Giving Simple Instructions in Tech and Account Support.

Lesson 5 focuses on giving step-by-step instructions, especially for simple online and technical tasks. You follow realistic support calls and chat logs where an agent helps a customer reset a password, update details or complete a form. You notice how they use sequencing words such as first, then, next and finally to keep the process clear. You also see how they check that the customer is on the right page and how they react when something goes wrong. You practise turning complicated instructions from your company into short, clear sentences that an A2–B1 customer could follow. At the end, you guide a partner or imaginary customer through a short procedure related to your own work, using your new phrase bank.

1. Helping a customer reset their password.

In this lesson you are a support agent for an online service. Imagine you work for a company called BrightHelp. A customer, Ms Chen, calls because she cannot log in to her account. Your job is to guide her through a very simple password reset, step by step. In this first block, you will focus on listening to a short part of the call. I want you to notice two things. First, what steps the agent gives the customer, in which order. Second, the small sequencing words the agent uses, like first, then, next, after that and finally. These little words make a big difference. They help customers feel calm and make the process easier to follow, especially when they are stressed or not very confident with technology. After you listen, you will answer a couple of short questions so you can check your understanding and start thinking like the agent. Do not worry about copying every word. Focus on the clear structure and the key instructions that move the customer forward.

Scenario: login problem at BrightHelp.

You are working on the phone support line for BrightHelp, an online platform. A customer, Ms Chen, calls you because she cannot log in to her account. She says:

> "I enter my password and it says it’s wrong. I tried three times."

Your goal is to help her reset her password in a calm, clear way.

In the audio for this block, you hear a short part of the call where the agent starts the password reset process. The language is simple, but very organised. Notice how the agent uses small words to show the order of actions.

Key sequencing words.

These words tell the customer what happens in which order:

• First – the very first step.
• Then / Next – the second, third, fourth step, etc.
• After that – to move to a new part of the process.
• Finally – the last step.

Here is a simplified version of the transcript you will hear:

> Agent: **"First, please open our website. Are you on the home page now"*?

>

> Agent: "Then click on the login button in the top right."

>

> Agent: "Now click forgot password just under the box."

>

> Agent: "After that, enter your email address and select reset password."

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> Agent: "Finally, please check your email and follow the link we send you."

Notice that each step is short and clear. The agent uses one instruction per sentence and simple verbs like open, click, enter, check, follow.

In real calls, the customer might interrupt or ask questions, but this basic structure stays the same. When you speak like this, it is easier to slow down or repeat a step.

In the activity below, you will listen carefully and then write a short summary of what the customer needs to do, in the correct order.

Practice & Feedback

Listen carefully to the short call segment. Do not try to write every word. Instead, focus on the steps the agent gives to Ms Chen and the order of those steps.

After listening, write 3–5 short sentences in your own words. Explain:

• What is the first thing Ms Chen needs to do?
• What does she need to click on the website?
• What does she have to do at the end to finish the reset?

Use simple language. You can use sequencing words like first, then, next, after that, finally to organise your answer. Imagine you are explaining it to a friend who has the same problem. Do not worry if your sentences are not perfect; focus on being clear and complete.

2. Noticing sequencing phrases in support calls.

You have now heard how an agent at BrightHelp guides a customer through a password reset. In this block, we will look much more closely at the small sequencing words that make the instructions clear and easy to follow. These words are simple, but when you use them well, your English sounds more professional and more organised. Customers can relax because they know exactly where they are in the process. We will compare two versions of instructions. One version is just a list of actions. The other version uses sequencing phrases like first, then, next, after that and finally. You will see how the second version feels calmer and more logical. Then you will practise writing your own step-by-step instructions with a clear order. This will help you later, when you need to explain a real procedure from your own job. Pay attention to punctuation too. In English, we usually put a comma after words like first or next at the start of a sentence.

Why sequencing words matter.

Imagine a customer calls you and you say:

> "Open the website, click login, enter your email, click reset, check your email."

The actions are correct, but everything is in one long line. The customer might feel stressed or confused. Now compare that with this version:

> "First, open our website.

>

> Then, click login in the top right.

>

> Next, enter your email address.

>

> After that, click reset password.

>

> Finally, check your email and follow the link."

The second version is slower and clearer. The customer knows where they are in the process.

Common sequencing phrases in support.

You can use many small words to organise your instructions. Here are some useful ones for tech and account support:

• First, ... – to start the procedure.
• Then, ... / Next, ... – to move to the second, third or fourth step.
• After that, ... – when you move to a different part of the process.
• Now, ... – to focus the customer on the current action.
• Finally, ... – to show the last step.

When you speak, use a short pause after these words. When you write, use a comma:

• "First, please open our website."
• "Next, enter your email and password."
• "Finally, please make sure you save any changes."

From a messy list to clear steps.

Look at this messy set of instructions without order:

> click confirm, open your profile, log in, go to settings, change your address

A clearer version could be:

1. First, log in to your account.
2. Then, open your profile in the top right.
3. Next, go to settings.
4. After that, change your address details.
5. Finally, click confirm to save the changes.

In the activity below, you will practise doing the same: taking a group of actions and turning them into organised, step-by-step instructions using sequencing words.

Practice & Feedback

Read the group of actions in the box below. They are not in a clear order and there are no sequencing words. Your task is to turn them into a short, step-by-step guide for a customer.

Write 4–6 sentences. Start the first sentence with First, and the last sentence with Finally,. For the middle steps, use words like Then, Next, After that or Now. Use simple verbs (open, click, enter, choose) and make sure the order is logical.

Imagine you are speaking to a real customer who is not very confident with computers. Keep your sentences short and clear. You do not need to use difficult grammar. Focus on a calm, polite tone.

When you finish, read your instructions again and check: would a tired customer understand each step without asking more questions?

3. Checking the customer is on the right page.

Giving good instructions is not only about your own words. It is also about checking what is happening on the customer’s screen. In real life, customers often get lost. They click on the wrong page, they close the browser by accident, or the system shows an error message. As a support agent, you cannot see their screen, so you need clear checking questions. In this block, we will focus on those questions and on calm, reassuring language when something goes wrong. You will see a short dialogue between Alex, the BrightHelp agent, and Ms Chen when she clicks on the wrong place. Notice how Alex does not blame her. Instead, he uses questions like "Are you on the home page now?" and "Tell me what you can see on your screen" to understand the situation. Then he guides her back, step by step. After reading the dialogue, you will write a few of your own checking questions to continue the conversation. This skill is very important for technical and account support.

When the customer is not where you expect.

Even with clear instructions, customers sometimes click on the wrong place. A good agent stays calm and curious, not angry. You need information from the customer before you can help.

Useful goals:

• Check where the customer is.
• Check what they can see.
• Check if they see any error message.

Helpful checking questions.

Here are some useful phrases from the chunk bank and our scenario:

• "Are you on the home page now"?
• "Tell me what you can see on your screen."
• "Do you see a login button in the top right."
• "If you see an error message, let me know what it says."
• "Let us try that again, but more slowly."

Notice the polite, soft tone:

• "Could you..." is softer than "Do this..."
• "Let us try that again" feels like teamwork.

Mini-dialogue: when something goes wrong.

> Agent (Alex): "Then click on the login button in the top right."

>

> Customer (Ms Chen): "Hmm, I do not see login now. I see a big picture of a sale."

>

> Agent: "OK, no problem at all. Tell me what you can see on your screen."

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> Customer: "There is a basket icon and a menu."

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> Agent: "Right, I think you clicked on a different page. Are you on the home page now, or on the offers page."

>

> Customer: "I think it is the offers page."

>

> Agent: "That is fine. Let us try that again, but more slowly. First, please click on the BrightHelp logo at the top. That will take you back to the home page."

The agent first checks the situation. Only then does he give a new instruction.

In the activity, you will practise writing similar questions to guide the customer back to the correct screen.

Practice & Feedback

Read the short dialogue in the box one more time. Imagine you are Alex, the agent. After Alex tells Ms Chen to click on the BrightHelp logo, she is still not sure. She says:

> "I clicked something but I am not sure if it is right."

Your task is to write 3 clear checking questions that you could ask next. Use the ideas and phrases from the dialogue and from the list above.

For example, you can ask about what she sees, which page she is on, or if she sees a specific button. Try to:

• Use polite forms like Could you... or soft language like Let us...
• Keep each question in one simple sentence.
• Focus on the customer’s screen, not on technical words she may not know.

Write your 3 questions in full. You can also add one short reassuring sentence, such as "No problem, we will fix it together", if you like.

4. Rephrasing difficult instructions in simple English.

In many companies, internal instructions are written in complicated technical English. For example, you might see something like, "Users must authenticate credentials via the primary interface prior to initiating profile amendments." This is fine for IT staff, but it is not helpful for a worried customer on the phone. Your job is to turn this kind of language into clear, short sentences that a non-technical person can follow. In this block, you will practise exactly that. We will look at a few examples of difficult instructions and simpler versions. You will notice how we break long sentences into smaller steps, choose common verbs like open, click, select and enter, and use sequencing words to keep the order clear. We will also reuse some key chunks from earlier, such as "I am going to send you a link by email" and "Follow the steps in the message I have just sent." After that, you will try to rewrite two complex instructions yourself in customer-friendly English.

From technical text to friendly steps.

Support agents often see instructions written for IT staff, not for customers. Your customer may be tired, stressed, or not confident with English. They need simple, concrete actions.

Look at this technical-style instruction:

> "Users must authenticate via the primary interface prior to initiating profile amendments."

A customer-friendly version could be:

1. First, log in to your account on the main page.
2. Then, go to your profile to change your details.

We:

• changed authenticate to log in;
• changed primary interface to main page;
• broke one long sentence into two short steps.

Another example.

Technical text:

> "Clicking the verification hyperlink dispatched to the registered email address is mandatory to complete the password reset procedure."

Customer-friendly version:

1. I am going to send you a link by email.
2. When you get the message, open it and click on the link inside.
3. After that, follow the steps in the message to create a new password.

Here we used chunks from the lesson:

• "I am going to send you a link by email."
• "Follow the steps in the message I have just sent."

Tips for simplifying instructions.

When you see a difficult instruction:

• Find the actions: what does the customer really need to do?
• Use basic verbs: open, click, enter, choose, go to, save.
• Use sequencing words: First, Then, Next, After that, Finally.
• Keep one action per sentence if possible.
• Avoid long nouns like authentication procedure; use simple phrases like log in or reset your password.

In the activity, you will practise this skill with two more technical sentences from an imaginary support manual.

Practice & Feedback

Read the two technical-style sentences in the box. Imagine they are from your company’s internal manual. Your customer does not see this text. They only hear you.

Your task is to rewrite each sentence in 2–4 short, clear steps that you could say on the phone to a customer like Ms Chen.

For each original sentence:

• Use simple verbs like open, click, go to, enter.
• Use sequencing words such as First, Then, Next, After that, Finally.
• Break long ideas into small steps, one action per sentence.

Write your new version underneath each original sentence. Imagine you are speaking to an A2–B1 level customer who is not very technical. Do not worry about copying the exact words from the model; focus on being clear and friendly.

5. Live chat: helping a customer update their address.

So far, we have worked with phone calls, but many customer contacts now happen in live chat. The good news is that the same language works in chat too. You still need clear steps, sequencing words and checking questions, but your messages are usually shorter. In this block, you will move into a chat-style situation with the same customer, Ms Chen. She has now reset her password and logged in, but she needs help to update her address in her profile. You will see the beginning of a live chat between Ms Chen and a BrightHelp agent. Some agent messages are missing. Your job is to write those messages, using the phrases and patterns from this lesson. Remember, in chat you want to be friendly and quick, but still professional. Use simple sentences, avoid big blocks of text and guide the customer one step at a time. After you write your replies, you will get feedback and see how a real agent might respond.

From phone to live chat.

In live chat, you cannot use your voice, but you can still sound calm, friendly and clear. Many of the same chunks work well in writing:

• "First, please open our website."
• "Then click on the login button in the top right."
• "After that, select your order from the list."
• "Please make sure you save any changes."
• "If you see an error message, let me know what it says."

The difference is that chat messages are usually shorter than spoken sentences, and you can send several small messages instead of one long one.

Chat scenario: updating address.

You are now chatting with Ms Chen on the BrightHelp website. She has already logged in. Here is the start of the chat:

> Customer (Ms Chen): Hi, I need to change my delivery address but I cannot find where to do it.

>

> Agent: Hi Ms Chen, I will help you with that.

>

> Customer: I am on my home page now.

Your next messages as the agent might look like this:

> Agent: "First, please click on your name in the top right."

>

> Agent: "Then choose Profile from the menu."

>

> Customer: OK, I can see my profile.

>

> Customer: There are many options here.

Now the customer needs clear, written steps to update her address.

Tips for chat replies.

• Use one instruction per message.
• Use sequencing words at the start: First, Then, Next, After that, Finally.
• Ask short checking questions: "Are you on the profile page now"?
• End with a positive closing: "Please make sure you save any changes."

In the activity below, you will write several chat messages as the agent to guide Ms Chen through updating her address details.

Practice & Feedback

Continue the chat with Ms Chen. Use the conversation in the box as your starting point. Imagine you are the agent.

Your task is to write 4–6 short chat messages from the agent to help Ms Chen update her address and save the changes.

Please:

• Use sequencing words like Next, After that, Finally.
• Give clear actions with simple verbs: click, open, type, enter, save.
• Add at least one checking question, for example asking what she can see or if she is on the right page.
• Finish with a friendly closing line once the address is updated.

Write your chat in this style:

> Agent: [your message]

Do not write from the customer’s side, only from the agent. Keep each message to one or two short sentences so it looks natural in a live chat.

6. Creating your own full support script.

You have now practised listening to instructions, organising steps, checking what the customer can see, simplifying technical language and writing chat replies. In this final block, you will put everything together. Your task is to create a short script where you guide a customer through a simple online or technical procedure from start to finish. You can stay with our BrightHelp story and imagine you are helping Ms Chen, or you can choose a procedure from your own job, such as updating payment details, filling in a form or tracking an order. The important thing is to use clear sequencing words like first, then, next, after that and finally, plus checking questions and calm, reassuring language. Think of this script as your personal mini-template. Later, you can adapt it when you speak on the phone or write in chat. I will give you a simple structure on the screen to help you. Follow it, write your own lines, and I will give you feedback on how clear and customer-friendly your script is.

Your mini support script.

Now it is your turn to create a complete set of instructions. You will write a short script of a call or chat where you guide a customer through one simple procedure.

You can choose:

• Option A: Help Ms Chen at BrightHelp reset her password and log in.
• Option B: Help a typical customer at your real or imagined company complete a simple online task, such as updating an address, filling in a basic form or checking an order.

Suggested structure.

Use this simple outline:

Greeting and purpose

• "Good morning, customer service, this is [your name] speaking."
• "How can I help you today"?

Quick check of the problem

• "Could you tell me what the problem is"?

Start of instructions

• "First, please open our website."
• "Are you on the home page now"?

Middle steps

• "Then click on the login button in the top right."
• "Next, enter your email address."
• "After that, select your order from the list."
• "Tell me what you can see on your screen."

Final step and confirmation

• "Finally, please make sure you save any changes."
• "If you see an error message, let me know what it says."

Closing

• "Thank you for your patience."
• "Is there anything else I can help you with today"?

How to write your script.

Write your script as a short dialogue or as a series of agent lines. Aim for 8–12 lines of text. Use:

• Sequencing words to show the order.
• Short, clear instructions with simple verbs.
• At least two checking questions.
• One or two reassuring phrases, such as "No problem, we can do this together".

This script can become a model for real calls and chats at work.

Practice & Feedback

Choose one procedure you want to use for your script:

• helping Ms Chen reset her password and log in, or
• a simple online or technical task from your own or an imagined job (for example, updating an address, completing a short form, or checking an order status).

Write a mini-script of 8–12 lines. You can write it as a dialogue (Customer / Agent) or only the agent’s lines, but the focus should be on your instructions.

Make sure you:

• Use sequencing words like First, Then, Next, After that, Finally.
• Give clear, one-step instructions with verbs such as open, click, enter, choose, save.
• Include at least two checking questions, for example asking what the customer can see.
• Finish with a short, polite closing.

Do not worry about being perfect. Aim for a script you could really use at work. I will help you improve it.