TAKING AND MAKING
MESSAGES
Beginning taking and leaving messages
telephone calls
Useful Expressions:
A. Taking a Message
How may I be of assistance?
I’m afraid the line is engaged/busy.
I’m afraid he/she is in a meeting/not available at the moment.
I'm sorry, he/she's out of the office today.
Can I put you on hold?
Can I take a message?
Would you like to leave a message?
Could you give me your number, please?
I'll make sure he/she gets the message.
B. Leaving a Message
• May I speak with Mr. Clarke, please?
• I would like to speak with Mr. Clarke, please.
• When do you expect him/her back in the office?
• I need to speak with him/her on an urgent
matter.
• May I leave a message?
• Would it be possible to leave a message?
• Please tell him/her that...
• Please ask him/her to call me as soon as
he/she gets in.
There are several ways of taking and making messages
in conversation
1. Explain That the Call Recipient Isn’t Available
Let the caller know that the person they’re looking for
isn’t able to take the call. Normally, you’d start with some
apologies:
Example:
- Sorry, I’m afraid…
- My apologies, but…
Then explain the specific situation. If you can’t or don’t
want to explain why the person is unavailable, use a
general phrase such as:
- Ms. Smith is not available.
- Ms. Smith can’t come to the phone right now.
If you’re comfortable giving more details, you can say
something like:
- Ms. Smith is currently in a meeting.
- Ms. Smith is currently on the other line/on another
call. (In other words, they’re already having a
phone conversation with someone else.)
- Ms. Smith is out of the office/away on
vacation/away on a business trip.
- Ms. Smith has just popped out of her office for a
minute.
2. Get the Caller’s Name and Number
Use these phrases to find out who you’re talking to.
The modal verbs “may” or “could” are usually used as a
very polite form of asking for permission, in place of the
verb “can.”
Example:
• May I know who’s calling?
• May I know who I’m speaking to?
• May I have your name please?
• Could I take down your name and number please?
3. Offer to Take a Message
Good thing you’re there to help! Use the modal verbs
“could,” “would,” or “may” to begin the process of taking
a message.
Example:
- Would you like to leave Ms. Smith a message?
- May I take a message?
You can also suggest alternates
Example:
- Would you like to try back later?
- Could you call back at [time]?
- Is there someone else you would like to speak to?
4. Clarify Confusing Parts of the Message
Once the caller begins leaving their message, don’t
hesitate to ask for clarification if there’s something you
didn’t understand or simply didn’t hear. It’s better to get
it right than to pass on information that isn’t correct.
Example:
- I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.
- Sorry, could you repeat that please?
- Sorry, the connection isn’t very good, do you mind
speaking a little louder please?
- Sorry, I missed that last bit. Did you say…?
5. Verify the Message
You’re almost there now. All you have to do is go over
the message again to verify that you got it all down.
Example:
- Let me check that I got this right. You said…
- To confirm, you said…
- I’ll repeat your message… Is that correct?
- Is there anything else I can help you with?
6. Say Goodbye
Good job! Now say goodbye and set the caller at ease
that the message will be passed on.
Example:
- Thank you for call, I’ll pass your message to Ms. Smith.
- I’ll make sure Ms. Smith gets your message. Thank
you, have a nice day.
Conclusion:
Actually, there's no strict rules on how to receive a
call and take a message. We just need to make
sure we know who the caller is, what do they want
to talk about, what the message is, and to what
number the person should call them back if they
have many numbers.
Every message you take should include:
1. Caller's name.
2. Caller's business or company name.
3. The best phone number to return the call.
4. A summary of the purpose of the call.
5. The date and time of the call.
Complete the following dialogue by using the
correct expression.
Conversation 1
Receptionist: Good morning, R n' R corporation,
___________________ ?
Nisa: Morning, My name is Nisa, ________________ Mr. Mark
please?
Receptionist: _______________, I will check if he is at the office
now.
Nisa: Ok, I will hold the line.
Receptionist: Mrs. Nisa, thank you for waiting, Mr. Mark is having a
guest this moment.
__________________ ?
Nisa: No, it's ok, I think I will call him back one hour later.
Receptionist: Is there anything else I can help you?
Nisa: No, thank you. bye.
Receptionist: Thanks for calling R n' R corporation, bye.
Conversation 2
Fino: Hello, is this Malvin photo studio?
Receptionist: Yes, this is Malvin photo studio, _____________ ?
Fino: I would like to talk to Mr. Malvin please.
Receptionist: ok, ________________ ?
Fino: Ok, I'm sorry, My name is Fino.
Receptionist: _________________ I'll check if Mr. Malvin is
available.
Fino: ok.
Receptionist: Mr. Fino, Mr. Malvin is busy right now,
_____________ ?
Fino: Yes, Could you please tell him to call me back? My phone
number is 08937562.
Receptionist: Alright Mr. Fino, I'll make sure Mr. Malvin gets your
message.
Fino: Thank you.
Receptionist: You're welcome.
Conversation 3
Arrange the following sentences into correct
dialogue and then answer the questions!
Operator: Good morning, Minami company, My name is
Haruka, what can I do for you?
Mei: Morning, I'm Mei from Green Finance, Could I
speak to the HRD manager please?
Operator: Hello, Mrs. Mei, may I help you?
Operator: I'm sorry Mrs. Mei the HRD manager's line is
engaged. I think he has a phone call at this moment.
Would you like to leave a message?
(a moment later)
Operator: Ok, is there anything else?
Mei: Hello, this is Mei from Green Finance, I called 2
hours ago.
Mei: Yes, I would like to speak to the HRD manager, is
the HRD manager free now?
Operator: I'm sorry Mrs. Mei the HRD manager is having
an internal meeting this time, could you call us back 2
hours later?
Operator: Ok, I will deliver your message as soon as
possible.
Mei: Ok, thank you for the information
THANK YOU
