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Collins - English.for - Business - Speaking - Confirming An Arrangement

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Confirming or rearranging appointments

I look forward to seeing you then.

USEFUL TIPS: Once you have fixed your appointment with a business partner, telephone a
couple of days beforehand to confirm the details of your meeting. Keep the follow ing points in
mind:
• Confirm the topic, date, time, and place.
• Be ready with alternative appointment times if the original time has to be changed.
• Check to see if the customer has any new requests.

Conversations
О Robbie Taylor is confirm ing his appointm ents for next week.
29 1
Sabine G: Sabine Gerland.
Robbie T: Hello, Ms Gerland. This is Robbie Taylor from Queensfield Ltd. How are you?
SG: Fine, thanks. And you?
RT:
Very well. I'm just ringing to confirm our appointment for Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. to
discuss our project management services for the Potsdam project.
SG: Yes, that's right. I'm looking forward to it.
RT: Can I just check the address? That's Quiddestrasse 14, isn't it?
SG: Er, no, Quiddestrasse 40.
RT Right, 40, OK. And could you spell Quidde for me?
SG: Of course. That's Q-U-l-D-D-E. If you go to our website, you'll find fulldirections.
RT Right. Thanks. So, I look forward to seeing you then.
2
RT: Queensfield Ltd. Robbie Taylor.
Gerhard S: Oh hi, this is Gerhard Schmidt calling from Hipax in Berlin.
RT: Oh, hello Mr Schmidt. How are you?
GS: I'm fine, thank you. And you?
RT: I'm well, thanks.
GS Good. I'm afraid I have to cancel our meeting next Tuesday morning. I'm going to be away
visiting one of our key customers.
RT: No problem. Would Wednesday afternoon be more convenient?
GS: Unfortunately not. One colleague I wanted to come to our meeting will be in Paris and I'll be
in Munich.
RT: I see. Well, would you like me to arrange a telephone conference instead?

Speaking
UNIT б | Confirm ing or rearranging appointments

GS: Mmm, that's a good idea. We're both free at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Will you email me the
details?
RT: Of course. Actually, I wanted to call you anyway, Mr Schmidt. Would you or your colleagues
be interested in any of our other project management services, like logistics, for example?

Understanding

Th is is how Robbie Taylor's diary looked before his tw o phone calls.


M ake any necessary ch anges to it.

Tuesday W ednesday
9 a.m. 9 a.m.
10 a.m. 10 a.m. Gerhard Schm idt,
11 a.m. Hipax, Berlin
12 p.m. 11 a.m.
2 p.m. 12 p.m.
3 p.m. Sabine Geriand, 2 p.m.
Q u id d e stra sse 14 3 p.m.
4 p.m. 4 p.m.
5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Saying it accurately

Q Com plete the sentences w ith w o rds from the box.

spell confirm forw ard teleconference check better

1 I'm just ringing t o ........................ our appointm ent for Friday m orning
at 9 a.m.
2 Can I ju s t the address?
3 Could y o u ........................ that for me?
4 That's not a problem. Would Thursday afternoon b e ........................
for you?
5 Would it help if I arranged a ..........................?
6 I lo o k ......................... to seeing you then.

Section 2: Telephoning i 25
0 Match the sentences on the left w ith those on the right that have a
sim ilar purpose. Follow the exam ple.
1 I'm just ringing to confirm our A Could you just confirm where
appointm ent for Tuesday your offices are?
afternoon at 3 p.m. В Shall I organize a telephone
2 Can I just check the address? conference?
3 No problem. W ould Tuesday С I'm just calling to check that it's
afternoon be more still convenient for us to meet on
convenient? Friday at 10 a.m.
4 W ould you like me to arrange D Can I interest you in any other
a telephone conference? services that we provide?
5 Would you be interested in E That's fine. How about Friday
any of our other services? m orning instead?

Saying it clearly

О и Listen to the five sentences on the right from Saying it accurately 2.


I'm just calling to check that it's still convenient for us to meet on Friday
at 10 a.m. *
Note how the speaker's voice goes up, even when it is not a question.

0 Listen again to the sentences and repeat them.

Saying it appropriately

О W hen your business partners contact you regarding an appointm ent,


‘ 31 ’ rem em ber to be polite, fle xib le and to respond to their needs. Your
phone is rin gin g. Listen to fo ur sentences from the sam e conversation.
Play the audio CD to start. W hen you hear the beep, pause and respond,
ch o osin g a suitable answer.
1
A Fine, thanks. And you?
В I've had better days. And you?
С I w oke up with terrible backache and it hasn't really lifted even
though I've taken lots of painkillers. And you?
2
A That's a shame. Never mind, maybe some other time.
В No problem. W ould Wednesday be more convenient?
С Oh really? It's just that I'm really busy next week and that's the only
time I'm free.
3
A Well, maybe we'll leave it till she gets back.
В Does she really need to be there?
С I see. W ould you like me to arrange a telephone conference?

Speaking
UNIT б | Confirm ing or rearranging appointments

4
A Excellent, I'll email you with the details. Would you be interested in
any of our other services?
В I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, then.
С Can I just check the spelling of that?

Get speaking

О п
32
You are the custom er relations m anager for M arlow Construction. Look
at tw o o f your diary entries fo r next w eek and then m ake the phone calls
to confirm yo u r appointm ents. Play the audio CD to start. W hen you hear
the beep, pause and respond.

Wednesday 10 a.m. Giovanni Fabro, 4 0 Findon S tre e t - d is c u s s


W estdene H o sp ita l building co n tra ct

Thursday 3 p.m. J o y Lee, 2 0 So u th Road - update on Queen’s


Hotel building project

The call to G iovanni


1 Greet him, say w ho you are and where you work, and ask how he is.
2 Respond to Mr Fabro's question and explain the reason for your call.
3 Check that you have the correct address.
4 Ask him to spell it for you and make notes accordingly.
5 Thank him and end the call politely.

The call to Jo y
6 Greet her, say who you are and where you work, and ask how she is.
7 Respond to Ms Lee's question and explain the reason for your call.
8 Respond appropriately and suggest an alternative time to meet.
9 Respond appropriately and end the call politely.

О 0
33
Th in k about yo u r w orkplace. You have a m eeting booked on M onday at
4 p.m. w ith Valerie A u gu ste. Play the audio CD to start. W hen you hear
the beep, pause and respond. Rem em ber to be flexible, su g g e stin g an
alternative tim e or a telephone conference w here appropriate. You start.

Cultural note
When making or receiving a business call, you may be expected to engage in some small talk
at the beginning of the conversation. Look again at Robbie Taylor's two conversations to
see how he makes his telephone partners feel at ease by using the phrase How are you?
The answer should be brief and positive (even if this is not, in fact, the case), for example,
Very well, or I'm fine, thank you. You may wish to reciprocate by asking, A n d you?

Section 2: Telephoning i 27
Making a complaint on the telephone

I'm afraid I need to make a complaint.

USEFUL TIPS: When making a complaint, keep the follow ing points in mind:
• Make sure you are speaking to the person who is in a position to help you. Ask questions to check who
exactly you are talking to and take notes.
• Stay as unemotional as possible. Blaming the person you are calling will not help. Separate the problem from
the person. Be firm, but polite.
• State the problem clearly and calmly. Include as much relevant detail as possible, including names, times,
places, previous contacts, and so on.
• State exactly what you want the person you are calling to do.
• Check when you can expect results/feedback from the person you are speaking to.

Conversation
A ndrea K in g is p h o n in g A lp in e Executive Events to m ake a com plaint.

Receptionist: Alpine Executive Events Ltd, London. Priti Makesch speaking. How can I help you?
Andrea K: Good morning, my name is Andrea King. I'm the HR manager for Carabella Hotels. Could 1speak to
your supervisor, please?
R Can 1ask what it's regarding?
AK 1need to make a complaint.
R I'll just put you through to Mr Mendip. One moment, please.

George M: Good morning, Ms King. How can 1help?


AK Good morning. Could you tell me your name and position, please?
GM Of course, my name's George Mendip and I'm responsible for customer relations.
AK Thank you, Mr Mendip. I'll just make a note of that. 1hope you can help me. I'm currently
attending your team-building training course in Wales with a team of our managers.
GM The 'Big T' course. Very popular.
AK Well, I'm afraid I'm not satisfied with the performance of your trainer, David Llewellyn.
GM Oh dear. What seems to be the problem?
AK He's very unhelpful and doesn't explain himself properly.
GM How do you mean?
AK Well, he talks extremely fast and makes all the instructions very complicated. And if you ask him a
question, he just says he's already explained it. 1tried to talk to him about the problem, but he didn't
take me seriouslv at all. The situation is entirely unsatisfactory.
GM 1see... Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not sure what 1can do.

Speaking
UNIT 7 | Making a com plaint on the telephone

AK I'd like you to telephone Mr Llewellyn immediately and explain that we want much clearer
explanations and support for tomorrow's tasks.
GM Well, OK, I could give him a ring.
AK And could you let me know when you have spoken to him, please?
GM Yes, I will.
AK When will you get back to me? Do you have my number?
GM I think so... Yes, I do. I'll get back to you by, urn, the end of today.
AK Many thanks. I really appreciate your help on this.
GM Not at all.

Understanding

Match the fo llo w in g strategies to the co rresponding sentences from the


telephone conversation.
Confirm when your expectations will be met.
Make sure you're speaking to the person who can help you.
Set out your expectations to solve the problem.
State your complaint.

Strategy Sentences from the telephone conversation

• Could I speak to your supervisor, please?


• Could you tell me your name and position,
please? I'll just make a note of that.

• I need to make a complaint.


• I'm afraid I'm not satisfied w ith...

• I'd like you to...

• Could you let me know when you have... ?


• When will you get back to me?

Saying it accurately

Q U nscram ble the w o rds to form sentences to use w h en m aking a


com plaint.
1 this product / satisfied / I'm sorry / with / not / to / I'm / that / say

2 appears / this product / with / problem / There / to / a / be

3 not / all / this service / I'm / with / at / happy

Section 2: Telephoning i 29
4 seem / concerns / to / regarding / There / be / some / this / product

5 replace / Please/you / could / it

6 today / ensure / you / replacement / that / sent / the / W ould / is

7 email / me / sent / when / W ould / has been / be / to / able / you / it

8 can / you / expect / 1/ When / hear / to / from

Q Underline adjectives that m ight be useful fo r m aking a com plaint and


describing a product or service.
dam aged poor so-so unsatisfactory
defective passable indifferent unsuitable
delayed high quality unacceptable
disappointing inadequate unprofessional
tolerable mediocre unreasonable

В Rank these adverbs according to how forceful th ey m ake a com plaint.


The situation is entirely unsatisfactory, (forceful)
The situation is som ew hat unsatisfactory, (not so forceful)
absolutely quite somewhat entirely
altogether rather totally
considerably slightly utterly
extremely completely very

Q U sing the prom pts, m ake com plaints and set out yo u r expectations as to
how each problem can be resolved. Follo w the exam ple.
conference venue (forceful complaint)
I ’m n o t at all happy w ith the conference venue because it's entirely
inadequate for our needs. Please could y o u find an alternative venue
right away?
1 latest sales figures (not so forceful) 4 accounts system (not so forceful)
2 latest delivery (forceful) 5 new catering company (forceful)
3 budget for the new project (forceful)

Saying it clearly

О В Listen to these forceful com plaints, n otin g the syllable stress.


1 It's absolutely unacceptable. 4 It's entirely unsuitable.
2 It's altogether unreasonable. 5 It's utterly inadequate.
3 It's com pletely unprofessional. 6 It's totally unsatisfactory.

Speaking
UNIT 7 | Making a com plaint on the telephone

Q Listen again to the sentences and repeat them.

Saying it appropriately

О D It's ve ry im portant that you rem ain calm w h en m aking a com plaint.
Do not blam e the person you are speakin g to. Listen to the fo llo w in g
speakers and decide w h ether th eir com plaints are phrased appropriately
or inappropriately.
speaker 1 appropriately inappropriately
speaker 2 appropriately inappropriately
speaker 3 appropriately inappropriately
speaker 4 appropriately inappropriately
speaker 5 appropriately inappropriately

О В
37
Listen to the com plaints, now phrased appropriately, and repeat them.

Get speaking

О You are the CEO o f a sm all firm , Rickm ans and Co., and you have been
38 badly let dow n by yo u r IT sup p ort com pany, Letterm ans International,
so you telephone to com plain. First, read about the problem and your
proposed solution. Then play the audio CD to start. W hen you hear the
beep, pause and respond.

The problem
Lettermans have recently installed new IT systems, which your employees
are finding very difficult to master because they received insufficient
training. Also, Lettermans agreed to provide a 24-hour support line and
this has proved unreliable.

Your proposed solution


You w ould like Lettermans to provide additional training for employees
and ensure that their support line is staffed 24 hours a day, as agreed.
1 Explain w ho you are, where you work, and whom you would like to
speak to.
2 Explain the reason for your call.
3 Ask for the speaker's name and position.
4 Make a point of w riting down her name and say that you hope that
she can help.
5 Explain the exact nature of your complaint, using an introductory
phrase and a suitable adjective and adverb.
6 Explain how she can improve the situation.
7 Ask her to let you know when the problem has been addressed.
8 Check when this will be.
9 Thank her for her help.

Section 2: Telephoning i 31

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