Improve your telephone communication skills

Telephoning presents particular difficulties in that all the visual signals that help comprehension are missing and therefore the spoken message has to be clear and precise.  It is therefore important to eliminate eye contact when practicing telephone skills.

Useful language

Checking numbers: Sorry, did you say 14 or 40?
Checking times: Do you mean two or four in the afternoon?
Checking intention: Do you mean…/are you suggesting…/you mean you're selling…
Connecting a caller: Putting you through/I'll just connect you/Hold the line, please.
Using delaying tactics: Look, can I get back to you on that/or shall we call you?
Disagreeing: I don't know whether I agree with you.
Finishing the call politely: Have a good day/Goodbye for now.
Getting to the point: I've received your…/What I'm calling about is…/We are offering…
Persuading: We would like to offer/Let me send you…

The following telephone conversation typescripts are examples of typical scenarios.

Call 1: Making an appointment
Receptionist: Good afternoon, FMS Management Consultants.  Can I help you?
Vliet: Good afternoon. Jan Vliet from Dent Trucks speaking.  Is Jack Harvey available?
Receptionist: Just a moment, I'll check…Putting you through.
Harvey: Hello?
Vliet: I'd like to speak to Jack Harvey please, it's Jan Vliet from Dent Trucks on the line.
Harvey: Jack Harvey speaking.  Good afternoon Mr Vliet.  What can I do for you?
Vliet: I've received your brochure on executive development programmes, and would be interested in getting together with you to arrange some days of training here in the company.
Harvey: Ok.  Sounds good.  Where exactly is your company situated, Mr Vliet?
Vliet:  In Bruges, just on the outskirts of town.
Harvey: Right.  Well, I'll be over in France next Monday and Tuesday.  I could be in Bruges on Wednesday---say mid-morning.  Would that be convenient?
Vliet: Just a moment---I'm sorry but I have a meeting all morning, could we make it 14:00 o'clock?
Harvey: Do you mean two or four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr Vliet?
Vliet: Oh yes.  I mean two o'clock in the afternoon.
Harvey: That's all right.  Now I need to know exactly what kind of training you are interested in …

Call 2: Persuading
Receptionist:  BIMAC Chemicals.
Quaife:  Could you put me through to your personnel department, please?
Receptionist:  Hold the line, please.
Secretary:  Personnel.
Quaife:  Good morning.  Rosemary Quaife from FMS Management Consultants speaking.  May I speak to the person responsible for management training?
Secretary:  That would be Jim Falkner.  Just a moment, please…
Falkner:  Good morning.  How can I help you?
Quaife:  Mr Falkner, good morning.  Rosemary Quaife, FMS Management Consultants.  We offer management business skills training in French and German, and as BIMAC Chemicals exports to those countries, we would like to help you increase your business there.
Falkner:  Well---up to now we've had no problems, everyone speaks English…I don't think…
Quaife:  Of course, many of your business partners speak English.  We maintain, however, that your managers would get far more business if they could understand what their counterparts were saying amongst themselves.   And it makes a very good impression on our European neighbours if we British show some willingness to learn their language.
Falkner:  Well, we hadn't really considered training our management to speak French, let alone German…they all speak such good English over there.
Quaife:  Look, let me send you our brochures on the seminars we offer.  You can pass them on to your managers and staff in export and find out what they think of the idea.  Then I could call you again in a couple of weeks.
Falkner: That's a good idea.  Send us your information.  You say you will call again…or shall we call you?
Quaife: I'll phone you again in two weeks.  I would be happy to come and speak to you and your managers about our offer.
Falkner: Ok.  I'll hear from you, then.  Thank you for calling.  Bye.
Quaife:  You're welcome, Mr Falkner.  Goodbye for now.