Conversational English for Phoning Customer Service

Conversational English for Phoning Customer Service (Sound Polite, Calm & Confident)

There are many difficult moments in life. For example, forgetting your umbrella when it rains, sitting on wet paint and phoning customer service. Even in your own language, calling customer service can be an emotional adventure. In a foreign language? It can feel like an extreme sport.

You finally get through. A calm, friendly voice says:

“How can I help you today?”

And your brain replies:

“Good question. How can you help me today?”

In this guide, you’ll learn natural, polite, real-life English for:

• starting the call
• explaining a problem
• asking for help
• reacting to solutions
• dealing with delays and transfers
• ending the call politely

This is perfect for B1–C1 learners, everyday life, work situations, and real phone calls with banks, shops, airlines, internet providers, and companies of all kinds.

Starting the call

When someone answers, they usually say something like:

“Good morning, customer support. How can I help you?”

You don’t need a long speech. Keep it simple and clear.

Useful openings:

• Hello, I’m calling about…
• Hi, I have a problem with…
• I’m calling because…
• I’d like to ask about…

Hello, I’m calling about my internet connection.

Hi, I have a problem with my order.

I’m calling because I was charged twice.

I’d like to ask about a delivery that hasn’t arrived.

Giving your details

They will often ask:

“Can I take your name/order number/account number?”

Useful phrases:

• My name is…
• The order number is…
• Let me check…
• I think it’s…

My name is Anna Novak.

The order number is 45721.

Let me check… yes, here it is.

I think it’s under my email address.

Explaining the problem

This is the heart of the call.

Useful phrases:

• The problem is that…
• What happened is…
• I ordered…, but…
• It doesn’t seem to be working.
• There seems to be a problem with…

The problem is that my internet keeps disconnecting.

I ordered a jacket, but I received the wrong size.

There seems to be a problem with my last bill.

It doesn’t seem to be working properly.

Asking for help politely

You don’t need to sound angry. Polite English works better.

Useful phrases:

• Could you help me with this?
• Could you look into this for me?
• Is there anything you can do about it?
• I’d really appreciate your help.

Could you look into this for me, please?

Is there anything you can do about this?

I’d really appreciate your help.

When they put you on hold or transfer you

This is almost guaranteed.

You will hear:

• “Please hold.”
• “I’ll transfer you to…”
• “Let me check that for you.”

You can say:

• No problem.
• That’s fine.
• Thank you, I’ll wait.

Reacting to solutions

If the solution is good:

• That sounds great.
• That would be perfect.
• Thank you, that helps a lot.

If it’s not ideal:

• Is there any other option?
• Is there anything else you can suggest?
• I was hoping for a faster solution.

When you’re frustrated (but still polite)

Useful phrases:

• I understand, but…
• The problem is that…
• I’ve already tried that.
• This has been going on for…

I understand, but I’ve already tried that.

The problem is that this has been happening for two weeks.

I’m afraid this is quite urgent for me.

Asking to speak to someone else

Sometimes you need a higher level of wizard.

Polite ways to say it:

• Could I speak to a supervisor, please?
• Is there someone else I could talk to about this?

Ending the call politely

Never forget the English ritual: polite endings.

Useful phrases:

• Thank you very much for your help.
• Thanks for your time.
• I really appreciate it.

Thank you very much for your help. Have a nice day.

A short realistic dialogue

— Hello, I’m calling about my internet connection.

— Can I take your account number, please?

— Yes, it’s 54821.

— What seems to be the problem?

— It keeps disconnecting, and I’ve already tried restarting the router.

— I see. Let me check that for you.

— Thank you.

— We’ll send a technician tomorrow.

— That would be great. Thanks for your help.

Common mistakes when phoning customer service in English

❌ Starting with a long, emotional story

❌ Sounding aggressive

❌ Not preparing key information

❌ Forgetting to be polite

Final thought

Good customer service English is not about winning an argument.

It’s about being clear, calm, polite, and persistent.

Which is also pretty good advice for life.

If you really want to learn English but don’t know how or where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!