How to place an order by phone in English (A1–A2 elementary): product code, quantity and delivery address

The five details of a phone order

Ask for the details in the same order every time, so nothing is missed: product, code, quantity, address, day.

• Open: “I’d like to place an order for desk lamps.”
• Code: “Can I have the product code?” – “It’s L-four-two.”
• Quantity: “How many do you need?” – “We need twenty.”
• Address: “What’s the delivery address?”
• Day: “When can you deliver?” – “We’ll deliver on Friday.”
• Cost: “Is delivery included?” asks if delivery is in the price.

Listen: a short phone order

In this call, a buyer orders desk lamps from a supplier. Notice that the code and the quantity come in separate sentences, and that the seller reads the details back before she gives a day.

Saying codes, numbers and addresses

Say a code one character at a time: L42 is “L-four-two”. Say a quantity as a normal number: 20 is “twenty”. For 0, both “oh” and “zero” are common.

English addresses go from small to big: unit number, building number and street, town, postcode. Read postcodes in small groups.

Numbers ending in -teen and -ty sound alike on the phone (thir-TEEN, THIR-ty). If in doubt, ask: “Is that one-three or three-zero?”

• L42 – “L-four-two”
• 28 River Road – “twenty-eight River Road”
• T12 K8AF – “T-one-two, K-eight-A-F”
• sales@harbour-light.com – “sales at harbour dash light dot com”

Checking the details before you agree

The person taking the order reads the key details back; the caller confirms or corrects them. If you miss something, ask for just that detail. For an unclear letter, ask: “Is that M or N?”

• “Could you repeat the postcode?”
• “Let me check the details.”
• “Let me check: twenty L-four-two lamps, delivered to Cork.” – “Yes, that’s right.”
• “Sorry, that’s L-four-two, not L-four-three.”

Company sites: there is, there are, some and any

Use “there is” with one thing and “there are” with plurals. Use “any” after a negative and in most questions, and “some” in positive plural sentences.

Site words: head office, factory (makes products), warehouse (stores goods), distribution centre (stores and sends out products), sales office, R&D centre (designs and tests products). A head office is not always the delivery address, so ask: “Is that the delivery address or the office address?”

• “There is a head office in Cork.”
• “There are two factories in Poland.”
• “There isn’t a factory here.”
• “Are there any sales offices?”
• “There are some products in the warehouse.”
• “There aren’t any offices here.”

From the call to the order form

Fill in the form straight after the call. A code identifies the product, not a number of items, and the address is where the goods go.

• Product: desk lamp
• Code: L42
• Quantity: 20
• Delivery address: the full address, from unit number to postcode
• Delivery day: Friday

Common mistakes

People will understand you, but these mistakes can cost a delivery:

• “I want order desk lamps.” Say “I’d like to place an order for desk lamps.”
• “L-forty-two twenty.” Say “It’s L-four-two. We need twenty.”
• “There is two factories.” With plurals, use “there are”.
• “Are there some sales offices?” Most questions take “any”.
• “There aren’t some offices here.” After a negative, use “any”.
• “We’ll deliver in Friday.” Days take “on”: “on Friday”.

A 10-minute daily practice routine

Practise out loud, in the same order each day.

• 3 minutes: play the call, pause and repeat each line, then play the buyer with your own product and code.
• 2 minutes: read three codes and quantities from your work: “It’s … We need …”
• 2 minutes: say your company’s address and email in small groups.
• 3 minutes: describe your company’s sites with “there is” and “there are”, then fill in an order form from memory.

What comes next

Next, practise asking a colleague for help with a file problem and checking the fix. Then learn to explain an order mistake by email.