Telephone and Reception Skills Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Greeting callers and visitors

At reception, you are often the first person a caller or visitor meets. On the phone, they cannot see your face, so they judge you only by your voice: your tone, your speed and your words.

The three-part phone greeting

Answer business calls with three parts: a greeting, the organization's name, and your name with an offer to help. Say the organization's name slowly and clearly, because the caller needs to know they reached the right place.

Answering with just "Hello?" or "Yeah" gives the caller no information and sounds careless.

Your voice

• Smile when you answer. A smile changes the sound of your voice and makes you sound warmer.
• Speak a bit slower than in normal conversation, and say names and numbers clearly.
• Do not eat, drink noisily or chew gum. The microphone picks up these sounds, and they seem unprofessional.
• Use the caller's title and last name ("Dr. Haddad", "Mr. Ito") unless they ask you to use their first name.

Polite phrases

When a caller has a problem, such as an invoice they think is wrong, show you care and move toward a solution: "I'm sorry about that. May I have the invoice number so I can look into it?"

Official languages

Some workplaces serve the public in both English and French. In the federal government, the active offer is an open invitation to the public to use either official language. A bilingual greeting such as "Hello! Bonjour!" is an example. Follow your employer's language policy.

Greeting visitors

• Look up, make eye contact and smile as soon as a visitor arrives. Nobody should stand at the desk without being noticed.
• If you are on a call, smile and signal that you will be with them shortly. Then finish the call quickly.
• If the phone rings while you are helping a visitor, say "Excuse me for a moment", answer, and ask the caller to hold or offer to call them back. Then return to the visitor.
• When several people are waiting, acknowledge everyone and serve them in the order they arrived.

Ending a call

Sum up what will happen next ("I'll give Ms. Lee your message this afternoon"), thank the caller and say goodbye. Do not hang up the moment you have what you need.

Topic quiz 1: Greeting callers and visitors

Lesson 2: Holding, transferring and screening calls

Putting callers on hold

1. Ask first: "May I put you on hold for a moment while I check?"
2. Wait for the answer. The caller may have an urgent question, or may not have time to wait.
3. Use the hold button. Never set the handset down on the desk or just press mute, because the caller may hear private conversations in the office.
4. Check back often. If the wait is getting long, explain the delay and give choices: keep holding, leave a message or get a call back.
5. When you return, say "Thank you for waiting."

Transferring calls

The main risk of a blind transfer is that the caller reaches voicemail or the wrong person and has to start over. Before any transfer, tell the caller who will help them and give the direct number or extension in case the call is cut off.

If you are not sure who handles a question, do not guess. Passing a caller from person to person is frustrating. Take the caller's details, find the right person, and have that person call back.

Screening calls

When you screen calls for a manager, ask for the caller's name and reason before you say whether the person is available: "May I ask who is calling and what it is about?"

• Give neutral reasons only: "He's out of the office today" or "She's in a meeting."
• Do not share health, family or travel details. "He's at the doctor" is private.
• Never give out a staff member's personal cell number, home address or schedule. Offer to take a message instead, even if the caller says they are a friend.

Recorded calls

Many organizations record calls. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) says an organization must tell customers that a call is recorded and should state the purpose clearly. If a caller continues knowing this, consent is usually implied. When recording is not needed to provide the service, the customer must be given a choice, such as continuing without recording, emailing, visiting in person or going online.

Topic quiz 2: Holding, transferring and screening calls

Lesson 3: Spelling names, numbers and email addresses

On the phone, many letters sound alike: B, D, P and T, M and N, F and S. A small mistake in a name or number means a message cannot be returned. Always ask callers to spell their names, even names that seem common, such as Steven or Stephen.

The NATO phonetic alphabet

Use a code word for each letter: "R as in Romeo." The words below are the ones NATO uses. Note the spellings Alfa (with an F) and Juliett (with two Ts).

If a caller spells "Romeo, Echo, India, Delta", write REID. If a caller uses other words, such as "B as in boy", that is fine. What matters is that each letter is clear.

Saying numbers

• Say phone numbers digit by digit in groups (3-3-4), with a short pause between groups: "five eight seven, five five five, zero one nine three."
• Numbers like 15 and 50, or 13 and 30, sound alike. Check them: "Is that one-five, fifteen?"
• Read every number back and let the caller confirm it.

Writing phone numbers and times

The federal Translation Bureau recommends hyphens after the area code and between groups of digits: 403-555-0147. Parentheses around the area code are no longer recommended, because the area code is now required in most of Canada, even for local calls. Toll-free numbers follow the same style: 1-800-555-0110. Service codes such as 911 have no hyphens. Write an extension after the number, for example "ext. 214".

For times, the Translation Bureau writes 2:30 p.m. (lower case, with periods, and a space after the numbers), or 14:30 on the 24-hour clock. Do not write "p.m. in the afternoon". To avoid mixing up 12 a.m. and 12 p.m., use the 24-hour clock or write noon or midnight.

Email addresses

Say every symbol: at for @, dot for a period, underscore for _, and dash or hyphen for -. An underscore and a dash are different, so check which one the caller means. Spell any unusual part with the phonetic alphabet. For example, d_kaur@example.ca is "d, underscore, kaur, at example dot c-a".

Topic quiz 3: Spelling names, numbers and email addresses

Lesson 4: Taking messages and using voicemail

A message is only useful if the reader can act on it without calling you to ask questions.

Writing a good message

• Write facts, not opinions. "Please call back before 4:00 p.m. today about the delivery date for order 5521" is useful. "Angry lady phoned again" is not.
• Read the name, number and key details back to the caller.
• Do not promise a callback time for someone else. Say: "I'll make sure he gets your message as soon as he's back."
• Deliver messages promptly and privately. Do not leave notes where visitors can read them.
• If a message is urgent, such as a safety problem or someone waiting on site, do not just leave a note. Reach the person, or follow your emergency procedure, right away.

Your voicemail greeting

A good greeting is short. It gives your name and organization and asks callers to leave their name, number and a short message. You can add when you will return calls.

When you are away, update the greeting with the dates you are away and who to contact instead. Change it back when you return.

Leaving a voicemail message

1. Say your name (spell it if needed), your organization and your phone number near the start.
2. Say why you are calling, in one or two sentences.
3. Say what you want the person to do, and by when.
4. Repeat your phone number slowly at the end, so the listener does not have to replay the message.

Topic quiz 4: Taking messages and using voicemail

Lesson 5: Difficult callers, scams and threats

Upset callers

1. Listen and let the caller finish. Do not interrupt.
2. Acknowledge the feeling: "I understand this delay has been frustrating."
3. Apologize for the experience: "I'm sorry you've had to call again."
4. Get the facts: names, order or account numbers, what happened.
5. Say what you can do and give a clear next step. Do not promise what you cannot control.

Keep your voice calm, low and steady. Do not raise it to match the caller. Avoid phrases that make people angrier, such as "Calm down", "That's not my problem" or "You should have read the terms."

Abusive and threatening callers

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) defines workplace violence as any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted at work. It includes threats (any expression of an intent to harm) and verbal abuse (swearing, insults or condescending language). CCOHS lists working with the public and working alone or in isolated areas, including an isolated reception area, as higher risk.

If a caller swears or insults you, set a calm limit: "I want to help you, but I can't continue if the swearing goes on." If it continues, end the call politely and report it to your supervisor, following your workplace policy. Write down what was said and when. If someone threatens immediate harm, call 911.

Phone scams

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) describes these examples:

• Head office spoof: a caller claims to be from head office and pressures staff to activate prepaid cards or send money.
• Office supplies scam: a caller pretends to be your usual supplier and asks you to confirm your business address. Then supplies you never ordered arrive with an invoice.

Warning signs include pressure to act fast, requests for passwords or payment, and unusual requests. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns that scam callers can fake their voice or phone number, and that these scams often ask for passwords. Never give your password to a caller. Do not confirm details. Check the request using a number from your own work directory, not a number the caller gives you, because that number may lead back to the scammer. Tell your supervisor. Report scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by phone at 1-888-495-8501, and contact local police if money was lost.

Bomb threats by phone

CCOHS advises the person who receives a bomb threat call to:

• Stay calm, keep the caller on the line as long as possible, and do not hang up.
• Signal or pass a note to a coworker so they can listen in and notify the authorities.
• Listen for background noise and notice the caller's voice: accent, a disguised or muffled voice, a deep or high voice.
• Record the call if possible, and get as much information as you can.
• Call the police and facility management as soon as possible.

Topic quiz 5: Difficult callers, scams and threats

Lesson 6: Visitors, privacy and accessibility

Signing visitors in

1. Greet the visitor and ask their name and who they are here to see.
2. Ask them to sign in using your workplace's method.
3. Give them a visitor badge, and let their host know they have arrived.
4. Ask them to wait in the waiting area until the host comes. Visitors should not wander alone.
5. When they leave, they sign out and return the badge.

Signing out matters. In an evacuation, the log shows who is still inside. If someone tries to follow an employee through a locked door without checking in, politely ask them to check in at the desk first.

Privacy at the front desk

Personal information is information about an identifiable person, such as a name, an ID number or health details. Private-sector organizations follow PIPEDA or, in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec, provincial laws that are considered substantially similar. PIPEDA's fair information principles include limiting collection (collect only what is needed for the purposes identified) and safeguards (protect information according to how sensitive it is).

• An open paper sign-in sheet lets every visitor see earlier visitors' names. Use separate cards, a cover sheet or an electronic system, as your workplace decides.
• Ask only for what you need. A visitor log does not need a home address or date of birth.
• Do not share staff schedules, home addresses or personal numbers. If a courier asks when someone leaves, offer to call the person or accept the delivery.
• Speak quietly. Never discuss health or other private details where others can hear.

If your workplace checks ID, guidance from the privacy commissioners of Canada, Alberta and B.C. says looking at the driver's licence is usually enough. Recording the number is usually excessive, and photocopying or scanning it generally goes too far. Their short rule: "If you can't protect, don't collect!"

Accessibility

The Accessible Canada Act aims to make Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040. It applies to federally regulated organizations, such as banks and telecommunications companies. Provinces have their own rules too. For example, Ontario's customer service rules say to welcome service animals and to train staff on accessible service.

• Speak directly to the visitor, not to their support person or interpreter.
• Ask "How can I help?" before you help. Offer to write things down.
• Welcome service animals, and avoid touching or talking to them. They are working, not pets.
• On the phone, speak clearly at a normal pace, and do not shout.

Relay calls

People with a hearing or speech disability may call through a relay service. The CRTC explains that a TTY user dials 711 to reach a relay operator, who types to the TTY user and speaks to you. To call a TTY user through this service, dial 1-800-855-0511. With IP relay, the person uses a computer, tablet or phone and an online portal. Video relay (VRS) uses sign language: SRV Canada VRS is free and works in ASL and LSQ.

When an operator says they have a relay call, do not hang up. It is not a sales call. Talk directly to the caller ("Hello, Ms. Roy, how can I help?"), not to the operator. Slow down a little, because the operator types what you say, and allow extra time for replies.

Topic quiz 6: Visitors, privacy and accessibility