PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES.- Comunicative activities.

Situation

Here are some fun facts about the history of shipping that you can impress people with, if the time arises. But frankly, if the time arises where this info comes in handy, well then you probably need to find new friends.

Big steps in shipping and storage.

Ceramic containers for food storage date back around 8,000 years and were developed in the Middle East. Prior to that, food was primarily eaten where it was cultivated or transferred, wrapped in animal skins or grasses. Wooden boxes, barrels and crates came around 3,000 years later. They have even been found holding personal belongings in Egyptian tombs.

The red tape ever ends.

When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned from the Moon, they had to fill out some paperwork for customs agents. You see, technically they left the United States, and as a result the astronauts had to be officially readmitted through Immigration. This led to the tedious task of filling out "Moon" after place of departure. It's not like the agents didn't know where they were. The whole world was watching!

In case you were wondering, the cargo was listed as "Moon rock and Moon dust samples". Notice that there were no aliens listed. They must have come back on Apollo 14.

Never leave a man behind.

In 1992 a shipping container bound for the US from Hong Kong fell overboard and was lost at sea. The cargo that spilled into the ocean was 28,000 plastic duck bath toys. Those toys have been following ocean currents ever since reaching every continent but Antarctica, including surviving the Arctic Ocean and moving around North America to reach the British Isles.

Scientists have been using the data collected from ships spotting the yellow tide or duckies washing ashore to study ocean patterns and how long it takes for them to navigate the globe.

Adapted from http://www.ernestpackaging.com/blog/2011/11/17/fun-facts-about-shipping-history/

Think about it

Discuss in the forum:

Do you know any anecdotes about the shipping or delivery of items?
Have you ever had any problems with the delivery of an item?

Materiales formativos de FP Online propiedad del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte.

Aviso Legal

1.- Reading Activity.

Portada de un libro del autor Ian Rankin titulado 'Las Quejas'

Handling complaints.

The first thing that you should always remember is that nine out of ten complaints will be about the shop, restaurant, hotel, the food, products or services you offer and not about you. Your attitude will play a vital part in how effective you are in dealing withcustomer complaints. Always have a positive attitude toward both thecustomer and the complaint.

Thereare key stages in how to effectively deal with both the customer and thecomplaint.First of all you have to be aware of what the complaints policy of your shop orrestaurant is. Do you have the responsibility/authority to deal with the complaint through to its conclusion? Or do you have to pass the situation overto a colleague or superior? Don't get defensive. You do not want to get into an argument with yourcustomer, even if they want to get into one with you. Never say "it's not my job". Politely ask the customer for their name and remember it. First of all you have to find out what the problem is. Askthe customer to tellyou exactly what the problem is. Listenvery carefully to what they tell you. Itmight be helpful to take notes at this stage to verify later with the customer, or,if passing the complaint over, to give your colleague the full story. Whilst the customer is talking to you don'tinterrupt or jump to conclusions.The next stage is probably the most difficult – you have to apologise!Youneed to empathise with the customers' feelings, in other words, youunderstand how they feel and that you take the problem seriously. Don't blame other people or say it has nothing to do with you.

You then have to decide what to do and take the necessary action.If you have to pass the customer and the complaint over, remember that thecustomer complained to you and will not want to repeat the story to someoneelse. Make sure you explain the problem fully.If you are dealing with the complaint yourself, make sure you follow theaccepted procedures within your shop/restaurant (refunds, replacing mealsetc.). Always explain fully to the customer what you are doing, so they are aware of what is happening and why.Finally, always ask if the customer is happy with the outcome. If dealt with professionally and courteously you will havewon your customer back.

2.- Listening Activity.

Now it's your turn

Now listen to the conversation and complete the gaps with the right word or words.

Script

Consumers can apply for payday loans, health , car coverage, and so much more just by clicking their mouse; with online banking you can check the state of your bank , with online dating you can find a partner, with online travel you can make for flights…The internet offers solutions to some of the most complicated issues. This is very and one of the most practical ways to conduct most personal and private business. You only need two important pieces of equipment: a laptop, or a desktop, and a reliable internet connection.

Electronic commerce that takes place between businesses and is referred to as business-to-consumer or JXUwMDFhJXUwMDcwJXUwMDcx . This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as Amazon.com. On the other hand, when electronic commerce takes place between businesses it is called ecommerce or B2B.

The amount of trade conducted electronically has extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage but some people still think that online shopping has more than real life shopping. For example, you can products online but you never have the chance to really touch the product or try your on.

Key:

Consumers can apply for payday loans, health insurance , car coverage, and so much more just by clicking their mouse; with online banking you can check the state of your bank account , with online dating you can find a partner, with online travel you can make bookings for flights…The internet offers solutions to some of the most complicated issues. This is very convenient and one of the most practical ways to conduct most personal and private business. You only need two important pieces of equipment: a laptop, or a desktop, and a reliable internet connection.

Electronic commerce that takes place between businesses and consumers is referred to as business-to-consumer or B2C . This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as Amazon.com. On the other hand, when electronic commerce takes place between businesses it is called business-to-business ecommerce or B2B.

The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage but some people still think that online shopping has more disadvantages than real life shopping. For example, you can browse products online but you never have the chance to really touch the product or try your items on.

Feedback:

Consumers can apply for payday loans, health insurance, car coverage, and so much more just by clicking their mouse; with online banking you can check the state of your bank account, with online dating you can find a partner, with online travel you can make bookings for flights…The internet offers solutions to some of the most complicated issues. This is very convenient and one of the most practical ways to conduct most personal and private business. You only need two important pieces of equipment: a laptop, or a desktop, and a reliable internet connection.

Electronic commerce that takes place between businesses and consumers is referred to as business-to-consumer or B2C. This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as Amazon.com. On the other hand, when electronic commerce takes place between businesses it is called business-to-business ecommerce or B2B.

The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage but some people still think that online shopping has more disadvantages than real life shopping. For example, you can browse products online but you never have the chance to really touch the product or try your items on.

3.- Writing Activity.

Una agente del servicio de atención al cliente.

Complete the following dialogue.

Customer: Good afternoon. I purchased a computer from your company last month. Unfortunately, I'm not satisfied with my new computer. I'm having a lot of problems.