🔥 Warm-Up (5 minutes)
- Have you ever made a complaint to a company? What happened?
- What makes good customer service, in your opinion?
📖 Key Vocabulary
| English | Type | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| complaint | n. | The company received a complaint about a delayed delivery. |
| refund | n./v. | The customer requested a full refund. |
| apologize | v. | The manager apologized for the inconvenience. |
| inconvenience | n. | We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. |
| resolve | v. | The support team resolved the issue within a day. |
| feedback | n. | Customer feedback helps us improve our service. |
| dissatisfied | adj. | Several customers were dissatisfied with the response time. |
| compensation | n. | The airline offered compensation for the canceled flight. |
| hotline | n. | Customers can call the hotline for urgent issues. |
| loyalty | n. | The company rewards customer loyalty with discounts. |
🧠 Grammar / Strategy Focus
Phrasal verbs are common in business English, especially in customer service. Look into means to investigate (“We will look into your complaint”). Deal with means to handle a problem (“The team dealt with the issue quickly”). Follow up on means to check on progress later (“Please follow up on this request tomorrow”). Get back to means to reply to someone later (“I'll get back to you by email”). Word order matters: these phrasal verbs are followed directly by their preposition and object.
✏️ Part 5 Practice
Incomplete Sentences
📝 Part 6 Practice
Text Completion (Subject: Response to Your Recent Order)
Dear Ms. Le,
Thank you for contacting us about the delay in your recent order. We sincerely apologize for the (1) this has caused. Our team has (2) the issue and found that a warehouse error was responsible for the delay. As compensation, we would like to offer you a 20% discount on your next purchase. We will (3) your order today to make sure it arrives by Friday. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to (4) our customer service team.
Sincerely,
Customer Support
📰 Part 7 Practice
Reading Comprehension
In response to growing customer feedback, the company has launched a new 24-hour support hotline to help resolve issues more quickly. Previously, customer service representatives were only available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., which meant that complaints submitted in the evening often were not addressed until the next business day.
The new hotline is staffed by a team of twenty representatives working in shifts around the clock. According to the customer service director, the goal is to resolve at least 80% of complaints within the first phone call. Customers who are not satisfied with the initial response can request to speak with a supervisor at any time.
🎧 Listening Practice
Talk (Part 4 style)
Teacher: read the script aloud twice (or record it) at natural speed, then ask students the questions below.
Thank you for calling customer support. Our representatives are currently assisting other customers, but your call is important to us. While you wait, please note that you can also submit a complaint through our website, which is often faster than waiting on the phone. If your issue is regarding a recent order, please have your order number ready when a representative answers. Our average wait time today is approximately eight minutes.