英语听力教程(四)答案文稿

Unit I Shopping and Banking Online

Spot dictation. Fill in the blanks with the words you hear.

Listen to a news report. Supply the missing information.

Consumers who want to shop online are suggested to bear the following things in mind:

Evaluate the site. Always buy goods from well-known and trustworthy companies. Deal with companies which offer customer service, a complaints procedure and have a refund policy.

Talk to merchant. E-mail and wait for responses. Take down the addresses and phone numbers of those companies and make sure they are real by calling them up before buying any products and services.

Ensure secure connection. Since buyers must submit personal information like number and

expiry date of the card there are fears over security. Deal with sites that apply strict safety measures that require shoppers to give specific data known only to card holders before making the transaction.

Be extra careful at a cybercafé or other public connection.

Listen to the report. Supply the missing information about the main problems of online shopping found by the survey.

Tapescript

There is an urgent need for e-commerce rules to boost confidence in buying online. Consumers International, a federation of 245 consumer organizations — including the UK's Consumers Association — said its survey showed that there were still obstacles to shopping online with complete trust.

Part III Banking at home

A. Listen to a description of today's banking services. Complete the outline.

I. Some problems of the walk-in bank

A. standing in long lines

B. running out of checks

C. limited opening

hours

II. Online banking

services

A. viewing accounts

B. moving money between accounts

C. applying for a loan

D. getting current information on products

E. paying bills electronically

F. e-mailing questions to the

bank

III. Reasons for creating online

services

A. competing for customers

B. taking advantage of modern technology

IV. Inappropriateness of online banking for some people

A. having no computers at home

B. preferring to handle accounts the traditional way

Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the material. Then answer the questions.

Questions:

1.What is "interactive

banking"?

It is banking through the

Internet.

2.Why can "online banking" compete for customers?

"Online banking" offers convenience which appeals to the kind of customer banks want to keep.

3. What kind of customers do banks want to keep?

Banks most want to keep people who are young, well-educated, and have good incomes.

Many people dislike walking to the bank, standing in long lines, and running out of checks. They are dissatisfied with their bank's limited hours, too. They want to do some banking at night, and on weekends. For such people, their problems may soon be over. Before long, they may be able to do their banking from the comfort of their own home, any hour of the day, any day of the week.

Many banks are preparing "online branches," or Internet offices, which means that people will be able to take care of much of their banking business through their home computers. This process is called interactive banking. At these online branches, customers will be able to view all their accounts, move money between their accounts, apply for a loan, and get current information on products such as credit cards. Customers will also be able to pay their bills electronically, and even e-mail questions to the bank.

Banks are creating online services for several reasons. One reason is that banks must compete for customers, who will switch to another bank if they are dissatisfied with the service they receive. The convenience of online banking appeals to the kind of customer banks most want to keep— people who are young, well-educated, and have good incomes. Banks also want to take advantage of modern technology as they move into the twenty-first century.

Online banking may not be appropriate for everyone. For instance, many people do not have computers at home. Other people prefer to go to the bank and handle their accounts the traditional way. Even though online banking may never completely replace a walk-in bank, it is a service that many customers are going to want to use.

Before listening, read and think about the following

questions.

When you're shopping in a store, how would you like

to be treated by the sales assistant? What is good

customer service?

Now listen to an interview discussing English and American good customer services. Compare the services and supply the missing information.

In Britain they ask you, "Are you being served?" Whilst in America they tell you to "Have a nice day." But what is the secret of good customer service? From Harrods in London and Saks New York, we're going to find out the dos and don'ts of selling protocol.

English Good Customer Service

Peter Willasey (Corporate & Media Press Manager, Harrods):

The reason that Harrods has been so successful over a hundred and fifty years is two fold. First of all they've offered their customers the products they want to buy in a pleasant environment.But secondly and more importantly, the level of customer service that they've given their customers, before sale, during sale and after sale, has been second to none. I think it's fair to say that if you compare the British with our cousins elsewhere in the world that we are actually quite a reserved lot. To a certain extent there are a lot of shrinking violets in this country who would rather just do their own thing. They'd rather wander around and browse and if they do need any help eventually,ask for it. So I think the way that we approach our own U.K. based customers is actually slightly different to the way we know we need to approach. For example, an American customer, or indeed a Japanese customer, or a Middle Eastern customer, who all have different ways of doing things.

Jennifer Spink (Manager of International Design Room, Harrods):

Well in serving different, I guess,nationalities, you do take very different approaches. With Europeans, for example, you do kind of let them take a look at everything. See what's being on offer and then ask them if they need any help. I think they'd probably much more prefer to come to you, rather than you so much to go to them. The American customer very much expects you to go to them, approach them, show them alternatives. Well I think maybe the more European or British customer can be almost turned off by that if someone is seen to be too aggressive, maybe too anxious to make a sale.

Peter Willasey:

It's most important that the first contac t, the first initial meeting with the customer is a good and successful one because on that basis, the customer will make up their mind what they want to do next.

What's in Customers' mind

Claudia:

I quite like the English sales assistants because they definitely have better thing to do than talk to you, which I like. It's very terrifying when you go to America. "Can I help you?" they're like licking you. You're just like, "No, I'm fine. I just want to look." That puts me off. I love the English sales assistant.

Journalist:

So where have you experienced the very best in customer service?

Claudia:

Umm, probably America. In terms of best as in, they give you so much attention it's almost embarrassing. They treat you, you know, the "have a nice day" thing. They want to help you. They want you to buy, 'cause they often work on a commission basis. That's if you like best. But I prefer the ... like, being ignored.

Tamara:

I think England's still way behind in terms of, like America for example. I can call in America from London and they'll track the item down. It's not like, "Sorry madam we don't have that in your size." I just got the Gucci boots, which mine had actually broken. And in England they said, "Sorry" you know, that's it. So this woman in Los Angeles tracked them down and, in fact got them for me. That's because they work on commission. And the sooner we learn that, the better the service will get.

American Good Customer Service

So what do the Americans have to say? They may

speak with a different accent. But is the sales pitch a

foreign language to the rest of the world?

Jay Redman (Director of Service and Selling, Saks):

I think part of the reason Americans are known as

experts is that we tend to focus a lot more in the human side

of selling,not the mechanical side, which is the register

and knowing about the product. We really want to know

about your lifestyle. We want to know about your family.

We want to know about your income. We want to know

about your occasions in your life. And that's very

different outside of the United States. Our consumer

actually is comfortable with forming a partnership with a

sales associate and giving up that information,very

personal information, very personal information. I think

that best part about Saks sales associate training that we

actually develop customers,five different types of

customers and we videotape them and put them up in front

of every new sales associate and say, "This is our

customers." They're very different. Each one of them is a

top customer at Saks but they shop in a very different way.

A lot of stores in this industry really measure selling

effectiveness by sale s and quite frankly that's not what

Saks is about. I think the way you measure good quality

staff is by repeat business. Obviously if you have someone

on your selling floor that has a clientele, that is the

measure of a good sales associate.