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BEP 199 – Telephone English: Controlling the Call (2)

Business English, Communication, Customer Service, Telephone English /

In this Business English lesson, we’ll continue our look at language and techniques for controlling a telephone call in English.

If you’re like most people, talking on the telephone is a basic part of work life. We talk with colleagues, customers, potential clients, suppliers, company reps – the list goes on and on. In fact, the telephone has become even more important as we spend less time at our desks and more time dealing with people remotely.

As you surely know, talking on the telephone is not always easy. We can’t use the same techniques that we might use when talking to someone face-to-face. We need to learn a new set of skills. It is these skills that we are looking at in this series about controlling the call. If you learn to do this well, you’ll end each conversation with a sense of achievement and purpose.

In today’s lesson, we’ll hear a conversation between Chris and Nick. Chris is calling Nick to inform him about some price changes and to arrange a meeting. As you will hear, the caller carefully controls the conversation and gets the outcome she wants.

Listening Questions

1. What reason does Chris give for the change in prices?
2. When will the price changes take effect?
3. Why does Chris want to meet with Nick?

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BEP 198 – Telephone English: Controlling the Call (1)

Business English, Communication, Customer Service, Telephone English /

In this Business English lesson, we’re going to look at language and skills for controlling a telephone call in english.

The telephone has become an essential part of doing business, and not just for customer service representatives and receptionists. No matter what type of work you do, chances are that you spend a part of every day talking on the phone. It might be a simple information exchange or a high stakes negotiation. But even though we all talk on the phone, we don’t all do it with the same success. But there are skills and techniques you can learn to become more effective.

One of the most important telephone skills is controlling the call. You need to be able to take the conversation where you want it to go. This can be difficult when the other person has a lot to say. But you can learn to direct the conversation and keep it focused.

In this lesson, we’ll hear a conversation between Mary and Oliver. Oliver works in customer service for an Internet service provider, and Mary is calling about a problem she’s having with her Internet connection. We’ll hear Oliver carefully control the conversation and guide it to a logical conclusion.

Listening Questions

1. What is the customer’s problem?
2. What information does Oliver want from the customer?
3. What options does Oliver give the customer?

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Skills 360 – Telephone English Tips (Part 2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Customer Service, Telephone English /

Welcome back to the Skills 360 podcast.

Communicating effectively on the phone is an essential skill. And whether you’re talking to a client, a colleague, a supplier, your boss, or a bicycle courier, you need to make sure your purpose and the information is clear. Last week, we focused on your telephone attitude. Today, we’ll look at ways you can make sure information is flowing smoothly and that you are guiding the conversation.

Discussion Questions

1. How much planning do you usually do before an important telephone call?
2. What do you usually do when you don’t understand what someone is trying to say on the telephone?
3. What information do you normally include when you leave a message for someone?

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Skills 360 – Telephone English Tips (Part 1)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Customer Service, Telephone English /

Welcome back to the Skills 360 podcast.

Today, we’re going to take a look at an activity we do every day: talking on the telephone. We’ll look at how to start the call off on the right note by using a positive attitude, smiling over the phone, being polite, and speaking clearly.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you usually answer the telephone at work?
2. What do you think a good telephone attitude involves?
3. What do you think it is okay to speak informally on the telephone?

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BEP 162 – Dealing with Customers on the Phone 2

Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

This Business English Pod lesson is the second of a two-part series on telephone skills and dealing with customers on the phone.

When you’re helping a caller on the phone, unexpected things can happen. You might need to get some additional information from another source or have the caller to speak to someone else. Or, there may be some interference with the telephone connection that makes it hard to hear someone. It’s good to be prepared so that you can handle the call efficiently, without irritating the customer.

In this lesson, we’ll look at some of these unexpected situations. We’ll discuss ways to tell a caller what’s happening during the call and how to politely question and clarify if you don’t hear or understand something. We’ll cover language for signaling that a call is about to end, and how to politely finish the call.

In the last episode, we met Leroy and Paul. Leroy is a customer care agent for a credit card company. Paul is a customer whose card is about to expire. He hasn’t received a replacement card yet and Leroy is helping him.

Listening Questions

1. Why does Leroy need a minute to pull up Paul’s records?
2. What is Paul’s correct street address?
3. Why didn’t Paul receive his replacement card?

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