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BEP 19 - Chasing Up Payment by Telephone
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As anyone working in business knows, getting people to pay their bills on time is not always easy. Often, other companies, suppliers and retailers don’t pay because of filing or communication errors—with thousands of bills, invoices, receipts and statements in a typical accountant’s office, this is no surprise. Other times, though, we have to deal with those who either are unwilling or unable to pay their bills on time. It’s very important, in all the situations above, that we maintain our professional language, even when dealing with impolite clients or customers.
The Situation
Peter Mann is a new collections agent at a coffee supply company. His first task is to chase up two overdue accounts and get a commitment from each shop to catch up with or settle their account balances as soon as possible.
Peter calls two customers, both of whom haven’t paid their bills. Peter’s aim is clear: get his customers to pay the amount owed as soon as possible. How does he do this? Pay close attention to the language that Peter uses: he is firm, but also professional. What words and phrases does he use in order to remain professional, but to communicate that he expects payment soon?
Let’s listen in as he calls each company.
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BEP 61: Telephoning - Handling Enquiries and Requests
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BEP 41: Placing, Changing and Canceling Orders
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A lot of people and businesses place their orders for products and services over the Internet these days, but many still prefer to do business over the phone. Speaking to someone personally gives a sense of security and peace of mind. And if you need to change or cancel an order, speaking directly to a representative of the company you’re ordering from gives confidence that they will carry out your instructions correctly.
In this podcast lesson, you’re going to listen to three telephone conversations: placing an order, changing an order, and canceling an order. As you can imagine, when business is done over the phone, it’s important that details are recorded accurately. This process involves a lot of checking, repeating and confirming. We use specific phrases in English for these functions, which you’ll hear throughout these dialogues.
SITUATION 1 (PLACING AN ORDER)
You’re now going to hear a telephone conversation between Sara, a customer service assistant at a retail firm, and Bob, a regular customer who has called to place a new order for clothing items.
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BEP 86: Telephone Communication Problems Part 2: An Unclear Message
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Introduction
We’ve become creatures of telephone habits. Having made and received thousands of telephone calls in our lifetimes, it is easy to assume that we have reasonable telephone skills. Most people do not even think there are any special challenges of telephone communication.
When all parts of the communications process work effectively together, telephone communication is clear and useful. Sometimes, however, even a well-practiced communication process can go wrong. Problems can occur in any of the following four parts of sending a message:
- Trouble sending: The sender doesn't speak clearly, speaks in a heavy accent or speaks too quickly. What happens to the message? Will it be received?
- Trouble with the message content: The message is confusing, disorganized or irrational. Is it likely that the receiver will understand what is being communicated?
- Trouble with the channel: There is background noise or a bad line. Will the message be transmitted effectively? Will it be received?
- Trouble with the receiver: The receiver is not listening closely, has fallen asleep or is distracted. Will the message be understood?
In this podcast lesson, we’re going to focus on trouble with the message content, that is, the message is unclear and needs clarifying.
Situation
You’re now going to listen to Beatrice from Sterling Associates answer a call from Bill Rock, a colleague working in an overseas office of the company.
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BEP 85: Telephone Communication Problems Part 1 - A Bad Line
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Introduction
We’ve become creatures of telephone habits. Having made and received thousands of telephone calls in our lifetimes, it is easy to assume that we have reasonable telephone skills. Most people do not even think there are any special challenges of telephone communication.
When all parts of the communications process work effectively together, telephone communication is clear and useful. Sometimes, however, even a well-practiced communication process can go wrong. Problems can occur in any of the following four parts of sending a message:
- Trouble sending: The sender doesn't speak clearly, speaks in a heavy accent or speaks too quickly. What happens to the message? Will it be received?
- Trouble with the message content: The message is confusing, disorganized or irrational. Is it likely that the receiver will understand what is being communicated?
- Trouble with the channel: There is background noise or a bad line. Will the message be transmitted effectively? Will it be received?
- Trouble with the receiver: The receiver is not listening closely, has fallen asleep or is distracted. Will the message be understood?
In this podcast lesson, we’re going to focus on trouble with the channel, where because of background noise or a temporary loss of signal, the message is sometimes lost or cannot be heard clearly.
Situation
You’re now going to listen to Beatrice, from Sterling Associates, take a call from a client, Dan Tomkins. Dan wants Beatrice to reschedule a meeting for him.
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BEP 68: Telephoning - Checking Back and Confirming
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Introduction
Talking on the telephone is a skill that you can develop by paying attention to the different things that you have to remember.
Many times, you need to take down details like names, addresses and telephone numbers. You should always repeat these details back to the caller and confirm with the caller that you have noted them correctly. This is especially important if you are speaking to someone for the first time.
You should take down their name and contact details very carefully and confirm all the details with the caller before ending the call.
Situation
Andy Wang has been asked by his boss, the Training Manager, to collect some information on language consultants offering in-company training courses. Andy then phones World Language Centre after seeing an advertisement in an English language learning magazine. Amy Nassar handles all phone enquiries for World Language Centre. It's very important that she notes down the details of each enquiry very carefully. She has developed several techniques to ensure that she notes down the correct information.
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