It’s Interesting to Know

Take a look at one of the classifications of different work attitudes.

The Superfriendlies.

Superfriendlies try to get along with everyone and try to be nice at any costs. They do not make trouble and get very nervous when they see people arguing or fighting. They value relationship above all else and sacrifice achievement for harmony. Their motto is “Peace at any cost.”

The Tough Guys.

Tough guys (including women) enjoy a good fight and love to argue about problems and issues. They sacrifice a great deal to be a winner. They seldom regret sacrificing friendship for success. Their motto is “Winning isn’t the only thing. It’s everything.”

The Experts.

Experts set themselves up as authorities on any matter – technical, social or political. They seem to have all the answers and enjoy making suggestions. They are very happy to give advice on any problem and do not mind sharing their knowledge with their co-workers. Their motto is “Ask me anything. I’ll give you the answer.”

The Logical Problem Solvers.

Logical problem solvers concentrate on tasks rather than people. They don’t understand why some employees have problems with each other. Their motto is “There seems to be no logical basis for emotional conflict.”

The Pessimists.

Pessimists often expect the worst. They don’t believe in luck and try to prepare for negative results. Their motto is “It won’t work.”

The Polyannas.

Polyannas look at the world through rose-colored glasses. They smile a lot. They are sure that they will be happy and successful even if they don’t deserve to be. Their motto is “It’ll all work out. No problem.”

The Complainers.

Complainers enjoy griping. Nothing is ever good enough for them. In their opinion, all the bosses are too demanding and the company is trying to cheat everyone. They complain and complain. Their motto is “This place stinks.”

The Indecisive.

Indecisive people have a hard time making up their minds. They are so afraid of making a mistake that they will take forever to finish a project. Their motto is “You can’t be too careful.”

1)Match the words with their definitions.

1. tough guys

2. Polyanna

3. superfriendlies

4. indecisive

5. style

6. attitude

1. the way of behaving that is typical of that person

2. not being able to make up one’s mind

3. a person who will only see the positive aspects of a situation and refuses to admit that anything bad could happen

4. someone who pretends he has no weaknesses; someone who shouts at people and bosses

5. people who are more concerned about being well-liked by everyone than about getting their job done

6. the positive and negative responses you have to a particular situation

2)Discuss the following. Give your reasons.

1. Which style is the most effective in business? In everyday situations?

2. Which style is the most destructive in business? In everyday situations?

3. Which style do you like best?

4. Which style is common in your family?

5. Who would you like to work with (people of which style according to the given classification)?

6. Which style do you find the most difficult to work with?

7. What type of boss would you like to have?

8. What type of person would you refuse to work with?

9. What types of people would you like to have as your subordinates?

10. What types of employees would you fire?

Business Communication.

Dealing with Customers. Customer care. Handling complaints.

Exercise A. Read the article and complete the information about how to deal with customers on the phone.

Use the words given below to help you.

Hang up, discount, answer, lose your temper, agree on a solution, exchange, deal with, call back, put through, interrupt.

The Seven Steps to Customer Satisfaction.

1. Greet the Customer. When you 1)….. a call from a dissatisfied customer you need to greet him in a warm manner. Thank the customer for calling. Remember that when a customer calls to tell that something is wrong it is your opportunity to put it right.

2. Ask what the problem is. You need to find out why they are calling. Ask what the problem is and let them explain. You may not be able to 2)….. ….. the problem. Don’t say “I’m sorry, I can’t help”, instead explain to the customer that you cannot help them and ask for their telephone number so that somebody can 3)…..them …… Sometimes the customer may want to wait while you 4)….. them ….. to the correct department.

3. Listen carefully. Remember that the customer may say a lot. You need to listen and try not to 5)…… An angry customer may take a long time to explain what the problem is and so it is very important that you stay calm and that you don’t ….. ….. …… Take notes so that you are 100% clear about all the details.

4. Define the problem. Once the customer has finished explaining the problem, use your notes to check you understood the problem correctly.

5. Suggest a solution. Now that you know all the details of the problem you can suggest a solution. Don’t blame another department. Make an apology and suggest a solution. The customer may ask you to refund their money, they may ask for a 7) ….. on their next order or they may ask to 8) ….. the goods they bought for other items.

6. Confirm the solution. Once the customer 9) ….. ….. ….. ….. , confirm it. Make sure that the customer knows exactly what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.

7. End the conversation. Now that the customer is happy you can end the conversation. Thank the customer again for calling. It is a good idea to let the customer 10) ….. ….. first, as this gives them a final chance to add anything.

Exercise B. Listening. Tracks 1.25 – 1.27. Listen to three telephone conversations between customer service assistants and dissatisfied customers and answer the questions.

1. Why are each of the customers calling?

2. Which of the “seven steps” from the article do the customer service assistants forget when they answer the call?

Exercise C. Listening. Tracks 1.28 – 1.31.

Listen to the four customers complaining. What is each customer’s problem and what solution is suggested? Listen and complete the conversations.

Conversation 1.

1. I’m sorry ___ ___ Mr. Rossi.

2. I understand Mr. Rossi and ___ ___ ___ sorry.

3. Can we ___ ___ to help you with this?

Conversation 2.

4. That must ___ ___ ___.

Conversation 3.

5. I’ll look ___ ___straight away.

6. What ___ ___ ___is…

Conversation 4.

7. I’m sorry ___ ___ that.

8. Let me see ___ ___ ___ do.

Exercise D. It is important to show interest and understanding when dealing with customers on the phone. Look at the expressions 1 – 6 and match them with functions a) to f).

OK/Right/Uh-huh	You are listening.
That must have been very difficult for you.	You understand.
I’ve got that.	You are surprised.
I see.	You sympathize with the customer.
Is that acceptable? /OK?	You have the information.
Really?	Check that the caller agrees.

Exercise E. Role-play. Work with a partner. Think of a time when you had a serious problem with goods or services and you wanted to complain to somebody about it. Use the flow chart to make a conversation with your partner. Your partner is a customer service assistant and you are a dissatisfied customer. Take it in turns to complain and handle the complaint.

Greet the customer	→	Explain the problem
	↙
Ask for more information	→	Give more information
	↙
Apologize for the problem and explain why it happened	→	Ask what the company will do about the problem
	↙
Make an offer to keep the customer happy (refund/discount/exchange)	→	Accept an offer and thank the person for their help

Exercise F. Listening. Track 1:32. Jan Van der Vaart organized this year’s sales conference at the recently restored Panorama Hotel in Sicily. He is checking in with a number of colleagues. Listen and answer the questions.

1. How many premium class rooms did Mr. Van der Vaart book?

2. What dates did he book the rooms for?

3. Are there any more rooms available?

4. What solutions does the receptionist suggest?

Exercise G. Work with a partner and discuss the questions.

1. What do you think of the solution that was suggested?

2. What other could the receptionist suggest?

3. What do you think Mr. Van der Vaart should do?

Exercise H. Mr. Van der Vaart was unhappy with his stay at the Panorama Hotel. Read his letter of complaint to the manager. What six complaints does he make?

Mr. Van der Vaart

Sales Manager

Electronics RDC

Kerkstraat 26

Eindhoven

Holland

Mr. Lando

Hotel Manager

Panorama Hotel

Via Umberto

Sicily

February 10^th 200_

Dear Mr. Lando,

I am writing in relation to the marketing conference that my company held at your hotel from 5^th to 8^th of February this year.

When we arrived at your hotel the receptionist told us there were only eight rooms available. There were nine people from Electronics RDC attending the conference and so two of my colleagues had to share one room. This was very inconvenient.

Also, some of my colleagues complained that the hotel was too noisy for them at night. There was a lot of noise and this stopped them from sleeping. At the conference they felt tired and sleepy. Other colleagues said there was a strong smell of smoke in their rooms which was not very nice. Some of the rooms were too cold and my colleagues were not able to turn the heating up. They had to ask for extra blankets to keep warm.

The conference centre was also too far away from the hotel. In the other Panorama hotels we have used, the conference facilities were in the hotel. In yours we had to get a bus down the coast to the conference centre and this wasted a lot of time.

When we checked out of the hotel we noticed that the price on the display for the premium class rooms was cheaper than the price we paid when we booked online. This is unacceptable. Electronics RDC use Panorama hotels regularly. We are Gold Class members and expect better service than this.

I expect a reply from you within ten days.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Van der Vaart

Follow-Up

3. Comment on the proverb: Actions speak louder than words. Do you know any Russian equivalents?

4. Internet Research. Search for the keywords hotel complaints to read more problems that guests have in hotels. Choose one complaint to read carefully. Use your own words to tell your group about it. Visit the website howtocoplain.com about things to do when you complain.