English Phrases for Business Telephone Calls
Taking a call
When you answer the phone at your job, you’ll want
to always greet the caller professionally. Here are two formats you might use
to do so.
Hello/Good
morning/Good afternoon. [Company name], [your name] speaking, how may I help
you?
For example, if your name is Arun and you work at a
company called Maxcom India, you might say:
Good morning!
Maxcom India, Arun speaking. How may I help you?
This quickly tells the caller who you are, and then
lets them explain why they’re calling.
[Company
name], [your name] speaking.
This second one is a shorter greeting: Maxcom India, Arun speaking.
You can also
use “This is [your name]” as another way to say “[Your name] speaking.”
Making a call
Sometimes you are the one initiating (beginning) a
phone call. You may have more time to prepare in this case. You can use one of
the formats below for greeting people when you call them:
Hello, this
is [your name] from [company name].
For example, if you are Arun and you work at ABC
Travels, you might say:
“Hello, this
is Arun from ABC Travels.
You may want to include your surname (last name) if
you know the caller doesn’t know you very well.
Hi, it’s
[your name] from [company name].
You may also
say “Hi, it’s Arun Kumar from ABC Travels” to start a phone conversation.
Asking for somebody
It’s important to know exactly who you want to talk
to and you can use one of the options below.
May I speak
to [person’s name]?
This first phrase is a question, and slightly more
polite than the next option. Here’s an example:
May I
(please) speak to Mr. Dinesh?
I’d like to
speak to [person’s name], please.
For example, “I’d
like to speak to Mr. Dinesh, please.”
You may use this one when you’re quite sure the
person is available to talk to you.
Giving reasons for calling
At the beginning of the phone conversation it’s
best to clarify why you are calling. This helps both speakers talk about what’s
relevant.
I’m calling
to ask about/discuss/clarify…
I’m calling
to ask about your current printing promotion.
I just
wanted to ask…
I just
wanted to ask if you need any more articles for next month’s magazine.