What one should reply to - "Can I talk to Jeremy?"?

Question

> **Situation** I receive a call caller asked me;" Can I talk to Jeremy?" What is correct reply and What should I respond to this situation with. > 1. *he has gone for lunch.* > 2. *he went for lunch.* > 3. *he is at lunch.* > > **Which one should I prefer and why?** ***PS*** *Please also suggest if there is any other better option.* ***Thanks in Advance.***

Answer 1

Hi. I would add to the other response that you should always ask "Would you like to leave a message?" after you explain that Jeremy (in the other answer given) is at lunch, or that he is not available. This is important in business (or anywhere) because if the caller leaves a message describing the issue he is calling about, Jeremy will be better able to prepare for the return call. There will be less wasted time going back and forth on the telephone without conveying information.

By the way, if the caller is calling for a personal reason, he can always say he doesn't wish to leave a message by saying "no thank you, I will call back later."

In your question, I would select "He is currently at lunch. May I take a message?"

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you for your question. Your third option was the best, and I'll explain why.

When someone asks you "Can I talk to Jeremy?" (and he is not there) you can choose to apologize (this is usually polite) and if reasonable, tell the person WHY they cannot speak to him.

So the conversation would go like this:

1. Hello, can I talk to Jeremy?

** (you) I'm sorry, he's at lunch.

1. Oh. When will he be back?

(you) In about 30 minutes.

1. Okay, I'll call back then.

(you) Great. Have a good day.

1. You too. Bye.

(you) Bye.

...

** One last thought: If it seems inappropriate for you to tell the caller where Jeremy is, it is totally polite and reasonable for you to say "I'm sorry, he's not available" and the person should understand that they are not granted the knowledge of where he is. This is a common response in a business type setting.

Hope this helped you.

If you are willing, please take a second to give me a good review, my tutoring profile needs it...

THANK YOU!