You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for this episode, the second of a two-part series on dealing with angry callers on the phone.
We hope that all 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 the 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 talk about how to explain why something has happened and what a solution might be.
We'll cover ways to handle customers who yell, use crude language, or want to talk to a manager.
Finally, we'll discuss how to 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.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following 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?
Okay, Mr Rothschild, I'm just looking at your account.
Our records show a purchase for 2,799 euros in Paris on Tuesday.
Uh-huh.
So for your protection, we lock any card when there's unusual activity, such as a large purchase.
When we see something out of the ordinary, it could mean the card's been stolen.
So we lock it for the customer's protection.
Without telling the customer?
What kind of a policy is that?
Who's your manager?
I want to give him a piece of my mind.
Mr. Rothschild, I don't blame you for being angry.
I'd be angry too, believe me.
We'll get everything straightened out in no time.
But for me to help you, you have to stop yelling at me.
I still want to speak to your manager.
I understand.
But I'm here to help you and we can resolve this quite easily.
Now, normally you would have received a phone call telling you about the unusual activity.
Yeah, but I didn't.
I know, and I do apologise for that.
That was our mistake.
OK.
So what happens now?
I'm unlocking your card as we speak, so you should be all set.
In the meantime, I'll tell my supervisor what happened.
How does that sound?
As long as I can use my card.
Everything should be fine now, Mr Rothschild.
If you have any problems, just give me a call back.
Let's take a step-by-step look at how Diana resolves this situation.
We'll start with her explanation of what happened.
Okay, Mr Rothschild.
I'm just looking at your account.
Our records show a purchase for 2,799 euros in Paris on Tuesday.
Uh-huh.
So for your protection, we lock any card when there's unusual activity, such as a large purchase.
When we see something out of the ordinary, it could mean the card's been stolen.
So we lock it for the customer's protection.
Jay's credit card has been locked, which means he temporarily can't use it.
Diana explains why.
The credit card company locks any card if there's unusual activity.
Out of the ordinary is another way to say unusual.
This type of activity is a signal that a card might have been stolen.
Locking the card prevents a thief from making other purchases and protects the customer.
Jay made a large purchase in the amount of 2,799 euros.
To the credit card company, this was unusual activity, and therefore his card was locked.
Diana explains the problem calmly and clearly.
She also tells Jay why her company took the action.
Because the card might have been stolen, it's in Jay's best interest for it to be locked.
Giving a caller the reason for the action helps angry callers understand the situation better.
Let's go over a few more examples of how to explain a problem.
I'm seeing two failed purchase attempts on Tuesday, the 22nd, so your account was flagged for follow-up.
It looks like your order was processed on time, but there's been a delay with the delivery.
Our records indicate that we received a payment last month, but there is no record of a payment this month.
My computer's showing your subscription has been cancelled, so that's why you haven't received the magazine.
In that first example, you heard the word flagged.
To flag something means to highlight it or mark it in some way so that people will notice it.
Unfortunately for Diana, Jay becomes angry again.
Without telling the customer?
What kind of a policy is that?
Who's your manager?
I want to give him a piece of my mind.
Mr. Rothschild, I don't blame you for being angry.
I'd be angry too, believe me.
We'll get everything straightened out in no time.
But for me to help you, you have to stop yelling at me.
Jay is yelling, shouting, and using a loud, harsh voice.
He's upset because he thinks the company policy allows locking a credit card without notifying the customer.
And he's so aggravated that he wants to give Diana's manager a piece of his mind.
In other words, he wants to tell someone with more authority why he's so angry.
Diana's response has three main ingredients.
First she tells Jay she doesn't blame him for feeling angry and says she'd be angry herself if she were in the same situation.
Saying believe me is a way to emphasize this.
Second, she assures him that they'll get everything straightened out or fixed in no time.
They'll get the problem solved very quickly.
Third, she asks Jay to stop shouting.
If he continues to yell, she can't help him.
Even though Diana wants to assure Jay and keep him as a customer, she still deserves respect.
Jay's shouting is unacceptable, and she won't tolerate it.
Rude customers are hard to deal with.
You might be tempted to yell back or be rude yourself, but remember that your goal is to help the customer and keep the customer for the company's sake.
Still, rudeness, crude language, and shouting do not have to be tolerated.
There are some respectful ways to respond to this behavior as these examples show.
I'm happy to help you but your language makes it difficult.
I know you're upset but yelling makes it harder for me to help you.
Perhaps you'd like me to call you back when you're feeling calmer?
I understand why you're frustrated but I won't be able to help you if the swearing continues.
What's Jay's reaction?
I still want to speak to your manager.
I understand but I'm here to help you and we can resolve this quite easily.
Jay wants to speak to a manager, and that's something Diana wants to avoid.
Handling locked credit cards is a routine part of her job and there's no need to disturb her boss about it.
Her challenge is getting this message across in a polite professional way.
Diana says she understands acknowledging Jay's feelings, But she also says she's there to help and that the situation can be resolved quite easily.
Letting Jay know how easy it will be keeps him from requesting a manager again and refocuses his attention away from his anger and back to solving the problem.
Diana also says we can resolve this, reminding him that she's on his side.
It's common for angry customers to request a manager.
Bringing their attention back to solving the problem saves time and aggravation for everyone, especially the caller, who doesn't have to tell the story again to a new person.
When someone wants to talk to a manager, assure him or her that you can handle the matter.
Sometimes it helps to ask the caller for the opportunity to assist.
This shows your commitment to solving the problem and putting the customer first.
It could also give the customer a sense of control in the situation.
Let's practice some ways to do this.
I am happy to resolve this for you myself.
I can take care of everything for you.
May I have the opportunity?
Please let me help.
I think you'll find that we can get everything straightened out in this one phone call.
I'm sorry you feel that way, but rest assured, I can fix this.
There's one quick vocabulary note from those examples.
We sometimes say, rest assured, when we want to convince someone that all will be well.
Think of it this way.
Someone who is assured will rest more comfortably knowing that everything will be okay.
Our next exchange starts immediately where Diana left off.
Right after she tells Jay the problem can be resolved easily.
She explains more about her company's policy on unusual activity.
By doing so, she again brings Jay's attention away from the manager and back to the issue.
This leads us to our next language function.
What if your company has made a mistake that inconveniences the customer?
Now, normally you would have received a phone call telling you about the unusual activity.
Yeah, but I didn't.
I know, and I do apologize for that.
That was our mistake.
Someone from the company should have called Jay to tell him there was an unusual activity on his account and that his card was locked.
But Jay never got such a phone call.
This is a company mistake that Diana acknowledges and apologizes for.
Everyone and every company makes mistakes.
It's generally good for customer relations to admit to them and apologize for them if appropriate.
It shows the customer that the company is truthful and making an honest effort to fix things.
If a customer believes a company is willing to take responsibility, it's likely the customer will become less argumentative and, more importantly, remain a customer.
In the following examples.
Notice how the speaker acknowledges a mistake and then offers a commitment to make it up to the customer.
This means that the company will take some action to satisfy the customer or compensate for an inconvenience.
You're right.
This is our mistake and we'll fix it as soon as possible.
I see now that this is our responsibility, so we'll take care of it right away.
We're truly sorry for this situation and we are committed to making things right.
This was our error and we'll definitely make it up to you.
Next, Diana explains the solution and ends the call.
Okay, so what happens now?
I'm unlocking your card as we speak, so you should be all set.
In the meantime, I'll tell my supervisor what happened.
How does that sound?
As long as I can use my card.
Everything should be fine now, Mr. Rothschild.
If you have any problems, just give me a call back.
Using her computer, Diana unlocks Jay's card as they speak.
As we speak is a phrase that means right now or at the present time.
Now, Jay should be all set.
He shouldn't have any further problems with this credit card.
She'll also let her supervisor know why Jay was so upset and asks, how does that sound?
This question is another way to give Jay some control over what's happening.
At this point, Jay seems satisfied.
He can use his credit card and go back to his vacation.
After Diana explains the solution, she assures Jay that everything should be fine.
She also offers to help him again if something does go wrong.
Sometimes, rather than explaining a solution directly, you can suggest it, giving an angry caller a chance to say yes or no.
We'll hear some examples like this in a moment.
Keep in mind though, that whether you're suggesting or explaining a solution, it's important to let the customer know how he or she will benefit from what's proposed.
Now let's run through the examples for suggesting a solution.
We will discount your next order 20%.
How about if we send you a replacement part by overnight delivery?
I'll have my manager call you in the morning.
Will that be okay?
Your next visit will be on the house.
To finish off, let's practice some of the language we've covered in today's lesson.
First we'll practice language that can be used to respond to a rude yelling customer or one that wants to speak to a manager.
You'll hear a statement followed by a prompt.
Use the language in the prompt to respond to the statement.
For example, if you hear... Situation The caller wants to speak to your manager.
Prompt.
You'll find everything straightened out.
You can say, I think you'll find that we can get everything straightened out in this phone call.
We'll play an example answer after each one.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a go.
Situation.
The caller is shouting.
Prompt.
Know you're upset.
Yelling.
Harder for me.
Example answer.
I know you're upset, but yelling makes it harder for me to help you.
Situation.
The caller wants to speak to your manager.
Prompt.
Take care.
Everything.
Give me the opportunity.
Example answer.
I can take care of everything for you if you give me the opportunity.
Situation The caller is using bad language.
Prompt Happy to help.
Your language.
Difficult Example answer I'm happy to help you, but your language makes it difficult.
Now, let's practice useful vocabulary and idioms.
You'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence saying the missing word.
For example, if you hear I'm printing that report as we, You can say I'm printing that report as we speak.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
I think we're all with the budget.
Answer I think we're all set with the budget.
The upset caller quite loudly answer.
The upset caller yelled quite loudly We need to send that out by delivery.
Answer.
We need to send that out by overnight delivery.
We've reached the end of this episode, the second of a two-part series on dealing with angry callers on the telephone.
We've talked about how to explain a problem, suggest or explain a solution and apologize if necessary.
We've also covered ways to respond when a caller is rude, yells or wants to speak to a manager.
Thanks for listening and see you next time.
