在打电话时如何问候他人

杨舟

编者注：在接打电话时，礼貌的问候会让整个通话变得更加通畅。

1

If youve been answering the phone in a slapdash1 manner， think about how you impact others hearing you. For starters， you dont know who might be on the other end of the phone—it could be a future boss and your first impression has left the caller feeling less than enthused about your phone manner！Remember that a good beginning ensures a good ending. If you find the phone intimidating at the best of times， improving your answering technique will help to boost your confidence because you only have to switch into a polite mode and follow the routine to overcome those initial nerves. Once youve practiced this enough times， itll feel like second nature and youll perform it flawlessly2.

如果你一直以一种轻率的方式接电话，要想想会对接你电话的人会有什么影响。首先，你不知道电话的另一端可能是谁——可能是你未来的老板，你给人的第一印象会大打折扣！记住，有好的开始才有好的结局。如果你发现在最适当的时候来的电话却让你紧张不已，那就改进你接打电话的技巧，这有助于增强信心，因为你只需要切换到礼貌的模式，遵循惯例来克服最初的紧张情绪。只要练习得足够多，你就会习惯成自然，会表现得很完美。

2

Be aware of the tone of your voice. Without being able to see you， people will draw conclusions about your trustworthiness， reliability and confidence from how you sound. If youre answering the phone for the sake of making business deals， this may be the only chance you get to impress a potential client or business partner. The tone of your voice is impacted by such things as clear or muffled3 speaking， the mood youre in and the enthusiasm you have for taking the call. You might think that your voice is loud or clear enough to be heard by others， but this is not necessarily so. On the other hand， shouting is just as bad as mumbling4 and will give the caller a shock.

·Aim for a clear voice that is loud enough to be heard but doesnt shout.

·Keep your tone of voice pleasant and welcoming. Even if there are other things going on in the background of your life， be reluctant5 to infect your tone with this unless its your mom or similar who will listen to your woes6.

·Try to stay standing up when answering the phone. This enables better breathing. In standing up， youll have more energy and this will come across to the caller in your voice.

·Smile when you answer the phone. The smile will be heard in your voice and keeps a positive energy going.

注意你聲音的音调。因为看不到你，人们会从你的声音中得出关于你的可信度、可靠性和信心的结论。如果你接电话是为了做生意，这可能是你给潜在客户或商业伙伴留下深刻印象的唯一机会。你的语调会受到说话清晰度的高或低、你的心情以及你接听电话的热情等因素的影响。你可能认为你的声音足够响亮或清晰，对方可以听到，但并不一定如此。另一方面，大声嚷和嘟囔一样糟糕，都会让对方大吃一惊。

·以声音清晰为目标，声音要大到可以听到，但不要大声嚷。

·保持语气愉快和热情。即使在你生活的背景中还有其他的事情发生，也不要因此影响你的语气，除非对方是你的母亲或类似会倾听你悲伤的人。

·接听电话时尽量站直。这能使你呼吸更通畅。站起来的时候，你会有更多的能量，这会通过你的声音传达给来电者。

·接听电话时要微笑。微笑会从你的声音中传达出来，并使你保持正能量。

3

Stop drinking or chewing food or gum before taking a call. Each of these sounds comes through to the caller on the other end of the line and they sound terrible. Other bodily noises to avoid when answering or speaking on the phone include flatulence7， burping8， smacking9 your gums10 together， yawning， mumbling and so on. If you have no choice but to sneeze or cough， excuse yourself and quickly cover the phones sound piece.

在打电话前不要喝水或嚼食物或口香糖。这些声音传到电话线另一端的人的耳中，听起来很糟糕。在接电话或打电话时要避免有其他声音，包括胀气、打嗝、嚼口香糖、打哈欠、嘟囔等等。如果你没办法，非打喷嚏或咳嗽不可，请对方原谅，并迅速捂上电话的话筒。

4

Answer promptly. A phone that continues ringing leaves time for people to wonder why youre so slow at answering it. When you eventually get around to picking it up， its possible that theyll be unfavorably disposed to you because theyve become a little impatient and theyll wonder if you take them seriously. This is especially important in a work or business context but it can also matter on the home front unless your callers are family who are already used to slow response times.

迅速接听。一部持续在响的电话给人们留下了时间去思考为什么你接电话这么慢。当你最终决定接听电话时，他们可能会对你不太友好，因为他们会有点不耐烦，并怀疑你是否认真对待他们。这点在工作或商业环境中尤其重要，但在家人电话中也很重要，除非来电者是已经习惯了你慢吞吞接电话的家人。

5

Greet the caller with a “Hello”. If you need to be more professional， say something like “Good morning” or “Good afternoon”. Avoid saying “hi” in anything but the most informal context， unless youre keen to sound like a kid. Give your name and if youre at work， give your work title and/or the department youre in.

·A formal example， “Hello， my name is Elizabeth Jones from the Legal Services Department. How may I help you？”

·A less formal example， “Hello， this is Jeremy speaking， from the Brown residence.” You dont have to state your family name if you dont wish to.

·You can simply say， “This is XYZ. May I know whos there on line？”

·If youre taking calls professionally， always say “Good morning/afternoon”， etc， first， before you go onto the company name. For example， “Good morning， this is Mark. You have reached ‘The Local Deli， how can I help you？” People invariably miss a small portion of what you say first， so if you say the business name as a greeting， the caller may well be unsure they have the right number， and have to ask， which makes your business seem unprofessional and can irk11 the client.

用“你好”問候来电者。如果你需要更专业一些，可以说“早上好”或“下午好”。除了在最不正式的情况下以外，不要在任何正式的场合说“嗨”，除非你喜欢让人听起来像个孩子。报出你的名字，如果是在工作中，要说出你的职务和/或所在的部门。

·一个正式的例子：“你好，我是法律服务部的伊丽莎白·琼斯。我能帮你什么忙吗？”

·一个不那么正式的例子：“你好，我是杰里米，来自布朗公寓。”如果你不愿意的话，你不必说出你的姓氏。

·你还可以简单地说：“这是XYZ。我能知道是谁在打电话吗？”

·如果你是专业人士，在你报出公司名称前，一定要先说“早上/下午好”等。例如：“早上好，我是马克。这里是‘本地熟食店，我能为你做些什么吗？人们总是会错过你说的第一句话中的一小部分，所以如果你把企业名称作为问候语，打电话的人很可能会不确定他们是否打对了电话，就不得不询问，这会使你的业务看起来不专业，并可能会激怒客户。

6

Listen politely and carefully to the callers request. During this brief moment， youll become aware of whether the caller wishes to speak with you， whether you can continue formally or informally or whether you need to take a message or pass the phone to someone else. During this fact-establishing moment， remain courteous12 and dont interrupt. If the other person hasnt given their name or it isnt clear to you， be sure to ask for clarification at this early point. Something along the lines of “Im sorry but I didnt catch your full name， Madam.” should work.

·If youre so busy that the phone call will be an interruption， then you really shouldnt answer the phone. By answering the phone， you are intimating13 availability to talk on it， even if only for a few minutes. Never tell someone that youre too busy to talk to them right now; let the answering machine or voicemail do the talking if this is really the case， especially if youre on the line to someone else.

·Never answer a phone as a means for imprinting your self-importance on the caller. Answering with a brutal “Im in a very important meeting， and I cant take your call right now” is plain rude and it is a call that you should not have responded to.

礼貌而仔细地倾听来电者的要求。在这个短暂的时刻，你会意识到打电话的人是否希望与你交谈，你是否要正式或非正式地继续听电话，或者你是否需要带口信或将电话递给其他人。在这个事实认定的时刻，保持礼貌，不要打断。如果对方没有说出自己的名字，或者你没听清楚，一定要在这个阶段询问确认。“对不起，我没听清您的全名，夫人。”这句话应该用得上。

·如果你太忙了，接电话会打扰你，那么你真的不应该接电话。接听电话暗示着你有空讲电话，即使只是几分钟。千万不要告诉别人你太忙了，现在不能和他们说话。如果你真的很忙，尤其是当你正在和别人通话时，让电话答录机或语音信箱来替你回答吧。

·千万不要把接听电话作为一种在来电者身上彰显自己重要性的方式。不留情面地回答“我在一个非常重要的会议上，现在不能接你的电话”很粗鲁，这是一个你不应该接的电话。

7

If you need to put the caller on hold， then tell them so politely. Indeed， only put someone on hold if you really have no choice. Stay polite and let them know that youve heard their request but that youll need to put them through to the person whose role it is to deal with their matter. If you have to ask them to wait， say something like， “May I put you on hold for a moment， or should I call you back？”

如果你需要暂停通话，那么请礼貌地告诉他们。事实上，只有当你真的别无选择的时候，才让别人稍等一下。在这种情况下保持礼貌，让他们知道你听到了他们的要求，但你需要把他们转给负责处理他们问题的人。如果你需要让他们等一下，可以说：“可以稍等一会儿吗，或者我稍后给你回个电话？”

8

After the caller has established what they want， use their name to show that youve listened and to establish rapport14 and repeat back anything that you think needs clarification. Proceed with your discussion， and continue to insert their name frequently as a way of keeping the human connection in place. Continue to listen carefully and make notes if needed. Ask questions about anything thats not clear to you.

在打电话的人确定了他们想要做什么之后，叫他们的名字来表明你在听和建立融洽的关系，并重复你认为需要澄清的任何事情。继续你们的讨论，并继续不时地叫他们的名字，作为保持恰当人际关系的一种方式。如有需要，继续仔细听并做笔记。要问清任何你不清楚的事情。

9

Finish your call on a pleasant note， even if the conversation wasnt pleasant for any reason. Say something along the lines of “It has been a pleasure talking to you， Jane.” Listen for a response and dont be too quick to hang up on them.

以愉快的口吻结束你的电话，即使在任何原因导致对话不太愉快的情况下。说点类似“很高兴和你谈话，简”的话语。倾听对方的回应，不要太快掛断电话。