ESL Telephone Skills - Voice Mail Greeting

What do a concert piano and a voice mail greeting have in common?
Both need regular fine-tuning.
On the answering machine at home
I usually leave a short outgoing message.
“You’ve reached the number for Natasha Cooper.
Sorry, I missed your call. Please leave a message.”
Or even shorter:
“This is Natasha Cooper. Please leave a message.”
At work I regularly update my voice mail greeting to let callers know
what’s a good time to catch me in, or when to expect a callback.
“This is Natasha Cooper. It is Monday, December 6th.
I’ll be away from my desk until 2 p.m.
If you would like to leave a message,
please do so after the tone.”
If I am going to be absent longer than a day,
I leave the number of a colleague or my secretary.
“I’ll be out of the office until Thursday the eleventh.
Please leave a message after the tone or call Linda Ferguson, extension 521.”
Leaving on a trip, I change the outgoing message again.
“I’m traveling until June 17th. My voice mail is unable
to keep messages for more than a week.
Please call back and leave your message after June 10th.”
To friends who sometimes have a hard time understanding phone messages,
I recommend the use of a voice mail greeting like this:
“This is [your first and last name].
Help me get your message right.
Please speak slowly and clearly, spell your name,
and repeat your number twice. Thank you.”
Let’s hope that callers will pay attention.

© 2009 Natasha Cooper

Would you like to use this article? You may as long as you include the following information along with it: Natasha Cooper, author of Power English System, helps international professionals to succeed by learning powerful communication skills. If you want to improve your English, then you’ll want to get Natasha’s F-R-E-E weekly Power English Minute E-zine by visiting www.englishskills.com.

American English For Telephoning: Answering the Phone

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My phone is ringing. I pick it up and I hear:
“May I talk to Natasha Cooper?”
How do I say that it’s I?
"This is Natasha Cooper."
Or, most often, in the third person.
“This is she.” Or: “Speaking.”
And if the call is for someone else in the family?
“Just a moment.”
Wondering who’s calling?
“May I ask who’s calling?’
And what if the family member they are trying
to reach is out? Then I say:
“He (she) is not in right now.”
And ask if I can help.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
If not, I offer to take a message.
“Would you like to leave a message?”
When names are hard to understand, I ask
the caller to spell.
“Could you spell that for me?”
Didn’t catch something? No problem, I just ask to repeat.
“Could you repeat that, please?”
And I always make sure that I got it right.
“Let me read this back to you.”
Especially phone numbers.
“Let me double-check your phone number.”
Then I promise to pass on the message.
“I’ll give him (her) the message.”
Or:
“I’ll ask him (her) to call you.”
If the matter is urgent, I try to help out.
“You can call him (her) at work.”
And if the work number is not available, I offer their cell phone number.
“Would you like his (her) cell phone number?”
I bet I’d make a good receptionist.

© 2008 Natasha Cooper

Would you like to use this article? You may as long as you include the following information along with the article: Natasha Cooper, author of Power English System, helps international professionals and newcomers to America to succeed in the U.S. by learning American English and powerful communication skills. If you want tips on improving your English, then you’ll want to get Natasha’s F-R-E-E weekly Power English Minute E-zine by visiting www.englishskills.com.