When you need this
Plenty of calls land on the wrong desk. The caller wants billing and got you in marketing, or they want Arjun and Arjun's on vacation until Monday. Your job isn't to solve their problem. It's to get them to the person who can, without making them feel passed around.
The polite version has three parts. Say briefly why you're not the right person, say who is, and say what happens next: you'll transfer them, give them a number, or take their details. Before you transfer, tell the caller, and if you can, tell your colleague who's coming so the caller doesn't have to explain everything twice. A cold transfer, where the line goes quiet and a stranger picks up, is how callers end up annoyed.
Phrases
connect the caller to another phone
the more formal way to say "put you through"
the short internal number for one desk or person
a polite way to say you're the wrong person
tells the caller who can help
the person is busy on the phone
the person isn't at work
offers to keep the caller waiting on the line
you'll warn the colleague before the transfer
gives a backup in case the transfer fails
a number that reaches one person without the switchboard
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.