Lessons · Intellectual dimension
Getting Things Done: Calls, Emails and Customer Service
Make calls, book appointments, complain well and chase what you are owed. 8 lessons, about 1.6 hours in all.
- 01Beating phone anxiety and making the call11 min Many young people would rather send ten messages than make one two-minute phone call. Yet some things, from urgent repairs to medical…
- 02Calling to book, cancel or ask12 min Once you live independently, nobody else will phone the doctor, the landlord or the bank for you. Most of these calls follow a pattern, so…
- 03Writing emails to university staff, landlords and companies13 min Emails are how most official business happens at university and with landlords and companies. A clear, polite email with the right details…
- 04Customer service: getting results12 min Customer service can feel like a maze of hold music and chatbots. People who get results are usually not the loudest; they are the…
- 05Making a formal complaint that gets taken seriously13 min Sometimes a quick chat does not fix the problem and you need to make a formal complaint. This lesson is about how to communicate that…
- 06Asking for help and favours11 min Many students struggle alone rather than ask a lecturer, a flatmate or an office for help. Research suggests people are more willing to…
- 07Following up and keeping records11 min Problems are often solved not by the first call but by the second or third, and by whoever has the best records. A simple habit of noting…
- 08Dealing with bureaucracy patiently12 min Visas, residency, university registration and government services all involve forms, queues and waiting. Bureaucracy rewards people who…