COURSE 14

The Customer is Always Right

Introduction 1 Do you agree with the saying the customer is always right? Reading1 1 Skim read the article below, ignoring the missing paragraphs. According to the writer, what is the key to running a successful business? Small is Beautiful Back in the 1970s, Edward Shumacher wrote a book called Small is Beautiful. In it he proposed that big businesses had cost advantages over small ones, but that any advantage was soon lost because they were too big to manage and gave impersonal service. __________ 1. All successful companies supply products and services that the customer wants - at a fair price. They also sell in pleasant surroundings and offer unforgettable service. Their staff are trained, positive, approachable, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. __________ 2 When you run your own business, you have decided to sell to and serve others. Unfortunately, for many British people, selling is a job that is beneath them and they regard customers as being in the way. But make no mistake, we are going to have to become much cleverer sales people and serve customers a great deal better, or we are going to lose business to competitors who already do so. __________ 3 Our rewards in life have always been in direct proportion to the quantity and quality of the service we have given. The more people we serve and the better we serve them, the more rewards we will get. Poor service equals poor rewards, average service average rewards. Good service reaps good rewards.

Tricia Aspinall, Anette Capel, Advanced Masterclasss CAE Students Book, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 148-151

__________ ________ 4 If the car breaks down within a week of his garage fixing it, he sends someone out to repair it, day or night. He gives me a loan car and I leave the broken down vehicle with the mechanic. Does he charge more? Yes, he does, but he has increased his share of the local market by 400% in the last two years. __________ 5 My doctor has a target to see 97% of her patients on time. When you go into her surgery, the receptionist comes to you. There is a play area for the kids, a coffee machine, pay phone, up-to-date magazines, soft, relaxing music and potted plants that look healthy. __________ 6 To find out how to give unforgettable service in your business, book yourself on a customer service training course. Some are free and many cost only a few pounds. Ask your local Training and Enterprise council for details. If you prefer, send off for a leaflet I have produced on customer care. It will outline the basics and I hope inspire you to put what you read into action. 2 Read paragraphs A-G. Six of these paragraphs fit the gaps in the article. There is one extra paragraph which does not fit anywhere. Divide the paragraphs up into those which are about general principles, and those which give specific examples. This will help you to decide where each paragraph should go. Now insert the paragraphs into gaps 1-6. A How about the petrol station that invites you out of the car with a free cup of coffee and newspaper while its staff pump the petrol, check the tires and oil, wipe the inside and outside of your windscreen? They charge top price but pump twice as much petrol as any other station in town. B The bosses keep tight financial control and exhibit the same attitudes as the staff - they are positive, approachable, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The boss also has the best possible marketing tool because he listens and finds out how to serve his customer better from first-hand experience. C To many people, the customer is a pest, to the Americans, the customer is a king, but to the Japanese, the customer is a god. Perhaps that is why the Japanese are so successful. After all, the success of every business can be found in its attitude towards selling and its attitude towards serving customers. D In the 1990s, small businesses still have lots of advantages over larger ones. For a start, they are slimmer with no head office absorbing money. But they are also lighter on their feet, responding to customers' demands. 2

E Take my mechanic, for example. He cleans my car inside and out and cleans my engine. He puts my seat back to my leg size. He offers an overnight service where he picks up the car from the drive and delivers it back ready for work the next day. F Moreover, it is happening. Day in day out, despite the focus on customer care, there are similar incidents occurring all over the land: ultimately orders are lost because of them. Big businesses are more likely to fall foul2 of this than smaller ones. G When we get there, she gives the kids a sweet, stands up, comes to my side of the desk, smiles, shakes my hand and says, convincingly, "It's nice to see you, Tom" .. If she's been running late, she apologises and you know she's done her best. 3 Look at the extra paragraph and decide why it does not fit into the article. Vocabulary In the article, you came across the words impersonal and unforgettable. Below are other adjectives which can combine with some of the prefixes on the left. in im ir ilun 1 dis mis sub under overexperienced perfect conscious judged valued normal il-? What is in- usually followed by? 2 Which words combine with un-, dis- and mis-? What is the difference in meaning between these valuable mature rational loaded honest legible

Which words combine with in-, im-, ir- and il-? Which consonants usually follow im-, ir- and

prefixes? 3 Which words combine with sub-, under- and over-? How does the prefix change the meaning of

the new word? 4 Now complete the text below by inserting the word in brackets with its correct prefix.

TO FALL FOUL to get into trouble, to upset someone so that they do not like you and try to harm you

The job advertisement had asked for a self motivated individual with good social skills. I remember thinking that the salary wasn't brilliant, but the job didn't seem too (1) ___________ (paid) for what was required. However, I soon found out that what they wanted was a workaholic! The factory was dirty, noisy, and the work was incredibly tiring. The place was seriously (2) ___________ (staffed) ten people doing the work of fifteen - and the management was lazy and (3) ___________ (efficient). It soon became clear that anything the factory produced was (4) ___________ (standard) as quality control was minimal. Not surprisingly, relations within the workforce were poor and it was impossible to get anybody to co-operate on projects. People were either irritable and (5) ___________ (patient) or just couldn't be bothered. I remember the day I finally handed in my resignation. I tried to explain some of the problems I'd experienced to senior management, and implied that some of their working practices were quite frankly (6) ___________ (legal). But, true to form, they were completely (7) ___________ (communicative) and (8) ___________ (interested). I was faced with a wall of silence, then more or less thrown out of the factory gates! English in Use 1 Running a successful business can be extremely stressful, so the ability to unwind is crucial. Read the following extract from a magazine article, ignoring the spaces. What is the typical executive's attitude to 'leisure' activities? 2 Now read the article again and supply the missing words by writing one word in spaces 1-15. The first one has been done for you as an example. RELAXING ISN'T EASY. I know - I have tried it. I can see, (0) therefore , why Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry want corporations to have full-time 'leisure advisers'. It seems (1) ________ idea worth copying. A start should be made (2) ________ the very top. Captains of industry often find it hardest (3) ________all to relax. Workers (4) ________ least have the excuse that they need to protect their job and pay (5) ________ the loan on their house. Many tycoons already possess (6) ________ the money they could ever hope to spend. So why don't they ease (7) ________? Some buy a luxurious yacht, a beach house, or even an island, (8) ________ seldom make use of these expensive leisure facilities. "I don't have time for a holiday," (9) ________ insist. Some consider themselves so indispensable that they think their business would collapse (10) ________ they were not there to supervise every detail.

But more often than not (11) ________plain truth is that they don't know how to relax. (12) ________ has ever told them how to do it. You can't be a frantic executive (13) ________ day and a leisurely beachcomber the next. Put a captain of industry (14) ________ a beach and he tends to (15) ________ bored and restless. He misses the pace, the action. (200 words) 3 What do you think about the idea of having a leisure adviser? Can you think of any other ways to relieve stress? Discuss your ideas with a partner. GRAMMAR 1. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. a. I couldn't be happier at the moment. could I am as happy as could be at the moment. b. Although I tried hard, I couldn't lift the suitcase. might Try , I couldn't lift the suitcase. c. I'm sure that Peter won't be late. bound Peter on time. d. Fancy you and I having the same surname! should It's odd the same surname! e. I think you should take up jogging. were If I take up jogging. f. It's possible that this kind of snake is poisonous. could This snake the poisonous kinds. g. You can't borrow my car! won't 5

I borrow my car! h. I'm sure this isn't how you get to Norwich! can't This way to Norwich! i. It makes no difference to me if we call it off. may We call it off. j.Although it's summer, the temperature is more like winter. may It the temperature is more like winter. 2. Complete each sentence with one of the phrases from the box. couldn't be must be wouldn't be must like need to I might may be dont have to couldn't possibly might as well

a. The heating comes on automatically. You dont have to turn it on. b. Of course I'll help! I ______________________ let you do it on your own. c. It's a lovely hotel. And the staff ______________________ more helpful. d. George ______________________ it there if he has stayed there for so long. e. You ______________________ right, but I'm still not convinced. f. We ______________________ go in this museum. There's nothing else to do. g. I love these trees. Without them the garden ______________________ the same. h. There's the phone call I was expecting. It ______________________ George. i. Thanks. And now you just ______________________ sign on the dotted line. j. Try as ______________________ I simply couldn't open the lid. 3. In most lines of this text there is an extra word. Write the word, or put a tick if the line is correct. I may as well be admit it - I'm a secret admirer of all things connected 1be with trains! It's not with something you would want to admit to your friends, but I can't imagine life possibly without my collection of model trains and train memorabilia. You're probably thinking I must be done some kind of nerd who stands around on chilly platforms all day collecting train numbers, and yes, I have to admit for I've done my fair 2 3 4 5 6 6

share of that, but that's only a small part of it. I can just love the feel of railway stations, and I can cheerfully spend a whole of afternoon in one, just walking around soaking up to the atmosphere of the place, looking for things for my collection, and taking photos of new engines. Call me might a weirdo, but I'd far rather spend a day in a station than on the beach by sunning myself. I'd be too busy taking the train down the coast - coastal routes can be an absolutely spectacular. There's a convention for those railway lovers on the south coast soon - rest assured that I shall be there. I wouldn't miss it for all the world! COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH3 stranger

7 8 9 10 . 11 .. 12 13 14 15

foreigner

usual common

It was interesting to have class discussions with other strangers. explanation Strangers are people youve never met before. People of other nationalities are foreigners, but this is often used negatively, so avoid it. We dont want foreigners here! right It was interesting to have class discussions with people from other countries. wrong John is a very unusual name in Britain. explanation For many examples of something, say common, not usual. right John is a very common name in Britain.

wrong

BBC Learning English4 Ask about English The apostrophe A question from Iain Wood in Belgium: When I went to school, the apostrophe was used to integrate another word, such as its mine (it is mine). But when the apostrophe was placed AFTER the word, such as Johns house, the apostrophe was used to indicate that the house belongs to John. Everyday on the BBC one
3

Paul Hancock, Common Errors in English, Essex, Pinguin Press, 2001 Ask about English bbclearningenglish.com BBC Learning English 2009

can find instances where the apostrophe can be found between the n and the s. Can you tell me why? Gareth Rees answers: Hello Iain. Thank you for your question concerning the use of the apostrophe. , which is an area of language that cause problems for native speakers too. We do indeed use the apostrophe when we contract a word. So, as in your example, it is mine can become its mine, with its being spelt I-T-apostrophe-s. Other examples of this use of the apostrophe include Ill, Id, and were. We also use the apostrophe, usually with the letter s, to indicate possession, and this is where you need to be careful. The house that belongs to John can be called Johns house, and note that the spelling is J-O-H-N-apostrophe-S. When indicating possession, this is the normal form and spelling. However, if the word that takes the apostrophe is a name which ends in the letter s, there are two possibilities. Take for example the name Peter Jones, which ends in an s. If we are talking about his house, we can say Peter Joness house, spelt J-O-N-E-S-apostrophe-S, or we can say Peter Jones house, spelt J-O-N-E-S-apostrophe. This second use, the one without the letter s, is more common in formal writing. The use of the apostrophe without the letter s, to indicate possession, also occurs when we are talking about plural nouns which end with an s, for example, two dogs, my parents. So, when we say my parents bedroom, parents is spelt P-A-R-E-N-T-S-apostrophe. BBC Learning English Face up to Phrasals5 Bob & Jackie's Chemistry Project Episode 12: You should have listened, Bob! Bob: Ooh Jackie. I feel terrible. I can't see properly and I think I'm going to. throw up.eeuurrgghhh!!!

Face up to Phrasals bbclearningenglish.com BBC Learning English 2008 8

Throw up threw up thrown up Meaning: If you throw up, the food and drink in your stomach come up and out of your mouth. Grammar: This phrasal verb may or may not have an object. If there is an object, it usually goes between the verb and particle. Jack threw up Jack threw his dinner up Jack threw it up Jack threw up it Example sentence: I feel terrible. I have a really bad headache and I've thrown up 3 times today. Synonyms: heave, gag, vomit, barf, be sick