Professional phone etiquette refers to the specific set of skills required to maintain a phone conversation at work. Everything from active listening, to pronunciation fall under this umbrella term of professional language skills. In fact, it even includes things like being aware of how loud and quickly you speak. Because without facial expressions or body language, everything about your voice matters. Which is part of what makes professional phone conversations so intimidating, even for those who are fluent English speakers. It also contributes to overwhelming ESL employees (who speak English as a Second Language) just by mentioning the phone. This is where corporate language training comes in.
Professional phone etiquette & barriers for ESL employees
As a business owner, your main objective is to maximize profits. So, if your business includes a call center you want to keep each phone call as brief as possible. Therefore, you need every call center employee taking orders, scheduling appointments and answering questions whilst simultaneously balancing speed and accuracy. Because every minute counts when the phones never stop ringing. As a business owner or leader, you have a vested interest in supporting ESL employees while they learn professional phone etiquette. Regardless of whether they speak English as a Second Language, or if it's their language of origin. And it all starts with knowing what barriers to look for:
- Speaking very slow can indicate struggle, but keep in mind that it could be fair if there is a noticeable accent. Context matters greatly, so be mindful of whether or not speaking slow is appropriate.
- Background noise a busy office or commotion on the customers' end can make it harder to comprehend what is being said and respond appropriately.
- Too much jargon or slang words, especially when the company or industry has specific terms or phrasing that should be used.
- Anxiety and self-doubt can make it harder to focus. The added pressure to answer quickly and correctly, can create undesirable responses in professional environments.
Here's how corporate language training can help:
Every single employee wants to do a good job. But if someone is struggling, it's our job to recognize where and why that is happening. We just provide the tools required to succeed. Here's some ways that corporate language training can work for you:
- People tailored curriculum centers your unique employees in specific professional skills trainings. Because your language support plan is designed with you in mind, we never go faster or beyond their level. We keep you informed every step of the way and remain focused on your goals. Online language training can address professional skills like proposal writing, invoicing, business emails, phone etiquette and so much more.
- Vocabulary that matters means we aren't wasting your time. We understand that each business and industry is unique. It's our goal to get your limited English employees to understand how your company uses those words, acronyms or phrases in a unique way.
- Comprehensive learning takes a 360 approach with ESL for business. By employing several methodologies, your employees become more confident in their real-life jobs.
The bottom line:
Corporate language training starts with recognizing where your people are struggling. We create a curriculum based specifically for your people, working at your individual company, to ensure the maximum results possible. Whether it's improving professional phone etiquette for call-center ESL employees (who speak English as a Second Language) or your sales team, English training for businesses is a real solution for real businesses.
Did we mention that your company could qualify for an English language grant? Contact us today and see if you qualify for the workforce language training grant.
Our interactive and engaging In-Person and Online Corporate Language Training provides English Classes for Companies online and on-site with live highly qualified native-speaking language instructors. We offer Real-Time Private and Group Corporate English Language Training. Get a Free Quote for your Industry Specific Onsite or Online Corporate English Training for employees.
