You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on complaining and getting results over the phone.
Few people actually like to complain, but sometimes you just have to.
There's an old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, which means that if you don't complain, you won't actually get anything resolved.
So if you pay for a product or service and you're not satisfied, it's usually best to let the company know.
We can complain by email, but email isn't always powerful enough.
We need to use our voice to convey our ideas, emotions, and seriousness.
We can complain in person, but that's not always possible.
So in many situations, we need to complain over the phone.
But that's not an easy thing to do successfully.
So today, we'll look at some techniques that you can use to get results over the phone.
In this lesson we'll cover rejecting a proposed solution, making threats and asking for guarantees.
We'll also learn about establishing consequences and showing appreciation for a solution.
In the dialogue, we'll rejoin Donna and Mike.
Donna works for Fuller Foods, which buys fruit from a company where Mike works as an account manager.
Donna has been complaining about late deliveries and damaged produce, and Mike is trying to make her happy by looking for solutions to the problem.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Donner think of Mike's idea to talk to people in his company about the problem?
2.
Why might Donner mention that she gets calls from sales reps from other companies?
3.
What does Donner propose in the event that deliveries arrive late?
Okay, well, as soon as I'm off the phone here, I'm going to talk to the guys on the floor.
In the warehouse, I mean.
And all the shipping clerks.
Drivers, too.
Because I know Alan's been good for you, but really this issue needs to be communicated throughout the whole chain.
Okay, Mike.
You can talk to everyone.
That's great.
But really, I'm not super confident that's going to do it here.
And isn't that what you did last time we talked?
I really thought things were going to be different.
Yes, well, we've had some turnover, and it doesn't hurt to hear it again.
But yes, let's figure out something better here.
Yeah, let's.
Because, you know, I get calls from other reps hoping for our business.
Right.
Okay, Donna, so let me just think here for a second.
There's been talk of changing up the delivery schedule and routes, and what I could do is push for that and get to your place at an earlier time.
Probably same route, but morning rather than later in the day.
I'm guessing that's part of it, right?
Yes.
Late in the day is not working for us at all.
Okay, so let's make that happen for you.
Great.
So you can guarantee that we'll have our deliveries on time?
I mean, we can't do this again.
Yeah, well, I'll do everything in my power for you, Donna.
I'm on this.
I need you to trust me here.
Doing my best, Mike.
So, let's talk assurances.
I'm thinking a 15% discount on any late produce.
15%?
Hmm.
And same-day replacement for anything that comes in damaged.
Right.
Okay, so here's what I can do.
I'm pretty sure I can swing 10%, but not 15%.
Glenn would kill me for that.
And yes, I'll personally guarantee the same-day replacement thing.
Morning delivery, 10%, and same-day replacement.
I can live with that.
And thanks, Mike.
I'm really glad we could work something out here.
For sure, Donna.
We want you to be happy.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Donna uses during her call.
Remember in our last lesson, Donner explained the problem of late deliveries and damaged produce.
Now Mike begins by offering a solution to the problem.
Okay, well, as soon as I'm off the phone here, I'm going to talk to the guys on the floor.
In the warehouse, I mean.
And all the shipping clerks.
Drivers, too.
Because I know Alan's been good for you, but really this issue needs to be communicated throughout the whole chain.
Okay, Mike.
You can talk to everyone.
That's great.
But really, I'm not super confident that's going to do it here.
And isn't that what you did last time we talked?
I really thought things were going to be different.
Mike's solution is to talk to people in his company like drivers and shipping clerks who organize deliveries.
But is this solution good enough for Donna?
Not really.
Her response begins on a positive note with, okay, Mike.
Donna then says, it's great that Mike talks to everyone.
However, she follows this with a but statement.
She says that this solution is not going to do it, which just means that it's not sufficient or not enough.
In other words, she's rejecting Mike's solution.
She even emphasizes that talking to his staff was exactly what was supposed to be done before.
Often when we complain over the phone, the first solution we are given isn't good enough.
To get a better solution, we need to reject this first one.
Let's practice some more ways to reject solutions.
Thanks, but priority shipping is not really what we need.
Reprinting the brochures by next week is just not good enough.
Now, let's continue, as Donna gets even more serious about the problem.
Yes, well, we've had some turnover, and it doesn't hurt to hear it again.
But yes, let's figure out something better here.
Yeah, let's.
Because, you know, I get calls from other reps hoping for our business.
Mike seems to understand that just talking to his people isn't good enough and he agrees that they need to figure out another solution.
Still, he hasn't suggested what something better might be.
Donna agrees that they need a solution and adds that she gets calls from other companies hoping for business.
Why would she mention calls from other sales reps?
Why would this be important?
Well, Donner is actually making a threat here.
She's suggesting that if Mike can't fix the problem, she might find a different supplier.
Making a threat like this can help to get a better solution in the end.
Let's try some more ways of making threats when complaining.
Maybe this whole arrangement just isn't going to work out.
We might just have to cancel the order and get this done somewhere else.
As far as I know, these problems don't happen much with your competition.
I'm ready and willing to pull the plug on this project if that's what is best.
Now let's listen to Mike's response to Donna's threat.
Right.
Okay, Donna.
So let me just think here for a second.
There's been talk of changing up the delivery schedule and routes.
And what I could do is push for that and get to your place at an earlier time.
Probably same route, but morning rather than later in the day.
I'm guessing that's part of it, right?
Yes.
Late in the day is not working for us at all.
It sounds like Donna's threat helped her case.
Mike thinks harder about the situation before saying he'll push for, or try hard to get, a change to the delivery schedule.
And he sounds more concerned about Donna's situation when he says I'm guessing that's part of it, right?
So Donna is having some success with her approach.
Let's hear what happens next.
Great.
So you can guarantee that we'll have our deliveries on time?
I mean, we can't do this again.
Mike has said he'll change the delivery schedule, but he has promised solutions in the past, so Donna is still not quite satisfied.
She uses a statement with a questioning intonation to confirm that Mike can guarantee the deliveries are on time.
Sometimes when we complain, we are told that the situation will improve.
But we want more than just words.
We want guarantees.
Let's run through some more ways to ask for guarantees.
I need you to promise me that we'll have those parts tomorrow.
So, you can guarantee that you'll have the servers back up within the hour?
I need some assurances here that there will be no more mistakes.
Could you send me an email stating you personally guarantee same-day service?
Now, let's get back to the dialogue.
Yeah, well, I'll do everything in my power for you, Donna.
I'm on this.
I need you to trust me here.
Doing my best, Mike.
So, let's talk assurances.
I'm thinking a 15% discount on any late produce.
In response to Donna's asking for guarantees, Mike tries to be very reassuring.
He says he'll do everything in his power or everything he can, and he says Donna needs to trust him.
Donna has an idea of how she can trust Mike.
She says, let's talk assurances.
Let's talk is a way of starting a discussion.
And assurances in this case is like guarantees, but not just verbal guarantees.
Donna wants real consequences and she uses the expression I'm thinking to propose the idea of a 15 discount on late deliveries.
What are some other ways we can establish consequences when we complain on the phone?
Let's practice a few more ways.
So can we say that if there's any more service interruptions, we get a month of free service?
I'd really like to see our invoice adjusted if there are any more problems.
If that leak isn't repaired by the end of the day, I'm not really willing to pay full price.
Are you willing to throw in a few extra boxes of paper if I don't see that delivery by 4 p.m.?
Let's listen as Mike and Donna continue to negotiate a solution.
Fifteen percent?
Hmm.
And same-day replacement for anything that comes in damaged.
Right.
Okay, so here's what I can do.
I'm pretty sure I can swing 10%, but not 15%.
Glenn would kill me for that.
And yes, I'll personally guarantee the same-day replacement thing.
While Mike is thinking about the 15 idea, Donna adds that she wants same-day replacement for damaged produce.
Mike finally responds with a counter-proposal. which he introduces with, here's what I can do.
Mike's solution is a 10% discount on late deliveries and same day replacement.
That certainly sounds a lot better than just a promise to talk to the delivery people, which was Mike's original solution.
Donna has succeeded in complaining effectively and negotiating a good solution.
The only thing left for her to do is show appreciation.
Let's listen to how she does that.
Morning delivery, 10% and same day replacement.
I can live with that.
And thanks, Mike.
I'm really glad we could work something out here.
Sometimes we need to complain about a product or service, but we can't forget that we need to maintain good relationships.
So when we get solutions and guarantees, we should be sure to thank people.
That's exactly what Donna does after she summarizes the terms of their agreement, which is another good idea at the end of the conversation.
Let's try some more ways of showing appreciation when you get a solution to your complaint.
I really appreciate this.
Thanks so much for working with us to figure it out.
I'm so glad that we could find a solution.
Thank you for understanding the situation and accommodating us.
It took Donna some time and some persistence, but it sounds like she's resolved the problem of late and damaged deliveries.
Now, let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
We're going to start with a role-play practice.
Imagine you are calling a cleaning company to complain about the poor work they've done in your office.
The person you're talking to has just suggested coming in to clean the office again.
You'll need to start by rejecting the proposed solution.
Then you'll threaten to go with another company.
Ask for guarantees and establish consequences.
Finally, you'll show appreciation for a solution.
At each step, you'll hear a prompt spoken by the person at the cleaning company.
Then, I'll give you some suggestions for the language you can use to respond.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and play an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
So why don't we just come in and clean it again?
Start by telling the person that cleaning it again is not good enough.
Example answer.
Well, I'm sorry, but just cleaning the office again doesn't solve the problem.
Oh, well, I'm not sure what we can do then.
Now, threaten to take your business to another company.
Example answer.
You know, there are lots of other cleaning companies we can use.
Okay, I'm really sorry about this, and it really won't happen again.
Now, ask for guarantees that you won't have the same problem.
Example Answer Can you guarantee me that we won't have this problem again?
Yes, I'll personally guarantee the quality of our work.
Now, say you're not willing to pay if the office isn't cleaned properly again.
Example answer.
So, if this happens again, I'm not prepared to pay for the service.
Okay, I understand.
We won't charge you if it's not done right.
Finish by thanking the person for a solution.
Example answer.
Well, thanks for figuring this out with us.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary and collocations we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer.
I can't make a 10 o'clock meeting, but I think I could swing 1 o'clock.
I need you to do everything in your... to get the report done by Friday.
Answer.
I need you to do everything in your power to get the report done by Friday.
They did the training already, but it doesn't... to do it again.
They did the training already, but it doesn't hurt to do it again.
Because we take good care of our employees, we have very low staff.
Because we take good care of our employees, we have very low staff turnover.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series about complaining over the telephone.
We've learned how to reject a solution, make threats, and ask for guarantees.
We've also learned how to establish consequences and show appreciation for a good solution.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
