The moment

Kavya works in the Singapore office, and she has a client presentation at eleven. At twenty to eleven, her laptop refuses her password, and after three tries she's locked out. She calls the help desk from a desk phone and gets Tyler. Listen for how she gives him the facts fast, and why he won't skip a step even when she's in a hurry.

The conversation

TylerKavya
  1. Tyler
  2. Kavya
  3. Tyler
  4. Kavya
  5. Tyler
  6. Kavya
  7. Tyler
  8. Kavya
  9. Tyler
  10. Kavya
  11. Tyler
  12. Kavya
  13. Tyler
  14. Kavya
  15. Tyler

Words to know

a friendly way to ask what the problem is

confuse two similar things

leave out a step

for a short time only, until it's replaced

you've logged in successfully

Check yourself

1Why is Kavya locked out of her laptop?
2Why does Tyler ask for her employee number?
3What does Tyler ask her to do after the meeting?

Practice · 3 min

Play each line and repeat it in the gap. Then take Kavya's part with her lines muted. When you read the numbers, pause between the two groups of three digits, the way she does, so Tyler can write them down without asking again.

  1. TylerHelp desk, this is Tyler. What's going on?
  2. KavyaHi Tyler, it's Kavya Rao in sales. I'm locked out of my laptop.
  3. TylerOkay. Did it say your password was wrong, or that it had expired?
  4. KavyaWrong, three times. I changed it on Friday, and I think I'm mixing them up.
  5. TylerThat happens a lot after a change. I can reset it for you.
  6. KavyaGreat, because I've got a client presentation in twenty minutes.
  7. TylerUnderstood. First I need to check it's you. What's your employee number?
  8. KavyaIs that really necessary? You can hear it's me.
  9. TylerSorry, I can't skip it. It's company policy, and it protects your account.
  10. KavyaFair enough. It's four one seven, two zero nine.
  11. TylerThanks. I've sent a verification code to your phone. Can you read it to me?
  12. KavyaHang on. It's eight three one, five five two.
  13. TylerPerfect. I've reset your password. The temporary one is in your text messages.
  14. KavyaGot it, I'm in. And the presentation file's on the shared drive, thank goodness.
  15. TylerGood luck with the client. Change that password after your meeting, okay?

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.