Initial Call Reception & Identification

Dialogue5

Vocabulary8

• department

  A division or section of a company or organization, like 'Marketing Department' for the team handling sales and promotions.

• speaking

  Used when answering the phone to introduce yourself, as in '[Name] speaking' to say 'This is [Name] talking'.

• unfortunately

  An adverb to express regret or bad news politely, like 'Unfortunately, he's not here' meaning 'Sadly, that's the case'.

• stepped out

  A polite way to say someone has left their desk or office temporarily, often for a short time.

• meeting

  A formal gathering where people discuss business or work matters, common in offices.

• desk

  The table or workstation in an office where someone sits to do their job, like a computer area.

• around

  Used with times to mean 'approximately' or 'about', like 'around 2 PM' for not exactly 2:00.

• take a message

  To receive a caller's information and note it down to pass on later when the person returns.

Key Sentences5

1. 1

   Hello, Marketing Department, Sarah speaking. How can I help you?

   This is a standard professional phone greeting: Start with 'Hello', state the department, say your name with 'speaking', and offer help with 'How can I help you?'. Use it when answering work calls to sound polite and helpful.

2. 2

   Hi Sarah, this is John from Sales. Is Michael in?

   Introduce yourself with 'This is [Name] from [Department]' and ask if someone is available using 'Is [Name] in?', which means 'Is [Name] at their desk or available?'. Useful for calling colleagues.

3. 3

   Oh, hi John. Unfortunately, Michael just stepped out for a meeting. He's not at his desk right now.

   Greet back, use 'unfortunately' for bad news, explain absence with 'stepped out for a meeting' (past tense for recent action), and clarify with 'not at his desk'. This politely informs the caller why the person isn't available.

4. 4

   I see. Do you know when he'll be back?

   'I see' acknowledges understanding, then ask about return time with 'Do you know when he'll be back?' using future 'will' contraction. It's a natural follow-up question in conversations when someone is unavailable.

5. 5

   He said he'd be back around 2 PM. Can I take a message for him?

   Report what was said using reported speech 'he said he'd be back' (past tense for future plan), 'around' for approximate time, and offer help with 'Can I take a message?'. This shows good service by offering to relay info.