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Adapted fTom EnglishforCustomerCareby RosemaryRichey
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zolz 2011 2010
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M . RO M
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\_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-player
or throughthe
audio playeron your computer.
lf you haveany problems,pleasecheckthe technicalsupport sectionof the readmefile on the MuttiROM.
Gontents
KPICS
|.|l|GtnGEnPSAilPSfR*T,f€lEg
lntroduction to
customer care
Customer
caresuccess
Customer
carebusinesses
andiobs
Surprisingfactsabout
customercare
forgood
S ki l tsandqual i ti es
customer
care
Maki ng
suggesti ons
Face to face with
customers
Bodylanguage
A companyvisit
Meetingdo'sanddon'ts
At a tradefuir
Theinvisible
customer
l anguage
B asi csoci al i zi ng
Thei mportance
l k
of smaltal
Follow-up
in
S tepsforw i nni ngcustomers
yourpresentations
Dealing with
customers on
the phone
General
telephoning
The'customer
care'phonecall
reallyhear
Whatthe customers
on the phone
B ei ngcourteous
Maki ngsureyouunderstand
Maki ng
arrangements
3o
Call centre
success
Takingan order
g)
Hotline(Troubleshootin
Customer-centred
callcentres
Thefirstimpression
andexplaining
Ctarifying
C hecki ng
comprehensi on
38
Delivering
customer cate
throu$h writin$
Effective
lettersandemails
Formalandinformalwritingstyles
ThefiveCsof customercarewriting
A casestudy
S atutati ons
andcl oses
phrases
for handl i ng
S tandard
(connecti ng
w i ththe
customers
reader,
takingaction,etc.)
Enclosures
andattachments
47
Dealing with
problems and
complaints
Complaint
strategiesandpolicies
Theletterofapology
policy
Explaining
company
Someopinionsaboutcomplaints
andapotogies
Softening
badnewsand
apotogi zi ng
Problem-solving
steps
HGE
UfiNT]TI.E
FAGI APPEI{DIX
56
58
6o
6z
68
72
76
Testyourself!
Partner Files PartnerA
Partner Files PartnerB
Answerkey
Transcripts
A-Z word list
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,
might
have
oryou
directcontact
withcustomers
in a bankor
youspeakto customers
hotel.Orperhaps
on thetelephone
froma helpdesk
or a ca[[
youneed[anguage
centre.In all of thesesituations
skillsandspecific
techniques
in
orderto be ableto communicate
successfutty.
English
for Customer
Carenot onlyoffers
expressions
andvocabulary
it alsoaddresses
strategies
relatedto theeffective
useof
in a business
English
context.
English
for Customer
Careconsists
of sixunits.Thefirstunitoffersan introduction
to
thebasicprinciples
of CustomerService.
Thefoltowing
fourunitsdealwithvarious
different
formsof customer
contact:
faceto facemeetings,
telephone
ca[[s,ca[[centres,
presents
or writtencommunication.
Thefinalunit
speaking
skillsthatareneededin
orderto solveproblems
anddealwithcustomer
complaints
effectively.
Eachunitbeginswitha Starter,
whichconsists
of smallexercises,
brainstorming
activities,
or a quiz.Thisis followedby dialogues,
texts,andauthentic
documents,
alongwitha varietyof exercises
thathelpyouto learnthevocabulary
andexpressions
in context.
Youwitlbe directed
to the Partner
Filesat variouspointsin the units,where
gapactivities
role-play
information
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
give
yourself
practice,
your
orderto
extralistening
listento it in
caror copyit to your
MP3ptayer.
TheInteractive
exercises
let you reviewby doingexercises
that coverthe
particularly
you
essential
language
fromthe book,thiswiltbe
valuable
if
areusingthe
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 Usefulphrasesandvocabulary
that you canrefer
you
to while
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
fhink about
I sites on the Internet.What do they have in
common? Whetheryou are booking a
holiday,buying books and music or simply
doing the weekly shop, the best sites provide
the highest levels of customer satisfaction.
How do they do it? Why is customer care
such a priority?
For most shoppers, customer convenience is
the most important factor.Up-to-date
technology means that when you return to a
site you have visited before, they will
remember your name, your profile,and what
you bought last time. They also track where
you browsed and what you thought about
buying.They can also make some
recommendationsabout other places,titles,
or oroducts.
We demand customer-friendlynavigation
and the best sites provideit,continually
raisingtheir levelsof service. Convenientand
efficient payment systems are also essential.
Sometimes,of course,things go wrong but
this is when the sites are even better at
dealingwith customers.You can call a
helplineand talk to an agent,email your
problem and get a replywithin twenty-four
hours or even get assistancevia an instant
messagingconversation.
The people in
charge of customer relationsknow that we
want to shop, maybe purchase,and then
leave with a very positive impression of the
site.A satisfiedcustomer is a good customer.
Good customersremainloyaland
recommend you to others.
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
z something
of the highestimportance
helpful
easy
or
to use
3
4 fastand organized
necessary
absolutely
6 hetp
faithfut
suggest
q
l{ow usewordsfrom aboveto completethe sentences.
Ourcustomers'satisfaction
is ourtoo
d
b lf you need
, pleasecontactour callcentre.
in anycustomer
carejob.
c Goodcommunication
skillsare
Andyou canpayby creditcard,whichis very
0
whenshopping
online.
e Wecanoffera quickerand more
please
lf youarehappywithour products,
t
3
levelof servicewith our newcallcentre.
usto a friend.
Youare in a meetingwith a possiblenew customer.Answertheir questions.
Q tJffhatmakesyour companydifferent?
4 Weareveryproudof our
We'reespecially
knownfor our
forthecustomer?
0 Howdo youmakeit easyandconvenient
A
Weofferconvenience
with
to thecustomers
. ,'a' .. . ' .
3
service?
0 Howdo I get after-sales
A Wegiveefficientcustomerserviceby
Whatis the mostimportantfocusfor your
customers?
4 Ourtop priorityis to
UNIT
1
4
.tt. I z
Introduction
tocustomer
Completethe spidergramon customerservice-centredbusinessesand iobs with wordsfrom
the list.
cashier. concierggit,'hotel . orderentryclerk . receptionist.
. restaurant. sales . shopassistant. teller
representative
,r1'.i}\
@9
:
\------'-----
\:--l
'
calrcentre6m)
\-
\:#Jruracturin;;
lervice t"riol-,
5
retail
cashi er
cashier
manager
r
\\----_;7
1C
-ffi;>
z waiterlwaitreD
oanKrng
cterk
8
6
bellhop
officer
-/'
manager
9
7
receptionist
lf not,addit. Canyouaddanothercustomer
ls youriobor businessareaonthespidergram?
careposition?
5
below.illorethanoneanswer
thestatements
that complete
ilowfind peopleIn thespidergram
youranswerswith a partner.
is possiblein eachcase.Compare
7
in person.
deatswithcustomers
2
for helpingcustomers
choosethe rightproduct.
is responsible
3
questions
overthe phone.
handles
customer
or probtems
4
service.
takescareof after-sales
5
productordersfor customers.
processes
6
oftenhasto writeto customers.
A I Ufrf
ff 1
6
Introduction
to customer
care
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
good customer service skills. FC skills and
good communication skills are required.
Customer
careandc0mmunication
skills
areessential.
pressure
Ability
toperform
eltectively
andto
under
wo* aspartofateam.
Your role is to orovide customers with firstclass customer care. Duties:handling
telephoneenquiriesand complaints;
making calls to customers;dealing with
correspondence by email and letter. Computer
41i ;;;,;;;;;;*
ability to communicateclearly
with customersand work
effectivelywith both internal
and externalteams.
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.'
z 'Thepeopleworkingat yourcatlcentrearealwaysso politeand hetpful.
Andtheyalwaystakethetimeto answeratl my questions.'
wouldbe moreattentive.
Theydon'tseemto listen
3 'l wishyouremployees
to whatI sayanddon'tcareaboutme at alt.'
straightaway.I didn'thaveto waitat all.'
4 'Thebankofficertookcareof my requests
I
I
T
n
UNIT1
Introduction
to customer.uruI S
'WhenI arrivedat yourhotel,I wastotallyignoredby boththe betthop
andthe receptionist.'
6 'Theclerkwas reallyrudeand pretendednot to seeme.'
aboutthethe menuandwaspromptin bringingmy food.'
7 'Thewaiterwaswellinformed
8 'Yourservicewasmorethan I askedfor.Thatreallymademe feelspecial.'
I
T
l
n
l
the tablewith oppositesfromexercise7.
Gomplete
posltire
nggsrE,,
lo ba attantive
to ignoresomebody
j to takethe time
,+
I
4
uninformed
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
Being
withyouagain.
to customers,
theywill not do business
or guests.
alwaysmakesa bad impression
on customers
o Youshouldbe
e A callcentreagentshouldneverbe
you provide.
aboutthe services
or products
on the phoneandshould
alwaysbe
9
Tellyourpartneraboutonepositiveandonenegativecustomercaresituationyouhaverecently
illakea list of suggestionsto improvenegativeservice.Usephrasesfromthe
experlenced.
BoxbelowIn yourdiscussion.
Language
Makingsuggestions
Whydon'tyou ...?
you agreethat...?
Don'tANouldn't
lsn'tit a betterideato ...?
It makesa goodibadimpressionif they/you...
Respondingto suggestions
That'sright.iI agree.
I seeyourpoint.
I disagree
because
...
I don'tagree.I would...
10 | UNIT1
Introduction
to customer
care
n
tr
n
r Customers
do nottelltheirfriendsandcolteagues
aboutbadcustomer
careexperiences.
z Theproductitsetfis moreimportant
thanthe service
behindit.
friendty
Good,
service
wit[
keep
customers
coming
back.
3
doesnot needanyattention.
the customer
4 Afterthe sateis finished,
T
Irbrlffi
Surprising
FactsaboutCustomer
Care
Wemightbelieve
thatourcustomer
service
is excellent,
but whatdoourcustomers
think?Afterall, it's theiropinionthat matters,notours!
Herearethehardfactswehaveto dealwith:
withsomeaspect
of customer
care.
infourisdissatisfied
'| Onecustomer
showthatforeverycustomer
whocomplains,
thereare26 otherswho
'f Surveys
neversayanything
aboutcustomer
service.
{ Theaverage
'wronged'
customer
willtell8-16 morepeople
abouttheir
negative
experience.
{ Some907"of unhappy
customers
will neverbuyfromyouagain.
80
of
lost
customers
result
from
feeling
the
ihat'they.iustdon'tcareabout
7o
-f
meor mybusiness'.
+ Withtheuseof theInternet
nowadays,
oreven
oneperson
cantellhundreds,
, thousands
of otherpeople
oncesaid:the
abouttheirexperiences!
Assomeone
+ competition
isonlya mouse"click
awayl
Obviously
weneedto focuson morcwaysto improvecustomercare.
just togivecustomers
It's notenough
exactlywhattheyaskfor.Weneedto 'go
beyondthecallof duty',in otherwords,taketheextrastepto makeour customers
feelspecial.Thisis theonlyrealdifferencewecanmake.
It's just tooeasythesedaysfor customers
to changeto ourcompetitors!
a
t
a
lf customer
careis so important,
whydo so manybusinesses
not payenoughattention
to it?
good
Witttherebe moreof a demandfor
in the future?Why,or why not?
customer
service
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
clothesr
clearspeakingvoice
o
.
.
good
grammar
good
grooming
pleasant
eyecontact accurate
bodylanguage
t
Firstreadthis tip from an Amerieancustomercarewebsite.Doyou agree?llllhy,or why not?
What customersreally notice
- the wayyou standor sit,whatyou do with yourarmsand hands,
Yourbodylanguage
and so on - teltsthe realtruthto yourcustomers!
whetheryou aresmitingor frowning,
but yourbodycan't.
Yourwordsmaybe abteto hidethat you?eboredor uninterested,
Thiscreates
Whenmeetinga customer,
makeeyecontactwithinro seconds.
a bond
lf you
and it showsyourinterestin reatcommunication.
betweenyou andthe customer
- or even
don'tmakeeyecontact,the customer
couldthinkthatyou aren'tinterested
worse,that you'reignoringthem!
Now decide whether the following body language would give a positive fl
impression
to yourcustomers.
O ,'
r -,
III- - r -
t,-,
-r-
Ir
'Ir!I
-'
n
or negative ffi
t6
L]
LL r
tr
@e-
Doyou think this impressionis the samefor peoplefrom atl cultures?
{l
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
justfilt in thisform,please.
Mr Rodriguez?
3
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
Peter
Frank
Peter
you
Goodmorning,
I'm FrankWeoler.
Welcome
to lGS.
' PeterMasters.
Thankyou.lt'sniceto finallymeetyoufaceto face.
Yes,we'vetalkedso muchon the phone,I feelI knowyouatready.
Peter,
I'dliketo
2 youto AnnieThomas,
ourcustomer
Annie,thisis Peter
services
manager.
Masters
fromTopForm,
in Bristo[.
Niceto meetyou,MsThomas.
3 to meetyou,too.
Annie
Frank
So,if you'd,justcomethis way...
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.
5 your
Fronk So.herewe are.
coat?
Peter Oh,that'sverykindof you.
6 to takea seat...
Frank
Annie
Peter
Thankyou.
z carefor coffeeor tea?
Frank
be nice,withtwo susars.
Peter
]"::"r,0
So,here'smytaxi.Wet[,
Frank Thesamefor us.Thanksfor
in contactby emailas usua[.
Peter Yes,of course.Bye.
10 I
Annie Havea nice
Fronk So [ongfor now.
d for a goodmeeting.
lt wasgreatto meetbothof you.
Peter
e. lt wasa veryproductive
meeting.
So,we'l[be
Rvo
UNIT2
Faceto hce with customers | 13
llow addphrasesfromthe dlalogueto flt the tatetorlci below.
&oodmorninq.Youmustbo.... I m ...
6o longfor now.
t'
4
the sentences
wlth wordsfronlthe bol
Complete
7
May I
2
Itl niceto
3
s.
n'.r
youto MrsBurton?
Shel ourregiopal
manager.
meetyoufuceto face.
I takeyourjacket?
-':'
4 Oh,thatt very
5 I'd
you
6 Would
7 CanI
8 We'llbein
9 It was a
1()
t
So
ofyqu.
to introducl myself.My name'sRalphLee.l'm the floor managerhere.
for coffeeor tea?
yousomemineralwater?
byemailasusual.
to meetyou.Havea nice
for now.
topics,butit is necessary
for'breaking
theice'withcustomers.
Smalltalkmayseemto dealwithunimportant
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,
about
or withmakingcompliments
Depending
onyourcustomers'cultural
somebody!
appearance.
background,
theymightfindthetopicstoo
in a business
context.
aggressive
or too personal
r+ | urutfZ
5
Face
to facewithcustomers
tatch ltemsfromthethreecolumnsto makeminl'smalltalk'conversations.
1 So,haveyou ever
beento Vienna
before?
Yes,no problem.lt's a very
nicelocationhere,isn'tit?
Thatbgood.We'vebeenhaving
a bit of troublewith the trains.
Theyalways,
s9:m t9
tale:
,be
.
z Howwasyourtrip?
Actually,they'reboth on
holidaynow.In Portugal.
You'reIucky.lt's beenraining
herefor threedaysnow.Very
depressing.
c Yes,I have.I washerefour
yearsago.
Metoo. In fact,I'mplayingin
a tournament
thisweekend.
Didyou find us OK?
6
Howwasthe weather d Yes,I playin a localclub.
in London?
Howlovely.I wasin Portugal :
two yearsago.Do you knowit?
So,how are Patand
lohn doing?Arethey
sti[[working
hard?
It wasfine.Thetrainwasa
bit tatebut we arrivedon
time.
0h, really?
Wasthat for
business
or pleasure?
Oh,areyou
interested
in tennis?
Nice,actually.lt wassunny
andwarmwhenI left.
F Yes,we like it. We'vebeenhere
for four yearsnow.
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.
Respond.
Aska follow-upquestion.
Respond.
Askanother'small
talK question.
(Repeat
Respond.
as longas possible.)
Stopthe conversation
and saygoodbye.
ThankAandsaygoodbye.
Goodbasicsocializing
skiltshelpbuitdyourcustomer
base.Fromthe
yourcustomers
beginning,
will seehowyou showinterestand payattention.
Thisis an importantstepin establishing
a rapportwith yourcustomers.
UNIT2
7
Faceto facewith customers| 15
Lookat the text from a customercaremanualand fitl in the missingdob and don'ts.
arean important
tool for buildingyourcustomer
base.Theyprovidea great
': Meetings
your
for futurebusiness.
opportunityto networkwith
customers
Lookat thesedo'sand don'ts
'..
customermeetings.
:': for successfuI
::
a
:.::.
aa
Do
preparefor yourmeeting.
Do
makesureyou knowaboutall yourproducts
or services.
Don't
takecontrolof the discussion.
'
::o
:,
let the customers
decidewhatthev
talkaboutandwhentheytalkaboutit.
givecustomerson[ytheinformationtheyWant.-overwhe[mthemwith
a
extrainformation
thattheydon'treallyneed.
usejargonor wordsonly
a
peoptein yourcompany
or industryknow.
talk morethanyourcustomers.
a
exactly what
you want.
What we
need is...
listencarefulty
to whattheysay
interruot
them.
and
askfor feedback
and
clarification,
so you'lIknowexactlywhat
yourcustomers
wantandneed.
be open,honest,flexible,
and
positive!
: ::- r ,...
Iit
.:r ' I
..- r . - .,t r ,
!
r .: i r :r . j ::
r r :r :.,:.i ;:
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
l'vegot anotherappointment
in an hour.
a OK,let'sgetstarted.Unfortunately,
b Thanksfor comingtoday.I'mgladto helpyou reviewyourbusiness
needs.
2 a As I understand
it, you'dliketo discuss
...
b Thisis whatwe'regoingto talkabout...
ls thatsuitablefor you?I'dliketo getyourfeedback.
3 a So,thatwasmy suggestion.
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.
lt seemsyou.... ls that right?
5 a I'vedonesomeresearch
you
your
me
b So,can
te[[ something
about
company?
6 a I don'tthinkwe cando that.Weneverofferthatkindof discount.
b I'llseewhatI cando.
16 | UNIT2
9
Faceto facewith customers
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
w
8
Listento a conyersationat a trade fair betweena sales rep and a potential customer.
liark the statementstrue [] or false [], or don't know fl.
r
to
Lewishasmadean appointment
meetVetteda
at the stand.
I
fifthtime at the tradefair. I
z Thisis Velleda's
product. ]
in a particutar
3 Lewisis interested
givesLewisa catalogue
to take
4 Vetleda
backto hiscompany.
._-
to put his nameon the
5 Lewisagrees
maitingtist.
I
Lewisin two weeks
willtelephone
6 Velleda
appointment.
set
up
a
follow-up
to
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
AccountMonoger
lel +44 1945 579235
tox +44 1945579266
emoilgillon@occutech'uk'com
AUDIO
IF\
vt
8
tt
Completetheseextractsfrom the dialoguewith wordsfrom the box.Thentisten againto check
your answers.
anything. ask . brochure. email . enioyingo free o gtad r
introduceopipjrput
r
2
in Milan.MavI
mvself?
I'mVelleda
Brunetli.
I workfor MecroInternazionate
yourname?
the tradefair?
So,Mr Gillan,howareyou
Mayl
Wet[,then,areyou lookingfor
4
in particular?
I'dbe
to askme anyquestions.
OK,but pleasefeel
products
your
suitablefor
company.
andtry to findsomething
overour
ro go
UNIT2
Ah, canI interestyou In a
rangeof products.
6 Wouldyou liketo
? lt hasinformation
aboutourcompany
andour fu[[
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?
z Whatareyou lookingfor?
3 Askmea questionif youwant.
4 Doyou wanta brochure?
5 I'ttputyournameon the mailinglist,OK?
6 Givemeyourbusiness
card.
soon.
7 I'l[contactyousometime
1s.
CUSTO'IERFOCUSEXTRA
is yourmostimportanttool for success
for anyface-to-face
Besureto be
Follow-up
encounter.
specificaboutwhatyou will do for yourcustomer,
andwhenyou wittdo it.
+ infinitiveto tetlthe customer
of yournextaction:
Use/'11
l'Ilwrite you a quick email next week.
I'llsend you the lotest brochuretomorrlw.
NO T :@
+thepostsimple,doyoumind+thepresentsimple
Usewouldyoumindif
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?
goodcustomer
caremeanstakingactionto supportyourwords.Thisbuitdstrustinto
Remember,
yourcustomerrelationships.
73
ilatch thequestionswlth theresponses.
r
Wouldyou mindif I putyournameon our
mailing[ist?
Tuesday?
Yes,that soundsfine.I'l[ emailyou
directions
whenI'm backin the office.
z I'ltjustnotethatin my diary.
3 Doyou mindif I giveyou my card?
here.
4 l'm afraidI don'thavethe information
But l'[ callmy officeand get backto you
ls thatOK?
thisafternoon.
Wouldyou
5 l'tl be in Brixtonon Tuesday.
mindif I stoppedby youroffice?
No,not at all.Youcanfind all my contact
information
on my card.
c Sure.l'[[lookforyourphoneca[[on Monday.
d Yes,thatsoundsgood.I'll stopby the stand
at aroundthree.
e Thanks.That'sverykind of you.
f
1,,
Faceto facewithcustomers
6 MayI get in touchwith you nextweek?
l'I writeit downtoo. So,we saidMondayat
ro.3o,right?
7 I'll faxyou the newpricelisttomorrow.
No,let me giveyou mine,too.
18 | UNIT2
t4
Faceto facewith customers
Workwith a partner.Firstlook at the UsefulPhrasesbelow.Thenusethe informationin the
at a tradefair.
PartnerFiles(or makeup your own)to role-playa conversation
Par tnerA
Par tnerB
F i te2, p.58
F i te2, p.60
U S E F U LPHRASES
ReP
I helpyou?
Coutd/May
Howc a nI h e tpy o u ?
MayI introducemyselP
Cout dI a s ky o u rn a m e ?
feelfreeto askme anyquestions.
Ptease
you in ...?
I
Could offeryou/interest
p
h
o
n
e d /e ma i te
y odu ?
y
o
u
I
m
i
n
d
i
f
W ould
I t wasn i c eto m e e ty o u .
I hopey o ue n j o yth e fa i r.
Customer
No,thanks.I'mjust tooking/browsing.
i n ...
l ' m l ooki ngfor/i nterested
My name's...
Nice/Pteased
to meetyou.
Thankyou.
N o,not at al t.Letme gi veyou my
card/address/n
umber.
N i ceto meetyou,too. | l ookforw ardto
fromyou.
heari ng
your
I appreci ate
Thanks,
i t w asa pl easure.
neLp.
AUDIO
!t
?e 75
9
Paulaf ohnstonis givinga presentationat a tradefair. Puta-e in the correctorder.Thenlisten
to checkyour answers.
!
of this
a 'Before| finish,l'ttjustgo overthe hightights
presentation
[ine
again.Ourproductandservice
with our
includes
.... Westandout fromour competitors
fo[[ow-uo.'
excellent
I
we
andservices,
lineof products
U 'Withour impressive
thatyou can'tfindwith our
offerspecialbenefits
Foltow-up
is ourtop priority...'
competitors.
I
I lookforwardto havingyou
c 'Thanksfor yourattention.
as a newcustomer.'
I
I'mhere
fromDettaSystems.
O 'Hello,I'mPauta
,|ohnston
great
offersin
todayto let you knowaboutsome
about
l't[be speaking
caresupportservices.
customer
products
for trackingnewand
rangeof
ourextensive
customers
...'
existing
I
Also,if you
e 'l hopeyou'[[pickup oneof our leaflets.
l'tl be gladto sendyou
leavemeyourcontactdetaits,
end
of theweek.Andif you
latest
catalogue
by
the
our
our
woutdliketo ordertoday,I'l[makesureyou receive
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
you morcthanyourproductor service!
will remember
UNIT2
76
Faceto facewithcustomers| 19
Lookat the stepsfor giving an effectivepresentation.tlatch them to phrases(a-i) below.
Steps for Winning Gustomers
with Your Presentations
w
&
1 Welcomethe audience
2 Introducethe subjectand givea briefoverview
features
3 Talkabout the main product/service
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
presentation
...
youour
We'dliketo introduce/show
latest...
Pteasefeelfreeto pickup a brochure/
leaflet/free
sample.
We'vegot our promotional
information
and
samples
available
here.
I'ltbe gtad/pleased
to sendyou...by next
Monday.
I'll be in contact/touch
withyouin two
weeks.
withyou.
I lookforwardto doingbusiness
I'dliketo offera speciaI
introductory
price/discount
if you ordertoday.
.F- l
Westandout fromourcompetitors
...
0ecause
OurUSPsare...
youto ...
I'dtiketo wetcome
Thankyoufor comingtoday.
My name's...
I workfor ...andI'min charge
of ...
Ourproductrangeincludes
...
Thespeciat
hightights
are...
We'dbe pleased/glad
to haveyouas a new
customer.
We'dwelcome
the chance
to do business
withyourcompany.
I'djust liketo sumup the mainpointsof
today'spresentation
...
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
secondspeoplehadto waitto be greeted
in typicalcustomercaresituations.
Customersin variousshopsor businesses
wereaskedhow longthey had been
waiting.In eachcase,the customer
thoughtthathe/shehadbeenwaiting
longerthanthe actualtimethathad
passed- 30 or 40 secondsfelt likethree
or fourminutes!
Timegoesby slowlywhenyou arewaiting
to be noticed.Withthe Internetnowadays,
peopleexpectquick,almostinstant
responses.
In face-to-faceencounters,
if
youcan'tgivecustomers
immediate
attention,they'llleavestraightaway.
Businesses
simplycannotaffordto treat
theircustomers
as if theyare'invisible'.
Thesolutionto thisproblemis clear.
A promptgreeting,
especially
witha
to your
smile,makesallthe difference
customers.
Theycanstartthe
conversation
or meetingwiththefeeling
thattheyarean importantcustomerfor
yourbusiness.
the
Withoutthe greeting,
willalreadybe feeling
customers
uncomfortable
and insecure- evenbefore
the encounter
actuallybegins.
the
A quick,friendlygreetingrelaxes
customerandsetsthe rightatmosphere
for goodcustomercare!
r Haveyoueverbeenignored
- or treatedas if youwere'invisible'-in a customer
caresituation?
Howdid you feel?
r Whatis the impacton the customer
if thishappens
at a presentation,
tradefair,or conference?
. lf you arebusywith anothercustomer,
how canyou still noticea customer
and makethemfeel
secureand comfortable?
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