APPOINTMENT
Cindy : [calls, ring... ring...ring...]
Secretary : Good morning, Asia Pacific Enterprises
Cindy
: Hello, could I speak to Mr. Lau, please?
Secretary : I'm sorry, she is out of the office right now. May I
take a message?
Cindy : yes, I want to meet your director. I wonder if you would mind if I visited your company one day next week and talk to some of your staff.
Secretary : Please speak more slowly.
Cindy : yes, I want to meet your director. I wonder if
you would mind if I visited your company one day next week and talk to some of
your staff.
Secretary : May I know who is calling?
Cindy : Yes, my name is Cindy Wu
Secretary : Could you tell me where your office is?
Cindy : On the 7th floor, Room 723.
Secretary : What is your phone number?
Cindy : At 555-4857.
Secretary : Could you please repeat that?
Cindy : Oke. At 555-4857.
Secretary : 555-485711.
Fine. I will give him the message as soon as he returns
Cindy : Thank you. Goodbye
Secretary : Your welcome
APPOINTMENT
Cindy : [calls]
Secretary : Good morning, Asia Pacific Enterprises
Cindy : Hello, could I speak to Mr. Lau, please?
Secretary : Yes, I'll put you through. May I know who is calling?
Cindy : Yes, my name is Cindy Wu. I am a student at Hong
Kong University. I am calling about a project we are doing.
Secretary : OK. Could you hold the line please.
[pause]
Mr. Lau : Hello, how can I help you?
Cindy : My name is Cindy Wu. I am a student at Hong Kong
U. I am calling about a project we are doing on work experience. Mr. Chan from
Eurasia Products said you might be able to help me. He is a friend of my uncle.
Mr. Lau : Yes, I know Mr. Chan.... So?
Cindy : Well, one of our assignments is to find out more
about a particular company and the kind of work that it does.
Mr. Lau : Yes?
Cindy : I wonder if you would mind if I visited your
company one day next week and talk to some of your staff.
Mr. Lau : Hmmm, we are rather busy. What would you like to do
exactly?
Cindy : I would like to spend a day in your company and
sit with one of your staff while they are working. I'd like to find out more
about what the work involves.
Mr. Lau : Yes, well, as I said, we are very busy next week
but we might be able to arrange a visit for you the week after.
Cindy : Oh, that would be fine. Thank you. I don't want
to cause you any trouble.
Mr. Lau : I will try to arrange something. Which day would
you like to come?
Cindy : Let me see ... Wednesday is the best day for me.
Mr. Lau : No, sorry! We have an office meeting in the
morning. How about Thursday?
Cindy : Thursday, Thursday would be fine for me. What
time is convenient for you?
Mr. Lau : 10 a.m. O.K.?
Cindy : Yes, 10 a.m. [writes down]. Could you tell me
where your office is?
Mr. Lau : On the 7th floor, Room 723. Please ask for my
secretary.
Cindy : Room 723 [writes down]... OK, then I'll come to
your office in Room 723 at 10 a.m. on Thursday the 25th.
Mr. Lau : O.K.
Cindy : Thank you so much for your help. I look forward
to meeting you.
Mr. Lau : Me too! Good luck with your project.
Cindy : Thank you. Goodbye.
Mr. Lau : Bye.
Cindy : [hangs up]
APPOINTMENT
Receptionist : Good Afternoon, Abernathy and Jones, how may I help you?
Ms. Zellinger : Yes, I would like to
speak to Joseph Abernathy, please.
Receptionist : I'm sorry, Mr. Abernathy
is out of the office3 at the moment.
Ms. Zellinger : Do you know when to
expect him5?
Receptionist : I should be back about
3:00. Would you like to leave a message?
Ms. Zellinger : Yes. My name is Belinda
Zellinger.
Receptionist : Is that Z-E-L-I-N-G-E-R?
Ms. Zellinger : It's with two L's.
Receptionist : Okay, and may I tell him
what this is in regards to?
Ms. Zellinger : Well, it's a rather
personal matter...
Receptionist : That's okay. How can he
reach you10, Ms. Zellinger?
Ms. Zellinger : At 555-4857.
Receptionist : 555-485711. Fine. I will
give him the message as soon as he returns.
Ms: Zellinger : Thank you very much.
Receptionist : You are welcome.
Goodbye.
APPOINTMENT
Secretary : Good morning, ABC Company, how may I help you?
Mr. Thomas : Hello, this is Bill Thomas. May I speak with Ms. Tanaka,
please.
Secretary : I'm sorry, she is out of the office right now. May I take
a message?
Mr. Thomas : Yes please. This is Anthony Thomas.
Secretary : And how can he reach you, Mr. Thomas?
Mr. Thomas : At 438-3498.
Secretary : Was that 438-3498
Mr. Thomas : Yes, that's right.
Secretary : And may I tell him what this in regards to?
Mr. Thomas : Well, it a rather personal matter.
Secretary : Okay. I will give him the message as soon as he
returns
HOTEL RESERVATION
Receptionist : Good morning, Antik hotel. may I help you ?
Rijki : Good morning sir. I would like to book a room for
two days on Saturday this week,please.
Receptionist : Have you got a reservation, sir ?
Rijki : hmmm, not yet.
Receptionist : Ok. May I have your identity ?
Rijki : Sure, my name is Rijki Muharam Fauzy.
Receptionist : can you spell your last name ?
Rijki :
OK. It’s F-A-U-Z-Y.
Receptionist :
Ok Mr Fauzi you’ve already book a room for two days on Saturday this weekend.
Is that correct ?
Rijki :
Yes,
Receptionist :
Ok sir, your reservation number is 2722
Rijki :
OK, thank you
Reeptionist :
thank you for calling us
AIRPLANE RESERVATION
Receptionist : Trans global Airlines. Tamara speaking, may I help you ?
Anggun : Yes I’d like to know weather you have flights between
Bandung and Bali.
Receptionist : yes, we have.
Anggun : I’d like to reserve two seats on your earliest flight
for this Saturday.
Receptionist : Hold on one moment, please. While I check to see what’s
available
Anggun : Ok
Receptionist : Ma’am it’s available. So you will reserve two seats on our
earliest flight for this Saturday, right ?
Anggun : Exactly
Receptionist : Ok. Your reservation number is 3127. Please confirm your
reservation on two days.
Anggun : ok thank you.
Receptionist : You’re welcome.and thank you you for calling us.
HOTEL RESERVATION
(in Bali ) In the hotel
Receptionist : Good morning sir/ma’am. May I help you?
Rijki : I would like to confirm my reservation
Receptionist : sure, what is your reservation number?
Rijki : it’s 2722
Receptionist : Ok sir. We have your reservation here. That’s for today and
tomorrow, is that correct ?
Rijki : Yes. That’s correct
Receptionist : here is the key sir. Please enjoy
Rijki :
Ok thanks
GENERAL PHRASES
Who is speaking, please?
Who would you like to speak to?
What number did you dial?
Oh sorry, I think I’ve dialled the wrong number.
Can I speak to Mr. X's assistant, please?
I would like to speak to somebody about…
The call is very urgent.
Could you ask Mr. X to call me back?
Could you call me back again tomorrow morning?
What is your phone number?
Just a moment, please!
Hold the line, please!
DIFFICULTIES OF UNDERSTANDING
Could you speak up, please?
I didn't understand what you just said.
Please speak more slowly.
Could you please repeat that?
I'm sorry, I don't speak …
Do you speak German?
Can you hear me clearly?
Could you spell that, please?
Please say each number separately.
INTRODUCTION/ MAKING CONTACT
If answering a business
call, start by introducing yourself or if the caller fails to identify
themselves, then you could ask them to state who they are by using the
following phrases:
Formal
‘Hello’ / ‘Good Morning’
/ ‘Good Afternoon’ / ‘This is ___ speaking’ / ‘Could I speak to ___ please?’ /
‘I would like to speak to ___’ / ‘I’m trying to contact ___’
Informal
‘Hello’ / ‘Hi, it’s ___
here’ / ‘I am trying to get in touch with ___’ / ‘Is ___ there please?’
GIVING MORE INFORMATION
This would probably be
used in a business context mainly, but could sometimes be helpful in an
informal conversation too. It is good to specify where you are calling from, if
you feel it may be helpful to the person you are calling.
Formal
‘I am calling from ___ /
I’m calling on behalf of ___’
Informal
‘I’m in the post office
at the moment, and I just needed ___’
TAKING/ RECEIVING A CALL
You may need to use
these if you are answering someone else’s phone, because they are unable to
answer it themselves, or if you are answering an office phone.
Formal
‘Hello, this is ___
speaking’ / ‘___ speaking, how may I help you?’
Informal
‘Hello, John’s phone’
ASKING FOR MORE
INFORMATION/ MAKING A REQUEST
If you need to ask for a
specific person, then phrase your request as a polite question, if you only
have an extension number and no name, you can say so. If you’re calling for a
specific reason, just explain briefly what it is.
Formal
‘May I ask who’s calling
please?’ / ‘Can I ask whom I’m speaking to please?’ / ‘Where are you calling
from?’ / ‘Is that definitely the right name/number?’ / ‘Could I speak to
someone who ___?’ / ‘I would like to make a reservation please’ / ‘Could you
put me through to extension number ___ please?’
Informal
‘Who’s calling please?’
/ ‘Who’s speaking?’ / ‘Who is it?’ / Whom am I speaking to?
ASKING THE CALLER TO WAIT/
TRANSFERRING A CALL
If you are transferring
a caller to someone else, you should let them know that you are doing so, just
so they know what is happening, as the silent tone could be mistaken for a
disconnected line! If you are the one being transferred, you will often hear
the person use the following phrases:
Formal
‘Could you hold on a
moment please’ / ‘Just a moment please’ / ‘Hold the line please’ / ‘I’ll just
put you through’ / ‘I’ll just transfer you now’
Informal
‘Hold on a minute’ /
‘Just a minute’ / ‘Okay, wait a moment please’
GIVING NEGATIVE
INFORMATION
If you are the one
answering a call, you might not be able to help the caller. You can use some of
the following phrases in these circumstances:
Formal
‘I’m afraid the line is
busy at the moment’ / ‘That line is engaged at the moment, could you call back
later please?’ / ‘I’m afraid ___’s busy at the moment, can I take a message?’ /
‘I’m sorry, he’s out of the office today’ / ‘You may have dialled the wrong
number’ / ‘I’m afraid there’s no one here by that name’
Informal
‘Sorry, ___’s not here’
/ ‘___ is out at the moment’
TELEPHONE PROBLEMS
If you don’t understand
everything the other person is saying, be honest. Tell the other person
immediately, otherwise you might miss some important information! Most people
will appreciate your honesty, and will be happy to oblige.
Formal
‘I’m afraid I can’t hear
you very well’ / ‘Would you mind speaking up a bit please?’ / I’m afraid my
English isn’t very good, could you speak slowly please?’ / ‘Could you repeat
that please?’
Informal
‘Sorry, I didn’t catch
that’ / ‘Say that again please?’ / I can’t hear you very well’ / ‘Sorry, this
line is quite bad’
LEAVING/ TAKING A MESSAGE
If the person you’re
calling is not available, be prepared to leave a message. This could be a voicemail, (which
is a digital voice recording system), or an answering machine (this
records messages onto a tape). If you’re leaving a message with another person,
they’ll either ask if you want to leave a message, or you could request to
leave a message with them. Be sure to leave your number, if you want the other
person to call you back!
Formal
‘Can I take your name
and number please?’ / ‘Can I leave a message please?’ / ‘Could you please ask
___ to call me back?’ / ‘Could you spell that for me please?’ / ‘Can I just
check the spelling of that please?’
Informal
‘I’ll ask him to ring
you when ___ gets back’ / ‘Could you tell ___ that I called please?’ / ‘I’ll
let ___ know that you rang’
SAYING GOODBYE
The easiest part of the
conversation! Simply be polite, and speak with a friendly manner.
Formal
‘Thank you for calling’
/ ‘Have a good day’ / ‘Goodbye’
Informal
‘Bye!’ / ‘Talk soon’ /
‘Speak to you again soon’
Remember your manners!
It’s very important to
be polite on the telephone, use phrases like could you, would you like
to, and to make requests, use please. Always remember to finish
a conversation with thank you and good bye.
Write it down!
If you’re nervous about
speaking on the phone in English, then it may be helpful to write a brief
script or a few bullet points on that you need to say.
If you will be speaking
to someone you don’t know, it helps to have things written down in front of
you, to calm your nerves!
If you have a brief
outline of what you need to say, it will help to organise your thoughts
beforehand, and to use it as a reference during the call, if you get confused.
Phrasal verbs
One thing you could do
to improve your telephone skills is to learn some of the phrasal verbs that are
commonly used in English telephone conversations.
COMMON PHRASAL VERBS
1. hold on
means wait
·
‘Could
you hold on a moment please?’
2. hang on
also means wait! (informal)
·
‘Could
you hang on a moment please?’
3. put (a call) through
means to connect one caller to another
·
‘I’m
just going to put you through now.’
4. get through
to be connected to someone on the phone
·
‘I
can’t get through to his line at the moment, could you call back later please?’
5. hang up
means to put the receiver down
·
‘I
think the operator hung up on me, the line just went dead!’
6. call up
is to make a telephone call (mainly used in American English or slang)
·
‘I’ll
call up the theatre, and find out about tickets.’
7. call back
is to return someone’s call
·
‘I’ll
ask him to call you back, when he gets home.’
8. pick up
means to answer a call / lift the receiver to take a call
·
‘No
one is picking up, maybe they’re not at home.’
9. get off (the phone)
means to stop talking on the phone
·
‘When
he gets off the other phone, I’ll pass on your message.’
10. get back to
(someone)
means to return someone’s call
·
‘When
do you think she’ll be able to get back to me?’
11. cut off
to be disconnected abruptly during a telephone conversation
·
‘I
think we got cut off, I can’t hear her anymore.’
12. switch off/turn off
is to deactivate (a cell phone/mobile phone)
·
‘Sorry
you couldn’t get through to me. My phone was switched off, because the battery
had died.’
13. speak up
means to talk louder
·
‘I’m
afraid I can’t hear you very well, could you speak up a little please?’
Hold on means ‘wait’ – and hang on means
‘wait’ too. Be careful not to confuse hang on with hang
up! Hang up means ‘finish the call by breaking the
connection’ – in other words: ‘put the phone down.’
Another phrasal verb
with the same meaning as hang up is ring off, but this
isn’t as commonly used as some of the other phrasal verbs listed above.
The opposite of hang
up / ring off is ring up – if
you ring somebody up, you make a phone call. And if you pick
up the phone (or pick the phone up), you
answer a call when the phone rings.
“Hang on a second…”
If you are talking to a
receptionist, secretary or switchboard operator, they may ask you to hang
on while they put you through – put
through means to connect your call to another telephone. With this
verb, the object (you, me, him, her etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you through.
But if you can’t get
through to (contact on the phone) the person you want to
talk to, you might be able to leave a message asking them to call you back.
Call back means to return a phone call – and if you
use an object (you, me, him, her, etc.), it goes in the middle of the
verb: call you back.
|
SITUATION |
EXAMPLES |
|
Introducing
yourself. Phrases
to use when you place the call. |
When
calling a general number: ·
May I speak with Marina Smith? ·
Hello, this is John Block calling for Marina Smith. · Is Marina Smith in? (informal) When
the person answers the call directly: ·
Hi Marina, it’s John calling. ·
Good afternoon, Marina. This is John Block from ABC
company calling. |
|
Answering
the phone. There
are many different ways to answer your phone. |
For
calls to your direct line: ·
Good morning, this is Marina. ·
Good afternoon, XYZ firm. How may I help you? ·
Marina speaking. · XYZ firm, Marina speaking. For
calls to your direct line, when the person asks for you by name: ·
Speaking (caller says: “Is Marina there?” and Marina
replies: “speaking”). · This is she / this is he (caller says: “Is Marina in?” and Marina replies “This is she”). For
calls to a general number: ·
Thank you for calling XYZ. How may I direct your call? |
|
Connecting
someone. When
you answer the phone and it is for somebody else. |
·
One minute, I’ll transfer you now. ·
Please hold and I’ll put you through. ·
Let me see if Jim is available. ·
One moment, please. ·
Hang on a minute. (informal) |
|
When
you need to put somebody on hold |
·
Jim is on another line at the moment. Would you like to
hold? · I’m sorry, I have a call on my other line. Can you please hold? For
customer service calls ·
All of our operators are currently busy. Please stand by
for the next available operator. |
|
When
you don’t understand the caller |
·
Could you please repeat that? ·
I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you just said. ·
Can you please speak a little more slowly? ·
Can you please speak a little louder? |
|
Clarifying
what your caller says |
·
Can you please spell that for me? ·
How do you spell your last name? ·
And that company name again was, JAQ Industries. ·
Let me repeat your information to make sure I got it
right. |
|
Taking
a message for someone |
·
I'm sorry, John’s not here at the moment. Can I take a
message? ·
John is in a meeting at the moment. May I ask who’s
calling? ·
John is at lunch. Would you like to leave a message? ·
John has left for the day. Would you like to be put
through to his voice mail? |
|
Leaving
a message for someone |
·
Please tell him that Susan called and ask him to call me
back. My number is 999-343-3423. ·
Please ask him to call Susan when he gets in. ·
He already has my number. ·
He’s not in? Please put me through to his voice mail. ·
When do you expect him back in the office? ·
I need to speak with him on an urgent matter. Please have
him call me as soon as he gets in. |
|
Ending
a conversation |
·
It’s been great talking with you. I’ve got a meeting now
so I better run. ·
Thanks for calling. I’ll speak with you again soon. ·
I’ve got another call coming in. Good talking to you. ·
I better let you go. ·
It’s 5 o’clock already. I better let you go. ·
Let’s touch base on this again in a few days. |
|
SPECIAL SITUATIONS |
|
|
Leaving
a voice mail |
·
Hello, this is Marina Smith calling to follow-up regarding
your order with XYZ company. Can you please call me back at 999-344-3344. ·
Hello, this is John Block from ABC. I’m calling regarding
the upcoming conference in Miami. I’ll try you again later today. ·
Hi, it’s Marina. Please call me back when you get a
minute. (informal) |
|
Recording
a voice mail message on your machine |
·
Hello, you’ve reached Marina Smith at XYZ company. I’m
sorry I’m not available to take your call. Please leave a message and I’ll
call you back as soon as I can. Thank you. ·
Hello, you’ve reached John Block at ABC. It’s Monday, May
22, and I will be out of the office all day. I will be checking my voice mail
from time to time and will return all urgent calls. Thank you.
If you’re going on vacation ·
Hello, this is Marina Smith at the XYZ company. I will be
on vacation from Friday, May 12 through Monday, May 22. Please leave a
message, and I’ll call you back when I return. Thank you. |
|
Phrases
for cell phone calls |
The
fading signal ·
I’m sorry, I’m losing you. Can you call me back? ·
I can barely hear you. Let me call you back on my other
phone. · We’re breaking up. I’m having trouble hearing you. Let me call you back later. The
lost call ·
Hi, it’s Marina again. Apparently we got cut off. ·
Hi, it’s John again. Sorry I lost you. My cell phone
dropped the signal. |
|
SPELLING OUT NAMES OVER THE PHONE. Often you will need to spell
something out over the telephone, such as a last name. It will help your
listener is you offer words for each letter. Give words or names that are
very common for each letter. |
·
My last name is Czarnek. C as in cat, Z as in zebra, A as
in apple, R as in Robert, N as in Nancy, e as in egg, K as in king. ·
My registration number is 459N4AF. That’s 459, N as in
Nancy, 4 A as in Apple, F as in Frank. |
INCOMING CALLS
A : Good afternoon, Creative Labs. Inc Singapore, Eka speaking, how may I help you?
B :Good afternoon, May I speak with Ms. Tanaka, please.
A : May I know who is calling, and where your office is?
B : My name is Cindy, from ABC Inc Japan
A : Have you got an appointment with my manager, Mrs lili?
B : yes of course i have
A : I am sorry Mrs Lili, Mr. Ferdi is not available.
Maaf, ibu Faradina sedang tidak ada
He was out of the office to meet business relations
dia sedang keluar kantor menemui relasi bisnis
Would you like to leave a message for him or call back later?
Dapatkah anda meninggalkan pesan untuknya atau menelepon kembali
B : My manager would like to invite your manager saturday on February 6st, 2021, at Black Swan Restaurant, jalan HR rasuna Said 100 Jakarta Pusat
A : (I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you just said.) Can you please speak a little more slowly?
May I know what the buying code was?
B : My manager would like to invite your manager saturday on February 6st, 2021, at Black Swan Restaurant, jalan HR rasuna Said 100 Jakarta Pusat
A : Let me repeat your information to make sure I got it right.
your manager will invite my manager saturday on February 6st, 2021, at Black Swan Restaurant, jalan HR rasuna Said 100 Jakarta Pusat
(menyebutkan kembali pesan yang disampaikan penelepon)
Is that right ma’am/sir?
B : yes that’s right
A : oke, I will convey a message from you if my manager had come back
saya akan sampaikan pesan dari anda jika beliau sudah datang kembali
May I have your phone number?
(we apologize for your inconvenience. and nest time we will we try our best for your satisfaction)
Thank you Mr/mrs. X for calling. Good afternoon…
Terimakasih bpk/ibu X sudah menelepon. Selamat siang…
SOAL OUTGOING CALLS
Could I speak with adly
dapatkah saya berbicara dengan adly
I was the secretary of Semeru corporation (diponegoro street 68 south Jakarta, 021-746746)
saya adalah sekretaris PT semeru (jl. Diponegoro no.68 jakarta selatan, 021-746746)
I would like to convey a message to Mr. Raihan Adli.
I am sorry because the manager can not be present at the invitation of new product launches held by your corporation. Because on that day leadership is a very important activity and can not be abandoned.
Manajer saya minta maaf karena tidak dapat hadir pada undangan peluncuran produk baru yang diadakan oleh perusahaan anda. Karena pada hari itu pimpinan ada kegiatan yang sangat penting dan tidak dapat ditinggalkan.
I think it is enough of a message from me. Good afternoon…
Saya kira cukup pesan dari saya. Selamat siang…
