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Back to business and…
Courses for Reception Staff
The first line of contact with your company is generally Reception. This is where customers, suppliers, etc gain their first impression of your operation. Imagine the following scene:
The receptionist answers a call. The speaker is, for instance, French. S/he is speaking English but very broken English. The receptionist manages to grasp that the caller wants the name of the Quality Manager and gives the name. The caller doesn't understand and the conversation degenerates into repeated repetition. The receptionist tries spelling the name and, after five or six tries at certain letters, the caller seems to have understood. The conversation has taken five minutes, during which time the switchboard has lit up with calls and a visitor is waiting to sign in at the desk. Not surprisingly, the receptionist feels hot and bothered.
Now envisage…
The receptionist answers a call. The speaker is French and his/her English is barely comprehensible. Having understood that the caller wants the name of the Quality Manager, the receptionist gives the name and then spells it out using the French phonetic alphabet. Relieved, the caller lapses into French and the receptionist explains (in French) that she only speaks a little French, thereby halting the flow. The receptionist then responds to the caller's thanks by saying “you're welcome” in French and bids the caller goodbye (also in French). The call has taken two minutes, the receptionist is delighted that she could help the caller; the caller is impressed that the company's receptionist knew the French phonetic alphabet.
If you want yours to be the second scenario, then click here to contact us for details of our French and German: Courses for Reception Staff
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