English for Sales and Client Service

Introduction

English for Sales and Client Service is an online course, consisting of 56 units of English, and providing approximately 60 hours of study for students.

Course aims

To give students at Intermediate, CEFR B1/Upper Intermediate B2 level practice in general and business-oriented language required for business contexts at this level, specifically tailored towards the specialisation of customer service. The course blends grammatical structures necessary for this level, with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, speaking and pronunciation.

Γραμματική

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Use the present perfect tense to describe situations requiring a link between the present and the past.
  • Use the passive form to create a more polite and indirect tone.
  • Use modal verbs to talk about the functions of requests, offers and permission.
  • Correctly use adverbs to describe events happening over time.
  • Use adverbs to describe the manner in which an action is taken.
  • Compare adjectives and adverbs using comparative and superlative forms.
  • Use indirect questions to increase formality and politeness of speech.
  • Distinguish and be able to correctly describe countable and uncountable nouns.

Λεξιλόγιο

By the end of the course students will have learnt approximately 200 expressions used in customer service.

Skills

By the end of the course students will have had exposure to and practice in reading and hearing formal and informal English from a variety of accents and customer service contexts.

Unit Summary

Module 1

  • Introduction to Sales and Client Service
  • Grammar: Adverbs of manner
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Key vocabulary and phrases used in the customer service industry
  • Ανάγνωση: Principles of Sales and Client Service
  • Ακρόαση: A lecture on customer service
  • Γράφοντας: A day in the life
  • Μιλώντας: Call centre challenges
  • Pronunciation: Hot and Heart + connected speech

Module 2

  • Building Rapport with Clients
  • Grammar: Adverbs of time
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Polite greetings, small talk, and active listening skills
  • Ανάγνωση: Getting that connection
  • Ακρόαση: A dialogue dealing with a customer problem
  • Γράφοντας: Small talk is a big issue!
  • Μιλώντας: Connections
  • Pronunciation: Hope and Hop + connected speech

Module 3

  • Understanding Customer Needs and Enquiries
  • Grammar: Comparatives and superlatives
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Clarifying questions, paraphrasing, and summarising client concerns
  • Ανάγνωση: What does the client need?
  • Ακρόαση: A dialogue with a mixed-up order
  • Γράφοντας: Dealing with the public
  • Μιλώντας: The client is not a hot potato!
  • Pronunciation: Heart and Hat + connected speech

Module 4

  • Presenting Products and Services Effectively
  • Grammar: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Describing features, benefits, and comparisons with other options
  • Ανάγνωση: Effectively Describing Product Features and Benefits
  • Ακρόαση: A dialogue highlighting a product’s key features
  • Γράφοντας: Presenting your product
  • Μιλώντας: Selling the impossible!
  • Pronunciation: Guess and Yes + connected speech

Module 5

  • Handling Complaints and Difficult Situations
  • Grammar: Indirect questions
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Diplomatic language, empathy, and problem-solving techniques
  • Ανάγνωση: Complaints: a professional approach
  • Ακρόαση: Dealing with a complaint
  • Γράφοντας: Handling complaints
  • Μιλώντας: Born to deal with angry clients
  • Pronunciation: Fine and Vine + connected speech

Module 6

  • Closing the Sale and Upselling
  • Grammar: Passive voice
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Persuasive language, offering add-ons or upgrades, and finalising transactions
  • Ανάγνωση: Mastering the Art of Closing the Sale and Upselling
  • Ακρόαση: A lecture on the science of closing a sale
  • Γράφοντας: How to upsell like a pro
  • Μιλώντας: Unnecessary upgrades
  • Pronunciation: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 7

  • The Importance of Providing After-sales Support
  • Grammar: Present perfect
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Following up, addressing additional concerns, and fostering long-term relationships
  • Ανάγνωση: The Importance of Providing After-sales Support
  • Ακρόαση: Two colleagues discuss after-sales service
  • Γράφοντας: After-sales service: a waste of money?
  • Μιλώντας: When too much is just too much!
  • Pronunciation: Cat and Cut + connected speech

Module 8

  • Professional Communication in a Multicultural Environment
  • Grammar: Requests, offers and permission
  • Λεξιλόγιο: Cultural sensitivity, email etiquette, and phone call best practices
  • Ανάγνωση: Multicultural Communication issues
  • Ακρόαση: A lecture on cultural sensitivity
  • Γράφοντας: Cultural differences
  • Μιλώντας: Email disasters
  • Pronunciation: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Follow-up

Students completing the English for Sales and Client Service course should feel confident in tackling any upper intermediate course, including our Upper Intermediate Business Power course.