Business English (Listening B1): “Effective Cross-Department Collaboration (Improving Communication Between Customer Service, Sales, and Product Development)”

Cross-department collaboration is crucial for improving communication and teamwork between customer service, sales, and product development teams.

Vocabulary 1
A. Platforms: Tools for communication or collaboration. [French: plateformes]. Sentence: We use Slack as a platform for communication.

B. Customer service agent: A person helping customers. [French: agent du service client]. Sentence: The customer service agent helped me with my complaint.

C. Speed / speeding up: Making something faster. [French: accélérer] Sentence: Using tools will speed up our work.

Guide Questions:
1. Explain the first effective practice.  Talk about the speaker’s example.
2. What is another helpful practice? Explain.

Brun Online Magazine · Effective Cross-Department Collaboration 01 (American accent)

Vocabulary 2
A. Recognizing: Acknowledging or appreciating. [French: reconnaître]. Sentence: Recognizing good work motivates the team.

B. Be celebrated: To be honored or praised. [French: être célébré]. Sentence: The team will be celebrated for their success.

C. Strengthen: To make stronger or better. [French: renforcer]. Sentence: Regular meetings strengthen team communication.

Guide Questions:
1. What does the speaker say about training? Talk about the speaker’s example.
2. What does the speaker say about recognizing and rewarding?

 

Brun Online Magazine · Effective Cross-Department Collaboration 02 (British accent)

TRANSCRIPT

PART 1: The first effective practice is having regular meetings where different departments can share important updates. For example, customer service can meet with sales and product development teams once a week to discuss customer feedback. If customers are asking for a specific product feature, customer service can inform the product development team, which can then work on improving that feature. Another helpful practice is using shared communication tools. These platforms allow different teams to post updates, ask questions, and quickly share information. For instance, if a customer service agent notices an issue with a product, they can instantly inform the product team using these tools, speeding up problem-solving. (107 words)

PART 2: Training employees to understand the roles of other departments is also important. When customer service agents know more about the sales process and the products being developed, they can provide better support to customers. For example, customer service agents can explain new features to customers in a clear way if they understand what is being developed. Finally, recognizing and rewarding good teamwork can motivate departments to collaborate even more. When departments achieve positive results through collaboration, like resolving a major customer issue, they should be celebrated. This strengthens cooperation and encourages continued communication between teams. (95 words)