Telephone English for Business: 30 Phrases to Sound Confident on Calls
Publié le 1er septembre 2026
Even with email and video everywhere, the phone still handles the urgent things: a client who needs an answer now, a colleague you have to reach, a problem that can't wait for a reply. On a call you have no body language to fall back on, so a set of reliable phrases keeps you clear and calm.
Sur les appels enregistrés pour Professional Telephone Skills, le moment qui bloquait le plus n'était pas le début de l'appel : c'était la demande de répétition. Beaucoup préfèrent deviner plutôt que dire « I'm sorry, I didn't catch that ». Une seule phrase apprise par cœur suffit à débloquer la situation.
Answering the phone
- “Good morning, [Company Name], this is Salah speaking. How may I help you?”
- “Thank you for calling [Bank Name]. This is Sophie. How can I assist you today?”
- “Hello, [Department Name]. You're speaking with Thomas.”
Asking the caller to hold
- “Could you please hold for a moment while I check that for you?”
- “Would you mind holding briefly? I'll put you through to the right person.”
- “One moment, please. Let me see if she's available.”
Transferring a call
- “I'll transfer you to our loans department. Please hold.”
- “Let me connect you with Mr Dupont — he'll be able to help further.”
- “I'm putting you through to our customer service team now.”
Taking a message
- “I'm sorry, she's not available at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?”
- “Could I take your name and number, please?”
- “Let me read that back to make sure I have it right…”
- “I'll make sure she gets your message as soon as possible.”
Dealing with a poor connection or unclear speech
- “I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say it again?”
- “The line is a little unclear. Could you speak a bit more slowly, please?”
- “Just to confirm, you said [repeat the information]. Is that correct?”
Ending a call politely
- “Thank you for calling. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
- “If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.”
- “Have a good day, and thank you for choosing [Company Name].”
Handling difficult situations
An angry caller
- “I understand your frustration, and I apologise for the inconvenience.”
- “Let me see what I can do to resolve this for you.”
A request you can't fulfil
- “Unfortunately I'm not able to do that, but I can offer you [alternative].”
- “That's outside my authority, but I can escalate it to my manager.”
Quick practice drill
Record yourself handling these three situations, then listen back:
- A client calls to ask about their loan status.
- A caller asks for someone who is in a meeting.
- You need to transfer a call to the complaints department.
Clear pronunciation; a steady, professional tone; and no filler words (“um”, “like”, “you know”).
Professional Telephone Skills on EnglishBoost lets you rehearse full calls end to end — see the apps page.