Telephone and Helpdesk Skills

If you are a non-native English speaker and make telephone calls as part of your work, then this book is for you. By applying the suggested guidelines, you will stand a much greater chance of making an effective telephone call. You will learn how to:

• prepare for a call both psychologically and from an English language point of view
• receive calls (if you work on reception)
• leave messages
• find out about another company and talk about your own company
• chase people (i. e. people who have not followed up your requests)
• deal with difficult calls and callers, and improve your telephone manner
• use the telephone while working on a help desk or helpline
• resolve language difficulties (i. e. when you cannot understand the other person's English)
• improve your pronunciation
• use resources on the Internet to improve your listening skills

The book concludes with a chapter of useful phrases. There is a brief introduction for trainers on how to teach telephone and helpdesk skills within a Business English course.

Preparing for Calls. - Making a Call. - Leaving a Message with the Switchboard Operator. - Voicemail and Answering Machines. - Receiving Calls. - Finding Out About Another Company, Giving Information About Your Company. - Chasing. - Dealing with Difficult Callers and Unhelpful Staff. - Improving Your Telephone Manner. - Working on a Helpdesk: Key Issues. - Helpdesk: Dealing with Customers. - Calling a Helpdesk. - What to Do and Say if You Don' t Understand. - Using the Web and TV to Improve Your Listening Skills. - Pronunciation: Word and Sentence Stress. - Example Telephone Dialogs. - Useful Phrases.