Unit 16
Unit 16
Unit 16
Structure
16.0 Objectives
16.1 Warm Up
16.2 Reading: Accountability and Ownership
16.3 Vocabulary
16.4 Listening
16.5 Writing and Speaking
16.6 Grammar: Verb + Preposition
16.7 Pronunciation: Saying Short and Long Sentences
16.8 Let Us Sum Up
16.9 Answers
16.0 OBJECTIVES
This Unit will familiarize you with the essentials of customer service. Here
you will learn:
16.1 WARM UP
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it.
Employees who possess that wonderful quality of ownership are those who
treat the company they work for and the customers they serve as their own. To
them, every success, big or small, is something to celebrate, and every failure,
big or small, is something to worry about. Such employees take every aspect
of their job personally and are driven towards excellence from within.
Employees with a sense of ownership say ‘we’ instead of ‘they’ or ‘he’
because they have the same sense of ownership for every aspect of the
business. They make it their business to take ownership with each transaction,
and find ways to satisfy and impress customers every day. The quality of
ownership brings with it the kind of proactive and productive behavior that not
just gets things done but gets them done well.
How often has it happened that you have called for help or to complain about
a service/product and you have had to go through a series of options before
you can get an executive to speak with you? Do you feel, by the time you hear
a live human voice at the other end of the line that your nerves are already
frayed and you are ready to explode at the minutest provocation? In these
times of rapid automation, there is precious little human involvement between
consumers and companies, and when something goes wrong, it requires even
more effort to retain that customer for longer. In such a scenario it is two
simple but magical words that can turn the whole experience of dealing with a
disgruntled customer into a much less unpleasant one - “I apologize…”.
Answer the following questions based on the text you have just read.
16.3 VOCABULARY
Dealing with customers at all times is quite a sensitive issue. Hence the
language you use while interacting with them also needs to be chosen with
care. The right words, spoken the right way, can go a long way in resolving
matters amicably and ending your interaction with the customer on a pleasant
note.
Activity 1
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Customer Service Look at the following phrases/statements. Mark the ones that show ownership
and accountability as (A) and those that don’t as (B).
16.4 LISTENING
Listen to two conversations and decide which executive handled the caller’s
concern well, and which one didn’t. Then listen once more and pick out the
phrases that show a lack of ownership and accountability and those that
exhibit a sense of ownership and accountability in the executive.
Activity 2
Given below are some situations in which a conversation takes place between
an executive and a caller. In pairs, make the conversations and then speak
them out as caller and executive. Reverse roles and redo. Record your
dialogue if possible and replay to critique your language and delivery. Or
better still, have another pair listen to it and give their comments.
1 The caller calls to find out when he will receive his new credit card
pin. He has to travel in three days, and wants to be able to use the card
on his trip.
2 The caller has already been given instructions on how to secure his
new Wi-Fi connection. He has forgotten, and would like to be taken
through the steps again.
3 The caller would like to change his credit card cycle so that the
payment date is in the middle of the month instead of the beginning as
it is currently.
4 The caller disputes the amount on his credit card bill and insists on its
correction. You do not have the authority, and require approval from
your superior.
iii If there are appropriate phrases in any section of the unit, see if your
partner has tried to use them in the right place
iv Check pronunciation
vii See that in enacting the role of the executive, your partner does not
raise his voice or sound impatient
There are several verbs in English which are followed by certain prepositions.
Look at a list of such verbs from the text.
Very often the sentences we say are quite short. Let’s look at a couple of short
sentences.
1 He’s there.
2 My father was a doctor.
Read the two sentences given above several times. You will immediately
realize that you don’t pause anywhere in the middle of these two sentences,
but run through the whole of each sentence in one breath. Given below are
some more sentences, each of which can be said without a pause anywhere in
the middle. Read them aloud so that you can see for yourself that there is no
need to pause in the middle of such short utterances.
Read the two sentences given above (Sentences 21 and 22) aloud, several
times if necessary. You will realize that while reading them aloud, you pause
in the middle of each sentence. The pause can be indicated by the mark /. The
same two sentences are given below once again. This time, the pause is
indicated by the mark ( / ).
Let us look at some more sentences, each of which has one or more than one
pause in the middle, indicated by / .
23 I went to the market this morning / and bought two kilos of potatoes.
24 On your way to school, Mary / post this letter / and order a loaf of
bread.
25 When I was in Mysore recently / I met my old professor of Physics /
who invited me to have lunch with him.
26 Some people are born great / while others achieve greatness / and yet
others have greatness thrust on them.
27 A: Count from one to six, Mary.
Mary: One / two / three / four / five / six.
28 Wherever you go / you should try to be honest.
29 Whenever I get time / I turn the pages of the dictionary / and it has
stood me in good stead in my academic life.
30 Though I worked very hard throughout the year / I could not get even
the minimum required for a pass /and this has depressed me quite a lot.
Surely we can’t go on speaking until we are out of breath and then pause in
order to breathe in more air? If we do this, our listeners may not be able to
make sense out of what we are saying. Also, if you look at sentences 21 to 30
given in 8.3 in this unit, you will realize that there is a very close link between
our division of utterances during speech and grammatical units. Because of
this reason, the smaller units into which we divide long utterances are also
called sense groups.
16.9 ANSWERS
3 Empty promises, lame excuses, and playing the blame game are some
habits that go against the principle of accountability.
4 Employees who have a strong sense of ownership are those who treat
the company they work for and the customers they serve as their own.
To them, every success, big or small, is something to celebrate, and
every failure, big or small, is something to worry about.
a result – consequence
b live alongside – co-exist
c silly reasons – lame excuses
d something that angers and incites – provocation
e unhappy, displeased – disgruntled
f point of view - perspective
Activity 1
16.4 Listening
Tape script
Conversation 1
Executive: Good morning, Bell Solutions. This is Armaan Khan. What can
I do for you?
Caller: I’d ordered a new printer which was delivered to me two days
ago. But nobody’s come here yet to install it and give me a
demonstration of how to use it.
Executive: And when did they say they would send somebody?
Caller: Well they said they’d send a technician the day of delivery, but
as I said, it’s already been two days, and nobody has turned up.
Executive: I’ll see what I can do, and call you back.
Conversation 2
Caller: I’d couriered a package to Delhi five days ago, but it hasn’t
reached its destination yet. I’d like to know why.
Executive: You said five days ago. Would that have been on the 22nd Sir?
Caller: That’s okay, but I needed that package to be delivered fast. Just
tell me what you are going to do about it.
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Executive: I’ll need some details from you, and then I’ll ………………...
Conversation 1
The executive took the customer’s concern lightly, did not listen attentively
and showed a lack of ownership and accountability.
Inappropriate phrases:
1 When did you say it was delivered to you? – Shows he was not
listening carefully.
2 I’ll see what I can do – Lacks accountability and assurance
Conversation 2
The executive took the customer’s concern seriously, listened attentively and
showed a sense of ownership and accountability.
Appropriate phrases:
1 You said five days ago. Would that have been on the 22nd Sir?
– Shows he was paying attention
2 It was our responsibility…… - ownership and accountability
3 I’m very sorry for…………. – ownership
Activity 2
1 The caller calls to find out when he will receive his new credit card
pin.
Executive: Good morning,…….. How may I help you?
Executive: Then you can expect to get the letter with the pin before
or by the 19th.
Executive: Yes, I’m certain. I’ll also double check to make sure it’s
delivered to you by then.
Caller: My current cycle is such that I need to pay the bill by the
3rd of the month. I’d like to change it such that the
payment is due sometime in the middle of the month.
Executive: Let me see what I can do to help you. Could you hold the
line for a minute?
Caller: Sure.
Executive: I’ll need some details from you, and we’ll reset your
cycle.
Executive: My apologies if that has happened, Sir. But I’ll trace your
bill and call you back.
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Caller: There’s no need to do any of that. I remember very well
how many times I used my credit card this last month,
and also the amounts. So please make the correction right
away.
Executive: I’m afraid I can’t do that. If there’s any mistake we’ll
adjust it in your next bill.
Caller: Well, it’s not my fault that there is a mistake. This is the
second time this has happened, and I refuse to pay in
excess of my bill, so see that you make the correction
right away.
Executive: I’m not authorized to take this decision, but I’ll speak
with my superior and get back to you before this evening.
1 i with
i on
ii on
iii for
iv on
v with
vi for
vii to
2 i agreed on
ii think of
iii comply with
iv blamed, for
v wait for
vi thank, for
vii brought up
viii bid for
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