Warm-up
Customer Success & Account Management
Customer Success & Account Management
After this lesson you'll be able to...
- Use key account management vocabulary
- Keep in touch with a client and follow up professionally
- Use common business phrasal verbs with the correct word order
- Handle a renewal or a problem in a proactive way
Get to know each other (3 minutes)
- What makes you stay loyal to a company for many years?
- Has a company ever contacted you before you had a problem? What was it about?
- What does a good account manager do?
- Why is it cheaper to keep a client than to find a new one?
Say it out loud
Follow up with a client. → I’m calling to follow up on our meeting. I’ll look into the problem and get back to you by Friday.
Fact worth knowing
Vocabulary
Account management vocabulary
Useful account management phrases
| I’m calling to follow up on our meeting. | Я телефоную, щоб уточнити після нашої зустрічі. |
| I’ll look into it and get back to you. | Я розберуся і повернуся до вас. |
| Let’s set up a quarterly review. | Давайте призначимо квартальний огляд. |
| We’ll sort it out as soon as possible. | Ми владнаємо це якнайшвидше. |
| We carried out a survey last month. | Минулого місяця ми провели опитування. |
| Can you come up with a better offer? | Чи можете ви запропонувати кращу умову? |
| I’d like to point out one important detail. | Хочу звернути увагу на одну важливу деталь. |
| Your contract is due for renewal in May. | Термін дії вашого договору закінчується (потрібне продовження) у травні. |
Try out the new words
Say how you would follow up after a meeting with a client. → I’ll follow up with an email and … I will get back to you …
Say how you deal with a client’s problem. → When a client has a problem, I look into it and …
Which word is it?
Fill in the missing word
Choose the correct word
Translate the phrase
Write each phrase in English.
Grammar
Business phrasal verbs
| What they are | a verb + particle with a new meaning: follow up (check later), look into (investigate), get back to (reply later), sort out (solve), set up (arrange), carry out (do), come up with (invent), point out (draw attention to). |
| Separable | the object can go in the middle: sort out the problem / sort the problem out. With a pronoun, the pronoun must be in the middle: sort it out (NOT sort out it). |
| Inseparable | the object always follows the whole verb: look into the issue → look into it; get back to the client → get back to him; deal with a complaint → deal with it. |
| No object | some phrasal verbs have no object: The system broke down. Please hold on. The meeting went on for hours. |
| Formal vs informal | phrasal verbs are common in speech: look into, sort out. In formal writing, we may use single verbs: investigate, resolve, arrange, conduct. |
Which sentence is correct?
Complete with the correct word
Replace the object with a pronoun
Rewrite the sentence and replace the object with a pronoun (it / them / him / her). Several answers are possible.
Correcting mistakes
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.
Put the words in order
Put the words in the right order and write the full sentence.
Say it about your own work
Say how you deal with a client’s problem, using two phrasal verbs. → I look into it, and then I get back to …
Reading
Read: an account manager’s email
Email from an account manager
Subject: Following up on our quarterly review
Dear Mr Evans,
Thank you for taking the time to meet me last Tuesday. I’m writing to follow up on the points we discussed.
Firstly, you pointed out that the reports sometimes come late. I have looked into this with our technical team, and we have found the reason: the data was not updated at night. We have already sorted it out, and from now on the reports will be sent by 8 a.m.
Secondly, you asked us to come up with a better onboarding process for your new employees. We have set up a short online training, and we will carry out a pilot with your team next month.
Finally, your contract is due for renewal in June. I would like to set up a short call next week to discuss your plans for next year. If you have any other issues, please let me know, and I will deal with them immediately.
Please get back to me with a convenient time.
Kind regards,
Anna Lewis, Account Manager
True or false?
The meeting took place last Wednesday.
The late reports problem has already been sorted out.
The account manager has set up an online training.
The contract is due for renewal in June.
The client should not contact the account manager again.
Answer the questions
Why did the account manager write the email?
What was the problem with the reports?
What did the company set up for the client’s new employees?
What does she want to discuss next week?
Find the key language
Write the word (or phrase) from the text.
Fill in from the text
Why is this a good text?
Your own opinion
- What would you improve in this email?
- How often should an account manager contact a client?
- What is the best way to deal with an unhappy client?
Practice
Picture the situation
Contact → Listen → Follow up → Renew. Regular, proactive contact keeps clients loyal and reduces churn.
Match the phrase to its function
Put the words in order
Put the words in the right order and write the full sentence.
Fill in the missing phrase
Say it in your own words
Write one sentence. Several answers are possible.
Translate into English
Write each sentence in English. Several answers are possible.
A useful tip
Speaking
How to use this section
Your tutor plays a client or a colleague. Keep in touch, follow up, solve problems and discuss renewals. Use phrasal verbs with the correct word order: look into, sort out, set up, get back to, carry out, come up with.
Onboarding a new client
Task: welcome a new client and explain the first steps.
Starter: "Welcome! I’m your account manager. Today, we’ll set up your account, and next week we’ll carry out a short training for your team."
Following up after a meeting
Task: call a client after a meeting and confirm the action points.
Starter: "I’m calling to follow up on our meeting. As agreed, I’ll look into the delay and get back to you by Friday."
Handling a complaint
Task: a client complains about a slow service. Respond and promise action.
Starter: "I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll look into it today and sort it out as soon as possible."
Raising a renewal
Task: a client’s contract is due for renewal. Start the conversation.
Starter: "Your contract is due for renewal in June, so I’d like to set up a short call to discuss your plans for next year."
Upselling carefully
Task: suggest a more advanced package without sounding pushy.
Starter: "Since your team has grown, you might want to think about our advanced package. It includes extra support, and I can set up a demo if you like."
Escalating a problem
Task: a problem is too big for you. Explain to the client what happens next.
Starter: "I’m afraid I can’t solve this myself, so I’ll escalate it to our technical director. She will get back to you within 24 hours."
Presenting results
Task: present the results of a quarterly review.
Starter: "Last quarter, customer satisfaction went up by 8%, and churn went down. I’d like to point out that the new onboarding played an important role."
Full conversation — no stops
Run through a client call with your tutor: follow up on a meeting, deal with a problem, mention the renewal and agree on the next step — entirely in English.
Let's talk — reflection
- Which phrasal verbs are now easy for you to use?
- Was it hard to remember the position of the pronoun?
- How can you show a client that you are proactive?
Cool down
Now I can...
- Use key account management vocabulary
- Keep in touch with a client and follow up professionally
- Use common business phrasal verbs with the correct word order
- Handle a renewal or a problem in a proactive way
Quick self-check
Where does the pronoun go with a separable phrasal verb?
Which phrasal verb means "investigate"?
Why is a clear date in a follow-up useful?
One more thing before you go
Tell your tutor about a company that looks after its customers well. → A company that looks after customers well is … because it …
Homework
Words to remember
| an account manager | акаунт-менеджер |
| a point of contact | контактна особа |
| to onboard | проводити онбординг |
| retention | утримання клієнтів |
| to upsell | продавати дорожчий/додатковий продукт |
| a renewal | продовження договору |
| an SLA | угода про рівень обслуговування |
| churn | відтік клієнтів |
Fill in the missing word
Choose the correct form
Open the brackets
Correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.
Translate the phrase
Write each phrase in English. Several answers are possible.
Write it yourself
Write a follow-up email (6–8 sentences) to a client after a meeting. Use at least four phrasal verbs (for example: follow up, look into, sort out, set up, get back to) and end with a clear next step and date.
Practise out loud
Say your email aloud as if you were calling the client. Make your voice warm and professional.
Read aloud
Read the text “Email from an account manager” aloud twice before the next lesson.
- 8.7 I wrote a follow-up email (6–8 sentences)
- 8.8 I said my email aloud
- 8.9 I read the account manager’s email aloud twice