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 have never done a favour to a customer but i want to share a similar experience related to a colleague.

At my current job place, I work as a manager and one of my main tasks is monitoring the attendance sheet of my colleagues. The company rules concerning absence or coming late are very strict.

One day, a toller missed the transportation and arrived after one hour and according to the rules I must lower a mark in his monthly performances no matter the reason of his coming late. But that day I asked him the question "why did you come late?" then he replied: "Before coming at the company, I firstly went to the pharmacy because it has been three days that I feel uncomfortable."

After hearing him, I decided not to lower his point; that is what I call "do a favor".

I promise myself to improve my English skills.

hope i can improve my english

Although I haven't had experience with talking to customers, I learned a lot from this conversation. It's my first time learning English here, and I think it's really interesting. I hope I can keep going.

This is great excercise. I work on sales, so I think always its very important to hear the clients, help if this is possible but is too important keep on the way the rules .. an unique exception can works

This is my first time here, I really want to improve my English.

Extention payment terms is very important based on the credit of clients, as well as trust in each other. However, most clients are not honest and delay the payment term which causes many businesses to die in my country, so bad. Right now I live in Canada, which is a very different business culture from my country. Almost every company is honest, which makes things easy and simple.

yes, some time i do favour , my dad have a business some time take less money frome customar

I worked too seller, and when necessary, I 'd make extensions of payment terms.

I have never worked in an official job. However, when I lent money to an old customer, I extended his payment terms because he had cash flow problems, but he never paid me back :(