Handling business keigo

Set phrases for both making and answering business calls—memorize them and you can use them right away.

1. お世話せわになっております。株式会社かぶしきがいしゃともしの李りと申もうします。

   Thank you for your continued support. This is Li from Tomoshi Corporation.

   「お世話になっております」 is the all-purpose opener for business phone calls, even when you're calling someone for the first time.

2. 恐おそれ入いりますが、山田様やまださまはいらっしゃいますでしょうか。

   Sorry to bother you, but is Mr. Yamada in?

   「恐れ入りますが」 is a cushion phrase you preface a request with, a basic courtesy of Japanese business.

3. 申もうし訳わけございません。山田やまだはただいま席せきを外はずしております。

   I'm terribly sorry. Yamada is away from their desk at the moment.

   When mentioning your own colleague to someone outside your company, **add neither さん nor honorifics** — 「山田は」, not 「山田さんは」; this is the mistake English speakers make most often.

4. 戻もどり次第しだい、こちらからご連絡れんらく差さし上あげます。

   We'll get back to you as soon as he's back.

   「〜次第」means "as soon as...", more formal than 「たら」; 「ご連絡差し上げます」is humble language.

5. 差さし支つかえなければ、ご用件ようけんを伺うかがってもよろしいでしょうか。

   If you don't mind, may I ask what this is regarding?

   「伺う」 is the humble form of 「聞く/訪ねる」; never use it for the other person's actions.

6. かしこまりました。では、改あらためてご連絡れんらくいたします。

   Certainly. In that case, I'll be in touch again later.

The flow of a client visit: greetings, asking the client to look at your materials, and the client saying they will review them internally.

1. Visitor

   本日ほんじつはお忙いそがしいところ、お時間じかんをいただき、ありがとうございます。

   Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule today.
2. client

   いえ、こちらこそ。わざわざお越こしいただき、恐縮きょうしゅくです。

   No, it's us who should be thanking you. We really appreciate you making the trip all this way.

   「お越しいただき」 is an honorific way of referring to the other person's visit, more formal than 「来ていただき」.
3. Visitor

   早速さっそくですが、お手元てもとの資料しりょうをご覧らんいただけますでしょうか。

   Well, let me get right to it. Could you take a look at the documents in front of you?

   「ご覧になる」 is the honorific form of 'to look,' used for the other person's action; when you look at something yourself, say 「拝見する」. This is the pair people mix up most often.
4. client

   拝見はいけんします。……なるほど、よく分わかりました。

   Let me take a look. ... I see, now I understand.
5. Visitor

   ご不明ふめいな点てんがございましたら、何なんなりとお申もうし付つけください。

   If anything is unclear, just let me know.
6. client

   それでは、社内しゃないで検討けんとうのうえ、改あらためてご返事へんじいたします。

   Well then, we'll discuss it internally and get back to you.

   In business Japanese, 「検討します」 is often a polite way of not committing yourself, and it doesn't necessarily mean things will move forward.