Telephoning

You are probably used to making informal calls to family and friends. When making calls to companies, however, some special rules and conventions apply. This article explains how to call someone in a company that you do not know personally (the most common kind of formal call made by students) and give you some models and language that you can use.

General rules

When making a formal call, three rules should influence your choice of words:

· Be brief. Do not waste the receiver’s time.

· Be clear. Explain the background and purpose of your call.

· Be polite. Recognize the receiver’s point of view.

These rules can sometimes conflict. If you are too brief, you may confuse the receiver or appear impolite. Try to balance the three rules.

Making a call to someone you do not know. The most difficult calls to make are calls to people that you do not know. Usually, the purpose of your call will be to make a request for information or a meeting. This kind of call can be divided into sections according to the function each serves: Locate the person · Make request · Make arrangement · Close the call. In the following examples, we will imagine that you are calling Mr. Lau to arrange a visit to his office.

Locate the person

If the person you want to speak answers the call, this part is simple. If the receiver gives her name when he answers your call, you can skip to the next stage. If the receiver does not give his name, you can confirm that you have the right person: Hello, is that Mr. Lau?

More often the number that you have will connect you to an operator or secretary. In this case you will have to ask to speak to Mr. Lau: Hello, I’d like to speak to Mr. Lau Kam-Cheong, please.

If Mr. Lau is not available, you will need to find out when you can speak to him: Could you tell me when he will be available?

If the person you are calling has a busy schedule, you may have to call several times. When you are finally connected, it is best to pretend that this is your first call. Do not mention how difficult it was to make contact!

Sometimes, you will not know the name of the person who might be able to help you. In this case, you can state your request and then say: Could you put me through to someone who might be able to help me? Locating someone at a company can be frustrating if you are passed from person to person. Try not to let your frustration show!

Make request

Making a request involves three stages: introducing yourself, giving background, and making the request itself. Introduce yourself by giving your name and explaining who you are: I’m ...., I’m a first-year student at Hong Kong University....

If you have been given the receiver's name by someone else, you should also mention this: Mr. Chan from Eurasia Products suggested that I call you....

Give the background to your request by explaining why you are making it: I’m doing a project on work experience and I need to arrange a visit to a company in your field....

Make your request politely and clearly. Make sure that the receiver knows exactly what agreeing to your request will involve: how much of her time will it involve and what will she or her staff will have to do: I wonder if I could pay a visit to your office for an hour or so sometime in the next two weeks, to talk to one of your staff about....

Make arrangement

If the person you are calling agrees to your request, it is important to make a clear arrangement. If you are arranging a meeting, for example, arrange the time and place and make sure you know where to go and what to do when you get there. Make a note of all the information so that you do not need to call back again to find out something you have missed. If the person you are calling cannot agree to your request, he may modify it. Listen carefully and try to fit in with his schedule. If the person you are calling cannot agree to your request at all, ask if he knows someone else who can help: Do you know anyone else who might be able to help me?  Whether the receiver can help you or not, thank her and close the call politely.

Close the call

As the caller, it is your job to close the call when you have got the information you need. Unless the receiver shows that he wants to talk, it is not polite to chat once your business is finished. If there is a difficult silence at the end of the call, it is probably because you are not doing your job of closing the call.

You can do this by confirming the arrangement (So, I’ll come to your office on Monday at 10...), thanking the receiver (Thank you very much for your help...), and saying goodbye (Goodbye...).

In each case, wait for the receiver’s response before you go on to the next stage. Wait until you have heard the receiver say goodbye before you hang up.

Quiz 1: Ways of thanking

•       Q1 Words can't possibly ....... how grateful I am for what you have done.

(a) detail (b) delineate (c) underline (d) express

•       Q2 Thank you so much for helping me. I really ....... it.

(a) accept (b) agree (c) appreciate (d) deserve

•       Q3 A thousand thanks for all your hard work. I shall never ....... it.

(a) forego (b) forget (c) foretell (d) forbid

•       Q4 They showed their great gratitude by sending us a large ....... of money.

(a) sum (b) packet (c) box (d) bundle

•       Q5 Thank you for all you've done from the ....... of my heart.

(a) base (b) foundation (c) end (d) bottom  

•       Q6 I'm sending this bunch of flowers as a small ....... of my thanks and appreciation.

(a) piece (b) token (c) counter (d) emblem

•       Q7 How can I ....... thank you enough for all you've done?

(a) entirely (b) probably (c) possibly (d) exactly

•       Q8 On the watch they gave him were the words: ....... gratitude for 40 years loyal service.

(a) at (b) of (c) by (d) in

•       Q9 It's very difficult for children to ....... their gratitude for what their parents have done for them.

(a) show (b) initiate (c) enclose (d) refer

•       Q10 Look upon this as a ....... of thank you present for all your endeavours on our behalf.

(a) type (b) sort (c) sign (d) species

Quiz 2: Money Matters (3)

•       Q1 The representative of the financial consultants

assured her that the policy of the firm was that of complete ........

(a) destiny (b) devotion (c) commitment (d) attention

•       Q2 There is no need to worry about the money side of the project because ....... are available from the charity sponsoring us.

(a) foundations (b) funds (c) findings (d) finds

•       Q3 The present finance minister has adopted a very ....... approach towards change and always follows a very cautious policy.

(a) concerned (b) considering (c) concerning (d) conservative

•       Q4 As all advisers always do, she stressed that investing in this particular market had to be considered as a ....... commitment over at least 10 years.

(a) elongated (b) lengthy (c) long-term (d) longing

•       Q5 The best way to develop an income for the future is to invest in a series of companies and in that way to build up a ........

(a) suitcase (b) portfolio (c) folder (d) briefcase

•       Q6 I strongly recommend investing in these shares because you will get a very good ....... after only a few years.

(a) reward (b) reprise (c) return (d) response

•       Q7 The question is whether it is ....... to sell up all your shares at this stage rather than wait to see how the market is next year.

(a) wisdom (b) wise (c) wisely (d) wisest

•       Q8 There is no question that the most important ....... in that company is its youthful enthusiasm.

(a) resort (b) resorted (c) resource (d) resorting

•       Q9 If you want to make a good job of selling shares to the public, you must have an element of ....... in your approach.

(a) attacking (b) aggression (c) fighting (d) invasion

•       Q10 It's a personal matter whether you choose stock from this company or from that because in the end it's an ....... of mind.

(a) advance (b) approach (c) attitude (d) angle

QUIZ 1

QUIZ 2