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 Tim, and in today's lesson, we're going to learn how to ask for help on the telephone.
Asking someone for help with a problem is hard enough to begin with, but on the telephone it can be even more difficult.
You can't see the other person and how they are reacting, and they can't see you.
You can't rely on a smile and friendly body language.
So, how can you get the help you need?
Well, don't worry.
In this lesson, we'll look at some simple steps to making an effective call.
If we're talking to someone we know, it might start with a bit of friendly small talk about things like sports or the weather.
That helps make people feel relaxed and positive, which is important if you want to talk about a problem.
After you've created a relaxed atmosphere, you can introduce the problem.
You don't want to just blurt out, I have a problem, please help me.
You need to do it gently or carefully.
At this point, the other person may ask some questions to clarify the situation.
If they're going to help you, they'll need a clear idea of what you need.
Next, you can suggest a solution or explain how the other person can help.
Again, you don't want to just tell the person directly what they should do.
You need to be friendly and polite so that the other person actually wants to help you.
And hopefully the result of all this is that you have some agreement about what will happen next and who will do what.
It's a great idea to summarize this agreement near the end of the call, just so both of you are perfectly clear.
So, that sounds like a pretty good way to ask for help, doesn't it?
We'll hear all of these steps in today's dialogue between Eric and Brenda.
Brenda works for a manufacturing company that buys parts from Eric's company.
She is calling because there is an important part that hasn't been delivered.
But Brenda doesn't just want to complain about her problem.
She needs to get Eric to agree to help her.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
After introducing themselves, what do Eric and Brenda talk about first?
2.
What solution does Brenda suggest for her problem?
3.
What does Eric say he will do for Brenda to help solve her problem?
Eric Martin, BBD Industries.
Yes, Eric, this is Brenda.
Brenda Mills from Clarendon Steel.
We met at the EU Manufacturers Convention last year.
Do you remember our meeting at the pub after the convention was finished?
Brenda Mills.
Brenda Mills.
Oh, yes, of course.
Of course.
We had a great conversation.
Did you ever get to the World Cup like you planned?
No, unfortunately I couldn't go.
I had a sudden business trip that lasted the whole month.
Well, I hope you were able to watch it on TV.
I sure did, but none of the TV stations had the games in English, but that's life.
Anyway, I'm calling to ask for a bit of a favor.
I hope you don't mind.
Sure, no problem.
What can I do for you?
Well, I've got a bit of a problem right now with one of our development projects.
This project is on somewhat of a tight schedule and we're having delivery problems with one particular set of bearings.
Okay.
And are these parts coming from us?
Yes, indeed.
We did receive some of the bearings according to the promised delivery schedule, and they work fine.
No problem with the parts themselves.
But we haven't received any parts for the last three weeks.
Well, did you have a chance to talk with our shipping department?
Perhaps there are some shipping delays.
Oh, there's no problem with shipping.
I talked to the sales department and they told us all shipments are on time.
It seems though, that there's a shortage of these parts and that the larger customers are receiving all available parts.
And so I thought perhaps I could give you a call and you might be able to give us a bit of help.
You know, maybe shifting some of these parts deliveries our way?
At least for a few weeks.
Yeah, I see the problem.
That is a tough one.
All of our customers have been ordering that particular part.
It seems that every manufacturer uses it.
I really don't know what the production schedule is for those and who is in line for deliveries.
But, tell you what I'll do, Brenda.
I'll go talk to the production and sales people and find out if I might be able to send a few more to you.
Would that help?
Every additional part helps.
We appreciate anything you can do for us.
Well then, I'll see what I can do and get back to you before the weekend.
How's that?
Many thanks, Eric.
That'd be great.
Call me any time at my office or on my mobile phone.
Will do.
Take care.
Bye now.
You too.
Ciao.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look more closely at the language and vocabulary that Eric and Brenda used in their conversation.
And we'll see how Brenda gets help with her problem by following the right steps.
As we go through the lesson, we'll also give you some more examples to practice.
Remember, Brenda is calling Eric.
So we begin with Eric answering the phone.
Eric Martin, BBD Industries.
Yes, Eric, this is Brenda.
Brenda Mills from Clarendon Steel.
We met at the EU Manufacturers Convention last year.
Do you remember our meeting at the pub after the convention was finished?
Brenda shows us that the first thing to do when you call someone is to identify yourself.
That means giving your name and your company.
And notice that when we give our name on the phone, we say, this is, not I am.
Now, if we've actually met the person before, we should mention it so we can continue to build a relationship rather than starting from nothing.
This is what Brenda is doing when she reminds Eric of when and where they met previously.
She hopes that he will remember her, and this will improve her chances of getting help.
Let's practice some more ways of introducing yourself and reminding someone that you've met before.
I want you to repeat what you hear to practice the expressions.
Are you ready?
Hello, this is John from Vancouver.
We met last week at the museum.
Hi, this is Janice.
You may not remember me, but we talked last month about furniture.
Hello, this is Frank Smith from Ace Investments.
You called me last week about bonds.
Okay, now what if we haven't met the other person before?
In that case we usually give the purpose of our call right away, so the other person knows why we're calling.
If we're not talking to the right person for our problem, we want to find out immediately.
So, let's try a couple of ways of introducing yourself and stating the purpose of your call.
Ready?
Hello, this is James from Dura Plastics, and I'm calling about a recent bill.
Hi, my name is Angela, and the receptionist told me you handle travel accounts.
Great work.
So, does Eric remember Brenda?
Let's get back to the dialogue and find out.
Brenda Mills.
Brenda Mills.
Oh, yes, of course, of course.
We had a great conversation.
Did you ever get to the World Cup like you planned?
No, unfortunately, I couldn't go.
I had a sudden business trip that lasted the whole month.
Well, I hope you were able to watch it on TV.
By reminding Eric of their previous meeting, Brenda has set a friendly tone to the conversation.
Of course, Brenda's not really calling to talk about the World Cup, but they are making small talk.
Small talk is conversation about small or not-so-important topics.
In English, we like to make small talk before discussing business, because it helps build a good relationship.
And if someone asks you about sports or the weather, you need to show interest.
If you ignore small talk, you will probably sound too direct or unfriendly.
Let's try a few more examples of making small talk with topics like the weather, sports, and travel.
You'll notice that we can ask a question or we can make a comment about something we know the other person is interested in.
How's the weather over there?
I see that your football team is doing pretty well this month.
How is your travel schedule?
Where have you been this last week?
Now, Eric asked Brenda if she had watched the World Cup on TV.
Let's listen to her answer and then hear how she starts talking about the real reason she called.
I sure did, but none of the TV stations had the games in English, but that's life.
Anyway, I'm calling to ask for a bit of a favor.
I hope you don't mind.
Sure, no problem.
What can I do for you?
Notice that Brenda doesn't just answer yes.
That's not good small talk.
She gives a bit of explanation before using the word.
Anyway, to change the conversation to a new topic.
Brenda wants to start talking about her problem, but does she say exactly what it is?
Well, not yet.
Instead she says that she needs a favor or a bit of help and she very politely says she hopes Eric doesn't mind or isn't bothered by her request.
So it might sound strange, but it's like asking for permission to ask for help before you actually ask for help.
This is one way to make the other person more open to your request.
At this point, it's not clear what kind of problem Brenda has, so Eric wants to find out.
He does this by asking open questions, which are sometimes called WH, questions such as who what where, when and why.
The opposite is a closed question, also known as a yes-no question.
You can answer a closed question with the simple yes or no.
But open questions are a great way to get information and clarify a problem.
Now, let's practice some more open questions for gathering information about a problem.
Once again, you can repeat what you hear.
What's the critical stage in your production process?
Why do you have to have all the parts before you begin the first stage?
Great.
Now let's listen to how Brenda introduces her problem.
Well, I've got a bit of a problem right now with one of our development projects.
This project is on somewhat of a tight schedule and we're having delivery problems with one particular set of bearings.
Remember.
Brenda needs some help, right?
So she wants to be nice and polite, and that means introducing her problem gently or carefully.
To do that, she uses words that make the problem seem smaller or less serious than it might really be.
She says that she has a little bit of a problem and she explains that the project is on somewhat of a tight schedule.
These kinds of words help to soften her request for help.
Let's practice using these kinds of softening words to introduce a problem gently.
I need a little help on this issue.
I wondered if you could give me some assistance on a certain matter.
I thought I could get a bit of advice from you on a slight problem.
Let's get back to the dialogue.
Eric is going to ask some closed questions now to understand the problem more specifically.
Okay.
And are these parts coming from us?
Yes, indeed.
We did receive some of the bearings according to the promised delivery schedule.
And they work fine.
No problem with the parts themselves.
But we haven't received any parts for the last three weeks.
First, Eric wants to confirm that the parts are from his company.
Brenda could just answer, yes, but she takes the chance to make the exact problem more clear.
This will help Eric focus on the right solution.
Now let's continue as Eric tries to identify the source of the problem.
Well, did you have a chance to talk with our shipping department?
Perhaps there are some shipping delays.
Oh, there's no problem with shipping.
I talked to the sales department and they told us all shipments are on time.
It seems though, that there's a shortage of these parts and that the larger customers are receiving all available parts.
Eric wonders if there are shipping delays, which means that the delivery of the parts might just be late.
But Brenda has already looked into that possibility with the sales department.
In fact, Brenda knows exactly what the problem is, but she still doesn't say it too directly.
Instead, she says that it seems that there's a shortage or not enough of the parts for all the customers.
Why do we say something seems to be true when we know that it's really true?
It's just a way of gently talking about problems.
Okay, now Brenda has explained the situation completely and politely.
So she wants to get to a solution.
How does she do this?
And so I thought perhaps I could give you a call and you might be able to give us a bit of help.
You know, maybe shifting some of these parts deliveries our way, at least for a few weeks.
Once again, Brenda is carefully choosing her words.
She makes her suggestions softer with words like perhaps, maybe, could, and might.
These words are about the possibility of something happening.
Instead of demanding a solution directly, which can be rude, we suggest the possibility of a solution which is polite.
What are some other ways we can make polite suggestions?
Let's try a few more.
And remember that we often use words of possibility.
Ready?
Is it possible to move the meeting to Monday?
Why don't we ship the parts by air to make up for lost time?
Maybe you could reduce the price on the second order if we increase the quantity?
Perhaps we could ask the designers to send us another layout?
So how does Eric respond to Brenda's suggestion?
Let's listen.
Yeah, I see the problem.
That is a tough one.
All of our customers have been ordering that particular part.
It seems that every manufacturer uses it.
I really don't know what the production schedule is for those and who is in line for deliveries.
But tell you what I'll do, Brenda.
I'll go talk to the production and sales people and find out if I might be able to send a few more to you.
Would that help?
Eric certainly seems understanding.
He agrees that Brenda's problem is tough or difficult and he explains that he's not sure what the production schedule is.
Still, he wants to help Brenda, so he summarizes what he will do.
The key word there is will.
When we summarize what we have just decided to do, we usually use the word will for the future.
But did you hear Eric say, I will?
No, he said, I'll, which is a contraction of I will.
How about trying some more ways of summarizing agreement using will?
You can practice the contractions aisle, yule, and wheel.
Let's begin.
Okay, I'll finish those reports and send them to you tomorrow.
So, I'll pay for lunch and you'll pay for the tickets, okay?
Alright then, good.
We'll both sign the contract on Wednesday afternoon.
Great work.
Let's get back to the dialogue.
Brenda and Eric are almost done.
Every additional part helps.
We appreciate anything you can do for us.
Well then, I'll see what I can do and get back to you before the weekend.
How's that?
Many thanks, Eric.
That'd be great.
Call me anytime at my office or on my mobile phone.
Brenda has asked for a favor and Eric has agreed to help her, so it's important that she says thanks.
She does this in a couple of ways, saying she appreciates what he can do, and also many thanks.
Notice, too, that she asks him to call her anytime if he needs to.
Now, there's just one thing left to do, and that's saying goodbye.
Will do.
Take care.
Bye now.
You too.
Ciao.
In English, there are lots of different ways of saying goodbye.
In fact, Brenda even says goodbye in another language, using the Italian word ciao.
Sometimes this is a friendly way to end a conversation.
How about trying some more common ways to say goodbye?
Are you ready to repeat what you hear?
Goodbye.
Talk to you later.
Bye now.
Take care.
Good talking with you.
Cheers.
Great.
Brenda has asked Eric for some help with a problem, and he's agreed to help her.
Brenda didn't just complain and demand a solution.
Instead, she took a friendly approach, made some small talk and gently explained her situation and asked for help.
Now, let's practice some of the language we just learned with a short role play.
Imagine that you have some problems with your internet connection.
You need to call someone at the internet provider to ask for some help.
You will hear a statement from an agent at the internet company.
Then I will suggest how you can respond.
Use my suggestion to answer the question.
I'll guide you through each step of the practice and will provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Hello, this is Jane at StarTel.
How can I help you today?
Start by introducing yourself as Kelly and say you're calling about internet service.
Answer.
Hello, my name is Kelly and I'm calling about our internet service.
Hello, Callie.
I'll be glad to help you.
Could you tell me what the issue is?
Now, tell Jane that you are having a few problems with your internet connection.
Answer.
Yes, well, we seem to be having a little problem with our internet connection.
Okay.
Sorry to hear that.
We can try to get a technician out to you in the next few days.
Now suggest that it would be better if they send a technician in the afternoon.
Answer.
I see.
I think it would be better if you could send a technician out this afternoon.
Okay, let me see.
I think I can schedule Brad to come out at 1 p.m.
Now agree and summarize what will happen.
Answer.
Okay, so we will have a technician here at 1 p.m., right?
Yes, we'll get your problem fixed right away.
Now, thank the person and say goodbye.
Answer Okay, thank you.
Bye now.
To finish off, let's practice some of the vocabulary and expressions 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... The shipment went out late, so there will be a... on your delivery.
You can say, After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
We need to work over the weekend because the project has a tight schedule.
Answer.
We need to work over the weekend because the project has a tight schedule.
I hope you don't... if we change the meeting time to three.
Answer.
I hope you don't mind if we change the meeting time to three.
I was wondering if you could do a small for me.
Answer.
I was wondering if you could do a small favor for me.
I will talk to my boss and get to you by email tomorrow.
I will talk to my boss and get back to you by email tomorrow.
That's all for this lesson about asking for a favor on the telephone.
We've learned how to introduce ourselves, make small talk and how to ask open questions to clarify the problem.
We've also looked at how to gently introduce a problem, suggest a solution, and summarize agreement.
And finally, we've practiced different ways of saying goodbye.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
