How to Politely Make a Business Phone Call to Germany

Although most German business people speak English, your German counterpart will be impressed if you attempt to speak a little of their language. Read below to find out how to introduce yourself, ask for someone on the phone, ask politely to switch to English, and say goodbye.

Greetings:

When you call a business in Germany, they will commonly state the company name before their own name when answering. Also they will only state their last name. Lastly, they will state a greeting such as Guten Tag (good day). For example, if you were to call the CEO of Volkswagen, Matthias Müller, he might say: “Volkswagen, Müller, Guten Tag.”

Similarly if someone calls you from Germany you should state who you are upon answering the line. For example, identify yourself by saying hier spricht [last name], which means “[name] speaking.”

Formal address: Sie, not du

In German both Sie and du mean “you.” It is formal and polite to always use Sie unless your German counterpart refers to you with the more familiar du. Remember that using du is like saying “hey you.”

Asking to speak to someone in particular:

Explaining problems of understanding:

How to politely ask to switch to English:

Saying goodbye:

Formal business calls have a language of their own. For example, it is inappropriate to say auf Wiedersehen on the phone. That greeting literally means “until we see each other again,” but you don’t see people on the phone. This is why the formal goodbye on a business call is auf Wiederhören (until we hear each other again).

Another way to impress your German counterpart is to use Veem. Veem uses a multi-rail system to make international wire transfers that are insured, safe, fast, and as easy as sending an email.

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