You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for this episode in which we're going to take another look at one of our most popular and important podcasts.
Today, we're talking about using the telephone.
This is something we all do, but we don't all do well.
Talking on the telephone has become an extremely important part of business.
You need to be able to answer a call professionally and create a good image of yourself and your company with only your voice.
Having effective telephone skills leaves a good impression on your customers, clients and colleagues.
People are busy, so you want to be very clear, polite, and organized.
In this lesson, we'll begin by looking at a bad example of answering a call and taking a message.
We'll discuss why it's a bad example, and then we'll go into a good example of answering a call.
I'm sure you'll see a clear difference.
Before we listen, let's talk a bit about the basics of handling a call.
Our tone of voice needs to be pleasant and positive.
We don't want to make people feel like they are bothering us.
Some people try smiling when they speak, even though the other person can't see them.
This trick helps to maintain a good tone.
Second, we should always be prepared.
Whether you're receiving or making a call, you need to be ready.
We also need to make it clear from the beginning who the person is talking to.
This means identifying ourselves and our company.
From there, we need to lead the conversation and find out how we can help the caller.
The caller should not have to ask for help.
And finally, we need to remember that listening is half of the conversation.
We need to listen and respond to what the other person is saying.
For our bad example.
We'll listen as Justin, an employee with Drivesco, calls a shipping company called Dane Line.
Justin is hoping to speak with Sylvie Peterson, but it is a receptionist named Amy who answers the phone.
As you listen, try to answer these questions.
1.
How would you describe Amy's attitude?
2.
Does Justin seem prepared?
Hello?
Hi.
Who's this?
Amy.
Is this Dane Line?
Yes.
What can I do for you?
Hi.
Yes.
Just a second there.
Uh-huh.
There it is.
May I speak to Sylvie Peterson?
Sylvie!
Sorry.
She's not here.
Can I leave a message?
Sure.
Go ahead.
Um, let's see.
My name is Justin Thomas.
I'm with Travesco.
It's about the construction schedule for 2008.
And my number is, wait a second, 390-929-2107.
Sorry, could you say that again?
I'm looking for a pen.
Which part?
All of it.
Okay, what's your name?
This is not the way that a business telephone call should usually go.
Neither Amy or Justin did a very good job, did they?
So what exactly is the problem?
We know the basics of what makes a good call.
So what is wrong with Amy and Justin?
Hello?
Hi.
Who's this?
Amy.
Is this Dane Line?
Yes.
What can I do for you?
Let's begin with how Amy answers the phone.
She simply says, hello.
That may be what you say when you answer your telephone at home, but it's not OK in a business setting.
Amy doesn't say her name or her company's name.
She also doesn't ask how she can help the caller.
And listen to her voice.
Is it pleasant?
Does it make the caller feel good about the interaction?
Think about the impression this makes.
Justin has to ask who is answering the call and make sure that it is actually the right company.
Remember, the person who answers the phone should make it clear who the person is calling.
Finally, Amy asks the caller what she can do.
Hi.
Yes.
Just a second there.
Aha, there it is.
May I speak to Sylvie Peterson?
Sylvie!
Hey!
Sorry, she's not here.
Can I leave a message?
Justin needs to work on his skills as well.
He's really not prepared for this call and has to take a moment to figure out who he actually wants to speak with.
Of course, Amy should put Justin on hold while she looks for Sylvie Peterson.
But she doesn't.
She just puts the phone down and calls out Sylvie.
Again, this is something that might happen at home, but should definitely not happen at work.
Notice, too, that it is Justin who asks if he can leave a message.
That's something Amy should have asked.
And how does she handle it?
Sure, go ahead.
Let's see.
My name is Justin Thomas.
I'm with Travesco.
It's about the construction schedule for 2008.
And my number is, wait a second, 390-929-2107.
Sorry, could you say that again?
I'm looking for a pen.
Neither speaker is really prepared.
Justin's not sure of his own number and Amy doesn't have a pen handy, even though she told Justin to go ahead with his message.
Amy really needs to be better prepared and be a better listener.
Now, let's leave the bad example behind.
You have seen quite clearly what we should not do.
We'll listen to a good example of answering a call.
This time, we'll hear Mark Rand, who has replaced Justin.
Mark is calling Dane Line, and Amy has obviously received some telephone training.
As you listen, try to answer these questions.
1.
What information does Amy include in her first sentence?
2.
How does Mark Rand introduce himself?
Hello, Dayline.
This is Amy.
How may I help you?
Hi, Amy.
My name is Mark Rand.
I'm calling for Sylvie Peterson.
Just a moment, please.
All right.
Thanks for holding.
This sounds a lot different from the bad example, doesn't it?
Mark and Amy accomplish as much in two lines as Justin and Amy did in six.
First, Amy answered the phone very professionally.
Hello, Dayline.
This is Amy.
How may I help you?
In this simple sentence, Amy has included the four important parts of answering the phone.
The greeting, her company name, her name, and an offer of help.
The greeting doesn't always have to be hello.
There are several other things you can say.
Hello Hi, Good morning, Good afternoon, Good day.
Hi is slightly more informal than the others, but it is still acceptable in some contexts.
Second, you should say the name of your company.
It's not really necessary to say, this is, before the name.
Just the name is enough.
You may also want to identify your department.
For example, you can say sales department or just sales.
Next, say your name.
Amy says, this is Amy.
Notice that she doesn't say, I am Amy, which is never used on the telephone.
And remember that we don't say this is in other situations, like when we're answering a door or introducing ourselves face-to-face.
How else can we say our name on the telephone?
My name is Sebastian.
This is Ray Turner.
Pat here.
Finally, you should make an offer to help, like this.
How can I help you?
What can I do for you?
These are the four parts of a standard telephone greeting in North America.
In some situations, we might omit certain parts or leave them out.
For example, if we know that this is an internal call I mean from inside your own company then you might just say your name and department.
Still, many companies expect the four-part greeting at all times.
And if you're not sure whether the call is external or internal, remember that it's always better to be too formal than too informal.
Why don't we practice this four-part greeting?
You will hear a prompt.
Use the ideas in the prompt to practice the four-part greeting.
Morning.
Dave.
Dixon Construction Help Example Answer Good morning.
This is Dave at Dixon Construction.
How can I help you?
Okay.
What happens after Amy answers the phone?
Hi, Amy.
My name is Mark Rand.
I'm calling for Sylvie Peterson.
Mark starts with a very nice personal greeting for Amy.
Then he gives his own name.
If you are the caller and you know the person you are calling, you can use this is.
But if we've never met before, it's best to use my name is for your introduction.
In this case, you could also mention the company you work for, but it's not necessary.
Mark then states the purpose of his call.
He wants to talk to Sylvie Peterson, and he uses the expression, I'm calling for.
What are some other ways that we can ask for a person on the telephone?
May I speak to Benedict Struck?
Is Arnold there?
Yes, I'm calling to speak to Ravi Montero.
Now, Amy needs to check whether Sylvie is available.
And to do this, she puts Mark on hold.
Just a moment please.
Alright.
There are a couple of other ways that Amy could have done this.
Could you hold please?
Would you mind holding please?
Don't forget to actually listen for the caller's answer when you ask if the person can hold.
Mark says, all right, and waits to find out whether Sylvie is in.
And you'll have to wait as well.
To finish off today's lesson, let's practice some useful vocabulary.
You'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence saying the missing word.
For example, if you hear I'll check my to see if I am busy on Friday morning.
You can say I'll check my schedule to see if I am busy on Friday morning.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
The instructor told us to... The last chapter, which was out of date.
Answer.
The instructor told us to omit the last chapter, which was out of date.
Mr Collins told me to ahead and start counting inventory.
Answer mr Collins told me to go ahead and start counting inventory.
I asked Jackson for a calculator because he always has one Answer.
I asked Jackson for a calculator because he always has one handy.
Tammy put the collar on while she talked to her manager.
Answer.
Tammy put the collar on hold while she talked to her manager.
We've reached the end of this episode, the first of our two-part review of one of our most popular and important podcasts.
We've looked at how to answer a call and make a call effectively and professionally.
We've also seen how not to handle a call.
In our next episode we'll hear the rest of the conversation between Mark and Amy and see how to take and leave a message.
It's a lesson that you just can't miss.
Thanks for listening and see you next time.
