外教口语—电话用语（1）

This episode is on expressions you can use on the telephone. Today we will be looking at how to state your purpose for calling, which means tell the person who answers the phone why you are calling. Can you think of any reasons to make a phone call? I’m thinking of one - ordering a pizza. Yum!
These days there are so many things we can do online without ever having to speak to anyone. I guess ordering goods or food such as pizza is easily done this way. But there are times when you really must call. What experiences have you had like this?
Personally, I find that if I have a problem with my bank, or my mobile phone connection I usually need to call to get the situation sorted out, or in other words, fixed. You might also need to call government offices or call airlines to make changes to bookings and get refunds. So, let’s learn some expressions for stating your purpose for calling.
Here’s our first example. Let’s say you missed a call and you know who it was from, so you need to call that person back. It might sound like this.
—Hello ABC electronics. How can I help you?
—Hello. My name’s Tirene. I’m returning a call from Mr. Baker.
So, when you missed someone’s call and then you call them back it’s called “returning” their call. How about when you have a missed call from an unknown number and the caller did not leave you a voice message? Do you feel curious about who called you? Sometimes you might have several missed calls from the same unknown number. If you think it might be important then you can call back and say:
—Hello. I received a missed call from this number.
That states your purpose for calling and then the person who answered can help you from there. They might ask you for your name or number.
Here’s another example of stating your purpose for calling:
—Hello. I’d like to make an appointment to see the dentist.
Making a booking or reservation or appointment is a common reason for calling. You could make an appointment to see the dentist or the doctor or other professional. You could make an appointment to get something done too. For example. “I’d like to make an appointment for a haircut” or “I’d like to make an appointment for a massage.”
What about if you have seen an advertisement for something that interests you and you would like to know more or you are looking for more information about something but can’t get it on the website. If there is a phone number, then give them a call. You can easily state your purpose by saying:
—I’m calling for information about …
And then you can state the product or service you want to know about, or maybe it was a job or event or group you saw advertised. So you could say “I’m calling for more information about a job I saw advertised” or “I’m calling for more information about dance classes.”
And lastly, sometimes you have something that needs sorting out with the bank or the phone company or airline or government office and so on. Usually, these big organisations will have an automated system that will guide you to the right department to deal with your matter. You might hear “if you would like to speak to a customer services representative, please press one” and once you finally get connected to a human being they will say “how can I help you?” and then you can state your purpose in this way:
—I’d like to speak to someone about….
—I’d like to speak to someone about….
For example, “I’d like to speak to someone about my account” or “I’d like to speak with someone about changing my flight”.
As mentioned in the previous episode you can say “speak to someone” or “speak with someone”.
So, let’s review the expressions we have studied in this episode about stating your purpose for calling.
If you get connected to a receptionist or customer service representative, they will usually introduce themselves and then say:
—How can I help you?
This is your cue, or in other words, signal, to state your purpose but first, you can begin with the standard greeting:
—Hello.
When you want to call someone back and you know who they are you can say:
—I’m returning a call from… and then say the name of the person you wish to speak to.
Or if you have a missed call from someone unknown you could use:
—I received a missed call from this number.
When you would like to make an appointment start with:
I'd like to make an appointment
And then you can add “to see…” the doctor or dentist etc. and you can “make an appointment for” something such as a haircut or a massage.
If you have questions about something you saw advertised you could and say:
—I’m calling for information about …
—I’d like to make an appointment.
And if you would like help, sorting out a particular matter such as your booking, account or bill, etc. you can say:
—I’d like to speak to someone about….
There you have it. It’s not difficult to state your purpose for calling, is it? bye for now.