Do you Say HELLO whenever you pick up the PHONE???

@mnsrwt123 (2057)
India
March 27, 2008 9:44am CST
Well whenever i pick up the phone, the first word i say HELLO to everyone, and i feel this is the word which fits everywhere, whether you are talking to your friends, or if the caller is your Relative or etc... But i find that some people tell their names like James here or something else like this... So tell me what do you say, whenever you pick up the PHONE??? Do you say HELLO, or something else... Cheers!!!
11 people like this
70 responses
wickedangel
@wickedangel (1636)
• Dominican Republic
27 Mar 08
I just say 'hello' too when I'm at home but if I am at work I would have my 'blurb' so that the caller would know that they had reached the right office. My parents have the old fashioned thing of saying the last four digits of their number - that comes from way, way back when they only had a few numbers in use in London and the first three digits indicated the area they are living in and the last four was their personal number within that exchange. Oh has it changed now!! But my mother still says the last four digits. Habit hard to break, me thinks!
3 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
ohh, yeah your parents did really nice thing and i also heard these things and in the past i also try to ask the number whenever i made a call,,,,lolz and its the time when i am not sure abt how to talk on the phone...lolz Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts... Keep posting!!!
ruthinian
@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
27 Mar 08
Hello! Yes, I say hello first. Whether I answer the phone or I place the call... hello is the first word I say. But when I was still working as a secretary... I was used to saying the name of the company first and no hello... but "May I help you?" if I am answering the call... and say "This is from the office of ..... when I am the one making the call. Funny it was, since I handled the phone the whole day, I also said the same phrases when I am answering or making a call from our house phone. But that was a long time ago. Now, it's just plain Hello.
2 people like this
elmiko
@elmiko (6630)
• United States
27 Mar 08
Yes, I say hello. I also got a caller id though so when somebody calls I know such as my aunt lynn i'll say hello lynn.
1 person likes this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
yeah, hello is the first word to say, and its all about your company rules to what to greet when you recieve a calls, i never work in a company so i don't about these greetings but whenever i call any CC-Executives then they say something similar greetings you gave..here... Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
Stephannie
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
27 Mar 08
That is what I say too. I have on occasion when the phone rings off the hook and I think i know who is calling, I will say Grande Central Station instead of hello. My husband had played around with his friends and answered by saying Joes Pool Hall, eight ball speaking LOL.
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
yeah most of us say that but your style is something different, and i would like to try your method of saying that lolz,,,, but i am not too sure about these things as i am not in much confidence... but i'll definately try this,,,lolz Thank you Stephcjh, for your cool response,,, Keep posting!!!
Stephannie
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
29 Mar 08
LOL. I never know who is calling me most of the time so I always answer with hello most of the time. If I know who it is if I know someone is calling me back, then I will tease with the other lines LOL.
1 person likes this
mummymo
@mummymo (23706)
•
27 Mar 08
I always say hello - I never give out my name! Chances are that the caller will already know it is me since they dialled my number but there are some people who just call random numbers and I don't give my name out! When I used to work I answered the telephone saying Good morning/afternoon/evening and the name of the place I worked but never my own! xxx
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
yeah, those callers do really waste our time and its really good for us to not let them know our name by just saying our name...
gemini_rose
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
27 Mar 08
I always say hello, when I pick up the phone, but if I have been getting loads of phone calls from call centres then I pick the phone up and go YES!!! The only trouble with doing that is that then it is always somebody else, like last time it was my Dad!
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
ohh, thats cool that you also say hello, most of the mylotters do agree with that hello is the polite word and fits everywhere anytime... Thanks for being here... keep posting!!!
pooh08
@pooh08 (671)
• Vietnam
16 Apr 08
In the past, I said Hello when I pick up the phone. But now, when I'm studying and talking Japanese too much, I always say "Moshi moshi". It's mean hello.
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
21 Apr 08
moshi,,,moshi...hehehe its been quite different as its in Japanese, and in Hindi its called helloo i think,,,heheh so no change in hindi and english to say hello greetings i say...hahaha Thanks for being here
Brian
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
27 Mar 08
I always know who is phoning me on my mobile because the name comes up straight away, so I will say hello Alan as it's usually my best friend calling me or my sister, so hi sis! I don't answer the landline phone because that belongs to my parents and all the calls are for them. If I am on my own and the phone goes I let it ring, I don't like answering the phone, it makes me feel uncomfortable.
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
Ahan!!! if its my home landline phone then also i would like to say, as most of the calls are belongs to me lolz... So no problem for me to recieve the calls,,, Thanks for your response Wolfie,, Keep posting!!!
Grammasherri
@sherrir101 (3670)
• Malinta, Ohio
27 Mar 08
Yes, I do say "hello" when answering or calling on the phone. Except to my mom (when I see the caller ID), I say "hi mom" to her. I feel that proper manners require respect and this is a way of showing it by saying "hello".
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
yup, caller id makes things simpler for us to know the person calling us... Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
maddysmommy
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
27 Mar 08
At home it's "hello" and when I use to work it was "Good morning, this is Rachel, how can I help you?" or something along those lines.
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
Ohh, thats cool to say hello at home, RAchel, nice to recieve your response... Keep posting!!!
clrumfelt
@clrumfelt (5490)
• United States
27 Mar 08
When I pick up the phone I say, "Praise the Lord." Sometimes people say "what" and then I will say hello b/c I don't want them to think they have dialed a church numbet by mistake and hang up on me, but I like to use my phone greeting as a witness.
1 person likes this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
28 Mar 08
Ohh, thats cool clrumfelt, i never say these words, i juse say hello, but after your response i think i might need to say different words to entertain them...lolz Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
onewickedsoul
@onewickedsoul (540)
• Philippines
2 Apr 08
We have caller ID so if I know the person calling, I would usually say, "Hey (name here)" or "Bakit?" ('Why' in English) Sometimes the caller would be a little confused so I tell them, "It's me" which confuses them more, so I say, "It's Dré" :D
1 person likes this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
14 Apr 08
hmm, sometimes its very useless to say, its me,,, so its always better for me to say Hello always... Thanks for being here...
chrislotz
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
27 Mar 08
When it is my personal phone ringing I always answer with a hello. To me it is the only polite way to answer it. But when I was working I always answered my phone with Chris here, how can I help you. It is a business after all and the person on the other end is probably looking for you so it is just a helpful way to show them they got ahold of the person they were looking for. Also when it's a business the call is usually answered first by a receptionist and they ask for you, so again it is a polite way of letting them know they got you.
2 people like this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
Yeah Chrislotz i agree with you that its a polite way to answer by just say hello, Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts... Keep posting!!!
Ruth Belena
@paid2write (5201)
•
27 Mar 08
I read somewhere that the word 'hello' was invented as a way to establish that you could be heard over the telephone, when they were first introduced. Before that people would greet each other, when they met, by saying "Good day" or good morning/afternoon/evening. There was previously a word 'hullo', as in "Hullo, who's there?", so it was adapted to become a form of greeting when telephoning.
1 person likes this
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
28 Mar 08
Ohh, great, you gave us such a great history, paid2write, i never know about these things, thanks for the cool information, Keep posting!!!
jessa
@jesbellaine (4139)
• Philippines
29 Apr 08
Whenever I pick up the phone at home, my first word is "HELLO". I am really used to it. lolz.
1 person likes this
marriedman111399
@marriedman111399 (1207)
• United States
14 Apr 08
normally I do say hello when I pick up the phone even when I know who it is because we have caller id. But sometimes when I know it is my wife I will say things like "YEAH" or "What do you want". But most of the time it is Hello.
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
21 Apr 08
yeah, most of the time its hello, and most of the members here do this and I can say mylot is a global community so, its everywhere around the people who say hello to someone whenever they pick up the phone... Thanks for being here
checapricorn
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
14 Apr 08
I am a "hello" person when answering phone!
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
21 Apr 08
Well,you are so polite to say hello... Thanks for the Response Have fun!!!
kun2349
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
28 Mar 08
yup.. I will say Hello too, because it's the most polite way of greeting someone over the phone..
kun2349
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
29 Mar 08
It's just basic courtesy to me ^_^
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
hey kun, yeah you also did say hello thats a good habbit, lolz,,, Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
hey kun, yeah you also did say hello thats a good habbit, lolz,,, Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
bongkarpasang
@bongkarpasang (1377)
• Indonesia
28 Mar 08
in my native language, it is still 'Hallo' (same meaning with 'hello'). I think it is a global word that tells the opponent speaker that we are picking up the phone. :P but I notice that some foreign languages have their own vocabularies to answer the phone, however in the meaning, will always be the same, the 'Hello' word. :P for example in Japanese they said 'moshi-moshi?' in Korean it was 'yoboseyo?' in Chinese it was 'Wei?' maybe the other members who come from non-'Hello' vocabularies can add more about their vocabularies. but I believe, the meaning is still 'Hello' :P
bongkarpasang
@bongkarpasang (1377)
• Indonesia
2 Apr 08
"Namashkar”. That sounds cool. :) By the way, may I ask something else? How if we need to say “hello” outside the phone call? I mean, to greet people we meet. In English it is still “Hello” but maybe some people will say “Hi”, or “How are you?” In Indonesia it is still “Halo” / “Hallo” or “Hai” (the same with Hi). However in some language, the “Hello” for greeting the people outside the phone call would differ: For Japanese it will be “Konnichiwa” (Hi, Good day, Good afternoon) or “Ohayo” (Good morning) or “Konbanwa” (Good evening). For Chinese usually it will be “Hai”, “Ni hao” (How are you?) For Korean usually they will say “Annyeonghaseyo” (Hi, How are you?).
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
Ohh, thnks for your wonderful explanation behind the history of hello... bongkarpasang.. and in India, we love to say greetings "Namashkar" but its not so popular here thats y all here just say hello... Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
cortjo73
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
27 Mar 08
It depends. I answer the phones for my job. In that case I say, Hello, the company name and then say this is Cortney. On my home phone, I say hello unless I know who it is. If my hubby I say "yooooooo". With my Mom, I likely say Hello but, might say something else to catch her off guard. Just to joke with her. But, usually that is a Hello. Then, if it is an unknown number on my cell, I will say, hello this is Cortney. But, usually, that is a hello as well.
cortjo73
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
27 Mar 08
Actually, I need to correct myself. If it is an unknown number on my cell, I will say hello but, if it is a known number and that number is a business where I know that they will be looking for me, I will answer "Hello, this is Cortney." That just helps them not have to ask for me. They know they got the right number at that point.
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
28 Mar 08
ohh, thats pretty nice greetings from your's Cortney, well i just try to say hello most of time... Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts... Keep posting!!!
wy2008
@wy2008 (185)
• China
28 Mar 08
yeah , i say hello when i pick up the ohone , i think it is polite to people , even a person make a wrong call , i am polite to them ,too.
mnsrwt123
@mnsrwt123 (2057)
• India
29 Mar 08
Ohh, yeah its better to say hello wy2008, and its polite also as you said above, Thanks for responding!!! Keep posting!!!
wy2008
@wy2008 (185)
• China
30 Mar 08
thanks, i will .