How to make a good impression on an office phone.

(continued from part I)

Placing outbound calls.

If you are making a business call or calling for your supervisor, note the number carefully and put it on a frequently called numbers list.

• Don’t be afraid. Be sure to say who you are when you call someone and where you work. Also mention what you are calling about.

Hello, this is Khun X from the Y department of Z office in Bangkok. I am calling about XYZ. May I speak to Khun C.?

• If you do not have the name of a person to speak to, make it clear what you want or need. People are very busy and do not have time to guess why you are calling them. Take notes during the call so you can remember what happened. Make sure the person you are speaking to knows what you plan to do next, such as:

So I will call again in one hour and hope to find Mr. X in the office.

Answering machines.

If you get someone’s voice mail, speak very slowly and clearly and leave your name – spelling it if you are speaking to a farang – your department and phone number. Also mention the date and time, the message, and when would be a good time to reach you.

Ending an office phone conversation.

There are polite ways to suggest that a phone call will soon be over, after all necessary information has been exchanged. You can say:

I am glad you called or

I am glad we resolved this concern or

Thank you for calling.

• Be sure to repeat that you will be doing something, or they should do something, as agreed before in the same conversation. Mention when these things will happen, whether it is in two hours or tomorrow or whenever.

Say Good-bye instead of bye-bye or other slang phrases.

Polite office phone language.

Try not to order callers around by saying You have to…You need to…You must. Ask them politely instead Would you please? or Will you kindly? It is better to mention Your question instead of using words that seem critical or negative, such as Your problem or Your complaint.

• Be positive. Instead of saying I can’t do that or It’s not my job, tell the caller what you can do:
  Although I cannot change the policy myself, I will speak to my supervisor about your concern.
• Try not to sound panicked at the challenge of speaking English.

Instead of saying:                                                                    say:

—Hang on.                                                   May I put you on hold?

—Hold on.                                                    May I put you on hold?

—Who is this?                                           May I say who is calling please?

–I can’t hear you!                                     I am having a little difficulty           hearing you. Can you please speak up?

No, I can’t help you.                               I need to transfer your call to the X department so that they can answer your question. May I do so?

No English!                                                I do not understand. Please wait while I find someone who speaks English.

If you have no idea what the caller is talking about:

• Say I do not understand. Would you please repeat that more slowly? If the caller repeats it and you still do not understand, say: I will get someone who understands English better. May I put you on hold?
• If they have no time to wait or there is no one in the office at the moment who can speak better English, you can ask: May I take a message?
• If the office is missing calls because phones keep ringing and no one answers, ask a co-worker to answer your phone when you are away from your desk. If you are out of the office for a long time, ask co-workers to cover telephone duties.
• Take responsibility for calls that you do answer. If possible, try not to forward a call to someone else when you can deal with it yourself. This keeps callers from having to be transferred many times with no solution. Ask callers if you can place them on hold while you find the answer to their questions or ask them for a number where you can call them back.
• Make it an office policy to return all calls within one working day.
• If a caller sounds upset or angry, it is not useful to get angry in return. Try to seem understanding. Say: I am sorry about that; tell me what happened.
  

Let them know you are ready to help. Listen to their problems and take notes to help you remember important details. Say how you will help and be sure to do so.

• Say the caller’s name as often as you can. This makes the caller aware you have noted the name correctly and are serious about the call. Also, the caller may correct you if you say the name wrong, so this is a chance to improve your pronunciation.
• When you pronounce English, speak extra-slowly. Be sure to include all the consonants, and make it clear where one word ends and another begins.

Who should hang up first?

• Let the caller hang up first. Hang up the receiver gently since if it slams, the caller may think you are angry or you hate them.
• It is best not to use voice mail, but if you do, keep your voice mail box empty (many people in offices have mailboxes that are full).
• Never interrupt people when they are speaking. Let them finish their sentence or idea before you say something.
• Apologize if you dial a wrong number and be understanding if they dial you incorrectly.
• Do not speak to someone else when you pick up the phone. This gives the impression of a noisy sociable place like a restaurant of disco. When you answer a phone, give the caller your full attention.
• Always repeat a person’s name and phone number before hanging up. Then the person has a chance to correct any mistakes. Remember too that it is important to obtain needed information by asking polite questions, such as: Could you spell that for me? or Would you mind repeating that for me?

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).