disneyfan90 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I work at a job where I have to answer phones and transfer people to the appropriate person when they give me the extension number. It's a fun and easy job except for one problem: I have a mild stuttering problem. There are some words in the English language which I cannot help but stutter on, no matter how much I try. This wasn't a problem at all when I first started working, but now it's become much more of a problem. I'm not sure why. Stuttering has been an on and off thing for me since I was 4, and now it's back to haunt me. Anyways, nowadays one of the words I stutter a lot on is "moment." I've tried numerous times to say it fluently on the phone, but it never happened. Every time, I just ended up embarrassing myself. What's another way to say "one moment, please" when I answer the phone? Can I say "please hold?" It's really frustrating that I have to keep modifying my sentences. Sometimes I fear I may get fired because of my stuttering problem lol, even though my boss doesn't seem to mind. Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger Lily Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I like it when someone asks me, "Can you please hold?", and then waits for me to respond . Link to post Share on other sites
Tayla Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 "May I place you on hold for a bit?", "Would you mind If I pause this conversation til I can contact (Insert employee's name) ? " Will be back in a few seconds, Let me page the person for you" Link to post Share on other sites
whichwayisup Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 How about "Transferring your call. Have a great day." Please hold is good. As for your stutter, maybe look into a speech therapist to help you. Also, your boss can't fire you for a stutter! Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I usually say "One moment" and proceed to transfer. I stutter on the phone myself, especially if people are listing to my conversation in the background. Link to post Share on other sites
applej4 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 “I’ll connect you” ir "I'll transfer you" would be fine.I don’t like it when people ask “Can you hold?” or “May I put you on hold?” I feel like saying “Do I have a choice?” Link to post Share on other sites
GemmaUK Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 You have just given me a great memory! Thank you! I will tell you why and then give you a few suggestions. My Mum passed away 28 years ago yesterday, my Dad passed away 12 years ago tomorrow. My Dad had a stutter when he was younger - but it still came out sometimes - he would speak slowly when he knew he would stumble. I find a stutter endearing. Thanks for that memory of my Dad. One of the customer services team where I work always says 'just a second' or 'just a sec' or 'give me two seconds' all followed with 'and I will transfer you'. There are no 'm's' in the word 'second' so you might stumble over it less. There tend to be particular letters or words that those with a stutter struggle with. One of them, in the UK we thought was comedy genius..but it turns out it wasn't. It was a stutter and the only way one particular actor could say this word was to over pronounce it. It was a name and it was 'Bob'. Thank you for that memory. *grinning a lot* Link to post Share on other sites
pink_sugar Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 “I’ll connect you” ir "I'll transfer you" would be fine.I don’t like it when people ask “Can you hold?” or “May I put you on hold?” I feel like saying “Do I have a choice?” Well at least it gives you a chance to say something if it is an emergency call. Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Sometimes I fear I may get fired because of my stuttering problem lol, even though my boss doesn't seem to mind. i think your boss is cool with it otherwise he wouldn't have put you in that position. Link to post Share on other sites
badpenny Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 .....There tend to be particular letters or words that those with a stutter struggle with. One of them, in the UK we thought was comedy genius..but it turns out it wasn't. It was a stutter and the only way one particular actor could say this word was to over pronounce it. It was a name and it was 'Bob'. Being a fellow Brit, and particular fan of that programme, I m grateful for the info. Well, I never knew that! I always thought he said it as an implication that he knew perfectly well 'Bob' wasn't 'Bob'.... Another way apparently, to overcome a stammer, is to sing.... Which at first, may seem like an odd suggestion, considering you have to speak on a telephone, but one of the most famous Hotels in London used to have a 'singing' telephone operator. She too had a stammer, but her 'sing-song' approach made her very popular. For example, her "May I help you?" was based on the first sung line of 'Frere Jacques'..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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