Business English - Telephone calls

Summary

In this business English lesson, Andrew from Crown Academy of English guides learners through common phrases and etiquette for handling telephone calls in a professional setting. The lesson covers how to ask for someone, give your details, explain the purpose of your call, and handle various situations like leaving a message or dealing with misunderstandings. Key vocabulary includes formal expressions for transferring calls, making inquiries, and confirming details. The lesson also highlights the differences between British and American English for terms like 'holiday' versus 'vacation,' helping learners navigate business communication with confidence.

Takeaways

• 📞 Business telephone calls often begin with a polite greeting including the company name and an offer to help, e.g., 'Good morning, ABC Systems. How may I help you?'
• 🙋 When asking to speak to someone, you can say 'I would like to speak to Mr. Jones, please' or 'Could you put me through to Mr. Jones in sales, please?'
• 🗣️ 'Put me through' means to transfer a call to another person — a very common business English phrase.
• 👤 The secretary will often ask 'Could I ask who's calling, please?' to identify the caller. You should reply with your name and company, e.g., 'It’s Joe Bloggs from Admiral Computing.'
• ❓ If the person you are calling is busy, the secretary might ask 'Could I ask the purpose of the call, please?' or 'May I ask what it’s about?' to understand the reason for your call.
• 📅 If the person is unavailable, the secretary might say 'He’s in a meeting,' 'He’s out for lunch,' 'He’s on a business trip,' or 'He’s on holiday (UK)/vacation (US).' Each situation uses a specific preposition such as 'in,' 'out of,' or 'on.'
• 🕒 To ask when someone will return, you can say 'Do you know when he’ll be back?' or 'When would be a convenient time for me to call back?'
• 📝 If the person isn’t available, you can leave a message by saying 'Could I leave a message, please?' or the secretary might offer 'Can I take a message?'
• 📠 A typical message includes the caller’s name, company, reason for calling, and contact number — e.g., 'Please tell Mr. Jones that Joe Bloggs from Admiral Computing called regarding the invoice. Please ask him to call me back ASAP (as soon as possible) on 0123456789.'
• 🔤 When something isn’t understood, useful phrases include 'Could you spell that for me, please?', 'I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,' or 'Could you speak up a bit, please?'
• 📩 To confirm or end the call, the secretary may say 'I’ll get him to call you as soon as he gets back' or 'I’ll pass that on to him when he gets back from lunch.'
• 👋 The call concludes politely with phrases like 'Thanks very much for your help' and 'Goodbye, Mr. Bloggs. Thanks for calling.'

Q & A

What is the main topic of the business English lesson in the transcript?

The lesson focuses on making business telephone calls, including useful phrases, vocabulary, and expressions for professional communication over the phone.

How does a secretary typically answer a business phone call?

A secretary usually answers by greeting the caller, giving the company name, and asking how they can help, for example: 'Good morning, ABC Systems. How may I help you?'

What are some polite ways to ask to speak with someone on the phone?

You can say, 'I would like to speak to Mr. Jones, please,' or 'Could you put me through to Mr. Jones, please?' The phrase 'put me through' means to transfer the call.

How might the secretary ask for the caller’s identity?

The secretary could ask, 'Could I ask who’s calling, please?' or simply 'Who’s calling, please?' These are polite ways to ask for the caller’s name.

What is a professional way to identify yourself when calling a company?

You can say, 'It’s Joe Bloggs from Admiral Computing.' This format includes your name followed by your company’s name.

What are some polite ways a secretary might ask the reason for your call?

The secretary might say, 'Could I ask the purpose of the call, please?' or 'May I ask what it’s about?'

How can you explain the purpose of your call in a business context?

You can say, 'I’m calling to discuss an invoice,' or 'I met Mr. Jones at the IC Conference in London last week, and he asked me to call him.'

What phrases indicate that the person you are calling is unavailable?

The secretary might say, 'He’s in a meeting at the moment,' 'He’s out for lunch,' 'He’s on a business trip,' or 'He’s on holiday' (British English) / 'on vacation' (American English).

How can you ask when someone will be available again?

You can ask, 'Do you know when he’ll be back, please?' or 'When would be a convenient time for me to call back?'

What are some ways to leave a message for someone who is unavailable?

You can say, 'Could I leave a message, please?' or accept if the secretary offers, 'Can I take a message?' For example, 'Please tell Mr. Jones that Joe Bloggs from Admiral Computing called regarding the invoice. Please ask him to call me back ASAP on 0123456789.'

What does 'ASAP' mean in the context of a phone message?

‘ASAP’ stands for 'as soon as possible' and means that you would like the person to respond quickly.

What are some useful expressions if someone doesn’t understand something during a call?

You can say, 'Could you spell that for me, please?', 'I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,' or 'Could you repeat that, please?'

What are polite ways to confirm and end a business call?

The secretary might say, 'I’ll give him the message when he gets out of the meeting,' or 'I’ll get him to call you as soon as he gets back.' The call often ends with, 'Thanks very much for your help. Goodbye.'

What prepositions are used with different time expressions in business calls?

We say 'at' for specific times (e.g., 'at 3 o’clock'), 'in' for parts of the day (e.g., 'in the afternoon'), and 'on' for specific dates (e.g., 'on the 5th of December').