Reporting an Equipment Malfunction
An employee discovers a piece of equipment is not functioning correctly and contacts the maintenance department or IT support to report the issue and request assistance.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
issue
A problem or difficulty, often used in professional settings to describe something not working right, like 'technical issue'. It's polite and common in business English.
restarting
The action of turning a device off and on again to fix problems. It's a basic troubleshooting step, like 'restarting the computer'.
ink levels
The amount of ink left in a printer. Check this when printing problems occur, as low ink can cause issues. Say 'The ink levels are low' to report it.
paper jams
When paper gets stuck inside a printer or machine, stopping it from working. It's a common printer problem; you can say 'There's a paper jam' to describe it.
work order
An official request or ticket to fix something, like equipment. In maintenance, it's used to schedule repairs, e.g., 'I'll submit a work order'.
asset tag number
A unique ID number on company equipment for tracking. Useful for support calls, like giving the tag to identify the exact item.
urgency
The need for quick action because something is important. In requests, say 'There's urgency because of a deadline' to emphasize speed.
diagnose
To find out what is wrong with something, like a machine. Technicians diagnose issues before fixing them, e.g., 'We need to diagnose the problem'.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
We seem to be having an issue with the large format printer in our office.
This politely reports a problem without sounding too urgent at first. 'Seem to be' softens the statement, useful for starting support calls. It's a common pattern for describing issues in work situations.
What exactly seems to be the problem?
A question to get more details about an issue. 'What exactly' asks for specifics, and 'seems to be' is polite. Use this in customer service to clarify problems efficiently.
It's printing extremely slow, and the colors are completely off.
Describes symptoms clearly using adverbs like 'extremely' and 'completely' for emphasis. The 'and' connects two problems. Useful for explaining technical faults step by step.
Have you checked the ink levels or if there are any paper jams?
Suggests basic checks with 'have you checked' in a question form. 'Or' connects options. This is a helpful pattern for troubleshooting before sending help.
I'll put in a work order for it.
Promises action by creating a repair request. 'Put in' means submit. Use this to reassure someone that their issue is being handled officially in maintenance scenarios.
Could you give me the printer's asset tag number?
A polite request for specific information using 'could you' for courtesy. Essential in support calls to identify equipment accurately. The structure shows how to ask for details professionally.
We really need this fixed as soon as possible, as we have a big presentation next week.
Explains urgency with 'as soon as possible' and a reason clause 'as we have...'. 'Really need' adds emphasis. Use this to prioritize repairs when time is critical.
I'll flag it as high priority.
Means to mark something as important for quick handling. 'Flag as' is a common phrasal verb in work systems. Useful for responding to urgent requests in technical support.