PERTEMUAN 9

UNIT 4
ON THE PHONE

How often do you use your phone? Have you ever made a business phone call? Can you even
imagine your like without a phone?

In this chapter we will talk about how to make a good business call (and practice them a lot),
which are the rules to follow not to have a bad phone style, revise saying numbers on the
phone and learn a lot of useful vocabulary.

Picture 3. A phone call

Source: Jones, Alexander, New International Business English, 2000, page 25

Making a phone call to another company or receiving one isn’t easy – especially if you don’t
know the person on the other end of the line or if they speak English better or worse than you
do.

You have to be careful not to misunderstand the person, not to make mistakes or have “bad
telephone style or behaviour”.

Here are some polite requests that can help you (they can be used also in other areas):
Would you mind if I called back?
Would you like me to call you later today?
That would be very kind.

Would you prefer to discuss this in person?

Would you like to meet up?

Good morning. Oh, hello nice to hear from you.

How are you? How are things?
The reason I’m calling is that you didn’t send us the right documentation. I’m phoning about
your new catalogue. I’m phoning to ask you about the exhibition that you mounted at the fair
trade in Berlin. I would like to inform you about our new range of products. I want to explain
why the delivery is running late.

I’m extremely sorry. I apologise for any inconvenience. I’m afraid that will not be possible.
Right then, let’s talk about this tomorrow again. Anyway, I’ll discuss this with my superior
and call you back.

Give me a ring if you need our assistance. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.
See you on the15th then. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Tuesday next week.
Thanks for your help. Thank you for calling. Have a nice day.

Some telephone tips:

- Fax or e-mail ahead if you want to make sure the other person has time to prepare for the
call.
- Make sure you have all the documents you’ll need before you dial the number.
- The other person may not understand easily, so try to speak slowly and clearly.
- The other person can’t see your reactions, so always confirm that you have (or not have)
understood each point that’s been made. Don’t pretend that you have understood when you
didn’t.
- The other person can’t see what a nice person you are, so make sure you sound polite and
agreeable.
- The other person hasn’t got all day, so make sure your call is brief.
- The other person is getting an impression of your firm while talking with you, so make sure
that you sound efficient – your firm’s image may be at stake, even if you’re just taking a
message.
- Don’t rely on your memory: make notes during a call and rewrite these notes immediately
afterwards as a record of the call.

If you want more information, you can log on phonecard.yahoo.com or news.bbc.co.uk.

Listening (John Hughes: Telephone English: listening 1)

I. Listen to a telephone call and underline the correct expressions used:

Reception: Tell me/Good morning. AIC Computing.

John: Sales, please.
Reception: One moment.

Sales: Ready/Hello. Sales. Can I help you/What do you want?

John: Yes. Give me/Can I speak to Vitale Marini, please?
Sales: Certainly. One moment.

Vitale: Vitale Marini speaking/talking.

John: Hi Vitale. I am/It’s John Peterson here.
 Vitale: Oh John. How are you?

II. Have a look at this article about different ways of answering the phone. Read it and
answer the questions below:

How many ways to say Hello?

When two people meet in Tokyo they say konnichiha which means hello. But if they
answer the phone, they say moshi moshi. Japan isn’t the only country to have its special
telephone language. The Spanish say hola for hello but on the phone they answer digame.
Literally translated digame means tell me – but this sounds very rude in English. Similarly,
if the caller heard the words: I’m ready in London or New York, they’d think this was very
strange. They’d ask ‘ready for what?’. But in Italy the word pronto! means exactly this.
The rules for answering the phone in the international workplace seem to be more universal.
Phone a business number and the receptionist is likely to say the name of the company and
answer more politely or formally. For example, in English you make the polite offer of help
with How can I help you? But even this isn’t quite as polite as the very formal Norwegian
response: vaer so god literally meaning be so good.

Are these statements true or false, according to the article above?

Many nationalities greet people differently on the phone than they do face-to-face.
The Spanish are impolite.

When an Italian meets you in the street he greets you with the words ‘I’m ready.’ At work,
different nationalities use similar approach to answering the phone.

III. Write down these numbers and practice them:

your home number

your work/school number
your mobile
your friend’s/colleague’s number
your country’s international dialling code

Look at this example of a telephone conversation between Samantha Packwood from Microbar
and her business associate, Klaus Grau:

A: Samantha Packwood, Microbar, can I help you?

B: Good morning, Miss Packwood, Klaus Grau here.
A: Oh, hello, Mr. Grau. How are you?
B: Fine and you?
A: I’m up to my eyes, but everything is OK. What can I do for you?
B: I’m calling about the conference next week. I still don’t know about the place and time.
 A: I’m really sorry. It must have slipped my assistant who was sending out the invitations
and all the necessary information. I can tell you all the details now or I can send you a
fax.
B: If you don’t mind I’d prefer if you sent me a fax.
A: Of course, no problems. I’ll send it right away. Your number is still 06 367 843, isn’t it?
B: No, it has been changed to 06 372 659.
A: OK, I’ve put it down. Anything else I can help you with?
B: No, thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the conference next week, then.
A: Yes, me too. Bye.
B: Bye. Have a nice day.
A: Yes, you too.

PRACTICE:

I. Simulate a telephone conversation (pair work) by following this pattern:

A B
Ask to speak to Mr. Jameson. He’s in a meeting.
Ask when he’ll be free. You don’t know. Offer to find out.
Say you’ll wait. He won’t be free until 2 p.m.
You want him to call as soon as he finishes. Find out caller’s name and number.
Give your name and number. Note down the name and number, promise
Say thanks and goodbye. to leave a message on Mr. Jameson’ desk.

II. Using the phone: fill the gaps with suitable words from the list:

area code, busy, transferred charge call, dialling, ringing, personal call

1. To make a call: first listen for the ___________ tone and dial the number.
2. If you are lucky, you’ll hear a tone telling you that the number is ___________.
3. If the other phone is being used, you’ll hear the _____________ tone.
4. To make an international call: first dial the international code, then the country code, then
the ________ and finally the number you require.
5. If you want the other person to pay for the call, you can make a ____________.
6. If you want to talk to a particular person, you should make a _____________.

III. Call me back: decide which of these phrases fit best in the sentences:

call back, cut off, get through, give up, hang up, hold on, look up, pick up, put through

1. The phone is ringing, why don’t you ______ the receiver?

2. I’m afraid Jonathan Brown isn’t available at the moment. Can you _____ later?
3. Can you ________ Tom Smith’s number in the directory, please?
4. I’m afraid she’s with a client. Can I _______ you ________ to her assistant manager?
Hello? Are you still there? I think we were _______ for a few moments.
5. Mr. Jacksonville is never in his office. I’ve been trying to _______ to him all day.
6. Could you ___________ for a moment?
 7. If you dial the wrong number, it’s polite to apologise before you ___________.
8. If they play me that horrible electronic music again, I’ll just __________.

IV. Who’s speaking? Add the missing expressions to the sentences below, choose between the
following:

hold, extension, pager, message, speaking, operator, toll, ring, directory, public phone, bad
line, phone cards, outside line, call, cordless

1. Good morning. This is Louise Smithsonian_________. Can I help you?

2. Could you _________ the line for a moment, please?
3. I’m out tomorrow morning, so give me a __________ in the afternoon.
4. I don’t know Ms Firstborn’s _________, so I’ll just call the switchboard operator. Can I
leave a _____________ for Mrs. Paine?
5. I like this __________ phone because I can use it in the garden.
6. If they need me at work, they send a message on my ____________.
7. I’m sorry I can’t hear you well, this is a very __________.
8. The number for ___________ enquiries in Slovenia is 1188.
9. Hello _________, could I get an ___________?
10. To make a call from a __________, lift the receiver and insert a coin.
Could you give me a _____________ tomorrow?
11. Some public phones take coins, others take ____________.
12. Customers in Slovenia can call us on our ____________-free number.

V. Decide which of the alternatives below each speaker is talking about:

A cell phone E hotline

B webcam F free phone
C video conference G extension
D helpline H payphone

1. Our meeting was in Bratislava but we linked with Ted’s team in the Leeds office.
2. It’s an oh-eight-hundred number so you don’t have to pay.
3. “Good morning Copenhagen. Good morning Boston. Can you see and hear us?” Yes,
she’s in her office, I’ll put you through to her now.
4. If I’m not in my office, call me on my mobile.
5. You have to put in at least 25 pence before you make the call.
6. The picture is not very good but it’s nice to see who you are talking to over the
Internet. To order at this special price, call our sales team on 00900 22222 –
now!
7. I take it with me in the car. But I don’t use it when I’m driving.
8. If you have any problems, call our technician on 01473 5555.

VI. Here are some things you might hear over the phone. Write one word in each gap to
complete the messages and conversations:
 “Call me at the office tomorrow. My d_______ line is 01222 754267. If I’m not there, leave
a m______ on my voice mail and I’ll call you b______ as soon as I can.”
All international lines are b_______. Please h______ up and try again later. “Can I speak to
Ana Beth Bolton?” “Oh, I’m sorry but she’s not on this e_______, she’s on 453.”
“Good morning. You are through to the Odeon’s theatre ticket h_____. How can I help
you?” “Oh, I think I’ve got the w_______ number. I wanted 7400400.” “Hello operator:
Can you check a n______ for me? It’s 088 323232. I was talking to someone there but I got
c________ off. Now when I call, I just get the b_________ tone.”

VII. Fill in the missing words in the telephone dialogue below: choose from the following:

Can I suggest, Can you let me have, First of all, How can I help you, I’d also like, I look
forward to, My name is, That’s right, we can arrange, What we need

Benn : Good morning. Alexander Benn.

Pots : Hello. _______________ Ruth Pots. I’m Managing Director of Woodchuck Ltd, a
wood machinery manufacturer.
Benn : Oh, yes. _______________?
Pots : Well, an associate in the industry recommended you. You helped raise finances for
them a few years ago. His name is Jackson Wilder.
Benn : Yes. _____________.
Pots : Well, Woodchuck Ltd now wants to expand into new markets with a new product. Up
till now we have served specialists in the wood industry but our new product is aimed
at the small manufacturer. ________ is finance.
Benn : Right. ________I’ll need some background information. ______ a copy of your
balance sheet and profit and loss figures for the past three years?
Pots : Of course.
Benn : _________ a letter outlining your ideas and a cash flow forecast for the new product.
Pots : Fine.
Benn : If you let me have these by the beginning of next week, _________ a meeting for the
week after. That will give me enough time to look through the figures.
Pots : Good. ____________ a meeting on Monday 26th at 10 o’clock?
Benn : That’s fine. _________ receiving your letter and accounts in the next few days.
Pots : I’ll post them first thing in the morning. I look forward to meeting you on Monday
26th.
Benn : Goodbye.
Pots : Goodbye.

SUMMARY

We have learned that making a phone call in a foreign language is definitely not easy and
that you have to prepare for it in advance. Remember that you always have to be polite and
to talk clearly and slowly and never ever make jokes over the phone.

SHORT REVISION
1. How much is the phone used in business situations?
2. Can you name the rules that business people have to follow when making phone calls?
3. Do all nationalities use the same way of greeting when talking on the phone? Why is
there a difference? Try to analyse that.