Customer Support Solutions
CEFR: B2
Read/Listen first
When Olivia opened her new laptop, the screen suddenly turned blue and the system crashed. She felt frustrated because she needed it for an important online meeting with a client. She called customer support and explained that the problem has already happened twice. The agent listened carefully, apologised for the stress, and said he understood how worrying it must be. He checked her file, confirmed the previous incidents, and promised to find a solution. First, he guided her through a short test to see if the issue could be fixed remotely. When that did not work, he offered to replace the laptop and arranged a courier for the next morning. He also added one month of free technical support to compensate for the inconvenience. Although the problem was serious, Olivia felt reassured. She felt the company had really tried to spend as much time as possible helping her and recovering the situation.⚡ Learning goals
- Can apologise clearly and sincerely when a service fails.
- Can describe what has already happened and why the customer is frustrated.
- Can offer clear options to recover the situation and reassure the customer.
✨ Key language
- I completely understand how frustrating this must be. “I completely understand how frustrating this must be for you.”
- Let me check your file and see what we can do. “Let me check your file and see what we can do about this problem.”
- We can offer you a replacement and additional support. “We can offer you a replacement and additional technical support.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Past simple for completed service problems
Rule: Use the past simple to describe finished events at a specific time in the past.Examples: Olivia opened her new laptop yesterday.; The screen suddenly turned blue during the meeting.; He offered to replace the laptop.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not use present perfect with finished times like “yesterday”; use past simple instead.
Which sentence correctly uses the past simple for a finished event?
Tip: Use past simple with a finished time expression like ‘yesterday’.
Fill with the best answer: Yesterday the technician ____ the broken laptop in our office.
Tip: Use the past simple form ‘fixed’ for a completed action in the past.
2️⃣ Present perfect for repeated problems up to now
Rule: Use the present perfect to talk about experiences and repeated problems in an unfinished time period.Examples: The problem has already happened twice this week.; I have never seen this error on your account before.; We have checked your file several times today.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not use past simple with unfinished times like “this week”; use present perfect instead.
Choose the best option to talk about a repeated problem up to now.
Tip: Use present perfect for experiences in an unfinished time like ‘this week’.
Fill with the best answer: This error ____ already happened twice today.
Tip: Present perfect = has/have + past participle for recent experiences.
3️⃣ Modal could for possible solutions
Rule: Use ‘could’ to suggest possible solutions or options in a polite way.Examples: We could restart the system and see if the error appears again.; We could send a technician if the problem continues.; You could back up your files while we investigate the issue.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not use present simple when you are making a polite suggestion; use “could”.
Which sentence politely suggests a possible solution using ‘could’?
Tip: Use ‘could’ + base verb to make a polite suggestion.
Fill with the best answer: First, we ____ restart your laptop and run a short test.
Tip: Use ‘could’ to suggest a possible action, not a fixed plan.
4️⃣ Although + clause to contrast problem and recovery
Rule: Use ‘although’ at the beginning of a clause to contrast a problem with a positive result.Examples: Although the problem was serious, Olivia felt reassured.; Although the screen turned blue, the agent stayed calm.; Although the laptop failed twice, the company recovered the situation.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not put a full stop directly after “although”; keep one complete sentence.
Which sentence correctly uses ‘although’ to contrast ideas?
Tip: Use ‘although’ to show contrast between the problem and a positive action.
Fill with the best answer: Although the meeting was important, the agent ______ her feel calmer.
Tip: After ‘although’, keep the verb in past simple for the main event.
✍️ Vocabulary
blue screen
Meaning: a technical error screen that appears when a computer system crashes.Synonyms: system crash, error screen
Chunk/Idiom: get a blue screen
Example: My laptop showed a blue screen during the online meeting.
Morphology: noun phrase; adjective + noun.
Self-practice: Describe a time your computer showed a blue screen.
customer support
Meaning: the service that helps customers solve problems or use a product.Synonyms: help desk, service team
Chunk/Idiom: call customer support
Example: She called customer support as soon as the laptop crashed.
Morphology: noun phrase; countable and uncountable.
Self-practice: Write one sentence about when you last called customer support.
to apologise
Meaning: to say sorry in a polite or official way.Synonyms: say sorry, express regret
Chunk/Idiom: apologise for the inconvenience
Example: The agent apologised for the stress and delay.
Morphology: verb; regular; apologises, apologised, apologising.
Self-practice: Practise saying an apology to an angry customer.
frustrated
Meaning: feeling upset because you cannot change or fix a situation.Synonyms: annoyed, upset
Chunk/Idiom: feel frustrated about something
Example: Olivia felt frustrated when the problem happened again.
Morphology: adjective; past participle of frustrate.
Self-practice: Write two reasons why customers feel frustrated.
technical support
Meaning: a team or service that helps people with technical issues.Synonyms: IT help, tech team
Chunk/Idiom: offer technical support
Example: They added one month of free technical support.
Morphology: noun phrase; compound noun.
Self-practice: Explain when you usually contact technical support.
compensate
Meaning: to give something to make a problem or loss less serious.Synonyms: make up, refund
Chunk/Idiom: compensate a customer for a failure
Example: The company compensated her with extra support.
Morphology: verb; regular; compensates, compensated, compensating.
Self-practice: Write one way your company could compensate a customer.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
The screen suddenly turned blue and the system crashed again.
I completely understand how frustrating this must be for you.
First, let me check your file and see what we can do.
We can replace the laptop and add free technical support.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence correctly uses the past simple for a finished event?
Tip: Use past simple with a finished time expression like “yesterday”.
Choose the best option to talk about a repeated problem up to now.
Tip: Use present perfect for experiences in an unfinished time like “this week”.
Fill with the best answer:
Yesterday the technician ____ the broken laptop in our office.Tip: Use the past simple form “fixed” for a completed action.
Fill with the best answer:
This error ____ already happened twice today.Tip: Remember the structure “has/have + past participle”.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Why did Olivia call customer support?
Tip: Connect her call to the technical problem and the meeting.
What did the company offer to compensate Olivia?
Tip: Look for both a concrete action and extra support.
Fill with the best answer:
The agent apologised ______ the stress and delay.Tip: We usually say “apologise for” + noun or -ing form.
Fill with the best answer:
They arranged a courier for the next morning ______ fix the situation quickly.Tip: Use “to” + infinitive to express purpose.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Our system crashed again during a client call this morning.B: I’m really sorry about that; let me see what we can do right now.
A: I appreciate that you are trying to fix this so quickly.
Why this matters:
Good service recovery changes a frustrating failure into a moment of trust. Customers remember how you react more than the original problem. Clear apologies and fair solutions protect your reputation and keep clients loyal.Verb & Adjective Pack:
apologise sincerely — The agent apologised sincerely for the repeated error.compensate fairly — We compensated her fairly with a replacement and support.
feel reassured — She felt reassured after the agent explained the next steps.
stay calm — The agent stayed calm although the customer was frustrated.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: If a laptop fails twice, we should ______ a replacement immediately.
Tip: Think of the verb we use when we give a customer a solution.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: The agent said me that he will replace the laptop.
Tip: Use “told me” with an object and change “will” to “would” in reported speech.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
We can replace your laptop tomorrow and add one month of free support.
Tip: Pay attention to linking sounds in “replace your” and “free support”.