You're familiar with the scenario, a customer calls and wants to speak to you in English.
Is your first reaction to panic?
If so read on...
At work you want to appear confident and in control. You know what you are talking about and how to handle any problem in your native language. But what happens when someone calls and wants to speak to you in English? It's not so easy to think on the spot when panic sets in, your words twist around each other and you wish the caller had just sent an email instead. Living in a country where the first language is not my native language I understand this issue all too well.
Drawing on my personal experiences and TEFL* teacher training I've prepared this guide for you. I hope it helps.
*TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
English in International business
We are more connected than ever before and the chances that you will have to speak in English to someone at work get higher all the time. You might think that because you don't work for a big multinational organisation that you will only have to speak your native language, but this is no longer the case. I recently helped a client who wanted to practice speaking English because more tourists were visiting her shop.
Has an international company moved into your local area?
This will bring international workers who are visiting or on secondment.
Do you want to move on in your career?
Often larger companies offer more opportunities. These tend to be international organisations, and to communicate with the rest of the company you will use English.
Speaking in your non-native language on the telephone can be one of the scariest things to do. When you cannot see how the other person has reacted to what you have said it is difficult to know whether they have understood you. Read on for some simple tips and tricks to help you feel more confident when speaking English on the telephone.
How do I gain confidence?
Practice, practice, practice. It sounds scary, you're putting yourself out there, you might make a mistake. That's ok, learn from each experience and take that learning into the next conversation. Here are some phrases you can use at each stage of a telephone call.
Answering the phone
You can see the caller ID and know you have an English speaking customer.
How do you answer the phone?
"Good morning, Roberts Industries"
"Good afternoon, Roberts Industries, this is Joanne speaking. How can I help you?"
"Accounts department, Roberts Industries, you're speaking with Joanne"
Your answer can be as long or short as you feel comfortable with.
Making a phone call
If you're anything like me you will have rehearsed what you are going to say before you dial the number. I speak from personal experience when I recommend you write it down before you pick up the phone. I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times I've practiced a phrase in my head only for the words to come out jumbled up when I have to say them out loud.
So, how do you ask for what you want?
"Hello, could I speak to someone in the accounts department please?"
"Hello, I would like to make an appointment for..."
"Hello, could you put me through to Mary in customer services please?"
Remember to be polite. Use phrases like "I would like" and "please". Politeness is very important to English speakers.
Dealing with a request
You have answered the phone and someone has asked you to do something. How do you communicate to them that you will do it? You can't just nod your head.
Use phrases like:
"Of course"
"Certainly"
"I will just check on that for you now."
Sometimes you will not be able to perform the task straight away. It's not polite to just say no or I can't right now. Try using phrases like:
"I'm sorry, Mary isn't available at the moment. Can I take a message?"
"Unfortunately our computer system is experiencing some problems at the moment. Can I take a note of your details and call you back?"
"I'm sorry. I think you have called the wrong number. There is no-one by that name here."
Using phrases like "I'm sorry" and "unfortunately" is a polite way of telling the caller you cannot do what they asked at the moment.
Checking details
In the previous section we asked the caller if you could take a message. In my opinion this is another scary task. You will have to listen carefully and write down a name or telephone number. Use the following phrases to politely check the details with the caller, you wouldn't want to get it wrong.
"The number I have for you on my caller display is xxxxx (read out the number). Can Mary call you back on this?"
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that for me please?"
"Can I just check I've noted down your email address correctly?" (read out what you have written down)
Although you might feel embarrassed having to do this, your caller won't mind. They will want to make sure their message gets passed on correctly. I know I would.
Ending a phone call
Although we might just want to say "ok, bye" at the end of a call with a huge sigh of relief that you have got through the conversation, we should try and remain professional until the end. Depending on the nature of the phone call you could try ending with phrases like:
"Thanks again for your order. It will be shipped tomorrow."
"It was great to speak to you again. Give my regards to Mary in customer services."
"I'm sorry again for the late delivery. "
Time to get started
Remember practice makes perfect.
Write down some of the above phrases that you feel comfortable saying.
Leave a note next to your phone at work to remind you.
Before you pick up the phone have your opening line ready and control the conversation using the other key phrases.
Remember, the person calling you wants to be understood and won't mind repeating key pieces of information for you to write down.
Which phrases can you remember for each of the following situations?
Answering the phone
Options
Making a phone call
Options
Dealing with a request
Options
Checking details
Options
Ending a phone call
Options
I recommend that the one you remembered first is the one that you use.
Speaking English doesn't have to be difficult, it just needs some practice.
Leave a comment to let me know how you got on putting these phrases into practice.
Contact me to arrange a personalised coaching session on this topic.
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