Telephone and Reception Skills Course 2026
This course is for receptionists, front-desk staff, office assistants and anyone who answers a business phone in Canada. It covers greetings, holds and transfers, spelling names and numbers, taking messages, voicemail, difficult callers and scams, and visitor sign-in, privacy and accessibility. Listening questions play short calls aloud. Study each lesson, try its topic quiz, then take the timed final assessment and score 80% or more to earn a certificate of completion.
Respuesta rápida
Este curso gratuito tiene unos 150 minutos de lecciones, 6 pruebas temáticas sin límite de tiempo (100 preguntas en total) y una evaluación final cronometrada de 35 preguntas elegidas al azar. Saca un 80 % o más en la evaluación final para descargar un certificado de finalización (privado, no acreditado). Contrastado con fuentes oficiales el 13 de octubre de 2026.
Qué aprenderás
- Answer business calls and greet visitors with a clear, professional greeting
- Put callers on hold, transfer calls and screen calls politely
- Spell names and email addresses with the NATO phonetic alphabet and say numbers clearly
- Take complete, accurate messages and use voicemail well
- Handle upset and abusive callers, spot phone scams and respond to threatening calls
- Sign visitors in, protect personal information and serve people with disabilities, including relay calls
Obtén un 80 % o más para descargar tu certificado.
Tu plan de estudio
Lee cada lección, haz su prueba temática (sin límite de tiempo, con explicaciones) y luego la evaluación final cronometrada. Cada vez se elige una nueva mezcla de preguntas. Tu progreso se guarda en este navegador.
- Leer las lecciones6 lecciones, unos 150 min
- Prueba temática 1: Greeting callers and visitors16 preguntas
- Prueba temática 2: Holding, transferring and screening calls16 preguntas
- Prueba temática 3: Spelling names, numbers and email addresses17 preguntas
- Prueba temática 4: Taking messages and using voicemail17 preguntas
- Prueba temática 5: Difficult callers, scams and threats17 preguntas
- Prueba temática 6: Visitors, privacy and accessibility17 preguntas
- Examen final35 preguntas, 35 min · Obtén un 80 % o más
Prueba temática 1: Greeting callers and visitors
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Pregunta 1 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: A. A greeting, the organization's name and your name with an offer to help
A clear three-part greeting tells callers they reached the right place and who is helping them.
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Pregunta 2 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: D. It changes your voice and makes you sound friendlier
Callers judge you only by your voice. A smile changes the sound of your voice and makes you sound warmer.
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Pregunta 3 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: D. "Good afternoon, Lakeview Clinic, this is Omar. How may I help you?"
It has all three parts: a greeting, the organization's name, and your name with an offer to help.
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Pregunta 4 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: B. "May I ask who is calling, please?"
"May I ask who is calling?" is polite and clear. Short questions like "Who's this?" can sound rude.
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Pregunta 5 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: D. "She's not available. May I take a message or help you?"
Give a neutral reason and offer something useful, such as a message or your own help.
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Pregunta 6 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: D. It invites the public to use either official language
The active offer is an open invitation to the public to use English or French with the federal government. A greeting like "Hello! Bonjour!" is an example.
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Pregunta 7 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: A. Look up, smile and signal that you will be with them shortly
Visitors should never wait without being noticed. Eye contact and a quick signal show you have seen them.
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Pregunta 8 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: B. Excuse yourself, answer, and ask the caller to hold or offer a callback
Answer the call politely but keep it short, then return to the visitor you were already serving.
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Pregunta 9 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: A. Speak a bit slower than usual and say names clearly
On the phone there are no visual clues, so a slightly slower pace and clear words help callers understand you.
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Pregunta 10 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: C. As Dr. Haddad, unless she asks you to use her first name
Use the title and last name the caller gives you. Switch to a first name only if the caller invites you to.
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Pregunta 11 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: C. The sounds carry and seem unprofessional
Phone microphones pick up small sounds. Eating or chewing makes you sound careless.
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Pregunta 12 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: B. She did not say the company name or her own name
A professional greeting includes the organization's name and your name. "Hello?" and "Yeah" give the caller neither.
Transcripción
Kim: Hello?
Caller: Hi, um, is this Prairie Roofing?
Kim: Yeah.
Caller: Okay. I'd like to book an estimate for my roof. -
Pregunta 13 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: B. To move the Thursday appointment to next week
The caller says she has an appointment on Thursday at three and needs to move it to next week.
Transcripción
Lena: Good morning, Bow River Physiotherapy, this is Lena. How may I help you?
Caller: Hi, Lena. I have an appointment on Thursday at three, but I need to move it to next week.
Lena: Of course. May I have your name, please? -
Pregunta 14 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: B. "I'm sorry about that. May I have the invoice number so I can look into it?"
A good reply shows you care and moves toward a solution by asking for the details you need.
Transcripción
Caller: Hi, I'm calling about the invoice you sent last week. I think the amount is wrong.
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Pregunta 15 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: A. Sum up what will happen next, thank the caller and say goodbye
A short summary confirms the next step. Thanking the caller and saying goodbye ends the call politely.
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Pregunta 16 de 16
Ver respuesta
Respuesta: B. Acknowledge both, end the call, then serve them in order of arrival
Acknowledge everyone quickly, then serve people fairly in the order they arrived.
Teclado: 1–4 para responder, Intro para la siguiente pregunta.
Qué debes saber antes del examen
- In the NATO phonetic alphabet, A is spelled Alfa and J is spelled Juliett.
- The Translation Bureau recommends writing Canadian phone numbers with hyphens and no parentheses, such as 819-555-5555, because the area code is now required in most of Canada, even for local calls.
- The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada says an organization must inform customers when it records a call and should state the purpose clearly.
- A TTY user dials 711 to reach a relay operator. To call a TTY user through the relay service, dial 1-800-855-0511.
- SRV Canada VRS is a free video relay service in American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ).
- CCOHS lists working alone or in isolated areas, including an isolated reception area, as a higher risk for workplace violence.
- The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns about a "head office spoof", where a fraudster calls a franchise business, claims to be from head office and pushes staff to activate prepaid cards or send money.
- Privacy commissioners for Canada, Alberta and B.C. say that looking at a driver's licence is usually enough, and photocopying or scanning it generally goes too far.
Preguntas frecuentes
What certificate do I get, and what is it not?
If you score 80% or more on the final assessment, you can download a PassEveryTest Certificate of Completion. It shows that you finished a general skills course. It is not an accredited qualification, and it is not a certificate from any employer, phone system vendor or government.
Who is this course for?
It is for receptionists, front-desk and office staff, concierge and customer service workers, and anyone who answers calls or greets visitors at work. It also helps people who are learning workplace English.
How do the listening questions work?
Your device reads a short call or conversation aloud, in a Canadian English voice if your device has one. Listen, then answer the question. The script is shown after you answer, so you can check what you heard.
Does the course teach a specific phone system?
No. Buttons and features differ between phone systems. The course teaches skills that work with any system. Ask your employer for the guide to your own phones and voicemail.
How does the final assessment work?
It has 35 questions picked at random from the course's question bank, and you have 35 minutes. You get a new mix of questions each time you try.
Do the privacy rules in the lessons apply to my workplace?
The lessons use federal guidance as examples. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own private-sector privacy laws, and some workplaces, such as clinics, have extra rules. Follow your employer's privacy policy.
¿El certificado está acreditado o reconocido oficialmente?
No. Es un certificado de finalización privado, solo para tus conocimientos. No está reconocido, acreditado ni aprobado por ningún gobierno, organismo de licencias, regulador ni institución educativa, y no sustituye ninguna licencia, certificación ni formación exigida por la ley.
Fuentes
- NATO: The NATO phonetic alphabet
- Translation Bureau (Language Portal of Canada): telephone numbers
- Translation Bureau (Language Portal of Canada): time of day
- Canada School of Public Service: Active offer
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Recording of customer telephone calls
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: PIPEDA fair information principles
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: PIPEDA in brief
- Privacy commissioners of Canada, Alberta and B.C.: Collection of driver's licence numbers
- CRTC: Message relay services
- SRV Canada VRS (video relay service)
- City of Toronto: 711 relay service
- Employment and Social Development Canada: Summary of the Accessible Canada Act
- Ontario: How to make customer service accessible
- CCOHS: Violence in the workplace
- CCOHS: Bomb threats
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Spear phishing and head office spoofs
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Office supplies scam
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Report fraud
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Social engineering