What kind of company is it?
Name the industry with “in” and the company with “a … company”: “She works in real estate.”, “He works for a recruitment company.” “Software” has no plural: never “softwares”. Stress the strong part of long words: phar-ma-CEU-ti-cals, elec-TRO-nics, re-CRUIT-ment.
- pharmaceuticals: medicines (“They produce pharmaceuticals.”)
- real estate: property (“She works in real estate.”)
- electronics: phones, computers and digital equipment
- recruitment: finding new staff (“They provide recruitment services.”)
- financial services: banking and payments (“We provide financial services.”)
Verbs for what a company does
Companies produce goods, sell products, provide services, develop new products, employ people and export to other countries. With “work”, the small word matters: you work for your employer, work with clients or partners, and work in an industry.
- “I work for an electronics company.”
- “We work with hotel clients.”
- “She works in recruitment.”
- “The company employs thirty technicians.”
- “They sell software online.”
- “The factory exports car parts.”
The present simple: develops, doesn’t, does
Company facts are generally true, so use the present simple: the base verb with I, you, we and they, and -s with he, she, it or a company name. Some verbs add -es (fixes), and “do” and “have” become “does” and “has”.
In negatives and questions, “does” takes the -s and the main verb stays in the base form. Short answers repeat only the helper: “Yes, it does.”
Before you contact a supplier, check what it does and doesn’t do: “It’s a small software company. It develops booking software for hotels. It doesn’t sell computers. It employs twelve people and provides online support in six countries.”
- “We develop software.” / “It develops software.”
- “We don’t sell computers.” / “It doesn’t sell computers.”
- “Does it provide support?” – “Yes, it does.” / “No, it doesn’t.”
- “What does the company do?” – “It develops booking software for hotels.”
Calling a company about an order
A work call has a fixed order: the company gives its name, you ask for a person, then say who you are (“This is …”) and why you are calling. Here, Owen Hart from a hotel group calls a software company about an order, but the person he needs is not available.
- “Could I speak to …, please?”
- “Who’s calling?” – “This is … from …”
- “I’m calling about …”
- “Can I take a message?”
Receptionist Good morning. NovaDesk.
Owen Could I speak to Sara Kim, please?
Receptionist Who's calling?
Owen This is Owen Hart from Northline Hotels. I'm calling about order 418.
Receptionist I'm sorry, she's unavailable. Can I take a message?
Owen Yes. Please ask her to call me today.
Receptionist Of course. Can I have your number, please?
Owen Yes, it's zero two zero, seven nine four six, zero three zero five.
Numbers and a five-part message
Read phone numbers digit by digit, in small groups, and read the number back before you hang up. On their own, -teen numbers are stressed at the end (thir-TEEN) and -ty numbers at the start (THIR-ty). If you are not sure, check: “Fifteen, one five?” – “No, fifty, five zero.”
A useful message lets the other person act without calling back to ask. It has five parts:
- “Message for: Sara Kim”
- “Caller: Owen Hart, Northline Hotels”
- “About: order 418”
- “Action: Please call today.”
- “Number: 020 7946 0305”
Common mistakes
People will understand you, but these mistakes stand out:
- “It develop software.” With he, she and it, add -s: “It develops software.”
- “It don’t sell computers.” Use “doesn’t”: “It doesn’t sell computers.”
- “Does it sells computers?” After “does”, use the base verb: “Does it sell computers?”
- “Yes, it sells.” Answer with the helper: “Yes, it does.”
- “He works for real estate.” Use “in” for an industry: “He works in real estate.”
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Practise out loud, in the same order each day.
- 3 minutes: five facts about your company with “we”, including one thing you don’t do.
- 2 minutes: the same facts about a supplier with “it” and -s, plus two “Does it …?” questions.
- 2 minutes: the -teen and -ty pairs and your work number, aloud.
- 3 minutes: play the call, repeat each line, then redo it with your own details and write the message.
What comes next
When this feels easy, move on to taking a phone order: checking a product code, a quantity and a delivery address.