What to say when answering the phone


I'm often unsure what to say when answering the telephone when I am the
customer; people usually say their name and then wait for me to say something
before stating their business. I'm guessing there is a set phrase that people
usually say at that point.

Usually it goes like:

  * **Me:** はい、XXです。
  * **Them:** XX社のXXXと申します。
  * **Me:** お世話になってます。 ← _What I'm unsure about_

Is this appropriate to say as a customer? What if I've never spoken to them
before? What else could I say here?




If you're not expecting their call, then one does wonder what exactly the 世話
could be that made them call you. If it's a company where you are a customer,
I would probably wait to hear more, so

  * _Me._ はい、◯◯です。
  * _Them._ ◯◯社の◯◯と申します。
  * _Me._ はい。

If you want a firmer handle on the conversation, you can also ask

  * _Me._ どういったご用件ですか。

If in the end you did benefit from their call (i.e. it wasn't just a sales
call, but they helped you fix something, set something in order, etc.), you
can always say something nice later.

  * _Me._ お世話様でした。 ( _or_ よろしくお願いします。 _or_ ご苦労様でした。)

(Note that お世話様でした is **not** a different way of saying お世話になっています. The former
is said from "above" to "below", the latter is said from "below" to "above".)




If you are a customer I wouldn't care too much. `お世話になってます` would be a good
choice. `あ、どうも` or even `はい` would work (albeit less polite, but as a customer
you don't need to be polite). If you want to ask why they called you can say
`何のお電話でしょう？` or `どうしました？`.

