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.

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

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Discussion

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

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Worksheet81.85 KB

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Language level

B1 English level (intermediate)

I don't have any clients, but when I'm asked for help if I can, I always try to help.

Yes, we used to do favours to our clients especially for the important ones ,as we work all the time with them we have to deal with this kind of situations but at the same time we must manage not to cause losses for our firm.

Yes, I think that If you won’t have problems in your company you can help a customer.

We are in living in human society so most of people depand on others people ,it's quite normal someone asking a favor so we have to make sure we help right person and check what is the circumstances he has ,our small assistance can be provide him good condition.

In first, I have see what kind of favor, because I can not break company rules, and second, sometimes I do it if it is possible.

Bismillaah. I've never done an extension to a customer because I'm still a student. I usually give an extension or exception to my friends when we have to do something in a group.

Hello, If we want to succed in the marketing and improuve the cash flow of the company we must to do favours or make exceptions for important client.But in the public service company is not possible because all their customer are equals, all customer is important for us and the rules must be respected.

I work as a headnurse in an Italian hospital. Patients and collaborators often ask me for favors, but it is not Always possible make exception to the established rules. You must pay attention to the specific situation, you must also compare yourself with the hierarchical superiors. not Always doing a favors matches the patient's good. Furthermore, if you do a collaborator's favor , you must then do it to everyone else to be fair

Doing favors and helping is part of my way of living with others in everyday life. I saw 2 children waiting to be collected by their carer who was unusually late. As I had their parents phone number, I called their mother who was sick and unable to pick up her children. She had asked a nanny to collect them but didn't notice that the nanny texted her to say that her son had a car crash and had to rush to the hospital to be with him. I offered to take the children at home with me and look after them until their dad finishes work and come and pick them up.

I believe everyone has made a favour to someone. The world need more humbled people who are willing to helps. Everyone should help each other in those suffering situation because one day you will stand there begging someone typo help you out.

I think we should do favours at least some time in our life. Everyone is expected to face some unanticipated circumstances in life, so when we help other people out that is something very important. Indeed, we should be careful while doing a favor because some people are not honest. As result, this could bring about adverse effects in our life.

Sometimes you have to make excepcions for a trusted clientes.

Nice practice for ADV.

I worked many years as a teacher in the primary school. The last ten years I used to be the responsible. Collegues, children, assistents and parents had often special needs, they asked for a special help. First of all I used to listen to them very carefully, it was often enough. Sometimes I had to carry the responsability of what I considered more important than the normal rule. I was an unusual responsible because for me people were more important than bureaucracy, but sometimes this can be dangerous and morally corrupting.

No I don't because I'm at the high school but one day , when I'll work I would like to help people,especially because I dream to become an hostess because I love keeping in contact with people and I love travelling and turning all over the world.But I love being nice with people such as Junko was with Andrea so I think maybe one day I'll do a favour to someone...

Thanks all the staffs for helps. I wonder if the customer's pronunciation at this dialogue is british one or not. Thanks. Best regards.

Hello uncle choi, The customer's English is very good, but he is not a native speaker. He is probably from Italy as Andrea is a common male name in Italy and his accent also sounds Italian. ~ Peter The LearnEnglish Team

Yes I Agree. Sometimes when the customer and clients trust each other you can give a credit for payments.

yes, when I was at the courier service, I made sometimes exceptions for our regular clients, we didn't take signature on confirmation file if they were busy that time, then next time they signed it for us and previously one also.

At first, i made an exception several times in different aspects including invoice,payment,delivery and design then it became a norm and we change our business model to customization platform. We made a new regulation to solve our cash flow problem which benefit both sides.

Yes, when I worked in the company, I have ever made exception for important customers.

I do believe that exceptions in such transactions could be useful and could encourage lots of customers to deal with such supplier due to the flexibility in his delivery’s terms conditions which ensures exceptions like an extension on the payment terms for someone who bought already something from such supplier

Well, if it is an important client, you can make an exception for sure, however, you need first to check with your boss and verify if you are entitlement for approving such requests.

when I was a waitress of my part-time job. there was a guest asked me to keep how much he ate in my money then he will pay back later. there was really funny because he already paid for it while I was ordering his meal.

Is this a transport logistics?

I don't work with clients so I've never been in the situation which were necessary make an exemption.

No I have never done favours for clients or customers because I dont work with them directly.

Hi! I usually make exceptions with our most important clients and they are very grateful.

I didn't do exceptions for clients before in the term of payment unless my manager approved that. But I did my best to help them whatever they are VIP or regular clients.

Good exercice.

Thanks for this useful lesson.

Good

Yes. But depends whwn justify weel, we need to be flexible to help everyone

HI I am a social worker, also I do'nt make order,delivery and invoice... but if I worked in business I am sure that I would help the customers with extensions of payment because it is a way to foster loyalty customers , but I would do this ,only for the regular customer and if this don't become the norm. All the best marie 17

H! guys i hope you are doing well all of you wherever you are, after that i have not done any favor for a customer because am not worker for a company, but am still student I do deal with my classmates. great, I have a question about this, how can i answer the Task 2, I look forward hearing from your answer thanks.

Hello Hassan Kamiin Mire What you have to do is always move the words by clicking or pressing on the small white hands in the top right corner of the word boxes. Click or press on the hand to 'pick up' a word or box and then click or press on the small hand in any word or box that is already in a group to move it there. It sounds difficult but is quite easy once you see how it works. Please let us know if you have any more trouble with this, and sorry for the inconvenience! All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Yes, I did one last week. I work in small Hotel in the countryside of Bolulla. A cup of clients from Holand, they were old day out , when they came back ,she was exhausted because they precentered an accident and one person died in her arms, and although I had finished my work, I made for them sandwiches.

In my country, it is common to ask and to do favours and exceptions not only to important clients, but any client by being clients.

I am really interesting with this website because it very useful

yes, i will give him/her favor if he/she has already goodwill or he/she is my reliable customer

Hello there Yes I do. I always try to offer so many options for our customers .Actually its so necessary to keep our clients as permanent customers . CRM is so important in any marketing . clients should use any possible offers and discounts as well. we send to them happy birth day messages on their birthday . our customers have payment terms and i always make some exceptions for them like extension on the payment term and we sometimes get in touch with all the customers. All the best Mehrazin

would you please put an offline downloadable of transcript and tasks pdf file? I appreciate your help in advance.

Hello arradfar We are working on creating worksheets in PDF format. Sometime in the next few weeks you should be able to find one on this and all the other Skills pages. All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Yes when i was worked in pharmaceutical company we made extention for payment .to our customers

I think it's very important to talk our clients about terms of payment, but if the customer is very important to us, We can do exceptions for helping them, however, We must define the time that We will give them to pay.

Hello everyone I often make exceptions for clients i work with. For example, doing good discounts for permanent customers. By the way thats help me keep in touch with them.

sometime i do a favour for an important client

it is not easy to help but sometime it is possible

it is my first atempt so i do not have to write now

Yes, when costumer didn´t has money to pay invoice