Introducing yourself on the phone.

How to introduce yourself and your company when you are talking by telephone.  You will need to do this is virtually every phone call, so make sure you don't make mistakes!

When we make a phone call we need to say who we are. This is particuarly important when we call somebody who we do not know very well, or when we call a company for the first time.  Let's look at three ways to introduce yourself and your company.

1. Hi this is...

We've already covered basic phrases in our class on Making a phone call in English.  In case you've forgotton, here are some simple examples:

  • Good morning, this is Sam Smith.
  • Hello, this is Steve Jones.

2. This is......from.....

Here is a simple way to introduce yourself and give the name of your company:

  • Hello, this is Sam Smith from AlphaTech Computers.
  • Good morning, this is James Jones from Alphatech.

Calling for the first time

The following phrases are great when we call a person for the first time.

3. I'm calling from...

Here is an alternative way to give our name and introduce the company we work for. I usually use this form if I call somebody for the first time and I think they may not have heard of my company before.  I'm going to give the name of my company plus a little bit of extra information about the company.   

  • Good morning, this is James Jones and I'm calling from the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
  • Hi, this is Alex Bartlett, and I'm calling from Smith & Sons, the food distributors. 
  • Good evening, this is Chris Bartlett, and I'm calling from Stefes Real Estate in Spain.

 

4. Giving more information about ourselves

If we are calling somebody who we don't know, we will need to give more information about ourselves. For example, we could give our job title:

  • Hi, this is Alex Bartlett, I'm the new sales director and Smith & Sons.
  • Good morning, this is Pat Barrett from the Grand Hotel in Brighton. I'm the director of the catering department. 

Let's give more detailed information. 

  • Hi, this is Alex Bartlett from Smith & Sons. I'm the new sales director and I'm going to be looking after your account from now on.

These phrases are similar to the sentences we use when we introduce ourselves at the beginning of an email

5. Giving more information about our company

If you work in sales, you will probably have to do some 'cold calling'.  This is when you make a call to a company that you have no existing relationship with.  

  • Good morning, my name is Pat Smith and I'm calling from Tech Alpha, we are specialists in IT and office phone systems.
  • Good morning, my name is Sam Barnes and I'm calling from ABC computing, we provide all types of computing solutions.

 

6. Introducing the subject

Sometimes we just want to say why we are calling.

1. I'm calling about....

  • I'm calling about the trade fair in Barcelona.
  • I'm calling about your new range of products.
  • I'm calling about your advertisment for English teachers.