To break down language/accent barriers – It is a good way to overcome any barriers when the customer’s English is a problem, ensuring accurate communication.To share information with customers – When sharing web links or passing on any other information, it is good to use the phonetic alphabet to avoid any misunderstanding – particularly with vulnerable customers who may have hearing difficulties.To record customer information – The phonetic alphabet can help you to spell difficult names and get email addresses and postcodes right, making it easier to clarify information with customers during phone calls.In fact, here are three contact centre scenarios for when using the phonetic alphabet can prove itself to be very helpful. While some organizations may see the phonetic alphabet as being too formal a tool to coach advisors, there is no doubt that a tool designed to clarify communication can be beneficial. That’s why the phonetic alphabet is a great contact centre tool, as following the principle of checking information to make sure you get it right is a fundamental part of good customer service. When the Phonetic Alphabet Can Be Extremely Useful in the Contact CentreĮver found yourself wondering what p is in the phonetic alphabet and substituting with a clumsy alternative of ‘pen’ or ‘park’ instead of professionally saying ‘papa’? Instead, French contact centres often use names that are appropriate for their customer base.įor example, a French contact centre could use the following names as a phonetic alphabet when dealing with customers.Ĭreating a set of names like this can be a great alternative if you handle calls from international customers and where English is sometimes not best understood. In certain other countries, including France, however, there is no “standard” phonetic alphabet. Phonetic Alphabet, which is sometimes used in US contact centres. In the US, it is common to use names and cities to identify the letter at the start of the word, while the police use a different phonetic alphabet than the military, which is just as common.īelow is the New York Police Dept. While many English-speaking countries and other European countries use the NATO phonetic alphabet, many use different versions – with the US and France being notable exceptions. Here is the phonetic alphabet, as first introduced by NATO in 1955: It Is Different in the US and France! But it can be even more beneficial in the contact centre environment.Ī for Alpha, B for Bravo, C for Charlie, D for Delta… This can be very helpful in day-to-day life, as I’m sure we’ve all mistaken an “M” for an “N” or a “B” for a “P”. Less commonly known as the “military alphabet” or the “spelling alphabet”, the phonetic alphabet is often used to clear up any misunderstanding over the pronunciation of letters. When spoken out loud, each word represents the letter that it begins with.

The phonetic alphabet is a list of 26 words, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. Here we explain what the phonetic alphabet is, how it helps customer service teams, and its role in CX. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, Indiana, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu make up the 26 words of the NATO phonetic alphabet.

English alphabet spelling chart