Oxford English for Customer Care PDF
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Rosemary Richey
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This book, "Oxford English for Customer Care", is designed for people in customer service roles. It provides vocabulary, expressions, and strategies for effective communication in a business context. The book covers various customer interaction methods such as face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and written communication.
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OXTORD UNIVEITSITY PITESS GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford ox2 6Dp Oxford University Pressis a department ofthe University ofOxford. It furthers the University'sobjectiveofexcellencein research,scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford NewYork Auckland CapeTowL Dares Salaam Hon...
OXTORD UNIVEITSITY PITESS GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford ox2 6Dp Oxford University Pressis a department ofthe University ofOxford. It furthers the University'sobjectiveofexcellencein research,scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford NewYork Auckland CapeTowL Dares Salaam HongKong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi NewDelhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile CzechRepublic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam oxFoRDand oxrono ENGLIsHare registeredtrade marks of Oxford University Pressin the UK and in certain other countnes @Oxford University Press2oo7 Adapted fTom EnglishforCustomerCareby RosemaryRichey @CornelsenVerlag GmbH & Co. OHG,Berlin zoo3 The moral dghts ofthe author have been asserted Databaseright Oxford University Press(maker) First published 2oo7 zolz 2011 2010 709 8 7 6 5 4 No unauthorized photocopying All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,or as expresslypermitted by law or under terms a$eed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproductionoutsidethe scopeofthe aboveshould be sentto the ELI Rights Department, Oxford University Press,at the addressabove You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must imposethis samecondition on any acquirer Any websites referred to in this publication are in the public domain and their addressesare provided by Oxford University Pressfor information only. Oxford University Pressdisclaims any responsibility for the content rs B N : 9 7 8o 1 9 4 S T 9 j T o Printed in China ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for OUPby StorfishDesignEditonalandProjeaManagement Prepared Ltd CartoonsW:Stephen May Photocredits'.istock photo library and Alamy Coverimagescouttesyof Getty Images(main image/Altrendo; top left/ Richard Drury/lmage Bank) and Punchstock (bottom left/Stockbyte) M. RO M f) \_t MultiROM Engllshfor CustomerCareis accompaniedby a MuttiROM which has a numberof features. lnteractiveexercisesto practiseuseful phrases,vocabulary, and communication throughyour computer. Listenlngextracts.Theseare in enhancedaudio formatthat can be playedon a conventionalCD-playeror throughthe audio playeron your computer. lf you haveany problems,pleasecheckthe technicalsup- port sectionof the readmefile on the MuttiROM. Gontents HGE UfiNT]TI.E KPICS |.|l|GtnGEnPSAilPSfR*T,f€lEg lntroduction to Customer caresuccess forgood S ki l tsandqual i ti es customer care Customer carebusinesses andiobs customer care Surprisingfactsabout Maki ng suggesti ons customercare Face to face with Bodylanguage l anguage B asi csoci al i zi ng customers A companyvisit Thei mportance of smaltal l k Meetingdo'sanddon'ts Follow-up At a tradefuir S tepsforw i nni ngcustomers in Theinvisible customer yourpresentations Dealing with General telephoning on the phone B ei ngcourteous customers on The'customercare'phonecall Maki ngsureyouunderstand the phone Whatthe customersreallyhear Maki ng arrangements 3o Call centre Takingan order Thefirstimpression success Hotline(Troubleshootin g) andexplaining Ctarifying Customer-centred callcentres C hecki ng comprehensi on 38 Delivering Effective lettersandemails andcl oses S atutati ons customer cate Formalandinformalwritingstyles S tandardphrasesfor handl i ng throu$h writin$ ThefiveCsof customercarewriting customers (connecti ng w i ththe A casestudy takingaction,etc.) reader, Enclosures andattachments 47 Dealing with Complaintstrategiesandpolicies badnewsand Softening problems and Theletterofapology apotogi zi ng complaints Explainingcompany policy Problem-solvingsteps Someopinionsaboutcomplaints andapotogies FAGI APPEI{DIX 56 Testyourself! 58 Partner Files PartnerA 6o Partner Files PartnerB 6z Answerkey 68 Transcripts 72 A-Z word list 76 Useful phrases and vocabulary About the book English for Customer Carehasbeendeveloped for peopleworkingin customer service whoneeda goodlevelof Engtish. Youmightbeworkingin thesalesor customer service department of a company, oryou might havedirectcontact withcustomers in a bankor hotel.Orperhaps youspeakto customers on thetelephone froma helpdesk or a ca[[ centre.In all of thesesituationsyouneed[anguage skillsandspecifictechniques in orderto be ableto communicate successfutty. English for Customer Carenot onlyoffers expressions andvocabulary it alsoaddressesstrategies relatedto theeffectiveuseof Englishin a business context. English for Customer Careconsists of sixunits.Thefirstunitoffersan introductionto thebasicprinciplesof CustomerService. Thefoltowing fourunitsdealwithvarious differentformsof customer contact: faceto facemeetings, telephone ca[[s,ca[[centres, or writtencommunication. Thefinalunit presentsspeaking skillsthatareneededin orderto solveproblems anddealwithcustomer complaints effectively. Eachunitbeginswitha Starter, whichconsistsof smallexercises,brainstorming or a quiz.Thisis followedby dialogues, activities, texts,andauthentic documents, alongwitha varietyof exercises thathelpyouto learnthevocabulary andexpressions in context.Youwitlbe directed Filesat variouspointsin the units,where to the Partner role-playinformation gapactivities allowyouanda partnerto practise the [anguage presented in the unitin realistic situations. Eachunitendswitha textwhichrelates to thetopicof the unitandleadsto discussion. Whenyouhaveworkedthroughall the unitsyoucanTestyourselfl witha crossword on thevocabulary in the book. TheMuttiROM containsatlthe Listeningextractsfromthe book.Thesecanbe played throughtheaudioplayeron yourcomputer, or througha conventional CD-player. In orderto giveyourself extralisteningpractice, listento it in yourcaror copyit to your MP3ptayer. TheInteractiveexerciseslet you reviewby doingexercises that coverthe essentiallanguage fromthe book,thiswiltbe particularlyvaluableif youareusingthe bookfor self-study. At the backof Englishfor Customer Carethereis an Answerkeywhereyoucancheck youranswers. Youwillalsofindthe Partner Files,theTranscripts of the listening extracts,an A-Z wordlist,anda list of Usefulphrasesandvocabularythat you canrefer to whileyou areat work. ls lntroduction to customer care Peoplehavestrongopinionsaboutcustomercare.What is importantfor you as a customer? Workwith a partnerto makea list of the kind of servicesyou erpect. 7 Readaboutthe importanceof customercarein the articteand find four word partnerships wilhcustomer. customer Canyou addany otherwordsto makemorepartnerships? the most successfulshopping We demand customer-friendlynavigation fhink about I sites on the Internet.What do they have in and the best sites provideit,continually common? Whetheryou are booking a raisingtheir levelsof service. Convenientand holiday,buying books and music or simply efficient payment systems are also essential. doing the weekly shop, the best sites provide the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Sometimes,of course,things go wrong but How do they do it? Why is customer care this is when the sites are even better at such a priority? dealingwith customers.You can call a helplineand talk to an agent,email your For most shoppers, customer convenience is problem and get a replywithin twenty-four the most important factor.Up-to-date hours or even get assistancevia an instant technology means that when you return to a messagingconversation. The people in site you have visited before, they will charge of customer relationsknow that we remember your name, your profile,and what want to shop, maybe purchase,and then you bought last time. They also track where leave with a very positive impression of the you browsed and what you thought about site.A satisfiedcustomer is a good customer. buying.They can also make some Good customersremainloyaland recommendationsabout other places,titles, recommend you to others. or oroducts. e I ururr1 Introduction to customer care Accordingto the articte,what makesan online shoppingsite successful? Completethis list. 2 Finda word in the text that meansthe sameas: r profitable q necessary absolutely z something of the highestimportance 6 hetp 3 easy or helpful to use faithfut 4 fastand organized suggest l{ow usewordsfrom aboveto completethe sentences. d Ourcustomers'satisfaction is ourtoo b lf you need , pleasecontactour callcentre. c Goodcommunication skillsare carejob. in anycustomer 0 Andyou canpayby creditcard,whichis very whenshopping online. e Wecanoffera quickerand more levelof servicewith our newcallcentre. t lf youarehappywithour products, please usto a friend. 3 Youare in a meetingwith a possiblenew customer.Answertheir questions. Q tJffhatmakesyour companydifferent? 4 Weareveryproudof our We'reespecially knownfor our 0 Howdo youmakeit easyandconvenient forthecustomer? A Weofferconvenience to thecustomers with. ,'a'... '. 3 0 Howdo I get after-sales service? A Wegiveefficientcustomerserviceby Whatis the mostimportantfocusfor your customers? 4 Ourtop priorityis to UNIT 1 Introduction.tt. I z tocustomer 4 Completethe spidergramon customerservice-centredbusinessesand iobs with wordsfrom the list. cashier. concierggit,'hotel. orderentryclerk. receptionist.. restaurant. sales. shopassistant. teller representative ,r1'.i}\ \:--l ' calrcentre6m) @9 \- : \:#Jruracturin;; \------'----- 5 lervice t"riol-, retail cashi er cashier manager r 1C \\----_;7 -ffi;> z waiterlwaitreD oanKrng cterk 8 6 bellhop officer -/' manager 9 7 receptionist lf not,addit. Canyouaddanothercustomer ls youriobor businessareaonthespidergram? careposition? 5 ilowfind peopleIn thespidergramthat complete thestatements below.illorethanoneanswer is possiblein eachcase.Compareyouranswerswith a partner. 7 in person. deatswithcustomers 2 is responsible choosethe rightproduct. for helpingcustomers 3 handles questions customer overthe phone. or probtems 4 takescareof after-sales service. 5 productordersfor customers. processes 6 oftenhasto writeto customers. A I Ufrf ff 1 Introduction to customer care 6 look at the newsflash and the extractsfrom five job advertisements.What kind of 'people'skills do the advertsmention?Completethe notes. Customercareis becomingmoreand more focusedon lT training.lt's true that nowadays technicalskillsareessentialfor workingwith customerservicesystems.However,this high-techtrainingis not enoughfor good customercare.Employeesalso needpeople skillsso that they can dealwith peoplein all kindsof customersituations. You must be fluent in German and English with a very good telephonemanner and Customer careandc0mmunication skills areessential. good customer service skills. FC skills and toperform Ability eltectively pressure under andto good communication skills are required. wo* aspartofateam. 41i ;;;,;;;;;;* Your role is to orovide customers with first- ability to communicateclearly class customer care. Duties:handling with customersand work telephoneenquiriesand complaints; effectivelywith both internal making calls to customers;dealing with and externalteams. correspondence by email and letter. Computer skillsand good writing skills required. ) \b, will nccdcxpcrienccol communicarins laceto Iacc with customers,using tact and diplomacy What kind of skills do you needfor your iob?Write a iob advertfor your position. 7 Herearesomecommentstaken from customerserviceguestionnaires. tlark them positive[] ornegative[]. 1 'Yoursalesstaffareimpatient. Theyneverwaitfor peopleto finishspeaking andarealwaysin a hurry.' I z 'Thepeopleworkingat yourcatlcentrearealwaysso politeand hetpful. Andtheyalwaystakethetimeto answeratl my questions.' I 3 'l wishyouremployeeswouldbe moreattentive. Theydon'tseemto listen to whatI sayanddon'tcareaboutme at alt.' T 4 'Thebankofficertookcareof my requestsstraightaway.I didn'thaveto waitat all.' n UNIT1 to customer.uruI S Introduction 'WhenI arrivedat yourhotel,I wastotallyignoredby boththe betthop andthe receptionist.' T 6 'Theclerkwas reallyrudeand pretendednot to seeme.' l 7 'Thewaiterwaswellinformed aboutthethe menuandwaspromptin bringingmy food.' n 8 'Yourservicewasmorethan I askedfor.Thatreallymademe feelspecial.' l I the tablewith oppositesfromexercise7. Gomplete posltire nggsrE,, lo ba attantive to ignoresomebody j to takethe time 4 uninformed ,+ I s too slow patient unhelpful I 1 L-_ l{ow use words from the table to completethese sentencesfrom a customercare handbook. Sometimesmorethan one answer ls possible. Comparewlth a partner. alwaysexpectyou to be a Customers b lf you are withyouagain. theywill not do business to customers, Being alwaysmakesa bad impression or guests. on customers o Youshouldbe or products aboutthe services you provide. e A callcentreagentshouldneverbe on the phoneandshould alwaysbe 9 Tellyourpartneraboutonepositiveandonenegativecustomercaresituationyouhaverecently experlenced.illakea list of suggestionsto improvenegativeservice.Usephrasesfromthe Language BoxbelowIn yourdiscussion. Makingsuggestions Respondingto suggestions Whydon'tyou...? That'sright.iI agree. Don'tANouldn't you agreethat...? I seeyourpoint. lsn'tit a betterideato...? I disagreebecause... It makesa goodibadimpressionif they/you... I don'tagree.I would... 10 | UNIT1 Introduction to customer care r Customers do nottelltheirfriendsandcolteaguesaboutbadcustomercareexperiences. n z Theproductitsetfis moreimportant behindit. thanthe service tr 3 Good, friendtyservicewit[keepcustomerscoming back. n 4 Afterthe sateis finished, the customerdoesnot needanyattention. T Irbrlffi Surprising FactsaboutCustomer Care Wemightbelieve thatourcustomer serviceis excellent, but whatdoourcustomers think?Afterall, it's theiropinionthat matters,notours! Herearethehardfactswehaveto dealwith: '| Onecustomer infourisdissatisfied withsomeaspect of customer care. 'f Surveys showthatforeverycustomer whocomplains, thereare26 otherswho neversayanything aboutcustomer service. { Theaverage 'wronged' customerwilltell8-16 morepeople abouttheir negative experience. { Some907"of unhappy customerswill neverbuyfromyouagain. -f 80 7oof lost customers result from thefeelingihat'they.iustdon'tcareabout meor mybusiness'. + Withtheuseof theInternet nowadays, oneperson cantellhundreds, oreven , thousands of otherpeople abouttheirexperiences!Assomeone oncesaid:the + competition isonlya mouse"clickawayl Obviously weneedto focuson morcwaysto improvecustomercare. It's notenough just togivecustomersexactlywhattheyaskfor.Weneedto 'go beyondthecallof duty',in otherwords,taketheextrastepto makeour customers feelspecial.Thisis theonlyrealdifferencewecanmake. It's just tooeasythesedaysfor customersto changeto ourcompetitors! a lf customer careis so important, whydo so manybusinesses not payenoughattention to it? t Witttherebe moreof a demandfor good customer in the future?Why,or why not? service a Howdoesyourcompany knowif it is givinggoodor badservice? ltt Faceto face with customers What makesthe most impactin face-to-faceencountersin customercare?Choosethe three most irnportantaspectsfor you and compareyour answerwith a partner. r goodvocabulary. senseofhumour. expensive clearspeakingvoice clothesr pleasant bodylanguage. good. eyecontact accurategrammar o goodgrooming t Firstreadthis tip from an Amerieancustomercarewebsite.Doyou agree?llllhy,or why not? What customersreally notice Yourbodylanguage - the wayyou standor sit,whatyou do with yourarmsand hands, whetheryou aresmitingor frowning, and so on - teltsthe realtruthto yourcustomers! Yourwordsmaybe abteto hidethat you?eboredor uninterested, but yourbodycan't. Whenmeetinga customer, makeeyecontactwithinro seconds. Thiscreatesa bond betweenyou andthe customer and it showsyourinterestin reatcommunication. lf you don'tmakeeyecontact,the customer couldthinkthatyou aren'tinterested - or even worse,that you'reignoringthem! Now decide whether the following body language would give a positive fl or negative ffi to yourcustomers. impression O ,' n r -, III- - r - t,-, t6 L] LL r - -r- {l Ir 'Ir!I -' tr @e- Doyou think this impressionis the samefor peoplefrom atl cultures? 12 | UNIT2 Faceto facewith customers AUDIO sl.r q3 2 Listento five greetingsin typical customercaresituations and decidewherethey take place. 2-6 I atr ad efair I abank I as h o p [] a company [j a hotel l{ow listen againand completethe sentences.Whichsentencescan be usedwhenyou a) meetsomeonenew b) meetsomeoneyou alreadyknow c) offer help and d) ask someone to do something?Writea, b, c or d. r Goodmorning, Ms Richards. ? z Welt,if you needhelp,just 3 justfilt in thisform,please. Mr Rodriguez? 4 Hetto. hetpyou? Niceto MrAlten. A UOIO %, 3 7 listen to this start andfinish of a companyvisit andcompletethe sentences. Howwell doesPeter knowhis two hosts,FrankandAnnie?Hashe met them before? Frank Goodmorning, you ' PeterMasters.I'm FrankWeoler. Welcome to lGS. Peter Thankyou.lt'sniceto finallymeetyoufaceto face. Frank Yes,we'vetalkedso muchon the phone,I feelI knowyouatready. Peter, I'dliketo 2 youto AnnieThomas, ourcustomer services manager.Annie,thisis Peter MastersfromTopForm, in Bristo[. Peter Niceto meetyou,MsThomas. Annie 3 to meetyou,too. Frank So,if you'd,justcomethis way... Annie I yourftightfromBristot? Peter It wasfine.lt evenarriveda bit early. Annie Andis thisyourfirsttimein Brussels? Peter No,it'smy third.I'vebeenherea coupleof timesas a tourist.I realtvlikethe citv. Fronk So.herewe are. 5 your coat? Peter Oh,that'sverykindof you. Frank 6 to takea seat... Peter Thankyou. Frank z carefor coffeeor tea? Peter be nice,withtwo susars. ]"::"r,0 Peter So,here'smytaxi.Wet[, d for a goodmeeting. lt wasgreatto meetbothof you. Frank Thesamefor us.Thanksfor e. lt wasa veryproductive meeting. So,we'l[be in contactby emailas usua[. Peter Yes,of course.Bye. 10 I Annie Havea nice Rvo Fronk So [ongfor now. UNIT2 Faceto hce with customers | 13 llow addphrasesfromthe dlalogueto flt the tatetorlci below. &oodmorninq.Youmustbo.... I m... 6o longfor now. t' s. t n'.r 4 the sentences Complete wlth wordsfronlthe bol 7 May I youto MrsBurton? Shel ourregiopal manager. 2 Itl niceto meetyoufuceto face. 3 I takeyourjacket? -':' 4 Oh,thatt very ofyqu. 5 I'd to introducl myself.My name'sRalphLee.l'm the floor managerhere. you 6 Would for coffeeor tea? 7 CanI yousomemineralwater? 8 We'llbein byemailasusual. 9 It was a to meetyou.Havea nice 1() So for now. Smalltalkmayseemto dealwithunimportant topics,butit is necessaryfor'breaking theice'withcustomers. People canrelaxandgetcomfortable withlighttopicssuchas: r their tfip (Howwasyaurflight?Didyou haveanytroublefindingus?). wheretheyarestbying(So,how'syourhotel?Everything OK?). (first)impressions of the city(Haveyoueverbeento... ? So,whatdo you thinkof.,,so far). theweather(Greotweather,isn'tit?How'stheweatherin... ?) - Becareful withmakingsmalltalkontopicslikeFamily, religionor politics, or withmakingcomplimentsabout somebody! appearance. Depending onyourcustomers'cultural background, theymightfindthetopicstoo aggressive or too personalin a businesscontext. r+ | urutfZ Face to facewithcustomers 5 tatch ltemsfromthethreecolumnsto makeminl'smalltalk'conversations. 1 So,haveyou ever Yes,no problem.lt's a very Thatbgood.We'vebeenhaving beento Vienna nicelocationhere,isn'tit? a bit of troublewith the trains. before? Theyalways, s9:m t9 tale: ,be. z Howwasyourtrip? Actually,they'reboth on You'reIucky.lt's beenraining holidaynow.In Portugal. herefor threedaysnow.Very depressing. Didyou find us OK? c Yes,I have.I washerefour Metoo. In fact,I'mplayingin yearsago. a tournament thisweekend. Howwasthe weather d Yes,I playin a localclub. Howlovely.I wasin Portugal : in London? two yearsago.Do you knowit? So,how are Patand It wasfine.Thetrainwasa 0h, really? Wasthat for lohn doing?Arethey bit tatebut we arrivedon business or pleasure? sti[[working hard? time. Oh,areyou Nice,actually.lt wassunny F Yes,we like it. We'vebeenhere interested in tennis? andwarmwhenI left. for four yearsnow. 6 Workwlth a partnerto practisemeetinga customerfor the flrst time.Usethe flow chartbetow or makea dialoguethat flts yourownsituation. A B yourself. Introduce Respond. Offerhospitality. (coaVumbrella/somethin$to drink) li Respond. Aska 'smalltalk'question. Aska follow-upquestion. Respond. Respond. Askanother'small talK question. (Repeat Respond. as longas possible.) and saygoodbye. Stopthe conversation ThankAandsaygoodbye. Goodbasicsocializing skiltshelpbuitdyourcustomer base.Fromthe beginning, yourcustomers will seehowyou showinterestand payattention. Thisis an importantstepin establishing a rapportwith yourcustomers. UNIT2 Faceto facewith customers| 15 7 Lookat the text from a customercaremanualand fitl in the missingdob and don'ts. ': Meetings arean importanttool for buildingyourcustomer base.Theyprovidea great opportunityto networkwith your customers for futurebusiness. Lookat thesedo'sand don'ts '.. customermeetings. :': for successfuI :: a Do preparefor yourmeeting. :.::. Do makesureyou knowaboutall yourproducts or services. aa ' ::o Don't takecontrolof the discussion. let the customers decidewhatthev :, talkaboutandwhentheytalkaboutit. a givecustomerson[ytheinformationtheyWant.-overwhe[mthemwith extrainformation thattheydon'treallyneed. a usejargonor wordsonly peoptein yourcompany or industryknow. What we exactly what need is... a talk morethanyourcustomers. you want. listencarefulty to whattheysay and interruot them. askfor feedback and so you'lIknowexactlywhat clarification, yourcustomers wantandneed. be open,honest,flexible, and positive!.:r ' I..- r. -.,t r , r.: i r :r. j :: r r :r :.,:.i ;: : ::- r ,... Iit ! Canyou addany otherhelpfuttips basedon your meetingswith customers? I Lookat thesepairsof sentences. Whichonewouldbe moreeffectivein a meeting? Referto the do's and don'ts in exercise7. t a OK,let'sgetstarted.Unfortunately, l'vegot anotherappointment in an hour. b Thanksfor comingtoday.I'mgladto helpyou reviewyourbusinessneeds. it, you'dliketo discuss 2 a As I understand... b Thisis whatwe'regoingto talkabout... 3 a So,thatwasmy suggestion. ls thatsuitablefor you?I'dliketo getyourfeedback. for you.I don'tthinkwe needto discuss b So,that'sthe rightservice thisanymore. 4 a OK,we'dbetterstop now.I reallymustgo to my nextmeeting. b Let'sgo overouractionpointsoncemore.I wantto be surewe agree. intoyourcompany. 5 a I'vedonesomeresearch lt seemsyou.... ls that right? b So,canyou me te[[ somethingaboutyourcompany? 6 a I don'tthinkwe cando that.Weneverofferthatkindof discount. b I'llseewhatI cando. 16 | UNIT2 Faceto facewith customers 9 Workwith a partner.Usethe informationin the PartnerFites(or makeup your own)to role-play a meetingfrom first greetingsto goodbyes. Par tnerA F i te1, p.58 Par tnerB F i ter , p.6o AUDIO AFr 1O Listento a conyersationat a trade fair betweena sales rep and a potential customer. w 8 liark the statementstrue [] or false [], or don't know fl. r Lewishasmadean appointment to meetVetteda at the stand. I fifthtime at the tradefair. I z Thisis Velleda's product. ] in a particutar 3 Lewisis interested 4 VetledagivesLewisa catalogue to take backto hiscompany.._- 5 Lewisagrees to put his nameon the maitingtist. I 6 Velleda willtelephone Lewisin two weeks to set up a appointment. follow-up I WriteVetleda'snotesaboutthe meetingwith Lewis.What doesshe needto do when he is back in the office? N otes AccutechUK 25 BridgeSt Wisbech,Combridgeshire PEI 35J P Lewis Gillon lel +44 1945 579235 AccountMonoger tox +44 1945579266 emoilgillon@occutech'uk'com AUDIO IF\ tt Completetheseextractsfrom the dialoguewith wordsfrom the box.Thentisten againto check vt 8 your answers. anything. ask. brochure. email. enioyingo free o gtad r introduceopipjrput r Mayl mvself? I'mVelleda Brunetli. in Milan.MavI I workfor MecroInternazionate yourname? 2 So,Mr Gillan,howareyou the tradefair? Wet[,then,areyou lookingfor in particular? 4 OK,but pleasefeel to askme anyquestions. I'dbe ro go overour products andtry to findsomethingsuitablefor yourcompany. UNIT2 1,, Faceto facewithcustomers Ah, canI interestyou In a ? lt hasinformation aboutourcompany andour fu[[ rangeof products. 6 Wouldyou liketo yournameon our mailinglist? Doyou if I takeyourbusinesscard?l'[ makesureyou'reon our tist.And here'smy card.I'lIsendyoua quick nextweekto seeif I canhelpyou with anyof our products. t2 Rewritethe foltowing sentencesto makethem more polite and effective. Look backat the dialoguefor ideas. r Whoareyou? 5 I'ttputyournameon the mailinglist,OK? z Whatareyou lookingfor? 6 Givemeyourbusiness card. 3 Askmea questionif youwant. 7 I'l[contactyousometimesoon. 4 Doyou wanta brochure? CUSTO'IERFOCUSEXTRA 1s. Follow-up is yourmostimportanttool for success for anyface-to-face Besureto be encounter. specificaboutwhatyou will do for yourcustomer, andwhenyou wittdo it. Use/'11 + infinitiveto tetlthe customerof yournextaction: l'Ilwrite you a quick email next week. I'llsend you the lotest brochuretomorrlw. NO T :@ Usewouldyoumindif +thepostsimple,doyoumind+thepresentsimple or may+ infinitive (withoutfo) to askif something is acceptable or not. Wouldyou mind if I phoned you on Monday? Doyoumindif Ioskyou somequestionsaboutyour companyT May I stopby your office next week? Remember,goodcustomer caremeanstakingactionto supportyourwords.Thisbuitdstrustinto yourcustomerrelationships. 73 ilatch thequestionswlth theresponses. r Wouldyou mindif I putyournameon our Tuesday?Yes,that soundsfine.I'l[ emailyou mailing[ist? whenI'm backin the office. directions z I'ltjustnotethatin my diary. No,not at all.Youcanfind all my contact 3 Doyou mindif I giveyou my card? informationon my card. 4 l'm afraidI don'thavethe information here. c Sure.l'[[lookforyourphoneca[[on Monday. But l'[ callmy officeand get backto you d Yes,thatsoundsgood.I'll stopby the stand thisafternoon. ls thatOK? at aroundthree. Wouldyou 5 l'tl be in Brixtonon Tuesday. e Thanks.That'sverykind of you. mindif I stoppedby youroffice? f l'I writeit downtoo. So,we saidMondayat 6 MayI get in touchwith you nextweek? ro.3o,right? 7 I'll faxyou the newpricelisttomorrow. No,let me giveyou mine,too. 18 | UNIT2 Faceto facewith customers t4 Workwith a partner.Firstlook at the UsefulPhrasesbelow.Thenusethe informationin the PartnerFiles(or makeup your own)to role-playa conversation at a tradefair. Par tnerA F i te2, p.58 Par tnerB F i te2, p.60 U S E F U LPHRASES ReP Customer Coutd/May I helpyou? No,thanks.I'mjust tooking/browsing. Howc a nI h e tpy o u ? i n... l ' m l ooki ngfor/i nterested MayI introducemyselP My name's... Cout dI a s ky o u rn a m e ? Nice/Pteased to meetyou. Ptease feelfreeto askme anyquestions. Thankyou. Could offeryou/interest I you in...? N o,not at al t.Letme gi veyou my W ould y o u m i n di f I p h o n e d /e ma i te y odu ? card/address/n umber. I t wasn i c eto m e e ty o u. N i ceto meetyou,too. | l ookforw ardto I hopey o ue n j o yth e fa i r. heari ng fromyou. Thanks, i t w asa pl easure. your I appreci ate neLp. AUDIO !t ?e 75 Paulaf ohnstonis givinga presentationat a tradefair. Puta-e in the correctorder.Thenlisten 9 to checkyour answers. ! a 'Before| finish,l'ttjustgo overthe hightights of this presentation again.Ourproductandservice [ine includes.... Westandout fromour competitors with our excellent fo[[ow-uo.' I U 'Withour impressivelineof products we andservices, thatyou can'tfindwith our offerspecialbenefits competitors.Foltow-up is ourtop priority...' I I lookforwardto havingyou c 'Thanksfor yourattention. as a newcustomer.' I O 'Hello,I'mPauta ,|ohnston fromDettaSystems. I'mhere todayto let you knowaboutsome great offersin customer caresupportservices. l't[be speaking about ourextensive rangeof products for trackingnewand existing customers...' I e 'l hopeyou'[[pickup oneof our leaflets.Also,if you leavemeyourcontactdetaits, l'tl be gladto sendyou our latest catalogue by the end of theweek.Andif you woutdliketo ordertoday,I'l[makesureyou receive our price.' introductory usEFUr: IIRASES. B ena tu railn y o u rtra d efa i rta l k.D o n ot usememori zed speech.. F ollo wu p q u i c k l yD. o n o t d e l a yi n re p lyi ng to yourcustomers.. Yourcustomers will remember you morcthanyourproductor service! UNIT2 Faceto facewithcustomers| 19 76 Lookat the stepsfor giving an effectivepresentation.tlatch them to phrases(a-i) below. Steps for Winning Gustomers with Your Presentations 1 Welcomethe audience 2 Introducethe subjectand givea briefoverview 3 Talkabout the main product/service features w & 4 Explainthe uniquesellingpoints(USPs) 5 lnviteinterestin the company (products/services) I 6 Givepromotionalinformation 7 Offer incentivesto try a product I Finishthe talk 9 Showfollow-up El I I'dliketo giveyoua shortpreviewof my Pteasefeelfreeto pickup a brochure/ presentation... leaflet/free sample. We'dliketo introduce/showyouour We'vegot our promotional information and latest... samples availablehere. I'ltbe gtad/pleased to sendyou...by next I'dliketo offera speciaI introductory Monday. price/discountif you ordertoday. withyouin two I'll be in contact/touch weeks. Ourproductrangeincludes... I lookforwardto doingbusiness withyou. Thespeciat hightights are....F- l Westandout fromourcompetitors We'dbe pleased/glad to haveyouas a new 0ecause... customer. OurUSPsare... We'dwelcome the chanceto do business withyourcompany. I'dtiketo wetcome youto... Thankyoufor comingtoday. I'djust liketo sumup the mainpointsof My name's... today'spresentation... I workfor...andI'min charge of... Thankyouforyourkindattention. l{ow follow the stepsto preparea short presentationon one ofyour company'sproductsor services.Try to usethe phrasesabovein your tatk. 20 | UNIT2 Face to facewith customers Readthis article from a customercareresearchsite and discussthe questionswhich follow. {lren ilre customcr le€ls tinvlsibler.., A recentstudyshowedthe numberof Businessessimplycannotaffordto treat secondspeoplehadto waitto be greeted as if theyare'invisible'. theircustomers in typicalcustomercaresituations. Customersin variousshopsor businesses Thesolutionto thisproblemis clear. wereaskedhow longthey had been A promptgreeting, especially witha waiting.In eachcase,the customer smile,makesallthe differenceto your thoughtthathe/shehadbeenwaiting customers.Theycanstartthe longerthanthe actualtimethathad conversationor meetingwiththefeeling passed- 30 or 40 secondsfelt likethree thattheyarean importantcustomerfor or fourminutes! yourbusiness.Withoutthe greeting,the customerswillalreadybe feeling Timegoesby slowlywhenyou arewaiting uncomfortable and insecure- evenbefore to be noticed.Withthe Internetnowadays, the encounteractuallybegins. peopleexpectquick,almostinstant responses. In face-to-faceencounters, if A quick,friendlygreetingrelaxes the youcan'tgivecustomers immediate customerandsetsthe rightatmosphere attention,they'llleavestraightaway. for goodcustomercare! r Haveyoueverbeenignored - or treatedas if youwere'invisible'-in a customer caresituation? Howdid you feel? r Whatis the impacton the customer if thishappensat a presentation, tradefair,or conference?. lf you arebusywith anothercustomer, how canyou still noticea customerand makethemfeel secureand comfortable? 1 ,, Dealingwith customers on the phone Howwell do you deal with customerson the phone?Answerthe questionsbelowfor yourself, then compareyour answerswith a partner. always often sometimes never Hozaoften ilo you... 1 forget thecaller'snameduring a phonecall? nnnn a bit of smalltalk with thecustomer? 2 exchange t rT T I 3 haveto askthecustomerto repeatinformation? n [, I n 4 forgetwhoyouputonhold? lnnn 5 takenotesduring thephonecail? [[nn 6 havetroublerememberingdetailsof the call afteryouhangup? rlrn A UOIO *t IO-11 Listento two phonecalls.What kind of impressiondo they make?Itlork with a partnerto completethe table" Nhat wentright (call2) What wantwrong(call 0 A UD I O J\ '"."r Listento the secondcall again.Howdid Martha: 1 answerthe phone?Hello,MarthaGreerspeaking. 2 sayshedidn'tunderstand something? Sorry,could ? 3 saythattherewasa mistake? you'vegot the wrongextension, Mr Kraft. 4 offerhetp?.!Iol','!FR fqcus EXIRA _9-!,f to connectyou? Goodcustomer-ori ented tetephone techni que starts 5 endthe phonecall?l'm puttingyou through w i thbei ngcourteous. Thi ssi mptymeansdeati ng with peoptein a respectful manner. now. 2 2 | U NIT3 De alinwith s t he phone g cus t om eron FOCUS CUSTOIIIER EXTRA on the phone. Her ear es o m eh e l p futil p s fo r b e i n gc o u rteous. Us epo l i tel a n g u a gto e s h o wth a ty o u re a tl ycareaboutthe customer andthei rneeds.W i thW oul dyou lik e... ? y o ua s kth e s a meq u e s ti o n a s w i t hD o you w ont...7buti n a morecustomer-fri endlw ay. y o Us et he c u s to me r'nsa m eth ro u g h o utht e conversati on. Thi smakesthe customer feelspeci al andhetps k,,:tt ,^^^^.+ uu[u I oppvr L. r S howy o ua res e ri o u as b o u tta k i n gc a reof the customer'requests s w i thyourgoodl i steni ng ski l tsand depen d a b lfo e l l o w -th ro u g h. o Finalty, do not forgetto thankthe customer. A simplephraselike Weappreciate yourbusiness or Thank youfor callingleavesa positiveimpression at the end of a phonecall. # 2 Listento two telephonecalls betweena receptionistanda callerfrom Engtand. Thencompletethe conversations. Callr Receptionist Goodmorning. ApexIndustries. John Yes,thisis JohnRichards fromCustomer Zone Software.l'd liketo speakto EvaLang,please. Coutd you put methroughto her? Receptionist Of course. ptease..., Oh,it seemsthat herlineis engaged. you Coutd hold a moment? Or jto leave a message? John to holdforlusta minute ortwo. :10j."t. Receptionist MrRichards? a. I' m puttingyouthroughto Ms Lang'sofficenow.lf you get cutoff for somereason, pleaseget backto me. John I'msorry.Couldyouspeakup a bit?| didn't s that. you nowto Ms Lang's Sure.I'mconnecting Receptionist office.lf youdon'tgetthrough,pteasering again.We'rehavingsomeproblems withour phonesystem. Catlz ist Goodmorning. Reception ApexIndustries. John Thisis JohnRichards again. 6 | got cut off whenyoutried to put methrough. ReceptionistI'm z aboutthat. John I realtyneedto getthroughto Ms Langthisafternoon. CouldI leavea message for her to ringme backas soonas possible? Receptionist 8, Mr Richards. CouldI haveyourphonenumber, please? UNIT3 Dealing on the phone | 23 with customers lohn Yes,l'm callingfrommy mobile.lt3 oo44 7721332558. ReceptionistRight.So,that'soo44 772t332558. e shecallsyou back today.CouldI helpyou with anythingelse? lohn Wouldit be possible to havehermobilenumber? Couldyou perhaps lookit up for me? ReceptionistYes,that's 10. l'vegot it righthere.lt's49 for Germany, thenr56 88ttg++. lohn Letmejust repeatthat.That's49 75688ZZg++. ReceptionistThat'sright. lohn OK.Thanksonceagain.Byefor now. ReceptionistYou're welcome.Goodbve. Nowwritethe message that thereceptionist takes. Message @ for Message Caller: CompanY: Message: 3 theresponses. Matchthestatementsorquestionswith r Thankyou. a Thankyou. I reallyappreciate it. z I'mafraidhe'snot in. b Yes,certainly.l'[ just get a pen. 3 MayI helpyou? c You'rewelcome. 4 I'l[ makesurehe getsthe message straight o Yes,I havea questionaboutyourpricelist. away. e That's0K. l'llcal[backlater. 5 I'm afraidI got cut off. f Yes,it's P-F-A- double-F. 6 Could| leavehim a message? c 0h, l'm tenibtysorryaboutthat.Letme put 7 My nameis AntonCzrisinski. youthroughagain. 8 l'm sorry.Couldyou spellthat,please? I'msorry.I didn'tquitecatchthat. CUSTOilgR'r,rotug lf you don'tunderstand the customer, ask him or herpolitelyto say something againor morestowly.Youwantto be sureyou understand so that you candealwith the customerefficiently. Tryphraseslike: l'm sorry, but I didn't (quite) catchthat/understandyou exactly. Couldwe go overthat oncemore? Couldyou repeat that, please? Couldyou speaka bit moreslowly,please? Couldyou speak up a bit, please? 2 4 | I JNIT 3 Dea ling s t he phone withc us t om eron 4 Completethe sentenceswith the correctform of phrasalverbsfrom the box. cut off o get back1s o getthroughto. look up o put through. speakup r WhenI caltedthe hotel,the operator to the General Manager's office. 2 I'tl_ the address for you. in our directory 3 Thisis a terrible[ine.Coutdyou a bit, please? 4 Thereseemsto be something wrongwith hisextension I'vetriedit threetimesandgot number. It tooka [ongtime,but the customer finally the hetp desk. 6 I'msorrybut MsAlten's in a meetingrightnow.I'Llaskherto youas soonas she'sfree. ry5 Choosethe correctwordsto fit the tetephoneconversation.Thenlisten to checkyour answers. Mario SantosGroup,howcanI hetp? Henry Helto.CouldI haveextension zz6,please? Maria I'msorry,the line'sengaged. Couldyou pteasehotd/wait'?... Sir,the [ine'sfreenow.I'll put/pass'zyou through. Henry Thanks. CarlosServicedepartment. Henry I'dIiketo tel[/speaklto Mr Martinez, please.ls he available at the moment? CarlosWitt/May+ | askwho'scatting? Henry HenryJones. I'mcallingfromGPTLtd in London. CorlosJusta momentplease, Mr Jones. l'[ seeif he'savaitable....Mr Jones? I'mafraid5efrorMartinez is in a meeting. Would you liketo leave/ list I a message? Henry Yes,pleaseaskhimto get behind/ backto b meas soonas oossibte. My number's 44 2ol 56336t. z Corlos I'm sorry/afraid I didn'tcatchthat.Coutdyou repeat/say 8 the number, please? Henry Yes,it's 44 for the UK,thenzo7 56336t. Carlos OK,I'msure/l'l[makesuree he getsthe message. ls thereanything/anyone 10etseI cando for you? Henrv No,thanks. CarlosGoodbye, then,Mr Jones. Thanksfor calling. Henry You're welcome. Goodbye. ' UNIT3 Dealing on the phone | 25 with customers 6 Workwith a partnerto practisea telephonecall. Usethe flow chart belowor makea dialogue that fits your own situation. A B Answerthe phone. Saywho you areand askto speakto X. (lt'surgent.) X is in a meeting. Message? Askwhenthe meetingfinishes. Respond. Message? Leavemessage. name.Phonenumber? Confirmca[[er's Giveyourdetails. Checkmessage with ca[[er. Confirmor correctmessage. Thankthe callerandsaygoodbye. Saygoodbye. AUOIO st PeterBrenneris a sales rep.Listento the telephoneconversationand completehls notes. w 7 15 @;i:": Charle,r |SJanaary,2.30pm Corupany is updatirg the waythey kea c4^rtumr,r Lrformatiawand they're idere.sted iw cwtomzr trqcktn4 /vteetlrgowWednr,cdqy, 2TJanuaryat s prn. +Azawruad, eerersfi,eld hlobilepfuw:07tE7 5 Ematl 6 otad brochare (pDF vercfuw) Ze I Uruff3 Dealing on the phone with customers AUDIO A\ listen to the dialogueagainand tick @ the sentencesyou hear. w r) t a Helto,Mr Thomas, I gotyourcontactdetailsfromoneof my cotleagues.I b Helto,Mr Thomas, l'm responding to youremailenquiry I 2 a WouldWednesday suityou? I b Couldwe set up a meetingfor Wednesday...? I 3 a CouldI justconfirmthat I havethe rightaddress? tr b LetmejustmakesureI havethe rightaddress I 4 a ls thereanythingelseI cando for you...? n b HowelsecanI hetpyou today? tr 5 a | lookforwardto seeingyou on Wednesday.... I b Seeyou on Wednesday at.... :l 8 Lookat these basicstepsfor makinga successfulcustomercarephonecalt. Did PeterBrenner fotlow atl the steps in his phonecalt? lf necessary,listen againto check. Startingthe phoneca[[ Finishingthe ca[[ yourselfandyourcompany r ldentifiT 7 Teltthe customerwhatyou'regoingto do z Saywhyyou arecalling 8 Makethe customerfeelconfidentyou'll followthrough Duringthe phonecatt 9 Offerfurtherassistance 3 Usethe customer's namethroughout the 10 Thankthe customer conversation 4 Take notesof the importantinformation 5 Askquestionsto clarifuinformation 6 Repeat andsummarize Nowsay which stepsthe following sentencesgo with. Write the appropriatenumbers in the boxes.Canyou addsomeother sentencesfor eachstep? Phrases a I I'mcallingto... b I CoutdI justgo overthe detailsagain? c I CanI hetpyouwithanything else? d I No problem, madam.I'tt personattymakesurethatshecallsyou backtoday. e I I'ltjustwritethatdown. f E Thisis JoanEvertsfromEverts,Samuets, and Barker. C I I'ttbe gtadto sendthisout to youtoday.Youshouldreceive it by... h n Wasthat 5o,oooor r5,ooo? i I Helto,my nameis.... l'mwithSpectrum PLCin Bristol. i n I'l[checkon that information andcallyoubackin two hours. with my colleague k n I appreciateyoutakingthe timeto tatkto me. t I OK,MrsArmstrong. l'tljust... m n Letmejust makea noteof that. U N I T3 g i t hc u s t o m e rosn t h e p h o n e | 27 D e a l i nw 9 Matchsentences(1-8) with the morecustomer-friendlyequivalents(a-h). r I'l[giveyoua ringsometime tomorrow. a I'l[be gladto sendthisout to youtoday.You z Nicetatkingto you. shouldreceiveit by Tuesday. 3 Wait,I needto writethat down. b Onemoment, please.I'lljustmakea noteof that. 4 What'syourname? c CouldI takecareof anything elsefor youtoday? 5 | haveno idea,so I realtydon'tknow d MayI haveyourname,please? whatto tellyou. e l'[ checkon that information andcallvou back 5 Whatelsedo you need?ls thatit? in 3o minutes. 7 I'mputtingit in the posttoday,so f I appreciate youtakingthetimeto catItoday. you'tlprobablyget it nextweek. g I'll get backto youat aboutrr.ootomorrow 8 | wroteit down,thanks. morning. ls that OK? h Let'sgo overit againto be sureof the details. A U OIO c\ 1O Put this phoneconversationin the correctorder.Thenlisten to checkyour answers. w7 6 Finster Susanne I a Nathatie, thisis SusanneFinsterfromBrandAG. We metat the tradefair lastweek. I b WoutdTuesday be convenientfor you,at 9 a.m.? I c Bye. I d Hetto.MayI speakto Nathatie Laurence, please? I e Soundsgood.OK,Nathatie, that'sTuesday at n o'clock.| lookforwardto seeingyou. I f Fine,thanks.Nathalie, I'mcallingto seeif we could set up a meeting. Youwantedmeto do a presentation and I'll be in yourarea on ourservices nextweek. Nathalie Laurence I g Samehere.Thanksfor calling.Bye. m h Hetto. n i Nextweek?Letmejust checkmy diary. Whatdayexactly? U j Tuesdaytooksgood,but I'mbusyat nine. Howaboutrr o'clockinstead? n k Speaking. I t Ah,yes.Right.Howareyou? 28 1UNIT3 on the phone with customers Dealing tt ilatch the questionswith the responses. r Canwe fix a meetingfor nextTuesday A Monday? Yes,that'sfinewith me. at nineo'clock? b Oneo'clockis finewith me,but I'd preferto z for you? ls Fridaythe rSthconvenient meetin my office,if that'sOK. 3 Couldwe set up a meetingfor Thursday SorryI'vealreadygot a meetingthat afternoon? morning.Howaboutr.3o instead? 4 Areyou freenext Mondayfor a l'm off for a longweekendon that date. meeting? CanI ringyou whenI get back? 5 Howaboutone o'clockat my office? Yes,that soundsgood.ls two o'clockOK? t2 Workwlth a partnerto maketwophonecalls.Studythe UsefulPhrases below,thenlookat your rolecardinformationin the PartnerFlles. A File3, p.58 Partner PartnerB File3, p,6o.:IISE€'L PflilSES Ananging an appointment Suggestinga new time Couldwe set up a meeting? I'msorry but I'vegot anotherengagement. Areyou avaitable/free on Monday? HowaboutTuesday morninginstead? DoesnextThursday suityou? Actually, Thursday morningwouldworkout betterfor me. Howabout 2 p'm' on Tuesday? confirming Agrceingon a time Mle'llseeeachother nextThursdayat 11.ooat your office. Justtet me checkmy diary/planner. Couldyou confirmthe detaitsin an email? Yes,Tuesday is finewith me. Hereis my mobilenumberin caseyou needto reachme. Soundsgood.Tuesday at 2 p.m.then. I look forwardto seeingyou. t3 thepuzzleandfindthehiddenword(something Usethectuesto complete oneshouldatwaystry to bewhendeallngwithcustomers). r IFNCROM: l'm callingto... our oppointment. 'ffi z Thanksfor.... I canput you through , ffi , now. Couldwe... a meetingfor 3 p.m.? (z words- 3,2) ,,ffi Thanksfor calling. We... your business. 4 5 I'm sorry.I didn't quite... whatyou ,rm said. Couldyou repeat it, please? 'ffi WouldMondaymorningbe...for you? Perhapsat 9.jo? tffi # 7 8 Couldwe go over that... more?... core to leave o message? ffi (z words- 5,3) ffi Canyou give me her... number,please? UNIT3 Deating on the phone I Z9 with customers Readthis article from a customercareonline magazineand answerthe questionswhich follow. Core Insight Customer Newsline Q u i c kl i n k s Login:User Password How to join Whot the customersreolly heor... Cusiomercore experls remind us io be coreful of 'bockground noise'while deoling with cuslomerson lhe phone. The phone receiverpicks up even the slighfesfmovement or noise. Keep these'noise'qworeness tips in mind: r Don'ttry to tolkto someonein yourofficewhileyou'reon thephone.Thecustomer needsyourfullottention. r Besureto putthecustomer on hold if you'regoingto discuss something with o colleogue.(Remember, olwoysoskfirstbeforeputiingsomeone on hold.) r Don'tdrinkor eot duringo coll.Thecustomer con heoryou sippingond chewing. r Don'tsmokewhiletolkingto the customer. Thecustomer con olsoheor y ou i n h o l eo n d e x h o l e. r When you completethecoll,hongup thephonegently.lf you slomdown the receiver, thecustomer mightheorit ond thinkyou ore onnoyedor ongry. All thesesituationscangivethe customer the wrongmessage: I don'tcareaboutthe c us t om eTr.h i sc a nb e q u i tee m b a rra s si ng. It mayevenleadto the customer watking awavfromvourbusiness - neverto return! @ o Describeyourownworkatmosphere. Whatkindof 'noise'could causea problemduringyour customercalls?Howcanyou removethesedistractions? r Sharea personalstoryof whenyou heard'background noise'on the phoneto a customer deoartment. services Whatkindof imoressiondid the businessmakeon vou? 30 l Call centre success A surveywascarriedout recentlyoncallcentresforvariousindustriesin the UK. Workwith a partnerto setectthecorrectanswersin thesesurveyresults. Thencheckthekeyonpage64 for theanswers. Werethereanysurprises? E tzo/oz4Yo 4zVo of calls were rated unsatisfactory. A Agentswere rude in nYo2to/oJto/oof calls. go/ot6o/oz5o/oof calls were answeredafter more E than3o rings. ln 7"/otoo/ot4o/oof calls, agentsdidnt have E enoughknowledgeto handlethe cdl" E ln 3zoh46Yo 6z0/oof calls,agentsdidnt spendenoughtime understanding the callerl actualneeds. Woulda suryeyin your country havesimilar results?Why,or why not? Howcouldcall centres changethe way customersrate them? AUDIO t Listento two call centreconversations.Whichcustomeris placingan orderand which has asked € 17-rg for help? Listenagainand completethe table. Catlr Callz Customer interested Customer in Follow-up UNIT4 Cal[centre,r...r, | 31 e 17-18 2 thesesentencesfromthe dialogues.Listenagainif nece$ary. Comptete Callr 1 thatyou needsomeassistance. 2 typethisin...onemoment... 0K. 3 As it, the problembeginswith enteringthe password. ? 4l scheduleand I the servicetechnicians' backin halfan hour. 5 Doesthat sound 6 you with anythingelsetoday? Call z 7 Onemoment, yourcustomerfile on my screen. whatcan| - 8 So,Mr Walker, you? 9l yourorderas urgentso that the itemswitt be sentout for yourorder.Goodbye. cutFttH In anycatlcentresituation, the firstimpressionis crucial.Customerswill rememberhowyoutreatedthem duringthe firstcontactand it maybe the onlychanceto showthat you arewillingto satisfuthe customer. Whencustomers noticeprofessionalismand customer-focus fromthe verybeginning,theirperceptionof the companyis a positiveone.lf not,theirimpression - and usuallystaysthat way! is negative Followthesetips for makinga goodimpression: 3 Makesureyourcustomer understands you and r Useyourvoiceand politelanguage to signala is happywith the service. friendly'ready-to-help'attitude. Doesthat sound all right? Gerryspeoking.How can I help you today? Do you have any other questions? Whatcan I do for you? I hope this is to your satisfaction. ls there anythingelse I can help you with Makepromises and keepthem. today? Yourorder will go out overnighttoday. z Listencarefultyand makesureyou understand l'll call you bock in half an hour. yourcustomers. Alwaysfollow up and followthrough. I see. So,as I understandit,.... ls that correct? l'll ring you when the technicianhas finished the Let mejust repeat that. repair work to makesure everythingis all right. 3 ilatch the two partsto makesentencesandquestions. r HowcanI a alt right? z I witl personally makesure b of this straightaway. 3 | hopethisis c hetpyou? 4 Coutdyou giveme d to yoursatisfaction. 5 Doesthatsound e repeatthat. 5 ls thereanythingelse f that you receivethe information this afternoon. 7 l'[ takecare you c I canassist with today? 8 Letme iust h youraccountnumber,please? 32 | UNIT4 Callcentresuccess A UDIO il'. Completethe catlcentredialoguewith the phrasesbelow.Thentistento checkyour answe]s. vv 4 r9 I'djust liketo confirmyourcontactdetails. couldI go overyourorderagain? MayI helpyou? CanI helpyou with anythingelse? ls that right? Couldyou givemeyourcustomer number,please? OK,let melust repeatthat. Agent Goodmorning. AceBeveragesHelptine. Yes, Customer please.I needto place housewine- six an orderfor ten morecasesof my standard redandfourwhite- for my restaurant. Agent lt soundslikeyou haveorderedfromus before. ! hereit is...uh...55oo8-zz. CustomerOf course, Agent Ah yes,Mr GreenfromSuavoRestaurant. So,that's9r WaltonStreet,Reading. We'vejust movedto CustomerNo,that'sour old address. 43 HighStreet. Thenew postcodeis RGrzXL. Agent That'sHighStreet,Reading, RGrzXL. Customer V oc th a t' q , r ish t - ' 'D " *' Agent OK,I'veupdatedourdatabase. Letmeiusttype in the order...OK... Customer Look,l'm reatlyin a bind.Couldyoudo a rush orderon thewineso thatwe get it by this evening? Agent Sure,that'sno problem. Wecandispatch it by rr o'ctock. OK,Mr Green, 6.You'dlikevourstandard orderof housewine,six 5 p.m. casesred,four white.Andwe'llrushthe orderso thatit arrivesby approximately Thankyou for helpingmeso quickly. Customer Yes,that'sall correct. Agent My pteasure. Customer No,thankyou.That'satlfor today.Byenow. Agent Goodbye. UNITrl Callcentreru...rr | 88 5 com@thcrtilt rssrsrlttr*ftonthrtlrL r Areyoureadyto yourordertoday? z Areyouplanning to paybytransferor creditcard,or wouldyouliketo havea monthly plan? 3 OK,sir,the goodsarein stockandcanbe straightaway. 4 lf itb urg€nt,wecansendit asa orderto makesureyoureceive it by Thursday. Wouldyoupreferthat? 5 eanyou metheitemnumberfromthe please? 5 Letmecheckandcallyoubackin onehourwitha on the price. 7 We'ltenclose the withthegoods. 8 Wecansendthegoodsby so thatyou'llgetthemthenextday. delivery 6 bok rt the dlelogrn llow wouldyou lmpruu the agsnt's trnguagoto mekoe goodtmprcxlon on thccuctomer? CustomerHello.JohnNorman speaking Agent CustomerI said,thisis JohnNorman. Thatt N-O-R-M-A-N. Agent Thanks, MrNorma