Placing an Order by Phone
This lesson focuses on placing an order by phone, including introducing yourself, clearly stating what you want to order, and confirming the details of your purchase.
Part 1
Pre-Reading
Answer the questions
Have you ever placed an order by phone?
How was the experience?
What products or services do you order by phone?
Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?
Would you like a job taking orders on the phone?
Why or why not?
What are some other ways to place orders?
Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.
grand total ___
a zip code, a series of numbers that represent part of an address
at this time ___
a department in the company that handles the invoices
dock ___
a person who takes and gives money
postal code ___
a document that shows the amount owing for a product or service
accounts payable ___
a place where products are loaded and unloaded
cashier ___
to submit, to give
bill ___
the final price with all costs included
weight ___
around, near
approximate ___
right now
place ___
how heavy something is
Part 2
Reading
Practice reading the telephone conversation out loud with your teacher.
Underline any words or phrases you don’t understand.
Zoe is calling River Education Books.
River Education Books.
This is Lee. How can I help you?
Lee
Zoe
Yes. I’d like to place an order.
Do I need to call the toll-free number?
No, I’ll be happy to help you now.
What is your name, please?
Lee
Zoe
My name is Zoe Smith, and I’m
with Trentoy Community College.
What would you like to order?
Lee
Zoe
We need 100 copies of Learning English.
Do you need any ancillaries at this time?
Lee
Zoe
No, not at this time.
Where should we ship the books?
Lee
Zoe
Our dock address is 205 Panama Way.
That’s in Trentoy, California.
What is the postal code?
Lee
Zoe
59687-1432.
Got it. Who should be invoiced?
Lee
Zoe
Send the bill to our accounts payable
division. The cashier pays all of our bills.
Okay. Your total for the books is $1,500.
Your total for the shipping is $150.
The grand total is $1,650.
Lee
Zoe
How is the shipping figured?
It depends on the weight.
Lee
Zoe
Okay. So, when can we expect the books?
Approximate arrival date will be August 28.
Lee
Zoe
Great. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Smith.
It was a pleasure doing business with you.
Lee
Part 3
Comprehension
Read the statements below. Answer the questions.
What type of company does Zoe Smith work for?
What state does Zoe work in?
Where should Lee send Zoe’s bill to?
What do the shipping charges depend on?
Part 4
Vocabulary Review
Complete the sentences using vocabulary from Vocabulary Preview section.
You may need to change the word forms.
John really wanted a new television, so he ____________ an order via the company’s toll-free number.
I can’t afford to go out ____________ . I have to wait until next week when I get paid.
I worked as a ____________ at the local high school. I liked taking care of the school’s money.
After I ordered a book, the company sent me a ____________ for it.
The ____________ for my order was $28.00. It was $25.00 for the book and $3.00 for shipping.
The ____________ weight was three pounds. They couldn’t tell me the exact number!
I sent our invoice to the ____________ department at the university.
I never received my order because I forgot to include the ____________ in my address.
It was such a large order that the ____________ had to make extra room to unload everything.
What is the ____________ of this package? It seems so heavy!
Part 5
Speaking
Write your own dialogue. Work with your teacher and write your own conversation using at least four words or phrases from today’s lesson. Choose an item and negotiate the price. Practice the dialogue, and then present it in front of the class.
Part 6
Writing
Practice writing an order for a product. Work with a partner. Ask your partner questions so you can complete the order form. Then switch roles. You can choose any kind of products, prices, and details! Below is a blank order form. Fill in the required fields.
Part 7
Listening
Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recordings.
Zoe is calling River Education Books.
River Education Books.
This is Lee. How can I help you?
Lee
Zoe
Yes. I’d like to _______ an order.
Do I need to call the toll-free number?
No, I’ll be happy to help you now.
What is your name, please?
Lee
Zoe
My name is Zoe Smith, and I’m
with Trentoy Community College.
What would you like to order?
Lee
Zoe
We need 100 copies of Learning English.
Do you need any ancillaries _______?
Lee
Zoe
No, not at this time.
Where should we ship the books?
Lee
Zoe
Our _______ address is 205 Panama Way.
That’s in Trentoy, California.
What is the _______?
Lee
Zoe
59687-1432.
Got it. Who should be invoiced?
Lee
Zoe
Send the _______ to our _______ payable
division. The _______ pays all of our bills.
Okay. Your total for the books is $1,500.
Your total for the shipping is $150.
The _______ total is $1,650.
Lee
Zoe
How is the shipping figured?
It depends on the _______.
Lee
Zoe
Okay. So, when can we expect the books?
_______ arrival date will be August 28.
Lee
Zoe
Great. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Smith.
It was a pleasure doing business with you.
Lee
Part 8
Correspondence Building
The correspondence below is not in the right order. Cut up the strips, and then work alone or with your teacher to rearrange them into the correct order. Then read the correspondence out loud.
| a) Lee: No, I’ll be happy to help you now. What is your name, please? |
| b) Mandy: It depends on the weight. |
| c) Lee: River Education Books. This is Lee. How can I help you? |
| d) Mandy: Okay. So, when can we expect the books? |
| e) Lee: What would you like to order? |
| f) Lee: 59687-1432. |
| g) Mandy: We need 100 copies of Learning English. |
| h) Lee: Approximate arrival date will be August 28. |
| i) Lee: Do you need any ancillaries at this time? |
| j) Lee: Where should we ship the books? |
| k) Mandy: Send the bill to our accounts payable division. The cashier pays all of our bills. |
| l) Mandy: Our dock address is 205 Panama Way. That’s in Trentoy, California. |
| m) Mandy: My name is Zoe Smith, and I’m with Trentoy Community College. |
| n) Mandy: Great. Thank you. |
| o) Mandy: How is the shipping figured? |
| p) Lee: What is the postal code? |
| q) Mandy: No, not at this time. |
| r) Lee: Got it. Who should be invoiced? |
| s) Mandy: Yes. I’d like to place an order. Do I need to call the toll-free number? |
| t) Lee: Thank you, Ms. Smith. It was a pleasure doing business with you. |
| u) Lee: Okay. Your total for the books is $1,500. Your total for the shipping is $150. The grand total is $1,650. |