Telephone English: dealing with complaints

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 1

Revision
7.1

Define: call centre

What is a synonym for call centre?

What does a chatbot do?

Why is using live chat a good choice?

What represents a good customer service for you?

What does the abbreviation FAQs mean?

Hoe zeg je in het Engels klanttevredenheid?

Define in Dutch: verb, noun, adjective

What is the adjective form of the noun 'anxiety'?

What is the verb form of the noun 'assistance'?

What is the adjective form of the verb; satisfy. Try to come up with two forms.

Fill in the correct preposition:
The passengers were getting anxious _______long queues at check-in.

Fill in the correct preposition:
The airline apologised _______passengers_____the delay.

What is the collocation for very high-quality service?

What is the collocation for: given special care and respect?

What is the collocation for: getting on the plane earlier tan other passengers?

Starting a complaint phonecall can start with some small talk in complaint conversations. What can you say?

If the receiver doesn’t invite you to get to the topic of the call you can use a phrase like:

How do you mention there is a complaint?

How can you respond to a complaint?

What are typical words and phrases to explain the actual complaints:

How do you apologise for a complaint made, as a worker of a call centre?

You want to know more about the problem, how do you ask that?

If the receiver doesn’t offer some kind of action, it could be that they don’t want to accept responsibility and/ or don’t want to take any action. How do you politely ask for action to solving the problem?

How do you end a complaint Phone call?

What tips can you give on dealing with complaint phone calls?

roleplay:

Practice

Now, you try it! Look at the situations below and choose one or two to practice making a complaint. Write your answers in the comments area.

Situation 1:

You have been planning a trip for months and are very excited. But it’s 12 hours of travel time, including two flights. Your first flight is delayed three times, which will cause you to miss your connecting flight. That means you will also miss a special event tomorrow at your destination. And you already bought tickets to the event. Talk to the airline worker about the problem.

Situation 2:

Your professor puts students into small groups for a big project. The project is 25% of your final grade. You are in a group with two other people. One is a hard worker. But the other texts people a lot and doesn’t do enough work. The hard working student is not bothered by the lazy student. But you are. Talk to the lazy student or the professor about the problem.

Situation 3:

Your Internet company recently changed your data plan without your permission. The cost of your monthly bill is now double what is was. You have been trying to reach the billing department for a week but they keep putting you on hold for more than 20 minutes. Your payment is now late. You finally reach a representative by phone. Talk to them about the problem.