Ielts Speaking Customer Service Part 3

Are customers’ feedback and complaints good for businesses? (= Is customer service important?)

• Absolutely. Their feedback enables businesses to improve their products and service, leading to a far higher level of customer satisfaction. When customers are delighted with a business, they will keep buying from them over and over. What’s more, these loyal customers might even go an extra mile to recommend the brand to their family and friends, which is known as word of mouth marketing. This allows companies to boost their sales and their brand awareness while saving a great deal of advertising cost. (*go an extra mile: làm hơn sức mình)

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What makes good customer service?

• I’d say that a high-quality service means providing customers with a smooth and pleasant experience. Firstly, the business must answer all customers’ inquiries promptly, clearly and truthfully. Added to that, they need to deliver the right product and service up to their promised standards. Finally, they have to handle customer complaints in a polite and constructive manner by offering a satisfactory replacement or a refund if they’re at fault. (*handle customer complaints: xử lý khiếu nại /  replacement: hàng thay thế /  at fault: có lỗi)

 

What is bad customer service? (trả lời như câu trên, dùng ideas dưới)

• Treating customers poorly/ rudely  : shout at customers / use disrespectful words 

• Ignore customers who look poor  

• Fail to deal with complaints

 

What qualities should service staff have?

• Well, it depends on each type of business but I suppose the most crucial requirement for those working in service sectors is excellent interpersonal skills. This ability helps them listen, understand and effectively deal with even the most discerning (demanding) customers. Besides, service staff must possess other essential traits such as patience and attentiveness. This enables them to stay calm, keep smiling and pay close attention to the smallest details, which is the key to success in the service industry. (*attentiveness: sự chu đáo, chú tâm)

What do people often complain about? (=On what occasions do people complain?)

• Well, people have endless reasons to complain in life. Those with a victim mentality are always whining about anything from their misfortune to their unhappy family or their tedious jobs. However, the most common situation in which people often express their dissatisfaction is when they receive a poor product or service. This is legitimate because customers should get what they have paid for. (* victim mentality: tâm lý nạn nhân /  dissatisfaction: sự bất mãn /  legitimate: có lí)

Is it better to complain by writing than by talking?

• That’s an interesting one. I’d say that it really depends on each situation. If the problem is urgent or can be dealt with immediately, like when people receive poor service at hotels or restaurants, it’s best to bring the matter up to the person in charge at once. However, if the problem is complicated like losing luggage during a flight transit or when people can’t talk to the person in charge either face to face or via phone due to different time zones, I believe writing an email with detailed description of the issue will speed up the problem solving process more effectively than talking. (*bring the matter up: đề cập về vấn đề /   the person in charge: người phụ trách / at once = immediately /  flight transit: việc chuyển máy bay /  time zones: múi giờ /  

Who are more likely to complain: old people or young people? 

• The way I see it, young people are more likely to whine about their personal problems as they tend to feel entitled and be impatient with life. As for problems with products and services, however, I believe adults are more likely to file a complaint than the young because they are more conscious of their rights as a customer and are financially wiser as well. They might be more discerning than youngsters who tend to be more carefree and less prudent due to their inexperience. (* whine = complain /  feel entitled: cảm thấy có đặc quyền / file a complaint: nộp đơn khiếu nại /  financially wise: thông thái về tài chính /  prudent = careful )

Why do some companies don’t deal with customers’ complaints?

• That’s a tricky question. I’m not an expert in this but I reckon that maybe they lack the human resources to deal with them. Small businesses, especially highly-seasonal ones, often fail to accommodate a surge of customers during peak days, and so might be inefficient in handling complaints. Of course, there are unethical businesses that choose to get away with providing a lousy product or service rather than holding themselves accountable because they intended to scam people out of their hard-earned money.  (accommodate = serve: phục vụ , đáp ứng / surge: sự tăng vọt /  get away with: thoát  tội lỗi /  hold themselves accountable: chịu trách nhiệm / scam : lừa)

Samples from Ielts Speaking Book by Duong 8.5 Ielts: https://www.ieltsd1.com/sach-ielts/sach-ielts-speaking-by-co-duong