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I've been working with UK clientele for several years (I'm American), and I always fumble whenever somebody ends a call with "Cheers". What do I say then? Same deal with British coworkers who sometimes will say "Cheers" when I hold the door for them. My American reflex is to say "Cheers" back, but it always sounds/feels super awkward. What do I do in response to "Cheers"?

user3639583
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    Abed would say 'M.A.S.H.'. Or 'Fawlty Towers'! – Tushar Raj Jan 25 '17 at 14:23
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    'Cheers' is just the same as 'thanks' so you could say 'no problem' etc. – Michael Jan 25 '17 at 14:26
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    If they are just saying 'goodbye' (as opposed to thanking you for doing/giving something for/to you) you can just say 'goodbye' in the way you normally do. – Dan Jan 25 '17 at 14:36
  • Maybe it's better asked on [workplace.se], I think. Here, it'll probably end up closed as "primarily opinion-based". – NVZ Jan 25 '17 at 14:37
  • Related: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1628/is-there-a-difference-between-cheers-and-thanks-in-colloquial-british-englis – AllInOne Jan 25 '17 at 15:38
  • It means 'You are welcome', 'no problem', 'it's ok'. You can say 'cheers' in response to a thanks, to a sorry, etc – iAmLearning Jan 06 '20 at 17:24

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Cheers in the examples you make means:

  • (UK informal) used to mean "thank you":
    • "I've bought you a drink." "Cheers, mate."

So you can reply "no problem", "you are welcome", etc.

Note that Cheers can also meam:

  • (UK informal) used to mean "goodbye":
    • "Bye." "Cheers, see you next week."

in this case you can also answer "cheers".

(Cambridge Dictionary)

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    Worth noting that at the end of a phone call, their intended meaning could easily be either. If you've specifically helped them with something then it's probably okay to assume they're thanking you and say 'you're welcome'. Otherwise, just say 'bye'. – Michael Jan 25 '17 at 14:51
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There is no reply necessary.

Cheers, used in this way is simply a synonym of Thank You.

In Britain, one is not expected to reply to thanks. The frequent American response of "You're welcome" is considered a strange foreign habit.

If you wish to say anything, the common replies would be "OK", "That's all right", or use the Australian response "No worries".

Chenmunka
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    "You are welcome" an Americanism? –  Jan 25 '17 at 15:46
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    @Josh: Most definitely. – Chenmunka Jan 25 '17 at 15:47
  • You may be right, but https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=you+are+welcome%3Aeng_us_2012%2Cyou+are+welcome%3Aeng_gb_2012&case_insensitive=on&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t4%3B%2Cyou%20are%20welcome%3Aeng_us_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Byou%20are%20welcome%3Aeng_us_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BYou%20are%20welcome%3Aeng_us_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Cyou%20are%20welcome%3Aeng_gb_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Byou%20are%20welcome%3Aeng_gb_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BYou%20are%20welcome%3Aeng_gb_2012%3B%2Cc0 –  Jan 25 '17 at 15:52
  • @Josh: Many books (and TV programmes) are made with an eye to the US market. – Chenmunka Jan 25 '17 at 16:01
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    I was just looking for some hard evidence that proves what you say, but I cant find it - plus usage dates back well before TV programmes - http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2008/07/welcoming-committee.html –  Jan 25 '17 at 16:03