French Language teaches you courtesy! French is a Language of respect and Customer Service! You can actually be a good Customer Service Officer just by learning French!
This is because French makes a distinction
between expressions to be used based on the situation and the person you are
referring to. French distinguishes between objects or persons based on number,
gender or situation.
When speaking to a stranger, a Customer, the
elderly or anyone to whom you owe respect, French specifies that you use the
plural form. You should “VOUVOYER” such people. You are not permitted to
“TUTOYER” in such situations.
We made reference to French Language while
developing the 13 codes because it is THE language of courtesy.
French goes even further to make a distinction
between talking to a man and a female.
When speaking to a female person, French has a
different set of adjectives to be used.
When meeting someone for the first time, French
specifies that you use the plural form.
When speaking with a Customer, French specifies
that you use the plural form.
English is not like that, English uses “You”
whether you are referring to strangers or a group of people, Customers,
friends, elderly person or whoever. You are not permitted to do that in French!
Meeting someone for the first time, in French,
you say
Enchanté de faire votre connaissance (plural form)
Meeting someone for the first time, in English,
you say
Pleased to meet you (used in both plural and singular forms)
If you are referring to a group of people or
strangers or an elderly person, you use “Vous” and not “Tu”
For example, if a story is being narrated to a
Frenchman about a Nigerian called “Temi” (obviously, a Frenchman wouldn’t know
if Temi is a girl or a boy). For him to know this, however, all he need do is
to listen to the adjectives being used to qualify Temi in the story:
Temi est heureux (male)
Temi est heureuse (female)
Lessons Learned
It is so easy to be rude in English! In the same
vein, it is so easy for unprofessional expressions, taken from the Market,
Motor Park, informal environments, to slip into our professional environment
because there is little distinction between situations, objects and entities.
It is for these reasons that we have so much junk language being used when
interacting with Customers.
That’s exactly why Project Alpha (opens in new window) has gone
round to put together all the junks and developed a 13-number code to be used
in place of all the junks! These codes were developed with inputs from the
Language of the Masters of Courtesy. See 150+ junks here
Welcome to a new era of
professional-language-use!