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WITH his impressive CV and a standout interview performance, Bi Hao finally got the job as a marketing assistant. Dealing with customers is a major part of the position. See what he's learning about customer service.
Adjustment letters
At any company, things don't always go smoothly. When the business makes a mistake, customers write and ask for compensation for late service or damaged goods. Here's how to reply to complaints with an adjustment letter. Pay attention to the underlined words.
1. Say "thank you" for the letter:
a. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
b. We appreciate you writing and letting us know about ....
2. Tell them what you have done / discovered:
c. I have checked with the vendor, and they informed me that ...
d. Having checked with our suppliers, it is clear that ...
e. ... the delay was due to poor weather conditions.
f. ... delays at headquarters led to the approval being late.
3. Tell them what's been decided:
1) Taking responsibility
g. I really must apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused.
h. Please allow us to apologize for putting you through so much trouble.
2) Denying responsibility
i. I regret to inform you that damaged goods cannot be returned after delivery....
j. I am afraid the delay in delivery was due to our not receiving the order for a number of weeks.
3) The future
k. We assure you that in the future we shall do all we can to avoid this error from occurring again.
l. We shall try to make sure that this does not happen again.
4. Offering compensation or a compromise
m. Here at Century Company we feel strongly that your satisfaction is our top priority. So, in order to make up for some of the inconvenience you have suffered, we will offer a discount of 5 per cent on your next order.
n. Clearly, you have been inconvenienced by this unfortunate situation. So, we are prepared to offer you the more advanced version of that product at a considerably reduced price as a gesture of goodwill.
Making complaints
To make a complaint, first state what is wrong. For example: "Unfortunately, we have not yet received the mould." And then, request action. For example:
Please would you deliver it soon
We'd be grateful if you could deliver it soon
We'd appreciate it if you could deliver it soon
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Exercise: Match sentences (1) - (4) together with sentences (a) - (d) to make four separate complaints.
1) Unfortunately one of the samples you sent us was damaged.
2) Unfortunately we have not yet received your payment.
3) Unfortunately our catalogue of your products is out of date.
4) Unfortunately you forgot to mention the cost of your products.
a) Please could you send us your cheque before 30th June.
b) We would be grateful if you could send us a replacement.
c) We would appreciate it if you could send us an up-to-date version as soon as possible.
d) Please could you send your price list as soon as possible.
Answers: 1-b 2-a 3-c 4-d |
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