第20課 A CUSTOMER ON THE LINE

字號(hào):

“Am I saying it wrong?” isn't right. An adverb is needed here, so the question should be “Am I saying it wrongly?”
    Mei Ling realises there's no-one in reception at HotDotCom……
    Mei Ling: Nora's gone to the hospital for her check-up today, Gary, so there's no one on reception. Can you cover all incoming calls, please?
    Gary: Okay, sure. (to himself, practising his pronunciation) Er…… Good morning, HotDotCom. Er…… Good morning, HotDotCom. How can I help?
    The phone rings, Gary answers……
    Gary: Good morning, HotDot Com. How can I help?…… Oh…… You hold on, ah? …… (to Jaya) Jaya, where's Jane?
    Jaya: She's gone to the Asia Hotel conference.
    Gary: Okay. (Into phone) Sorry, gone out.
    Jaya: Who was that, Gary?
    Gary: Dunno, lah.
    Jaya: You don't know? It's a good job Mei Ling didn't hear you.
    Gary: Eh?
    Jaya: It could have been someone important. Next time find out who it is, please.
    Gary: Okay.
    After a while, the phone rings again……
    Gary: Good morning, HotDotCom. How can I help? Who's that?…… Okay…… Okay……Gone out. You call back, ah.
    Gary hangs up……
    Gary: (To Jaya) I find out who it is - Mr R Singh. Do you think he's Jane's new boyfriend?
    Jaya: He most certainly is not. He's the reservations manager of one of our top Indian hotel chains! You can't speak to customers like that, Gary!
    Gary: (Protesting) But Mei Ling asked me to cover the phones!
    Narrator: Gary's first words are certainly polite and clear, but after that he sounds as if he's ordering the caller around:
    Replay……
    Gary: Good morning, HotDotCom. How can I help?…… Oh……You hold on, ah.
    Narrator: As for Mr Singh - Gary's tone and sharp language must make him feel as though we don't care about him:
    Replay……
    Gary: Who's that?……Okay…… Okay……Gone out. You call back, ah.
    Narrator: At HotDotCom we value all our customers, so everyone needs to use language that makes the caller feel important.
    Jaya: Perhaps we shouldn't put Gary on phone duty again until he's learned some basic telephone skills.
    Mei Ling: That's why I've set him a new goal. He has to sit alongside you or Nora whenever he can and learn a better way of handling customers on the line.
    Gary spends time listening to Jaya and Nora, observing their telephone skills……
    Jaya: Good morning, HotDotCom. How can I help? …… I'm afraid Jane is at a conference all day. This is Jaya, the Webmaster, can I be of any help at all?
    Nora: Good morning, HotDotCom. How can I help? ……May I ask who's calling? ……Ah - Good morning, Mr Singh, I'm afraid Mei Ling's on another line. Would you like to hold or shall I ask her to call you back?
    Mei Ling: Okay, Gary. You can take over now.
    Gary: Good morning, HotDotCom. How can I help? I'm afraid everyone's at lunch right now. This is Gary speaking. Can I take a message?
    Voice on phone: Yes Gary. Could you remind everyone to call in to HotDotCom tomorrow for another telephone lesson. The number is……