Phone Calls in English: Answering, Spelling Names and Leaving Messages

Many people find phone calls harder than writing. You cannot see the other person's face, the line may be bad, and people speak fast. But phone calls are part of many jobs, from offices and shops to call centres, hotels, hospitals and logistics. The good news is that phone calls follow a pattern, and a small set of phrases will carry you through most of them. This lesson gives you those phrases and tips for the difficult moments.

Answering a call

Company:  Good morning, Bright Office Supplies. Priya speaking.
          How can I help you?
Direct:   Hello, this is Rohan Mehta. How can I help?
Asking:   May I ask who is calling?
          Could I have your name, please?

Say the greeting, the company or department and your name. Speak a little slower than normal, and smile as you speak, because it makes your voice sound friendlier. Keep a pen and paper next to the phone.

Making a call

Hello, this is Rohan Mehta from Bright Office Supplies.
I am calling about order 5521.
Could I speak to Mr Khan, please?
Is this a good time to talk?

• Say who you are, and why you are calling, early.
• Prepare notes with the main points and numbers before you call.
• Ask if it is a good time, if the call was not planned.

Asking someone to repeat or slow down

Sorry, could you say that again, please?
Could you speak a little more slowly?
I am sorry, the line is not clear. Could you repeat that?
Could you spell that for me, please?
Let me check I understand. You said the delivery is on Friday, is that right?
Would you mind sending that to me in an email?

It is always better to ask than to guess. People do not mind repeating. Checking by repeating information back (Let me check...) prevents mistakes with numbers, dates and addresses.

Spelling names and email addresses

Spelling on the phone is a common problem, because many letters sound alike: B, D, P, T, V; M and N; F and S. People use a spelling alphabet. The international one is below. You can also use easy words you invent, such as B for Banana, as long as the other person understands.

A  Alpha      B  Bravo      C  Charlie    D  Delta     E  Echo
F  Foxtrot    G  Golf       H  Hotel      I  India     J  Juliet
K  Kilo       L  Lima       M  Mike       N  November  O  Oscar
P  Papa       Q  Quebec     R  Romeo      S  Sierra    T  Tango
U  Uniform    V  Victor     W  Whiskey    X  X-ray     Y  Yankee
Z  Zulu

My name is Okafor. That is O, K, A, F, O, R.
My email is r.mehta at brightoffice dot com.
(Say: R, dot, M, E, H, T, A, at, brightoffice, dot, com.)
The symbol @ is said at. The symbol _ is underscore. The symbol - is dash or hyphen.

Numbers, dates and times

• Say phone numbers digit by digit, in small groups, with a pause: nine, eight, seven (pause) six, five, four.
• For 0, you can say zero or oh. In British English, double five means 55.
• Teen numbers and tens sound alike: 13 (thirteen) and 30 (thirty). Stress the end of 13 and the start of 30, or say the digits: one three and three zero.
• Say dates clearly: the fourteenth of June, or June fourteenth. Check which one the other person means, because dd/mm and mm/dd are used differently.
• Say times with am or pm, or the 24-hour clock, and the time zone if needed: three pm Indian time.

Taking a message

I am sorry, Mr Khan is not available at the moment. Can I take
a message?
Could I have your name and phone number, please?
What is this about?
I will give him your message. He will call you back today.
Let me read that back to you: Ms Okafor, 98765 43210, please call about
the invoice. Is that correct?

Write down the caller's name (spelled), the company, the number, the message, the date and time of the call and your name. Read it back. Then pass it on. Missing messages cause lost customers.

Putting someone on hold or transferring

Could you hold for a moment, please? I will check.
Thank you for waiting. I am sorry to keep you waiting.
I will put you through to the accounts department.
I am transferring your call. Please stay on the line.

Do not leave people on hold for long without telling them. If it will take a while, offer to call back.

Leaving a voicemail

Keep it short, clear and complete. Say who you are, why you are calling, what you need and your number, slowly. Say the number twice.

Hello Mr Khan, this is Rohan Mehta from Bright Office Supplies,
calling at about 10:30 on Thursday. I am calling about order 5521.
Could you please call me back on 98765 43210? I repeat, 98765 43210.
I am available until 5 pm today. Thank you. Goodbye.

Ending the call

Is there anything else I can help you with?
Thank you for calling.
Thank you for your time. Have a good day.
I will send you an email to confirm.

Difficult situations

• You do not understand. Say so. Ask to repeat, or ask for an email. Never say yes when you did not understand.
• The caller is angry. Stay calm, speak slowly, listen without interrupting, say Sorry about that, and say what you can do (see the customer service lesson).
• Bad connection. Say the line is not clear, offer to call back or to move to a message.
• A fast speaker. Ask them to slow down. It is polite and common.
• An unfamiliar accent. Listen for key words, repeat what you understood, and ask again. Accents differ everywhere, and the speaker would rather repeat than be misunderstood.

Your task

1. Write your own phone greeting for your job.
2. Spell your full name and email address using the spelling alphabet, aloud, to a friend. Ask them to write it down and check.
3. Practise a phone number and a date, aloud, until you can say them clearly.
4. Record a voicemail message with your name, reason and phone number (said twice).

How to check it worked

• Your friend wrote down your name and email correctly.
• Your voicemail includes who, why, number twice and time available.
• You can ask someone to repeat or slow down politely, in two different ways.