新编剑桥商务英语(高级)第三版3.1.doc

MODULE 3 BUSINESS TOPIC
3.1 Communication at work
VOCABULARY Mean of communication
1 What does this quotation mean to you?
‘Think like a wise man but communication in the language of the people.’
W.B. Yeats, poet (1865-1939)
2 Delete the verb that does NOT go with each type of business communication.
0 an email send /draft /post
1 a phone call do/make /receive
2 a press release put up /issue/put out
3 an advertising campaign launch/run /make
4 a presentation give /make/ tell
5 a meeting or seminar hold /attend /carry out
6 a report produce/run/publish
7 a notice put out/put up/ display
8 a memo to all concerned publish/send out/circulate
9 information on the Internet post/make/put
3 For which of the following would you feel most confident using your English? And least confident? Discuss with your partner.
a presentation a meeting a phone call a report an email
4 Discuss these quotations with your partner.
l Have you had good experiences of dealing with companies through call centres?
l Do you shop on the Internet? WHY? /WHYNOT?
l With which products or services is face-to-face contact helpful? With which is it unnecessary?
5 Read the five extracts from the magazine Management Now on page27 and then match each of the eight statements (1-8) with one of the extracts. You will need to use some of the texts more than one.
0 You can gather a lot of customer data with modern computer systems. A
1 One future trend will be more direct contact between companies and their customers._____
2 Business hasn’t really changed, only the media of communication._____
3 Companies need to think about which channel is most appropriate to their customers ’needs._______
4 Customers are frequently frustrated by not being put though quickly to the person they need to speak to._____
5 There is less human interaction nowadays, but this isn’t necessarily bad for the customer.________
MANAGEMENT NOW. APRIL ISSUE
Better communication?
‘THE MORE ELABORATE OUR MEANS of communication, the less we communication.ˊThese were the words of Joseph Priestly over 200 years ago .But if that was true then ,what would he make of communications technology today?
Natalie Fitzgerald asked five people working in the field what they thought.
A Bill Osmond, data analyst
I think he’s got a good point. Powerful IT systems give companies enormous amounts of information on customer behavior, but it’s what they can do this data that matters. A good example in recent years was Centrica, the British utility company. It acquired a big portfolio of different companies and then spent huge amounts of money on an IT system designed to cross-sell its various products and services-financial services, telephone contracts, energy supply and so on _to the customers in its different businesses. But they never managed to do it, because their IT people were unable to merge all the customer databases or to make them talk to each other
B SARAH BRIDGESTONE, former call centre manager
Absolutely. Call centres can more often act as a barrier than a help. Talk the example of a well-known mobile phone operator. When a customer calls, he’s given a list of options to choose from: dial I for bill enquiries, 2 to upgrade his handset, 3 if he has a technical problem, 4 if he’s thinking of leaving the company. From each of these he’s taken through another list of options. If he still can’t find what he is looking for, he’s invited to ‘stay on the line until an operator becomes available’. This can take up to ten minutes, by which time he is now seriously thinking of going back to option 4 and cancelling his contract. It really seems counter-productive.
C DOUG COOK, bank manager
There is no doubt that modern communication channels have depersonalized a lot of customer contact. Banks have been doing this for years, trying to commoditise the service that they offer so that they can rationalize it and make it cheaper to deliver Most transactions- bank deposits, cash withdrawals, issuing of statements-have been automated whether at a cash machine, over the phone or online. This has saved companies and the customer money. But cost-cutting is by no means the only driver- it’s a trend also driver by customer demand for a quick and flexible service.
D FARHANA PATEL, online retailer
It’s just about convenience. Whether I text you a message or tell you the same message face-to-face, it’s still a message. The growth of Internet shopping compared to that of high street shopping shows very clearly that customers want cheaper and more accessible services. Sellers like the convenience too of course. eBay started out as a market place for individuals but, increasingly, companies have used it to sell products direct to consumers. In face it’s not very different from a traditional market place. There is still a community of buyers and sellers who talk to each other and do business just the same as if they were dealing face-to-face.
E BRIAN MACWHINNEY, management consultant
Businesses are often too quick to embrace new technology in order to save money or gain a competitive advantage. But applying the same solution to all types of business is never a good idea. There are cultural factors to consider. Using a call centre in India to handle enquiries about train times on railways in Europe is a bad idea because it isn’t suited to customers’ expectations. On the other hand, a European customer of a computer company doesn’t really mind if his technical problem is solved by a call centre operator in India or Ireland or Alaska, because it doesn’t require any cultural knowledge. Good communication is about finding the right channel. In time, I expect we’ll see a return to more face-to-face contact with customers and more local services.
SPEAKING 1 Which of the following do you find useful? When do you use it? Why?
mobile phone email SMS MSN Blackberry
2 Decide the best ways to communication the following messages.
What?
To whom?
How?
0 An apology for forgetting to send some information
A customer
Send a formal letter
1 The company’s gratitude and appreciation
An employee who is about to retire

2 A change of brand identity
The general public

3 The appointment of a new managing director
All the employees

4 A new website the company has created
Your customers

5 The company’s work to help the environment
The media and the general public

6 Vacant posts for trainee salesmen and women
Young recruits

7 A discount(for a limited period) on a product line
Your customers

8 An apology for forgetting to send some information
A colleague

9 The company’s half-yearly financial results
The shareholders and financial institutions

VOCABULARY 3 Complete each definition with the correct word (the first letter has been written for you).
0 To answer somebody, you give a reply.
1 To ask for something, you make a r_____.
2 To help someone remember, you give them a r_____.
3 To suggest or recommend something, you make a p_____.
4 To say something publicly, you make an a______.
5 To say sorry you make an a______.
6 To insist that someone does something, you make a d_____.
GRAMMAR
Grammar Tip
Often verbs that express a similar notion will take the same form, eg dissuade discourage, deter are all followed by someone from doing.
This can also be the case with opposite notions, eg agree and refuse +to do.
I discouraged him from applying for the job.
I dissuaded him from applying for the job.
Verb patterns
In the email below, all the forms following the communication verbs (discuss, apologise etc) are underlined. Some are incorrect. Correct them.
Dear Jim
for giving
for giving
First of all, I would like to thank you (0) about giving up your time to help us.It’s very kind of you to agree (1) working with us on this project-I know you are very busy.
When we last met, we discussed (2) about creating a special team to deal with complaints from customers. I have since had a meeting with Sarah, the head of the Customer Services team, and I have persuaded her (3) to join us. She suggested (4) to meet next week to put a plan in place. In the meantime, she is going to encourage her team (5) for giving their ideas.
I must just tell (6) to you something which happened last week that shows how much we need a better system for dealing with complaints.
Last week, a customer rang to complain (7) about having to wait one month for delivery of a DVD player. He accused us (8) to keep his money so that we could earn interest on it before delivering the product. The sales person who answered the call offered (9) giving him a discount, without even checking the history of the order. When I checked, I discovered an email from us in forming the customer when he thought the product (10) that there will be a one-month delay in delivery. The salesman was very defensive and said that he couldn’t be criticized (11) of trying to keep the customer happy!
So you see, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes
Karen
PS Remind me (12) to pay for lunch next time!
5 Put the words below into their correct place in the table.
urge threaten propose undertake praise blame recommend deny convince
persuade +someone +to do
promise +to do
Admit +doing
Criticize +someone for doing
Suggest +doing/suggest that someone should do
_____________
____________
___________
_________
____________
______________
_____________
____________
_________
_________
______________
______________
____________
_______
___________

6 Complete these sentences.
0 They threaten to take us to court if we didn’t pay them immediately.
1 It’s a very sensitive issue. I suggest __________ an anonymous email.
2 Once, in a restaurant, I complained ___________ and the manager told us to leave.
3 What a waste of time! We spent three hours discussing___________.
4 The company offered__________, but amazingly she refused.
5 I’ve promised ___________ by tomorrow morning.
6 I can’t believe you had to remind him ____________. That’s his job.
7 The regulator accused the company ______________ in its advertisements.
GRAMMER 1 Talk about one of the situations 1-4, answering the following questions. Remember to use the correct verb patterns.
●When did it take place?
●What happened?
●Who was there?
●What was said
1 an unusual presentation or talk that you attended
2 a memorable job interview you had
3 a meeting where two people disagreed strongly
4 an interesting business proposition that was made to you
When I was in my final year of university, a friend asked me if I wanted to join him in a new business venture. Before I could agree to do it, I had to be sure that it was…
LISTENIING Dealing with problems
2 Look at this customer charter published on the website of Penco
Telecommunications. How is it intended to make you feel about the company?
Do you believe their promises?
Penco Telecommunications… service is our passion
Customer charter
Our promise. We will:
respect your privacy and keep your detail confidential.
offer you the best rates for national and local calls: if you find better, we’ll refund the difference.
answer your calls to our customer service centre within three rings.
be punctual for service visit appointments(never more than one hour late).
give you impartial advice on the best telephone and technology package for you.
answer any email within four hours and any letter within five days.
carry out satisfaction surveys each three months to ensure you are happy with our service.
3 3.1 Listen to this phone conversation between an angry customer and a call centre operator for Penco
Telecommunications.
1What is the customer’s problem?
2What solution s does the operator suggest?
3Which one does the customer accept?
4 3.1 Listen again and complete the phrases that the operator uses to deal sensitively and efficiently with the problem. Use 1-3 words for each space.
1 I ____________ the wait, sir.
2 Can I have your number and I__________ it straightaway?
3 Don’t worry, I’ll________ to you.
4 He can be there by 6 pm._______________ convenient?
5 I __________ understand. In ____________, I’m going to have to reschedule him for another day.
6 I ____________ what I can do. Please just___________ for a moment.
7 Would that be___________________?
8 If you ____________ tell me your mobile number, I can get that activated immediately.
SPEAKING Handling calls sensitively
5 Work with a partner. Take it in turns to make the call or receive the call. Study each situation and then act out the telephone conversation. Deal sensitively with each problem. Look at the notes below and prepare your telephone calls.
Student A
1 You work for a parcel delivery company. Your computers have been behaving strangely today. Receive the call from a customer.
2 You ordered a fish tank from a mail order company. The picture in the catalogue showed a complete fish tank with heater, air pump and fish. But when it arrived it was just a glass box. Telephone to complain.
3 It is 6:30 in the morning. You receive a call from someone that you don’t know. You don’t like receiving unsolicited calls at home.
4 You work in the service department of an electricity company. You receive a request which is not really possible to satisfy.
Students B
1 You have ordered delivery of a new laptop computer. When you track the order on the internet, you find that it has gone from Ireland to HongKong. You live in London. Telephone to find out what’s happening.
2 You work for a mail order company that supplies aquariums and accessories. You receive a call from an unhappy and confused customer.
3 You work for a promotions company for a fitness club. You call potential customers in the evenings to offer them a free month’s trial of their local gym. Make the call.
4 While at work you suddenly realise that you have left your iron on at home –in a small village one hour’s drive away. Telephone the electricity company to see if they can cut of the electricity supply to your house.