Business English Pod / Customer Service / Page 4

BEP 69 A – Telephoning: Answering a Call

A2, Business English, Customer Service, Intermediate English, Telephone English /

In this Business English Pod episode, we’re going to take another look at one of our most popular and important podcasts. Today we’re talking about using the telephone in English. This is something we all do, but we don’t all do well.

Today’s lesson is also featured in our new eBook: Business English for Telephoning. This eBook covers essential language for many different types of business calls, including dealing with customers and complaints, making arrangements and checking on orders.

Talking on the telephone has become an extremely important part of business. You need to be able to answer a call professionally and create a good image of yourself and your company with only your voice. Having effective telephone skills leaves a good impression on your customers, clients, and colleagues. People are busy, so you want to be very clear, polite and organized.

In this lesson, we’ll begin by looking at a bad example of answering a call and taking message. We’ll discuss why it’s a bad example, and then we’ll go into a good example of answering a call. I’m sure you’ll see a clear difference.

For our bad example, we’ll listen as Justin, an employee with Trivesco, calls a shipping company called Daneline. Justin is hoping to speak with Sylvie Petersen, but it is a receptionist named Amy who answers the phone.

Listening Questions – Bad Example
1. How would you describe Amy’s attitude?
2. Does Justin seem prepared?

Listening Questions – Good Example
1. What information does Amy include in her first sentence?
2. How does Mark Rand introduce himself?

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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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BEP 161 – Dealing with Customers on the Phone 1

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

This is the first in a two-part Business English lesson on dealing with telephone inquiries.

It’s natural to feel a little nervous when answering questions on the phone, especially when you’re using a different language. You can’t see the other person, so you can’t interpret facial expressions and body language. You also need to listen more carefully, so you can help the caller quickly and efficiently.

Today, we’ll look at some common strategies that can make handling telephone inquiries a little easier. We’ll start with ways to answer the phone and identify yourself. We’ll also explain language you can use to verify a caller’s name, confirm something a caller says, and clarify the inquiry by restating it.

Now, let’s listen to a conversation between Leroy, a customer service rep at a credit card company, and Paul, a customer. Paul has some concerns about his account and Leroy is helping him.

Listening Questions

1. What is Paul’s main concern?
2. How is Paul’s last name spelled?
3. What are the last 3 digits, or numbers, of Paul’s bank ID number?

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BEP 158 – Dealing with an Angry Caller (Part 2)

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

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on dealing with angry callers on the phone.

We hope that all of our customers are satisfied ones. Indeed, a basic goal in business is to keep customers happy and coming back. But we can’t please all of the people all of the time. Angry callers are often upset because they don’t understand why something happened or disagree with a policy. They might believe that a company has made a mistake. And to get the results they want, they might be rude, yell, or want to speak to someone in authority.

Handling these types of calls is easier when you can respond calmly and clearly. So today we’ll look at how to explain a problem and suggest a solution. We’ll cover ways to handle customers who yell, use crude language, or want to talk to a manager. Finally, we’ll discuss how handle things when your company has made a mistake.

In today’s lesson, we’ll hear more of a conversation between Diana, a Customer Care agent for a credit card company, and Jay Rothschild, an angry customer whose credit card was locked after he made a large purchase. Diana has already gotten Jay’s account information and is ready to start solving the problem.

Listening Questions

1. Why was Jay’s credit card locked?
2. Why does Jay want to speak to a manager?
3. How does Diana resolve the problem?

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BEP 157 – Dealing with an Angry Caller (Part 1)

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

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod series on dealing with an angry caller on the phone.

We’ve all dealt with angry people before. But dealing with an angry person on the phone, in a business setting, can be tricky. Sometimes you don’t know the person, so his or her situation may be completely new to you. You can’t see the person, so you can’t read facial expressions or body language. Sometimes the person yells or talks so quickly that you can’t understand exactly what they mean. And sometimes they might be rude, which can make you angry yourself.

Successfully handling an angry caller is an important skill. Often, these callers are customers and you don’t want to lose their business. Satisfied customers will return and recommend your company to others. Angry customers will do the opposite.

So in today’s lesson, we’ll cover ways to calm down angry callers, using a calm tone of voice, and let them know you’re listening. We’ll also look at language for acknowledging an angry customer’s feelings and frustrations by showing empathy. Finally, we’ll talk about ways to clarify problems so you can solve them quickly.

Let’s hear how Diana, a Customer Care agent for a credit card company, handles Jay, an angry customer whose credit card has been locked, or disabled.

Listening Questions

1. What city is Jay visiting?
2. What did Jay buy his wife for her birthday?
3. When was Jay’s credit card locked?

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Download: Podcast MP3