1. Helping out.

The office manager introduces Jenny to a colleague. Put the sentences in order to complete the conversation.

Now listen to check.

2. Helping out.

Bank customers and an employee having a conversation in a bank.

Listen to the conversation. Decide whether the information is correct or incorrect.

3. An answerphone message.

A photo of the screen of a mobile, showing different mobile apps.

Jenny phones David Rusling's mobile phone. Listen to his answerphone message. Type in the missing words.

4. Leaving a message.

A photo of the screen of a mobile, showing different mobile apps.

Jenny leaves a message on David Rusling's answerphone. Listen and choose the correct options to complete Jenny's message.

5. A phone conversation.

A photo of a bank customer speaking on a mobile.

Mr Rusling phones the bank. Listen to the conversation. Are these sentences true or false?


Listen to the conversation again and read the transcript.

6. A staff guide.

At the bank there is a training guide for situations like the one with David Rusling. Look at the entry for phoning customers with overdrawn credit card accounts.

Phoning customers with overdrawn credit card accounts

General advice:

  • Remember to be polite but firm.
  • Use the customer's name.
  • Check that the customer understands at each step.

Read the instruction at each step and choose the correct spoken sentence. Then listen to check your answer.

 

Now practise the sentences above. Copy the way that Jenny says them. Can you remember? Try reading the instructions and saying the sentences from memory. Listen again to check.

Note:
Pay special attention to the expressions Jenny uses. Notice how she uses the emphatic do in But we do have to talk about immediate repayments.

Can you find any more examples where she uses an auxiliary verb for emphasis?

Also pay special attention to the intonation she uses, and her word stress. Notice how she does not use a contraction for extra clarity, for example: Well, at the moment you are almost $4,000 over the limit; instead of the more common: you're almost ....

Listen and read the complete conversation again.

7. Being assertive but polite.

Choose the correct options to complete Jenny's sentences. Then listen to check.

8. Question tags.

Question tags

You are still in possession of the card, aren't you?
There is only one card for this account, isn't there?
You have an account here, don't you?
You didn't receive the email, did you?

We often use question tags when we are asking for confirmation of a fact. Note how the auxiliary verb or the verb be is used in the question tag. Also, if the first statement is affirmative, the tag is negative. If the first statement is negative, the tag is affirmative.

Type in the two missing words to complete the question tags.

9. Speaking Tutorial 1.

During the tutorial, your tutor will do a role play. Read the instructions below.


Role play

Imagine you are Jenny Alhassan from the bank. It's 12:59 p.m., and Mr Rusling phones you. Your tutor will play the part of Mr Rusling. You will need to start the conversation and ask questions. Mr Rusling resists the idea that he is over his credit limit, so one of the first things you will need to do is check that Mr Rusling has received and read all 10 pages of the credit card transactions that you faxed him. They clearly demonstrate that he is almost $4,000 over his credit limit.

As you do the role play with your tutor, make sure that you reach an agreement on these points:

  • The customer has read and accepts the documentary evidence.
  • The customer understands the overall situation.
  • The customer accepts full responsibility.
  • The customer agrees to co-operate to solve the problem.
  • The customer agrees to stop using the card immediately.
  • The customer understands that the card will be cancelled if he continues to use it.
  • The customer agrees to start repayments (agree on a date).
  • The customer and bank agree that the customer will pay X dollars per week for X weeks; for example: $500 for 18 weeks, or $450 for 20 weeks, or $400 for 23 weeks, or $350 for 27 weeks, or $300 for 32 weeks.
  • The customer understands that there will be some interest to pay.
  • The customer understands that the card may be cancelled if payment is not forthcoming.
  • The customer understands that failure to comply will have consequences.

It's important to get the money back. The bank also wants to keep Mr Rusling as a customer and above all wants to avoid expensive legal complications, even though the law is on the bank's side, so stay very calm and make sure you are familiar with the situation and details of Mr Rusling's case.

Remember also to ask your tutor any questions that you might have about the material that you have studied on this course.