Scripts
Unit 2
2.1
1 What I really don’t like is the way airlines treat people on the plane. There are far too many
seats on most planes, so there’s not enough legroom, and I’m not even particularly tall! I always
try and get the seats near the emergency exit for that reason – you get much more room. Also,
the poor-quality food and drink you get on airlines annoys me. It’s all so processed and packaged,
I just can’t eat it. I prefer trains!
2 I like flying, but I really don’t enjoy being at airports. Things like long queues at check-in irritate
me. Also, when I have a lot of luggage and there are no baggage trolleys around, it’s really
inconvenient. What’s even more frustrating is when I do find a trolley and then see that the
departure board is full of flight delays and cancellations.
3 I must be really unlucky because it seems I’m always a victim of lost or delayed luggage. It
usually turns up, but never with an apology. I don’t like the attitude of the airlines, and I’m sorry,
they’re all the same. They seem to treat passengers like just another piece of luggage to be
moved around the world. They seem to forget that we’re people. For example, they overbook
seats and just expect people to be able to get the next flight if their flight is full. What I really
hate, though, is jet lag. It’s a big problem for me, as I travel a lot to the Far East on business.
2.2
My last overseas business trip was a nightmare from start to finish. First of all, there was a delay
on the way to the airport, as there was an accident on the freeway. When I got there, I found the
lower level of the airport parking lot was flooded. Next, my carry-on baggage was too big and
heavy, so I had to check it in. When we arrived, the subway was closed, and there were no cabs
at all. After a long time trying to figure out the schedule and waiting in line for 40 minutes, we
finally got a bus downtown and found the hotel. Then there was a problem with our room
reservation and, would you believe it, the elevator wasn’t working, and our rooms were on the
fifth floor.
2.3 ( I = Interviewer, SS = Sholto Smith)
I: What are the main needs of business travellers, and how do your hotels meet them?
SS: A key point would be the location of our hotels, um, good links with subway underground
networks, close to the airport, um, and obviously close to an office that the guest would be
working in while they’re staying in the hotel. Um, technology is also a key feature, and nowadays
it’s expected because obviously people have, um, great technology at home and therefore if it’s
also available in a hotel, that’s also, um, a key feature. Um, Internet, a business centre, um,
obviously translation services and that kind of facility is also, is paramount 最重要的, and guests
also expect an area where they can, er, go to a gymnasium, they can exercise, um, and also that
kind of thing. These would be the key features.
2.4 ( I = Interviewer, SS = Sholto Smith)
I: And how have rising travel costs affected the hotel business?
SS: Er, they have affected business, but it’s made the hotels more savvy 有经验的 in that they
are being more competitive and looking at ways of adding value to the guests’ stay, and that can
take in anything from, um, including breakfast, um, on a daily basis, membership to, to the health
club, er, including newspapers or possibly looking at, um, you know, transportation to and from
the airport, a shuttle service to the local department store or a shuttle service to the offices in
which the client, um, works in, um and that kind of, that value-add benefit, as opposed to just
directly dropping the rate, which really doesn’t benefit either party.
2.5 ( I = Interviewer, SS = Sholto Smith)
I: What future developments do you foresee in the business travel market?
SS: Future developments in the business travel market? I think … technology is still a hot topic as
is, um, the obviously environmental policies because that really is, um, is obviously still a
buzzword, so to speak. We went through, um, healthy eating, we’ve gone through gymnasiums in
hotels and the like, and now really there’s such a huge focus on, um, on the likes of the
environment – so whether it be water conservation, low-energy lighting in bedrooms, um, and
the likes thereof, that, that kind of thing. Um, but obviously it’s high-speed Internet, it’s television
on demand, it’s, um, lower-cost telephone calls from the rooms, because obviously people now
travel with BlackBerry and with mobile phones, so they’re not actually having to use hotel
telephone services – um, and these are the ways forward for hotels.
2.6 (R = Receptionist, JN = Jennifer North, CV = Cristina Verdi)
R: Good morning, The Fashion House. How can I help you?
JN: This is Jennifer North here. Could you put me through to extension 4891, please?
R: Certainly. Putting you through now.
CV: Hello, Cristina Verdi speaking.
JN: Hello, Cristina. It’s Jennifer North from Madison in New York.
CV: Hi, Jennifer, how are things?
JN: Fine, thanks. I’m calling because I’ll be in London next week and I’d like to make an
appointment to see you. I want to tell you about our new collection.
CV: Great. What day would suit you? I’m fairly free next week, I think.
JN: How about Wednesday? In the afternoon? Could you make it then?
CV: Let me look now. Er, let me check the diary. Yes, that’d be no problem at all. What about two
o’clock? Is that OK?
JN: Perfect. Thanks very much. It’ll be great to see you again. We’ll have plenty to talk about.
CV: That’s for sure. See you next week, then.
JN: Right. Bye.
CV: Bye then.
2.7 (R = Receptionist, JN = Jennifer North)
R: Good morning, The Fashion House. How may I help you?
JN: I’d like to speak to Cristina Verdi, extension 4891, please.
R: Thank you. Who’s calling, please?
JN: It’s Jennifer North from Madison.
R: Thank you. I’m putting you through … Hello, I’m afraid she’s engaged at the moment. Will you
hold or can I put you through to her voicemail?
JN: Um, would you be able to take a message for me, please? I’m in a bit of a hurry.
R: Yes, certainly.
JN: The thing is, I should be meeting Ms Verdi at 2 p.m., but something’s come up. My plane was
delayed, and I’ve got to reschedule my appointments. If possible, I’d like to meet her tomorrow,
preferably in the morning. Could she call me back here at the hotel, please, to confirm?
R: Certainly, what’s the number?
JN: It’s 020 7855 3814, and I’m in Room 611. I’ll be leaving the hotel soon, so if she can’t call me
back within the next half an hour, I’ll call her again this morning. Is that OK?
R: Right, I’ve got that. I’ll make sure she gets the message.
JN: Thanks for your help. Goodbye.
R: Thank you. Goodbye.
Case Study
Liz Credé is an organisation development consultant. She believes that the effectiveness of any
organisation can be improved by building the quality of the relationships within it - whether
they’re person to person, team to team, department to department, or organisation to
organisation.
Case study commentary (I=Interviewer, LC= Liz Credé)
I: Liz, how would advise Business Travel Services to deal with the problems that their client has
had?
LC: I'd advise them to consider two things: the first, the client; and the second, the problem. So
by considering the client, what I mean is really understanding their experience - what they've
been through, how they felt about it, what all the worries and frustrations have been about. And
then secondly, dealing with the problem. Be really clear about what they can do to solve the
problem but don't commit to anything they can't do. So they can help with the baggage
collection, but they can't guarantee to find it.
I: Are there steps that BTS can take to avoid such problems in the future?
LC: Yes I think there's a couple of steps that BTS can take. The first would be to set up some
preferred supplier arrangements with airlines and hotels and car rentals. By that I mean getting
into an arrangement where they guarantee levels of quality and service and costs - so that
there's no surprises for the clients. And then secondly, setting up a customer support service so
that when clients are travelling they have a special number to call for help.
I: What should BTS do now to improve relations with its most important client?
LC: I think the key thing that BTS should do is to remember that their most important clients
probably like to consider themselves as very special. And so treating them as special will be really
valuable to them. Couple of ways that they could do that: one would be for BTS to offer goodwill
gestures. By that I mean offering a better model of car at a cheaper price, or a better grade of
hotel room at the cheaper option. And secondly, ensuring that they solve all the problems that
have been experienced by the client and that they sort those out and guarantee really great
service from now on.