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Please contact Susen Gench at sgench@onlinetutorforenglish.com for questions and comments.
In most cases, customers have good reasons for their problems. When face-to-face, the Customer Service Rep has more advantage of using body language. On the telephone, the Customer Service Rep needs to have a pleasant voice besides excellent listening and speaking skills. Role play with somebody using the conversation below. Read Recommendations
Customer: I have received the same statement with 50 dollars overcharge again. I called up twice last month for the same problem.
Customer Rep: Good morning, Madam. This is Ray. I understand you are having a problem. But I need your name first. What's your name please?
Customer: All they do is ask for name. Of course, I will give my name. But I also need your name. What's your name?
Customer Rep: My name is Ray.
Customer: You don't sound American. That's an American name.
Customer Rep: Ray is my business name, Madam. I need your name in order to help you.
Customer: Ok!. My name is Sera Dolores. I am calling from Chicago.
Customer Rep: Thank you Ms. Dolores. Give me one minute, I'll pull up your account.
Customer. I hope you will not make me hang on here for ages.
Customer Rep: No, I will not. Here is you account information. I see here a 50-dollar charge for late payment on the last two bills. You paid two bills together, Ms. Dolores. But they were paid late last month.
Customer: What'd you mean I paid them late? I paid them last month together.
Customer Rep. Exactly so. You paid one bill one-month late and the other toward the end of the month instead of before the second week. We've charged 50 dollars instead of only 25 dollars because we received your payment late. We received your payment after the late charge was already imposed on your account.
Customer: How come? I always pay my bills by the end of the month. I never get late payment charge?
Customer Rep: Ms. Dolores, you didn't pay your June bill until the the third week of July. And you made two payments on August 22 for 670 dollars.
If the customer is right, apologize for the problem and tell the customer your company will compensate for the problem. If you are sure of the solution and authorized to take immediate action, take action.
Customer: This is ridiculous! No one called me.
Customer Rep: I'm sorry that you have paid late charges, Ms. Dolores. But, I can ...
Customer: All you can do is to apologize. I have paid my bills!.
Customer Rep: If you let me finish, Ms. Dolores, I will be able to help you. Ok?
Customer: Ok. Go ahead.
Customer Rep: I will remove one late-charge for 25 dollars because you paid the second bill within the month although it was one week late.
Customer: Well. What can I say? It's better than nothing.
Customer Rep:. You will receive a credit for 25 dollars in your next statement in September. Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Dolores?
Customer: No. Thank you.
Customer. You well come, Ms. Dolores. Thank you for calling HSBC. Have a good day.
handle: verb. to attend a situation. Example: You handle customers effectively. You handle problems with anger.
face-to-face: adverb and adjective. in person. It is used for the idea of having a physical contact, but not online. Face-to-face communication may have one advantage over telephone or online communication. You see the person, facial and body language, hear his/her voice
in most cases: adverb. most of the time
role play: idiomatic verb. act, play a role
overcharge: noun. billing customers more than services or products they buy
statement: noun. in this conversation, a bank document customers receive every months, It lists all the transactions of customer's accounts
sound: to voice. If some one sounds nice, that means, the way a person speaks is nice. If someone sounds angry, that means the way that persons speak sounds angry. If someone sounds anxious, the way the person speaks sounds anxious.
business name:n a name other than a person's real name. It's common practice to use a business name in formal communication
better than nothing: phrase. It means this: having something is better than having nothing at all.
hang on: idiomatic verb. to continue to stay in a situation. Example: Hang on. I'll be right with you means this: wait for me to return. I will return shortly.
Never argue with the customer.
Be calm.
Be professional.
Listen carefully.
Do not try to prove the customer is wrong and you are right.
If the customer is angry and interrupts you when talking, remind the customer politely you need to finish.
Do not lecture the customer over how wonderful your company is, instead be empathetic. Express your empathy.
Offer solutions if you have any. If you don't have any solutions, offer what else you can do: transfer the call to your supervisor; offer a written immediate answer with a solution. For example, offer to send an email with the solution or call back.