Hello, Toy Factory, Kersti speaking. 

Hello, this is Lila Tacreiter calling.  May I please speak to the manager? 

Certainly, that’s me.  Could you hold for just a moment, I have another call coming in. 

Sure, no problem. 

Thank you.  I’ll be right back. 

Thank you. 

… 

Hello, hello….Toy Factory, Kersti speaking… 

It’s still me, Lila. 

Oh, I’m sorry, I must have disconnected the other call by accident. We have a fancy new phone with far too many buttons.  Or maybe I was just too slow in answering.  No worries. They’ll call back if it’s important.  Or perhaps the call went to voicemail and they have left a voice message.  I’ll check later.  What can I do for you Lila? 

Oh, I really hope I’m not disturbing you. 

Not at all. I’ll be quite busy this afternoon, as we have a shipment of new inventory coming in, but I have plenty of time this morning.  How may I help you? 

Well, I’m actually calling to say thank you and to tell you how happy I was with the yo-yo that I received in the mail.  I tried calling yesterday, but there was no answer. 

Oh, I’m sorry we missed your call.  We had to close the office early yesterday due to the snowstorm. 

Oh, that’s all right.  I didn’t leave a message.  It’s really nothing important, my mother just always says “give credit, where credit is due”, and I was so happy with my new yo-yo, that I wanted to tell you that my Toy Factory yo-yo is the best one I have ever tried.  And that the customer service is amazing. 

Why, thank you, Lila.  It is so nice when somebody calls with a compliment.  So often we just answer complaints.  People are much more likely to complain about something when they are not happy than to express their appreciation when they are happy with a product. It is a very pleasant surprise when someone just calls to say “good job!” or “thank you”, but we most certainly appreciate those calls.  We have a lot of good people working for the company and it is nice when they can give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done. 

Tell me about your experience with our customer service representative. 

Oh, well, I called, because I wasn’t sure about what type of yo-yo I wanted and  

I also wanted to buy one as a gift for my brother, and the person I spoke to – Paula, I think – was so kind and patient and explained everything to me very carefully.   

Of course – Paula – she is one of our best employees and has been with us for over 7 years now. 

She is very nice! She didn’t rush me one bit and listened to all of my questions, even though some of them may be a little silly. 

I believe there are no silly questions –  well, for the most part at any rate – and we can learn a lot from the questions our clients ask.  I must say, we have some wonderful clientele here at the Toy Factory.  Making a product that brings people joy makes it a happy workplace.  And all of our toys are locally crafted and made from renewable materials – that helps us feel good about what we do and how we do it too. We also do the best we can for our staff.  They all hold shares in the company and we pay our staff well above minimum wage and give them plenty of room to be creative.  We are in the business of making magic out of ideas, so the happier our staff are, the more imaginative and exciting our products are.  I must say, we have a wonderful team here.  We’ve worked very hard to get to where we are. Not every toy company operates this way, unfortunately.  Many, in fact, exploit children in one part of the world to bring toys to children in other parts of the world.  We have made a commitment to remain an ethical and sustainable company. 

I like that.  My family tries to shop local whenever possible.  It can be hard sometimes, but it is amazing how many great shops we do have nearby. 

How old do you have to be to work for the Toy Factory? 

Are you looking for a job? 

Well, I’m only 9, but I think I might enjoy working at the Toy Factory. 

You do need to be 16 to start work here, though we have a youth apprenticeship programme that begins at 14, with a parent or guardian’s consent, of course.  We do, however, have a special youth consultant programme open to all ages. 

Really? 

Yes – four times a year, we gather a gymnasium full of youngsters like yourself to test our new products and provide feedback.  After all, kids are the experts when it comes to many of our toys!  Would you be interested in being part of a youth panel?   

Oh, yes, I would love to.  How do I apply? 

You can fill out an application form with a short description – in writing or picture form – of why you are interested in visiting the Toy Factory and testing our toys, and all the applications that are screened in (and most are, as long as they are appropriate and we can see a spark of passion) are put in a lottery to select our advisors, but if your name is not selected for the first event of the year, it goes into the next lottery, and we accept a limited number of applications, so almost everybody who applies gets the opportunity to participate in one of our new product expos. 

Oh, that sounds great.  Where can I find an application form? 

You can stop by our head office on Park St. and pick one up, or download it from our website. 

Oh – I have your website address – that’s how I ordered my yo-yo – I’ll fill one out as soon as we finish our call. 

That sounds like a plan.  I look forward to receiving your application, Lila. 

I was wondering if Paula is working today and if there is a chance you could connect me to her.  I would really like to thank her myself.  If it’s not too much trouble.  I don’t want to disturb her. 

It would be my pleasure to connect your call. 

I will be very careful not to drop the call this time, but if by chance I do, let me give you her direct number.  She’ll be glad to hear your feedback. 

Just one second – let me grab a pencil. 

No rush. 

Okay, I’m ready. 

Okay – Paula’s number is 902 

Nine-zero-two 

555 

Five-five-five 

6498 

Six-four-nine-eight. 

Extension 577.    

Five-seven-seven.  Perfect. Thank you so much. 

You are most welcome Lila.  Please do not hesitate to call any time you have a question.  We don’t always have all the answers, but we love questions, and the answers that we don’t have,  we will try to help you find. 

Thank you. 

If by chance Paula doesn’t answer, please feel free to leave a message on her answering machine.  She is very attached to her old answering machine.  The rest of us have switched to a voicemail system, but Paula still insists on that answering machine. It’s almost an antique now.  Just be sure to speak slowly if you do leave a message.  Sometimes it is a little difficult to understand what people are saying if they speak too quickly on that old machine. 

Okay.  I will. 

Thank you so much for your call.  It has been a pleasure talking to you.  Please hold while I transfer your call…. 

Ah – there you go, success – I did it without disconnecting you – oh, but the line is busy – hold on, let me try once more… 

… 

oh – it’s ringing this time – she’s answering – I think I like the three-way function on this new phone – you won’t have to leave a message after all… 

Hello – Paula – yes, it’s Kersti – I have a Miss Lila Tacreiter on the line for you – do you have time to take her call? 

… 

Fabulous, you will be glad you did. I’ll take my leave then and let you two speak.  Have a wonderful day Lila.  Goodbye and happy yo-yoing. 

Thank you very much Kersti.  Have a good day.  Bye. 

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