Telephonic Communications

Reviewed Content on March 18, 2024

Learning how to communicate well on the telephone is one of the top priorities for effective oral communications. Learning common phrases used on the telephone helps you know what to expect.

However, what we often need most is practice, practice, and more practice. While helpful, practicing role‐play in the classroom is not always the best way to improve telephone skills. Special skills are required since a number of difficulties arise when telephoning that are specific to this type of communication.

The first and foremost difficulty is not being able to see the person with whom you are speaking. This lack of visual contact often makes you, who may communicate quite successfully in other situations, nervous and thereby hinders your abilities. Add to this the typical hectic pace of business communication, and you have a particularly difficult situation.

What follows are some tips to help you in your telephonic conversations.

Formality

There are a number of phrases only used when telephoning. Let us take a look at an example:

Receptionist: Hello, Child Support Services, How may I help you?

Peter: This is Peter Jackson. Can I have extension 3421?

Receptionist: Certainly, hold on a minute, Iʹll put you through…

Frank: Bob Petersonʹs office, Frank speaking.

Peter: This is Peter Jackson calling, is Bob in?

Frank: Iʹm afraid heʹs out at the moment. Can I take a message?

Peter: Yes, Could you ask him to call me at (212) 456‐8965? I need to talk to him about the Smith case, itʹs urgent.

Frank: Could you repeat the number please?

Peter: Yes, thatʹs (212) 456‐8965, and this is Peter Jackson.

Frank: Thank you Mr. Jackson, Iʹll make sure Bob gets this ASAP.

Peter: Thanks, bye.

Frank: Bye.

As you can tell, the language is rather informal and there are some important differences from everyday language. Key language and phrases used in telephone English include:

• Introducing yourself: “This is Ken.” or “Ken speaking.”
• Asking who is on the telephone: “Excuse me, who is this?” “Who is calling, please?”
• Asking for someone: “Can I have extension 321 (extensions are internal numbers at a company)?” “Could I speak to…?” (“Can I” – informal/“May I” – formal) “Is Jack in?”
• Connecting someone: “I’ll put you through.” “Can you hold the line?” “Can you hold on a moment?”
• How to reply when someone is not available: “I’m afraid …is not available at the moment.” “The line is busy…” “Mr. Jackson isn’t in…” “Mr. Jackson is out at the moment…”
• Taking a message: “Could (Can/May) I take a message?” “Could (Can/May) I tell him who is calling?” “Would you like to leave a message?”

Messages

Sometimes there may not be anyone to answer the telephone and you need to leave a message. Follow this outline to make sure the person who should receive your message has all the information he/she needs.

• Introduction: Hello, this is Ken. OR Hello, My name is Ken Beare (more formal).
• State the time of day and your reason for calling: It’s ten in the morning. I’m phoning (calling, ringing) to find out if … / to see if … / to let you know that … / to tell you that …
• Make a request: Could you call (ring, telephone) me back? / Would you mind …?
• Leave your telephone number: My number is …. / You can reach me at …. / Call me at …
• Finish: Thanks a lot, bye. / I’ll talk to you later, bye.
• Here is an example of a message:
• Telephone: (Ring… Ring… Ring…) Hello, this is Tom. I’m afraid I’m not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep…. (beep)
• Meg: Hello Tom, this is Meg. It’s about noon and I’m calling to see if you have information on the Johnson case. Could you call me back? You can reach me at 367‐8925 until five this afternoon. I’ll talk to you later, bye.

As you can tell, leaving a message is pretty simple. Make sure you stated the most important information: your name, the time, the reason for calling, your telephone number.

Voicemail is interesting. We love it when it is our own and we hate it when it belongs to someone else. However, it is considered rude to not return a message. What is frustrating about voicemail is it gives the customer the opportunity to reject you before you even get a chance to talk to them.

Most messages do not get returned because people are overwhelmed. To get returned, a message must be compelling enough to grab the recipient’s attention. Yet, many messages do not come close to addressing specific needs, desires, wants, and concerns of the person being called.

A few tips on getting customers to return your calls include:

Leave your first and last name: Using only your first name creates confusion. ʺSteve who? I know five guys named Steve!ʺ It also brings to mind telemarketing people, delivery drivers, and heavy breathing obscene phone callers.

Eliminate the word ʺjustʺ or other minimizers from your speech. Examples:

ʺI’m just calling to follow up on yesterday’s meeting.ʺ

ʺNothing important. Just a follow up call to yesterday’s meeting.ʺ

ʺJust a little reminder about our appointment.ʺ

Don’t sell anything in the message. Because we are constantly bombarded with advertising, most people have developed strong sales resistance. Avoid sounding like you are selling something at the beginning of the conversation or the customer may hang up. Identify yourself early in the conversation.

Speak more slowly and clearly than normal. Do not slur or run your words together. The person you are calling is not as familiar with the information as you are and will quickly become annoyed if you make them replay the message because they did not understand it.

Spell your name if it is difficult, unusual or of foreign origin. Sometimes unusual names are easier to remember than more common names. The listener has to work harder to understand it and is more likely to remember you because he made extra effort. Reinforce this phenomenon by saying your name clearly and spelling it slowly when you leave your first message. An unusual name can make you stand out from the crowd and invites ice‐breaking chit chat about the name’s origin.

Sound like a winner by speaking with energy, enthusiasm, and confidence. Sit up straight or stand when you leave the message. Smile as you speak. Visualize yourself as confident and strong. Use hand gestures and powerful body language. If possible, check your energy level by listening back to your message before sending it.

Leave your phone number twice, once at the beginning and once at the end. If the person you are calling missed your number at the beginning they will not have to listen through the entire message again to get it.

Make sure YOUR outgoing voicemail message sounds professional. When people call your voicemail do you sound welcoming, honest, energetic, and sincere or do you sound angry, bored, or half asleep? Here are several steps to follow to put your ʺbest voiceʺ forward.

• Script your message. Writing it out will help you say exactly what you need to say, nothing more, and nothing less. You’ll be less likely to flub when reading from a script. And you’ll find it easier to control your pacing and tone when you’ve got something written to practice.
• Practice your message before you record it. Say it over and over again aloud to make yourself familiar with the words.
• Stand while recording your message. This will add energy and vitality to your voice.
• Smile while recording your message. A smile makes your voice sound warm and friendly.
• Get feedback from at least three friends or colleagues. Does your message sound as good as it could? If not, re‐record.
• Don’t leave flubs on your outgoing message. It is amazing how many people leave flubs and stumbles on their outgoing message, especially when re‐recording is so easy to do.
• Customize your message daily or weekly. If possible, let people know if you are in or out of the office and when you will be likely to call them back.

Sounds over the Telephone

• Be Distinct. Speak slowly and clearly. Sometimes it may help to speak a little louder but do not shout. Speak directly into the mouthpiece.
• Be Courteous. When asked to repeat, rephrase with different words.
• Noise Level. Do not talk on the speaker‐phone setting. This makes your voice sound garbled and difficult to understand. Do not open any other extensions. Turn off background noise such as radio, music or close the door. If using a mobile phone, move to a quieter place.
• Being Understood. Spell proper names using A as in apple, B as in baby, C as in canary. Say numbers in a slow, distinct manner.

Communicating with the Hearing Impaired

Sometimes you must communicate over the telephone with a customer who is hearing impaired. Services are available to facilitate communications in this type of situation. More information about hearing loss is available at Hearing Loss Association of America.

Accessing Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS)

If the person with hearing loss has indicated they prefer to use the state TRS, dial 711 and give the operator the number of the party you wish to call. The operator will connect the call. The person with hearing loss will speak to you and what you are saying will be typed back for him/her to read on a screen on their phone. You will need to take turns when speaking and say GA (go ahead) when you have finished. For more information about 711 is available at 711 for TTY-Based Telecommunications Relay Service.

CapTel

Think of CapTel as a captioned telephone or a relay service for individuals with hearing loss. Dial the 800 CapTel number in your state and give the number of the party you wish to call. The call sounds like a regular phone call, and you do not need to take turns. The person with hearing loss is hearing you and reading what you say at the same time as a back‐up. An operator is between you and the person with hearing loss, using voice recognition software to repeat what you say and have it come up as text on the CapTel phone screen. CapTel has CapTel 800i available nationwide. More information about CapTel is available at http://www.captel.com .

Tips for Getting Someone to Slow Down

Speed is one of the biggest problems over the telephone. Many customers, especially business people, tend to speak quickly on the telephone. Here are some practical tips to get fast talkers to slow down.

• Immediately ask the person to speak slowly. Most people respond to simple requests.
• When taking note of a name or important information, repeat each piece of information as the person speaks. This is an especially effective tool. By repeating each important piece of information or each number or letter in a spelling or telephone number, you automatically slow the speaker down.
• Do not say you have understood if you have not. Ask the person to repeat until you have understood. Remember the other person needs to make themselves understood and it is in his/her interest to make sure you understand. If you ask a person to explain more than twice they will usually slow down.