company.
And one important thing to remember is that when we are talking on the telephone, we say this is plus your name.
We don't say I am like we do when we can actually see the person.
Let's try a few more examples of identifying yourself as the caller.
Once again, you can repeat what you hear.
Hello, this is Terry from accounts.
Hello, my name is Eric Johnson from AVI Incorporated.
Yes, this is the test department calling about the...
Now that Nathan has identified himself, what does he do next?
Let's listen.
Could you put me through to George Klein in your contracts department?
Nathan isn't really calling to speak to Claire.
He wants to speak to a man named George Klein.
So, he asks if Claire can put him through or connect him to George.
To do this, he uses the polite could you.
You can also use a polite expression, may I speak to, plus the person's name.
Let's practice some of these polite ways of asking to speak to someone on the phone.
May I speak to?
I'd like to speak to.
Could you put me through to?
Could I have extension 211 please?
May I speak to someone in the accounts department, please?
So, Nathan wants to talk with George Klein.
If George Klein was in the office, then Claire might connect Nathan to George's phone.
But George isn't in the office.
So let's hear how Claire handles the situation.
Oh, I'm sorry, but we're closed for the holidays and I'm just here to take messages and handle emergencies.
May I know what it's in connection with?
Claire begins by apologizing using the useful expression I'm sorry, but followed by her explanation.
The company is closed and Claire wants to take a message.
So what's the first question she asks?
Well, she asks about the purpose of Nathan's call.
In other words, why does Nathan want to talk to George?
And to ask this, Claire very politely says, may I know the purpose?
Or, as she says, what the call is in connection with.
To politely ask about a caller's purpose.
It's good to use may I know or may I ask?
And to use a more formal expression for the purpose, such as regarding or in reference to.
You can give this technique a try with a couple more examples.
May I ask what it's regarding?
May I ask what this is in reference to?
Okay, so we've heard the opening of this conversation, but we'll have to wait until the next lesson to find out what the purpose of Nathan's call is and to hear how Claire takes the message.
Now, let's practice some of the language we just learned.
We're going to do a couple of short role plays.
In the first one, you'll be the person answering the phone.
You'll need to answer the call, then ask the purpose of the call.
In the second role play, you'll be the caller.
You'll have to start by identifying yourself, then you'll ask to speak to someone.
At each step, you'll hear a statement from the other person.
Then, I will suggest how you can respond.
Use my suggestion to say the right thing in the situation and we'll provide an example answer after the practice.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Start by saying good morning and giving your company name, then your name.
Yes, this is Frank Unger.
I'd like to speak to Kerry, please.
Now, repeat the caller's name and ask what he is calling about.
Now, let's listen to an example answer.
Good morning.
Carlton Industries.
Sandra speaking.
Yes, this is Frank Unger.
I'd like to speak to Carrie, please.
Okay, Mr. Unger.
And can I ask what this is about?
Great work.
Now you play the role of the caller in another conversation.
You'll hear a statement from the person who answers the call.
Then, I'll suggest a way of responding.
Use my suggestion to respond to the other person and we'll provide an example answer after the practice.
Hello, Mayweather Center.
Tanya speaking.
Start by stating your name and the company you work for.
And how may I help you this morning?
Now, ask if you can be put through to Howard in sales.
Now, let's listen to an example answer.
Hello, Mayweather Center.
Tanya speaking.
Hello, this is Dave Munro with Bright Star Enterprises.
And how may I help you this morning?
Could you put me through to Howard and Sales please?
That's all for this lesson about opening a telephone conversation.
We've learned how to answer a call, how to identify yourself, how to ask to speak to someone and how to ask about the purpose of the call.
Put these techniques together and you're sure to get your business call off to a great start.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
