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 Jennifer and I'll be your host for this episode, the first in a two-part series on handling 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.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What is Paul's main concern?
2.
How is Paul's last name spelled?
3.
What are the last three digits or numbers of Paul's bank ID number?
Customer Care, Leroy speaking.
How can I help you today?
Yes, my credit card's about to expire.
And I haven't received my new one yet.
Okay, I can help you with that.
Could I get your name, please, sir?
Paul Jensen.
Paul Jensen.
Is that spelled S-O-N?
No, it's S-E-N.
Okay, got that.
And for security purposes, could you please verify your bank ID number?
492.
Okay, 492.
Uh-huh.
685...
685.
Uh-huh.
636.
636.
Okay, so that's 492-685-636.
Yep, that's right.
Great.
Let's see.
Your current card expires at the end of May, and you haven't received your new card yet.
Right.
And I haven't moved in 20 years, so I can't understand where it might be.
The conversation between Leroy and Paul may sound routine, but there are many things to consider.
So let's take a closer look.
How does Leroy start off?
Customer Care.
Leroy speaking.
How can I help you today?
Here, Leroy answers a call.
He identifies his department, Customer Care, and then identifies himself by saying, Leroy speaking.
Speaking, in this sense, is a shorter way of saying, this is Leroy speaking.
Then he asks the caller how he can help.
It's likely that the call was transferred to him from a receptionist or an automated system that gave the name of the company.
Answering the phone can be slightly different depending on whether the call is internal, from inside the office, or external, from the outside.
External calls are usually answered formally.
It's typical to identify the name of your company and department and give your name.
It's also common to add a question or a statement like, how can I help you?
Or, I'd be glad to assist you.
Let's hear some examples.
Thanks for calling Allied Bank.
My name is Maggie and I'm happy to assist you today.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
This is Frank.
How can I help you?
Customer service.
Manesh speaking.
Hello.
I'm Jenny and I'll be helping you with your inquiry today.
When answering internal calls, you can usually be informal.
Most of the time the caller is another employee or someone else familiar to you.
Collections, Bob speaking.
Admissions office, Sandra.
Hi, Tony speaking.
Hello, tech support, Barbara here.
Let's hear what happens next.
Yes, my credit card's about to expire and I haven't received my new one yet.
OK, I can help you with that.
Could I get your name, please, sir?
Paul Jensen.
Paul Jensen.
Is that spelled S-O-N?
No, it's S-E-N.
OK, got that.
And for security purposes, could you please verify your bank ID number?
Paul tells Leroy that his credit card is about to expire.
Once a certain date, called an expiration date, has passed, the card will no longer be valid and he won't be able to use it.
He's concerned because his replacement card hasn't arrived in the mail yet.
Leroy says he can help, then asks for his name.
Notice how he phrases his question.
Could I get your name, please?
Using the word could makes the request less direct, which is considered more polite.
When Paul gives his last name, Jensen, Leroy realises that it could have more than one spelling.
So he asks, Is that spelled S-O-N? to clarify or make sure he has it right.
This is important, since Paul's name actually ends in S-E-N.
Leroy further verifies Paul's identity when he asks for his bank ID number for security purposes.
This is how the bank protects its customers.
Someone else could call and pretend to be Paul.
So having a bank ID number gives Paul extra security.
There are a number of ways to verify a caller's name and identification.
Companies often ask for very specific pieces of information, such as an address, date of birth or mobile phone number, as in these examples.
Could I just get the name of your company?
Then I can pull up your account information.
How do you spell that please?
For security purposes, what is your mobile phone number?
Can I verify your date of birth?
Is that one L in Michelle or two?
Just one quick vocabulary note.
When we are pulling up a customer's account information, we're just accessing it on the computer.
Next, we'll hear how Leroy confirms Paul's bank ID number.
492.
Okay, 492.
Uh-huh.
685.
685.
Uh-huh.
636.
636.
Okay, so that's 492, 685, 636.
Yep, that's right.
Paul gives his bank ID number and Leroy repeats it back to him in small chunks, using the word OK, to show that he's listening.
Paul says, uh-huh, to indicate that the repeated information is correct.
At the end of this exchange, he repeats the entire number back and uses a questioning tone, prompting Paul to say Yep, that's right.
Yep is an informal way of saying yes.
It's important for Leroy to confirm this information.
If he mishears a number, Paul can correct him immediately, saving everyone trouble later on.
Repeating information back to a caller is one way to confirm what someone has said, but it's not the only one.
Let's practice some other ways to do this.
Okay, so that's spelled T-A-K-A-H-A-S-H-I.
Let me make sure I have that right.
I'd like to read that back to you.
Just to confirm, you said the transaction date was March 30.
Is that correct?
Let me just make sure I've got your name right.
In that set of examples you heard the word transaction.
A transaction is a business agreement or exchange.
For example, if you charge something on your credit card, it will appear on your statement as a transaction.
You made a credit card payment in exchange for a product or service.
Now that Leroy has verified Paul's information, they can start discussing his inquiry.
Great.
Let's see.
Your current card expires at the end of May and you haven't received your new card yet.
Leroy clarifies Paul's inquiry by restating it.
Notice that he doesn't repeat back exactly what Paul said at the beginning of the call.
In fact, he adds information that he learned after pulling up his records.
His current card expires at the end of May.
Instead, he rephrases so that Paul can confirm his understanding.
Clarifying in this way brings the conversation to the main issue.
Let's hear some other language we can use to clarify an inquiry by restating it.
I see.
So you ordered a replacement last week but it hasn't arrived.
Let me check on that.
Yes, I can help you report your stolen card.
There's a problem with your invoice?
Let me check our records.
Okay, I'll take care of that stop payment for you.
I think I've got you now.
The issue is not the delivery date, but that the orders need to go to different locations.
Here's a couple of vocabulary notes from that last set of examples.
A stop payment happens when a bank stops processing a payment before a cheque has been cashed.
And I've got you can mean I understand what you're saying.
Now let's practice some of the language we've covered today.
First we'll practice language that can be used to clarify an inquiry by restating.
You'll hear a caller explain a situation.
Then you'll hear a prompt.
Use the language in the prompt to respond to the caller.
For example, if you hear... I'm pretty sure I ordered it last week.
It should have been here by now.
Ordered a replacement.
You can say, I see.
So you ordered a replacement last week, but it hasn't arrived?
Let me check on that.
We'll play an example answer after each one.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a go.
Situation My credit card is lost.
I can't find it anywhere.
Help report lost card.
Example answer.
OK, I can help you report your lost card.
Situation.
I think there's an error on my invoice.
Example Answer.
So you think there's an error on your invoice?
Let me check our records.
Situation.
I ordered six cartons, but I only got three.
Ordered six cartons.
Got three.
Check on.
Example answer.
I see.
So you ordered six cartons, but only got three.
I'll check on that for you.
Situation.
I need to stop payment on a cheque, please.
Take care.
Stop payment.
Example answer.
OK.
I'll take care of that stop payment for you.
Now let's practice ways to verify and confirm information.
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... You can say...
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Can I just... Your name and address?
Answer.
Can I just verify your name and address?
My card is about to... So I want to order a new one.
Answer.
My card is about to expire, so I want to order a new one.
Do you know the date of the last on your bank statement?
Answer.
Do you know the date of the last transaction on your bank statement?
For security, I need to verify your date of birth.
Answer For security purposes, I need to verify your date of birth.
We've reached the end of this episode, the first of a two part series on handling telephone inquiries.
We've discussed how to answer a call and identify yourself, and how to verify the name and identification of a caller.
We've also looked at language to confirm what was said and clarify an inquiry by restating it.
Be sure to listen next week when we'll hear more of Leroy and Paul's conversation.
Thanks for listening and see you next time.
