A phone call from a customer

Listen to the phone call from a customer to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

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Transcript

Junko: Hello, Junko Mori speaking. How can I help you?

Andrea: Hi, Junko, it's Andrea here from Red Band. I'm calling about our latest order.

Junko: Everything arrived OK, right? We got the delivery confirmation at our end.

Andrea: Yes, everything's fine with the order. I'm calling about the invoice and the payment terms. I need a favour.

Junko: A favour? What do you need?

Andrea: This is a little, er ... difficult, but I need an extension on the payment terms. I know they're usually 30 days, but we're having some cash flow problems. You'd really be helping us out if you could extend it to 60 days.

Junko: I'm not sure if I can do that, Andrea. We've got regulations at our end, and also have to manage our own cash flow.

Andrea: I promise this won't become the norm, Junko. Actually, I also want to place another new order. The same size order as last time. It's for an important customer and they pay on delivery.

Junko: I see. So your cash flow problem will be solved after this new order is delivered.

Andrea: Exactly.

Junko: That sounds good. Hold on, Andrea. Let me see what I can do. Yes, I think we can make an exception this time.

Andrea: That's great, Junko. I appreciate your help.

Junko: And we appreciate your business, Andrea. It works both ways.

Andrea: Thanks again, Junko. Can you send me a quick email confirmation of the payment terms extension?

Junko: Sure, no problem. We're happy to help you.

Andrea: Great. And I'll email you the new order.

Junko: Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it. Talk to you soon.

Andrea: You too. Goodbye.

Task 1

Exercise

Task 2

Exercise

Discussion

Do you ever do favours or make exceptions for important clients?

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Language level

B1 Intermediate

I am an evaluation manager, so different evaluation consulting firms and independent consultants submit to me their products under certain contracts. Just a few of them have requested some exceptions in terms of new dates to present the expected deliverables. Most of the time, considering the timely submissio of previous deliverables and the need to get quality products, I have accepted their requests.

I think the rules is makes for help us, but sometimes the rules can interfere, so, in this cases we can do one exeption. For me is reallly importan be flexible and act with intelligence and common sense in this way we can modify the rules in some specific cases.

If I am a supplier, I would make favor to my strategic clients. I will do my best to get their loyalty by giving them exceptions in price, payment terms and what they need without cause harm to the organisation.

I think you have to allow the extension , only for customers that you know well. Your loyalty customer, you have to be sure that they will pay you and don't make trouble in your cash flow.

Yes, I extended a terminal payments to my friend for a year...

I don't have a my activity and I don't manage customer directly. Anyway I think that it is useful helping customers if you can do it. In fact if you dont help the customer he could have serious issues and this situation could compromise his future business also with you.

Well, I can't really answer the question because I don't have a company and I'm not a supplier. I just can imagine what I would do or not. I think it depends on the amount of the order. Maybe I could make en exception if the order is not very big and expensive. It also depends on the costumer, I mean... if he's a reliable one, why not ! We have to trust more the people, even if sometimes that's not easy !

of course, but with consideration for other customers without damaging them

I do not have a company as well. But, in my point of view it is very important to do favours or make exceptions for important and not important clients, but these attitudes shoud not be recurrent. Good luck to everyone and be safe.

I have learned some new words as a supplier but apart from that it has been very easy to understand since I have understood everything and it has not been a very long audio as it has not been very heavy.