Answering the phone

tonypony

I have to answer the phone at work, but im not the best at it, anyone have any ideas where I could practice?

Not really ringing places more answering calls and being polite

thanks

Oriel

I have a stutter, so I'm not the best person in the world to ask.

Doctor DooM

Try ringing up your mobile phone company or boradband company and putting on your professional voice.

Its no big thing really, its just an initial fear you need to get over.

Tar.Aldarion

Just be polite, what are you bad at? Please, thank you, how may I be of servce etc.

Dun laoire

whatever you do dont say this.

Phone rings

You answer: STAAARRY BUDS!

Lizzykins

"Hello/Good Afternoon-this is .... How can I help you? Don't give your name unless you have to. Sound interested. Be polite obviously. It helps to have pen and paper to hand in case someone launches into their spiel straight away. It's not rocket science-just common sense!
Good luck!

Voodu Child

Put a fake ad in the buyandsell, you'll get lots of people ringing you.

Great phone-answering practice, and hilarious too:D

Dave!

Always answer with "ahoy hoy?"

rejkin

best thing to do to practice is to get ur friends to ring u and practice that way,works well if ur friends dont start messing

Jigsaw

ALWAYS answer with

"Hello Kinky Bum Love, line 4, your speaking to Timothy, how can I help you?"

watna

It's no big deal... I just say "Hello, the department (e.g. finance, HR etc) , **** speaking. Simple, yet affective. My friend answers her work phone by saying the company and then her name and then says "how may i assist you".. in a sybill fawlty voice. It's very funny!

"Nnnn-yellow"

biko

Wazzzaaaappp?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L38wthA4Ld0

Ruu_Old

Depends what department of course, 'Good morning/afternoon/evening <insert name> speaking, how can I help you today?' is fine. What part are you having trouble with?

Mr. Incognito

Practice answering the phone? in 2007? I thought mobiles came surgically attached to babies at birth these days.

Beruthiel

The receptionist in Office Space could give you some tips. Go watch it.

watna

Beruthiel wrote:

The receptionist in Office Space could give you some tips. Go watch it.

God, I love that film! I'm leaving my job in a week and I'm determined to smash the printer before I go!

kaimera

"Ola!! Coma esta?"

I mean if it's Dominos Pizza, then just "Dominos Pizza" will suffice when you answer

Mossy Monk

Did your work not provide any training?

Oriel

Start talking about your stolen stapler...

murphaph

Check the latest trade magazines for tips...

http://www.porticus.org/bell/images/the_transmitter/frontcover.jpg

Ruu_Old

Beruthiel wrote:

The receptionist in Office Space could give you some tips. Go watch it.

*cringe* Great film. The relevant clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Ip3hJluGY

H.O.T.A.S.

Do your best "Annoying Voice Over" voice and when they complain about talking to a machine and ask to speak to a "real f*cking human being!" just say (still using annoying voice over voice) "This... IS a REAL.... f*cking.... HUMAN Being" Works like a charm!

humanji

I get people ringing my office all the time trying to give me more work to do. I solved this by just not answering the phone. It's for the best.

junior_apollo

I found the best way to answer the phone is with a question... EG.

*ring ring*...
*pick up phone*...

You: "Hello is Sean there please?"
Them: "Amm No sorry, you must have the wrong number"
You: "Oh sorry, my bad"

*hang up*...

EG 2.

*ring ring*...
*pick up phone*...

You: "Hi, I was just inquiring about what kinda repayments would I have on a loan for a new car please?"
Them: "I'm sorry what?"
You: "Is this 1850127853?"
Them: "No"
You: "Sorry you must have the wrong number, have a nice day"

*hang up*...

_blank_

tonypony wrote:

I have to answer the phone at work, but im not the best at it, anyone have any ideas where I could practice?

Not really ringing places more answering calls and being polite

thanks

In work, if it's just internal calls, I usually just look at my phone, see who is calling me and answer

"Hello, XX Dept, DesF Speaking"

On my mobile, I usually just asnwer

"What?"

John Mason

i usually answer the phone by saying a selection of the following: -

WHAT

FECK OFF

WHATEVER IT IS I CANT DO IT

SORRY WRONG DEPARTMENT

TELL IT TO SOMEONE WHO CARES

BUILD A BRIDGE

Jesus Wept

Lizzykins wrote:

"Hello/Good Afternoon-this is .... How can I help you? Don't give your name unless you have to. Sound interested. Be polite obviously. It helps to have pen and paper to hand in case someone launches into their spiel straight away. It's not rocket science-just common sense!
Good luck!

lol * 1000.

stcatherine

I totally understand where you are coming from, this is just one of those things that you will get better and more comfortable at doing with time ....then again maybe you won't, but more than likely you will cope !!

My Husband is in Italy as I type this, he's representing the Irish Government's HSA at an EU meeting ...... the day before he went I couldn't even get him to phone the bin company to find out why we only got one months sticker when we paid for two ..... Go figure !!

Dord

For external calls I just answer " Hello [company name], joe robot* speaking how can I help you?"

For internal calls I see the persons name so I just say Hello and their name.


*may not be actual name

tonypony

Thanks for the advice guys, and the joke ones (well i hope they were jokes..)

I spend half my life on the phone to my mates no hassle but it's just that this is in a big openplan office,a nd i have to be polite and all, i know my mind will go blank when i pick up the reciever...

practice I guess is all I can really do

thelordofcheese

H.O.T.A.S. wrote:

Do your best "Annoying Voice Over" voice and when they complain about talking to a machine and ask to speak to a "real f*cking human being!" just say (still using annoying voice over voice) "This... IS a REAL.... f*cking.... HUMAN Being" Works like a charm!

Been watching monkey dust, have we?

Personally, i like to open phone conversations with a half angry/half put upon

"this had better be good"

Gaspode

Try:
'Hello, City Morgue, You stab 'em, we slab 'em'

stcatherine

My ansa phone message =

speak first your paying !

bronte

stcatherine wrote:

My ansa phone message =

speak first your paying !

haha!! that's a good one!!
It's annoying op, I hated it when working on the phones...just take your time and think about what you want to say.

Capt'n Midnight

deswalsh wrote:

Try:
'Hello, City Morgue, You stab 'em, we slab 'em'

"Marks Crematorium, You kill 'em, we grill 'em"


Seriously try to SMILE !

If they start to rant, just grin and bear, don't interrupt they have a script and won't be happy till they have gotten it off their chest. Knew someone who got 7 minutes of abuse before he tell yer one that she was though to the wrong dept.

Genghiz Cohen

Flip out and go anime.
"Mushi Mushi?"
"HI!"
"ARIGATO!"
"OH, COMÉ NÉ SAI OH SAN!"
Simple yet difficult.

pretty-in-pink

hello/good morning(whatever greeting is apt), <insert strore/company name> karen speaking, how may I help you?

say it husky, you'll win

Black Swan

Answer: "Bud's Pub? If ye're call'in for the Rig, we poured him out awhile aaaago!"

_blank_

tonypony wrote:

Thanks for the advice guys, and the joke ones (well i hope they were jokes..)

I spend half my life on the phone to my mates no hassle but it's just that this is in a big openplan office,a nd i have to be polite and all, i know my mind will go blank when i pick up the reciever...

practice I guess is all I can really do

I promise you, if you have to answer the phone a lot, you will be about a week into the job then realise that you just do it automatically, without even thinking.

I moved from one large company to a smaller rival, and for a few weeks I was answering the phone :

"Hello COMPANY I USED TO WORK FOR (oh...shít...er...erm)..ACTUAL COMPANY I WORK FOR....DesF soeaking, how can I help?"

junior_apollo

DesF wrote:

I promise you, if you have to answer the phone a lot, you will be about a week into the job then realise that you just do it automatically, without even thinking.

I moved from one large company to a smaller rival, and for a few weeks I was answering the phone :

"Hello COMPANY I USED TO WORK FOR (oh...shít...er...erm)..ACTUAL COMPANY I WORK FOR....DesF soeaking, how can I help?"

Totally agree... I used to work for a place where we had a speil, again similar... Hello, xxx Company, xxx speaking, how may i help you?...

After a week or so... you'll be answering your mobile with it... haha - its embarrassing but funny when ya do -

Hagar

"Watdefukdoyewant" is fine if you work for Ryanair.

_blank_

I owe you fifty quid Terry.

Terry

I have no idea what you are talking about.

_blank_

OK then, your loss.

Canis Lupus

What's so hard about answering the phone?

What are you doing OP

* ring ring

OP: Goodbye? Awh not again.

Seriously. It's rings, you pick it up, say your cmopany name and ask how you can help. How did you manage to get a job if you can't answer a phone?

_Kaiser_

junior_apollo wrote:

Totally agree... I used to work for a place where we had a speil, again similar... Hello, xxx Company, xxx speaking, how may i help you?...

After a week or so... you'll be answering your mobile with it... haha - its embarrassing but funny when ya do -

Oh yes.. I worked on the phones in tech support years ago and the script was drilled into us, to the point where you start taking calls in your sleep

I still remember it (almost a decade later) "Thank you for calling [company]. My name is [name] with [dept]. Can I have your phone number starting with the area code?"

Now though I just answer the phone with a "hello" or "yea-ello?" Caller ID ftw

Ishmael

To be honest, it doesn't actually matter what you say. If you say it quick enough, either they won't hear you correctly or they ignore what you say anyway.

_blank_

^^

True.

"hellothanksforcallingcompanyxthisismynamespeakinghowcanihelpyou"

The next thing the customer usually says is

"Hello? Is that Company X?"

Then you'll say

"Yes indeed it is"

Then they'll say

"rantrantrant i hate your company rantrantrant"

That's the way it works.

Firetrap

I just say Hello and the company name. I never say my name or offer to help anyone because I don't want the callers knowing who the unhelpful beeaatch on the other end of the line is

gucci

"hello the elf whats your favourite colour....?"

iv only ever used that one once...... apparently the person that called me hadnt seen the movie