Telephone small talk
Being friendly at the beginning of the phone call is important in most cultures and you can do this with a little small talk, by asking these questions at the beginning of your call.
How are you?
How’s your day/week… going?
Did you have a good week?
How’s the weather?
And you can answer politely with
I’m fine thanks, and you?
It’s going well, and yours?
Yes I did, and you?
It’s hot, wet, cold…and how’s the weather on your side? I heard its very cold/hot/rainy…
I’m (so) glad/ sorry/ happy/ relieved/ … to hear that.
That sounds great/ terrible/ awful/ interesting/ nice/ encouraging/ fun/ …
To end the small talk and smoothly move towards the topic of your call, you can say:
So, what can I do for you today?
How can I help you today?
So, you were calling about…
Anyway, have you got a minute (to talk)?
Is now a good time, or shall I call back later?
So, if you’re not too busy, I wanted to talk about….
And if your caller asks you the above questions, you can reply with
Yes, I’m calling to ask about …
Right, the reason I’m calling is to …
Yes, of course. Go ahead.
Yes, go on.