商务礼节美语第90期:礼貌应对难相处的人

　　Dealing¹ Politely with Difficult People 礼貌应对难相处的人
陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。美国同事Amy今天来找他。
(Office ambience)
A: Chen Hao, how is everything going with your new responsibilities? I heard that you have been asked to handle our customer complaints.
CH: 这个差事可真不好干。不知道老板干嘛让我跟投诉的顾客打交道。
A: I think you were asked because you are concerned about being courtesy and polite.
C: 可是顾客在电话里大吵大闹的时候，要继续保持礼貌，还真需要训练有素才行。
A: What kind of challenges have you had?
C: 很多时候，投诉的人打电话过来，其实我已经知道该怎么解决他们的问题了，可他们就是不听我讲话，没完没了地抱怨。
A: You need to let them vent².
C: Vent? 什么是vent?
A: It means to let people express their feelings or emotions.
C: 那我就得耐心等他们把怨气全都发泄出来吗？
A: That's right. Don't interrupt them even when you understand the problem and the solution.
C: 那不是浪费时间吗！
A: When people are angry or upset, they need to talk about it. If you listen patiently, by the time most people get to the end of their tirade³, they feel better and are not nearly so upset.
C: 我要是中途打断他们呢？
A: They think you are not listening to them. And when you interrupt, you may miss an important detail that will help you deal with the problem.
C: 那倒是。有时候我没听完就下结论，往往都是错的。
A: When your customers realize that you are listening and caring about their problem, they often calm down.
C: 你在这方面好像很有经验，下午有时间再给我讲讲！
A: Sure.
下班后，陈豪又碰到Amy。
C: Amy，今天天气真好，咱们走路回家吧！
A: That sounds good to me. So what other questions do you have about handling difficult situations with good manners and customer service?
C: 有时候顾客蛮不讲理，就好像一切都是我的错。
A: You need to realize that the customer does not care whose fault it is. It's ABC's fault and you represent ABC to them.
C: 那我该怎么跟他们解释呢？
A: Simple. You apologize.
C: Apologize? 明明不是我的错，我还得道歉。这不是替人受过吗！
A: And be sure that you sound sincere. People can tell by your tone of voice if you mean it or not.
C: 还有什么其他建议吗？
A: Let them know exactly what steps will be taken to correct the situation and whom to contact if it is not resolved.
C: 需要注意的事情真是太多了。Amy，你能总结一下吗？
A: Listen patiently to your customers. Apologize and take responsibility. Let them know how the problem will be resolved.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

3 tirade   

n.冗长的攻击性演说

参考例句：

• Her tirade provoked a counterblast from her husband.她的长篇大论激起了她丈夫的强烈反对。
• He delivered a long tirade against the government.他发表了反政府的长篇演说。