the first ten seconds of a phone call in a new country
People who have just moved abroad often tell us the phone is harder than anything at work. No faces, unfamiliar accents, a queue behind you. Most calls that go badly go badly in the first ten seconds.
By Brightside English editorial team
Reviewed by a Brightside senior coach · · 1 min read
Open with three things, slowly: who you are, why you are calling, and what you need. Have your reference number ready before you dial. Spell your name with simple words. Then let the other person lead, and repeat the key answer back before you hang up.
What we see in coaching
On practice calls, the most common pattern is a slow start. People say "hello" several times, apologise, explain their history, and reach the reason for the call after half a minute. By then, the person on the other end has stopped listening and started guessing.
The fix is to say your purpose before you say anything else.
The three-part opening
"Hi, my name is Divya Menon. I'm calling about the boiler in flat 4B, which stopped working last night. I'd like to book a repair, please."
Name. Reason. Request. Ten seconds, and the other person knows exactly how to help.
Then slow down for the details. Give numbers in groups of three or four. Spell your name as "M for Mike, E for Echo", or use any simple words you find easy.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Sorry..." | "Hi, my name is Divya. I'm calling about..." |
| Starting with the whole background | Starting with what you need, then the background if asked |
| "Okay, okay, thank you." (when unsure) | "So the engineer comes Thursday morning. Is that right?" |
Published by The Full Stop, the journal of Brightside English. Reviewed by a Brightside senior coach. Corrections: see our editorial standard.