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.
En bref
Ce cours gratuit comprend environ 150 minutes de leçons, 6 quiz thématiques sans limite de temps (100 questions au total) et une évaluation finale chronométrée de 35 questions tirées au hasard. Obtenez 80 % ou plus à l’évaluation finale pour télécharger une attestation de réussite (privée, non accréditée). Vérifié à partir des sources officielles le 13 octobre 2026.
Ce que vous allez apprendre
- 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
Obtenez 80 % ou plus pour télécharger votre certificat.
Votre plan d’étude
Lisez chaque leçon, faites son quiz thématique (sans limite de temps, avec explications), puis l’évaluation finale chronométrée. Un nouveau mélange de questions est tiré à chaque fois. Votre progression est enregistrée dans ce navigateur.
- Lire les leçons6 leçons, environ 150 min
- Quiz thématique 1 : Greeting callers and visitors16 questions
- Quiz thématique 2 : Holding, transferring and screening calls16 questions
- Quiz thématique 3 : Spelling names, numbers and email addresses17 questions
- Quiz thématique 4 : Taking messages and using voicemail17 questions
- Quiz thématique 5 : Difficult callers, scams and threats17 questions
- Quiz thématique 6 : Visitors, privacy and accessibility17 questions
- Examen final35 questions, 35 min · Obtenez 80 % ou plus
Quiz thématique 1 : Greeting callers and visitors
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Question 1 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 2 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 3 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 4 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 5 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 6 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 7 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 8 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 9 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 10 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 11 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: C. The sounds carry and seem unprofessional
Phone microphones pick up small sounds. Eating or chewing makes you sound careless.
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Question 12 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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.
Transcription
Kim: Hello?
Caller: Hi, um, is this Prairie Roofing?
Kim: Yeah.
Caller: Okay. I'd like to book an estimate for my roof. -
Question 13 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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.
Transcription
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? -
Question 14 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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.
Transcription
Caller: Hi, I'm calling about the invoice you sent last week. I think the amount is wrong.
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Question 15 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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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Question 16 sur 16
Voir la réponse
Réponse: 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.
Clavier : 1–4 pour répondre, Entrée pour la question suivante.
À savoir avant l’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.
Questions fréquentes
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.
L’attestation est-elle accréditée ou reconnue officiellement ?
Non. C’est une attestation de réussite privée, uniquement pour vos connaissances. Elle n’est reconnue, accréditée ni approuvée par aucun gouvernement, organisme de délivrance des permis, autorité de réglementation ou établissement d’enseignement, et elle ne remplace aucun permis, aucune certification ni aucune formation exigés par la loi.
Sources
- 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