·-..•,·.
,,
- ~.··.
- : '-• "'.-..-lo,;:t~
· .: 10~.t~
' Customers
Customer vs client vs consumer
In many cases the words 'customer' and 'client' can
both be used . Hovvever:
• Custorner is more common where there is a standard
product or service, and also where cash is exchanged
(eg in a s hop or restaurant).
• Client is more common where the product or service
is individually designed.
The '"'ord 'consumer' is more general and refers to
anyone who buys things (rather than a customer of
a particular company). Econom ists are interested in
consumer demand, consumer confidence, etc. The
consumer is also the end-user, whereas a customerI client
may be another business or a distributor or agent.
Pre-sales contact with the customer
This is the area of work of the sales department.
Typical stages are:
Contact ~ Lead -1 Prospect ~ Customer
Contact can be made through many channels (eg a
website enquiry, an existing customer). The sales
consultant may:
deal with/ handle an enquiry
give / provide inforrnation
ask for / request inforn1.ation to find out the custonzer's
needs I requirements
A 'lead' is a piece of i11formation or a person that helps
you find new custo1ners. The sales consultant may:
follow up a lead(= do more work on it)
A ' prospect' is a person who may become a customer.
The sales consultant may:
offer a customized I personalized I tailor-made
solution
provide an individual package for a client
meet (= satisfy) I fail to meet tlte customer's needs or
expectations
And finally the customer may:
make / place an order
niake a repeat purchase (= buy the same thing again)
1 Read the text for general understanding.
2 Read it again and underline the words you don't know.
Check their meaning.
24
After-sales contact with the customer
Here the interaction with the customer will be very
different, and might involve the follovving.
Ansvvering questions about pay1nent and delivery.
The activity of processing and shipping an order is
called 'fulfilment'. •
Unless we receive payment in full, we're unable to fulfil
your order .
• Explainmg how to use the product.
• Discussing the terms of the warranty.
• Dealing with complaints. The person w h o handles
the complairlt will first apologize. Then, if the
product is faulty and is still under warranty, the
company will offer a repair or replacement. In other
cases they may offer a refund or some other form of
compensation.
Many companies d o all this in a department 'INith
a name like Customer Serv ices, Customer Care or
Customer Support. Sometimes this department handles
pre-sales enquiries as well.
Loyalty schemes
The company wants loyal, satisfied customers who will
come back again and again. This can be encouraged
with a special loyalty scheme that offers va rious
revvards. Existing customers may have a chance to win
a prize if they order again, or a customer who hasn't
placed an order for some time may be sent an email
vvith a discount coupon.
The Marketing Department and
customers
The Marketmg Department comes into contact with
customers as part of market research. They want to get
feedback on existing products and get ideas for new
products. They might d o the followi11g.
• Carry out a survey, for example with an onlirle
questionnaire.
• Conduct a focus group(= a face-to-face discussion
with a small group of consumers).
We say .. .
carry out/ conduct / do a survey
take part in / respond to a survey
fill in/ fill out/ complete a questionnaire
3 Highlight words you know passively, bu t don't use
actively. Choose some to write sentences of your ovvn.
4 Check pronunciation at macmiUandictionary.com
 10 CUSTOMERS
Exercises

10.1 Complete each sentence with a word in the box. 1 0.5 Complete each mini-dialogue with the most
Several answers may be possible but choose the best appropriate phrase from the box.
one.
deal with it fill it in follow it up place it provide it
client customer consumer end-user
1 A: I spoke to someone on the reception desk. She was
1 We offer financial advice to wealthy individuals. We have very chatty and gave me a good lead.
around 200 s on our books. B: When are you going to /
2 We manufacture children's toys and sell them to a 2 A: I have a Mr Rodriguez on the line. He sounds very
distributor. The distributor supplies retail outlets all angry. It's about the software he ordered.
over Europe. So we never come into contact w ith t he B: OK, give the phone to me. I' ll __ ...
3 A: The information that I want is really very basic.
3 I work in the retail business and people often bring back B: I'm sorry but I'm just not able to . ____ _ right
clothes simply because they don't like them . But we now. Can I take your number and call you back?
don't argue. We have a saying: 'the _____ 1s 4 A: I'm ready to make an order now. What should I do?
always right.' B: The best way is to online via our
4 When the economy comes out of recession, website.
_ demand for automobiles, holidays and 5 A: Thank you very much, you've been very helpful.
luxury goods will pick up rapidly. B: My pleasure. Just before you go, may I give you
this customer satisfaction questionnaire? If you
10.2 Fill in the missing letters. A few words do not
and return it, you have a chance to
appear opposite. . .
win a prize.
1 The customer buys from a su _ Jier (=seller). In American
English the word 'ven __ r' is also common. 10.6 Match the words 'warranty' and 'g uarantee'
2 Clients expect a pe . __ .. alized I cu. ized I with their explanations below.
tai -made service. 1 . .. ··---· - refers to repair I replacement or a refund
3 Asa fied customer w ill often make a rep _ ..t or general quality issues; it can be used as a verb.
p chase. 2 _________ - refers to repair I replacement only; it
4 We can customize the product to meet your exact cannot be used as a verb.
requ ments.
10.7 Complete the text about customer loyalty
5 We provide an individual pa__ age to meet your
schemes with the words in the box.
sp ic needs.

10.3 In each group cross out the one word in claimed coupon online placed
ital ics that does not make a common verb + noun points relationships reward scheme
partnership.
1 deal with I handle I meet I respond to an enquiry What is the best way to get customer loyalty? The
2 carry out I find out I request I provide information first answer must be to give good overall service. But
3 do I fulfil I make I place an order customer 1_[ffa[1pnsh1ps can also be strengthened with
4 attract I deal with I lose I offer a customer a special customer loyalty 2 . These are
5 address I have I meetI satisfy somebody's needs programmes that use discounts, extra goods or prizes
6 offer I provide I reach I suspend a service to 3 customers for behaviour that benefits
7 deal with I do I handle I investigate a complaint the business. For example, a local coffee bar might offer
8 carry out I conduct I enterI take part in a survey a free drink every tenth visit, or a mail-order company
10.4 Underline the correct words in italics. might offer a discount 4 to customers who
<

1 If you 'handle' an enquiry or a complaint, you deal with haven't 0 - -··---·· a n order for some time.
it I pass it to somebody else. It's also common to give retail customers a loyalty card
2 If you 'provide' information, you give/receive it. that is presented at the checkout (real or 6 )
3 If you 'fulfil' an order, you cancel it I ship it. and is used to collect 7 . Perhaps the besi-
4 If you 'meet' somebody's needs, you discuss their needs kno\vn example of this is frequent-flyer programmes,
with them I satisfy their needs. although most points earned through these programmes
5 If you 'carry out' a survey, you ask the questions I answer
are not 8 - - - - -
the questions.
See page 146 for some discussion topics.

Markets, products and customers 25

 Orders, invoices and payment
Orders
When an end-user makes an order they simply pay at
the point of purchase. But in the business-to-business
sector the following sequence is typical.
1 A customer makes an enquiry about a product and
the price.
2 The supplier provides information and quotes/gives
a price. . ls there a charge for shipping?
3 The customer makes/places an order. The order may
be made by email, phone or fax, or may be made
directly offI from a website.
4 The supplier confirms/acknowledges the order,
processes it, and gives the customer a shipping date.
Of course the goods may be out of stock, in which
case there is a wait until they are in stock again.
5 The supplier ships the goods and issues(= produces
+sends) an invoice.
6 A logistics company delivers the goods. Perhaps the
customer has also tracked the shipment(= followed
the progress of the goods) online.
7 On arrival, the customer checks the goods.
8 If the goods are in good condition, the customer
pays the invoice. If they are damaged, there is a
'returns policy' for sending them back.
Note that 'ship' means send/dispatch by any means of
transport, not just by ship.
Note that 'quote' and 'order' are used as both nouns
and verbs:
Can you give rne a quote?
Can you quote me a price?
I'd like to place an order for 300 pieces.
I'd like to order 300 pieces.
Invoices
An invoice (or bill) is a document issued b y a seller
to a buyer. It requests payment for an order. A typical
invoice contains:
• Date of the invoice and an invoice reference number.
• Name, contact details and tax details of the seller.
• Name and contact details of the buyer.
• Date that the products were shipped.
• Purchase order number (if the buyer has one which
they want on the invoice).
• Description of the products.
1 Read the text for general understanding.
2 Read it again and underline the words you don't know.
Check their meaning.
26
• Unit price of the products.
• Total amount charged for the goods.
• Any extra amount for shipping (sometimes called
'postage and packing' for smaller items).
• Payment terms.
Note that 'charge' and 'invoice' are used as both nouns
•
and verbs.
Hoiv much do you charge for shipping?
Have you sent the invoice?
Have you invoiced them yet?
Payment
The invoice contains the payment terms, and these are
the conditions of payment. If the customer pays early,
there is often a discount, and if they pay late, there is
a penalty. The invoice also shows the tax paid to the
government (called VAT- value added tax - in BrE).
The method of payment can vary. A first-time business-
to-business customer will often have to arrange a 'letter
of credit' at their bank (business people just say 'l/ c').
With an l/c the customer's bank makes a guaranteed
payment as soon as the seller's bank presents certain
documents (transport documents, invoice, etc). If there
is a long-term business relationship with more trust,
the customer will usually have an 'open account'. Here
the customer pays later, after the goods are received,
according to the terms of the contract.
The seller may:
ask for/demand payment in advance/upfront
ask for cash on delivery (COD)
ask for prompt payment (within 14 days of delivery)
ask for payment in 30 I 60 I 90 days from date of inv oice
send a reminder (= an email or letter telling the buyer
they must pay)
The customer may:
arrange a bank transfer
pay by monthly instalments
delay payrnent (pay later than is planned)
defer payment (arrange officially to pay later)
settle an account(= pay everything that is owing)
If the customer is late in paying, the seller might say:
Your payrnent is due. (=it must be paid now)
Your payment was due two weeks ago.
Your payment is no-UJ overdue. (=it is late)
3 Highlight words you know passively, but don't use
actively. Choose some to write sentences of your own.
4 Check pronunciation at macmillandictionary.com
 11 ORDERS, INVOICES AND PAYMENT
Exercises

11.1 Match verbs 1- 8 with definitions a- h. 11.5 Complete this sequence of emails with the words
1 quote a send I dispatch goods in the boxes.
2 ship b ask sb to pay money for a service
contact deliver delivery enquiry order quote
3 issue c follow the progress of sth
4 track d say how much sth will cost
5 acknowledge e take goods to a place I clicked on your ad on the Building Products website and
6 deliver f say firmly that you want sth got directed to your site. I am interested in your high-security
7 charg e g officially give I send sth doors for commercial properties. Do you make these doors
with non-standard dimensions? If so. can you give me a
8 demand h tell sb you have received sth :
1
? And can you also tell me how long it will
1! take to 2_ _ _ them?
11 .2 Match nouns 1- 8 with definitions a-h. I
' Thank you
1 enquiry a request for payment; bill ' Patrick Murphy
2 order b amount of goods transported
3 goods c question to get information
4 invoice d conditions I ; Dear Mr Murphy
5 shipment e (formal) process of buying I · Thank you for your 3 sent from our website.
6 purchase f request for goods to be sent 1 Yes, we can make made-to-measure doors according to your
7 terms g punishment for breaking an agreement specifications. but we require a minimum 4 of
ten doors.
8 penalty h things produced for sale
The price will be the catalogue price plus 15%.
5
11 .3 Place the items in the list into the most likely will be ten working days from a firm order.
sequence. ' Please feel free to 6_ _ _ _ _ me if you have any further
' questions.
----- . I
, i Marie Berger
confirms the order issues an invoice makes an enquiry i
quotes a price sends a reminder tracks the shipment __ ___
' Sales Manager
,

Customer Supplier
1 attached disregard invoice overdue records terms
2

places an order l I Dear Ms Berger

3
------- ·IFollowing our phone call earlier today I can confirm that I f_
processes the order; ' want 20 security doors with the specifications given on the
7
document.
-
ships the goods;
4 I agree to the payment 8 and delivery dates
5 we discussed.
------ Patrick Murphy
checks the goods on 1
_______
._......,..__ -------~-- ---::-:;:;:;::;:::::;:::-::: - ....
arrival; delays payment
6 a few weeks later ...
settles the account . ------
Dear Mr Murphy
11 .4 One of the three phrases in italics does not exist
I note from our 9 that you have still not paid
or is not used . Cross it out. our invoice no. CMD6774 dated 12 March. The agreed terms
1 I called them to make a charge I a complaint I an enquiry. were 30 days from date of 10 and so this
payment is now 11 _ _ _ __ _
2 I asked them to give me a quote I an enquiry I a price. I

3 Make sure that the letter of credit I purchase order ' Please arrange to transfer this money to our account as soon
as possible.
number/VAT is clearly shown on the invoice.
If you have already paid this invoice, please
4 The goods were placed I shipped I dispatched yesterday. 12
• this email.
5 Our supplier has shipped the bills I goods I products. Yours
6 They want us to pay 50°/o in advance I upfront I up at IMar~-Berger
the front.
7 We paid the bill I invoice I terms on time. *ignore
8 Your payment is due/overdue/overtime. See page 146 for some discussion topics.
9 Tell them we have cashflow problems and ask if we can
defer I delay I deliver payment.
10 You have 30 days to install I pay I settle the invoice.

Markets, products and customers 27