You're listening to Business English Pop, the business English podcast for professionals on the move.
In our last podcast, we talked about problems with the telephone line.
Today we're going to talk about problems with the caller, which are, of course, much harder to handle.
But with the proper language and phrases you can show the caller that you want to help and reassure them that you can help solve the problem.
Previously, George Klein of Aerotronics returned Nathan's call, but Nathan was out of the office.
George talked to Nathan's colleague Simon, and he gave George all the information he needed to finish the contract proposal.
But Simon did not tell Nathan that George called.
Now Nathan is calling George Klein to ask him why he did not call him and if Airtronics is going to send them a proposal.
Good morning, Airtronics.
Claire speaking.
May I help you?
Yes.
Good morning.
Did you say Claire?
I believe I spoke with you last week.
This is Nathan Beal from Cyclops.
Oh yes, Mr Beale.
I located George Klan from the contracts department and delivered your message the same day.
Is there anything I can help you with?
Well, yes indeed.
I haven't heard from him and I haven't seen any proposal yet.
Can I speak with him?
It's urgent.
Certainly, sir.
I'll put you right through.
Please hold the line for a moment.
George here.
What's up?
Hey George, this is Clare.
I've got Nathan Beale from Cyclops on the line, and he's pretty mad that you didn't call him back.
Just wanted to warn you.
I'm putting him through right now.
Okay, thanks.
Hello, this is George Klein.
Yes, this is Nathan Beale from Cyclops.
I haven't heard from you, and I'm trying to find out if you are still interested in this contract.
Yes, we certainly are.
I do apologize for not contacting you directly, but I did try to call you this week about the contract, but you were out of the office.
Well, we're working very hard on this contract, and we'll be sending it to you today.
Well, I'm glad to hear it, but I wish you had let me know you were sending it to us today.
Today's the deadline for proposals, you know.
Yes, and we've been working night and day to meet that deadline.
I called earlier this week and spoke with Simon Price to tell him that we were going to send you this proposal by today.
Did he pass that on to you?
Huh.
No, he didn't.
I guess he was pretty busy.
But, more importantly, do you have all the right information to make your proposal?
I believe we do.
One shipment at the end, no backup batteries in the radios and all 20 radios built according to the new XV9582 specifications.
Did we get that correctly?
Yes, that's all correct.
I just wanted to make sure.
It would be a big mess if your proposal didn't have all those details in them.
So, are you absolutely sure you'll be able to send that to me today?
I have a lot of people over here who want to read it immediately.
Nathan, we guarantee this will be on your desk by 3 p.m.
All we have to do now is to get our CEO to sign it, and it will be on its way by courier.
Okay.
I just want to be sure that it's coming today.
Can you call us when you give it to the courier?
Will do.
Is there anything else?
Nope.
Just that.
Talk to you then.
Bye now.
Bye-bye now.
When Nathan calls Airtronics he is a bit angry because he earlier asked that George Klein call him back.
But he didn't.
So when Claire answers the phone, he says, I believe I spoke with you last week.
In this case using the phrase, I believe is a polite and formal way of saying.
You know that I talked to you last week.
His formal language shows that he's a little bit angry and doesn't know who is to blame for why George didn't call him back.
Clara tells him that she sent Nathan's message to George and that he received it, and then asks if there's anything else she can do to help him.
Nathan now wants to talk directly to George and asks to be transferred.
Claire says, I'll put you right through.
Please hold the line for a moment.
To put you through means to transfer your call.
And to hold the line means to wait as the call is transferred or while the other party has to do something away from the phone.
It's important to say this before you push the hold or transfer button on your telephone.
Otherwise, the caller might think you hung up, and when they call back, they'll be very angry.
Here are some useful phrases for transferring a call and putting a caller on hold.
Notice how we use the phrase, the line, to mean a telephone connection or extension.
One moment, please.
I'll put you through.
There is usually a big difference in the language used for external transfers, such as when Claire transfers Nathan, and internal transfers within a company.
An internal transfer uses more informal language, since the parties are colleagues.
Here are some common phrases for internal transfers.
I've got a Ms.
Jones on the line.
Ms.
Jones is on the telephone.
George uses very informal language with Claire, but quickly changes his voice to the one he uses for customers after Claire transfers Nathan to his extension.
After Nathan states his concerns, George apologizes, even though he knows it's not really his fault.
This is normal in business.
Apologizing helps to make the caller less angry.
But George also tells Nathan that he tried to call Nathan back, but that he was out of the office.
Here are some examples of simple apologies.
Nathan emphasizes the important fact that the proposal must be sent in today.
The expression, you know, helps to emphasize the point.
Here are some other phrases to emphasize important information.
I'd like to point out... Let me emphasize... Could I just draw your attention to...
George reassures Nathan that he's been working on the proposal using the expression.
We've been working night and day.
This is an idiom meaning working very hard, as in.
We've been working night and day to get the proposal finished on time.
Nathan asks whether George has the right information.
George repeats the specification number and then asks did we get that correctly?
To confirm the information
Get that is used to confirm understanding, or, as in this case, that the information is correct.
So, for example, you could say, The meeting has been changed to 6 p.m.
Did you get that?
Or, Sorry, I meant July's report, not June.
Did you get that?
Nathan finally asks, Are you absolutely sure you'll be able to send that to me today?
Absolutely means totally, completely, without any doubt.
And George answers that he guarantees that they will send the proposal today.
To guarantee is to promise or to make sure something will happen.
So George is again trying to reassure Nathan that his concerns are being addressed.
And to be absolutely sure that he will send them.
Nathan wants George to call him when he's finished.
We use phrases such as can you, would you, and will you in these kinds of requests.
Here are some other examples.
To agree on a future action.
We use phrases beginning with I'll will, they'll or you'll, such as I'll send it by air freight and you'll pick it up at the airport.
And sometimes we might use a more informal phrase such as will do or can do, meaning I will do what you just asked.
And now it's time for us at Business English Pod to say goodbye.
So until our next podcast, we'll say hasta luego, ciao, zaijian, and have a good one.
