We love blog comments, and recently received a commentย on this post from our reader Joe. Joeย was wonderingย about the best phrasing to use when you’re not able to connect a caller to the person they’re trying to reach, and we thought it might be helpful to share our response to Joe’s thoughtful question with all of our readers!
Q: What’s the best way to tell a customer that the person they are callingย forย isn’tย “available”ย or isย “in a meeting” or “out the office”? Any ideas of what would sound genuine?
It would be great if we could always connect customers to the people theyโre trying to reach, but as you know, there are times when we simply canโt: Meetings do happen, and coworkers aren’t always by their phones. Callers typically understand this, and with the right phrasing, your callers will feel taken care of even when you canโt connect them.
As a general rule, it’s best to steer clear of saying someone is โunavailable,โ because it tends to give the impression that the person is around, but doesn’t want to talk at the moment.
One great way to craft a solid response is to ask your coworkers to keep you apprised of their schedules. If you know what your coworkers are up to, you can give their callers honest replies that make sense — and often, you can let callers know when they might receive a return call. Saying, โMs. Smith is in meetings for the rest of the day, but Iโll be happy to ask her to return your call tomorrow!โ is much more likely to satisfy a caller than a reply like โMs. Smith is unavailable.โ
For those occasions when you donโt knowย a coworkerโs schedule, a reply like โMs. Smith is away from the phone at the moment, but Iโll be happy to ask her to return your call! May I have your number?โ is solid. Sure, you aren’t giving any exact details about your coworkerโs whereabouts, but you are making it clear that youโre ready to do all you can to help.
Any time youโre unable to connect a call, always come back to your caller with an offer of assistance and a guiding question. A response like โMs. Smith is in a meeting,โ feels like a dead end to a caller, but a response like โMs. Smith is in a meeting, but Iโll be happy to ask her to return your call as soon as sheโs able. Whatโs the best number for a return call?โ is helpful, friendly, and efficient.
Do you have a questionย aboutย telephone etiquette? Share your question in the comments section below, and we’ll be happy to answer it for you!
