BSBCUS201

Deliver a service to customers

Learner Guide
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Table of Contents

Unit of Competency ............................................................................................................................. 4

Application ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Performance Criteria ........................................................................................................................... 5
Foundation Skills .................................................................................................................................. 6
Assessment Requirements .................................................................................................................. 7
1. Establish Contact with Customers .................................................................................................... 9
1.1 – Acknowledge and greet customer in a professional, courteous and concise manner according to
organisational and legislative requirements ......................................................................................... 10
Customer service ............................................................................................................................... 10
Types of customers ............................................................................................................................ 10
Greeting customers ........................................................................................................................... 11
Activity 1A .......................................................................................................................................... 15
1.2 – Maintain and personal dress and presentation in line with organisational requirements ........... 16
Appearance........................................................................................................................................ 16
Activity 1B .......................................................................................................................................... 18
1.3 – Communicate using appropriate interpersonal skills to facilitate accurate and relevant exchange
of information........................................................................................................................................ 19
Communicating with customers ........................................................................................................ 19
Listen actively to what the customer is communicating ................................................................... 19
Ask questions to clarify and confirm customer needs ....................................................................... 20
Summarise and paraphrase to check understanding of customer’s message................................... 20
Seek feedback from the customer to confirm understanding of needs ............................................ 20
Provide an opportunity for the customer to confirm their request .................................................. 21
Use appropriate body language ........................................................................................................ 21
Activity 1C .......................................................................................................................................... 22
1.4 – Maintain sensitivity to customer specific needs and any cultural, family and individual
differences ............................................................................................................................................. 23
Sensitivity to customers..................................................................................................................... 23
Activity 1D.......................................................................................................................................... 25
1.5 – Establish rapport/relationship with customer and express a genuine interest in customer
needs/requirements .............................................................................................................................. 26
Rapport .............................................................................................................................................. 26
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Activity 1E .......................................................................................................................................... 28
2. Identify customer needs ................................................................................................................. 29
2.1 – Use appropriate questioning and active listening to determine customer needs........................ 30
2.2 – Assess customer needs for urgency to identify priorities for service delivery ............................. 30
Customer needs ................................................................................................................................. 30
Asking questions ................................................................................................................................ 30
Active listening .................................................................................................................................. 31
Urgency.............................................................................................................................................. 31
Activity 2A .......................................................................................................................................... 34
2.3 – Provide customer with information about available options for meeting customer needs and
assist customer to identify preferred option/s ...................................................................................... 35
Providing information ........................................................................................................................ 35
Sourcing information ......................................................................................................................... 36
Activity 2B .......................................................................................................................................... 37
2.4 – Identify personal limitations in addressing customer needs and seek assistance from designated
persons where required ........................................................................................................................ 38
Personal limitations ........................................................................................................................... 38
Activity 2C .......................................................................................................................................... 40
3. Deliver service to customers .......................................................................................................... 41
3.1 – Provide prompt customer service to meet identified needs according to organisational
requirements ......................................................................................................................................... 42
Providing customers with service ...................................................................................................... 42
Activity 3A .......................................................................................................................................... 44
3.2 – Provide information regarding problems and delays, and follow-up within appropriate
timeframes as necessary ....................................................................................................................... 45
Providing information to the customer ............................................................................................. 45
Activity 3B .......................................................................................................................................... 47
3.3 – Communicate with customers in a clear, concise and courteous manner ................................... 48
Communicating with customers ........................................................................................................ 48
Activity 3C .......................................................................................................................................... 49
3.4 – Identify opportunities to enhance the quality of service and products, and take action to
improve the service whenever possible ................................................................................................ 50
Enhancing the quality of service ........................................................................................................ 50
Activity 3D.......................................................................................................................................... 52
4. Process customer feedback ............................................................................................................ 53
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4.1 – Promptly recognise customer feedback and handle sensitively according to organisational and
legislative requirements ........................................................................................................................ 54
Customer feedback ............................................................................................................................ 54
Complaints ......................................................................................................................................... 55
Activity 4A .......................................................................................................................................... 58
4.2 – Accurately record any feedback and communication between customers and the organisation
according to organisational standards, policies and procedures and legislative requirements ............ 59
Recording feedback ........................................................................................................................... 59
Activity 4B .......................................................................................................................................... 61
4.3 – Identify any unmet customer needs and discuss suitability of other products/services .............. 62
4.4 – Support customers to make contact with other services according to organisational policies and
procedures ............................................................................................................................................. 62
Unmet customer needs ..................................................................................................................... 62
Making contact with other services................................................................................................... 63
Activity 4C .......................................................................................................................................... 64
Summative Assessments ....................................................................................................................... 65
References ............................................................................................................................................. 66
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Unit of Competency
Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to deliver all aspects of customer service at an
introductory level. It includes creating a relationship with customers, identifying their needs, delivering
services or products and processing customer feedback.

It applies to individuals who perform a range of routine tasks in the workplace using a limited range of
practical skills and fundamental knowledge of customer service in a defined context under direct
supervision or with limited individual responsibility.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Mapping Information

BSBCUS201B Deliver a service to customers – Equivalent unit

Unit Sector

Stakeholder Relations – Customer Service

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Performance Criteria
Element Performance Criteria
Elements describe the Performance criteria describe the performance needed to
essential outcomes. demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Establish contact with 1.1 Acknowledge and greet customer in a professional,

customers courteous and concise manner according to organisational
and legislative requirements
1.2 Maintain personal dress and presentation in line with
organisational requirements
1.3 Communicate using appropriate interpersonal skills to
facilitate accurate and relevant exchange of information
1.4 Maintain sensitivity to customer specific needs and any
cultural, family and individual differences
1.5 Establish rapport/relationship with customer and express a
genuine interest in customer needs/requirement

2. Identify customer 2.1 Use appropriate questioning and active listening to

needs determine customer needs
2.2 Assess customer needs for urgency to identify priorities for
service delivery
2.3 Provide customer with information about available options
for meeting customer needs and assist customer to identify
preferred option/s
2.4 Identify personal limitations in addressing customer needs
and seek assistance from designated persons where
required

3. Deliver service to 3.1 Provide prompt customer service to meet identified needs
customers according to organisational requirements
3.2 Provide information regarding problems and delays, and
follow-up within appropriate timeframes as necessary
3.3 Communicate with customers in a clear, concise and
courteous manner
3.4 Identify opportunities to enhance the quality of service and
products, and take action to improve the service whenever
possible

4. Process customer 4.1 Promptly recognise customer feedback and handle

feedback sensitively according to organisational and legislative
requirements
4.2 Accurately record any feedback and communication
between customers and the organisation according to
organisational standards, policies and procedures and
legislative requirements
4.3 Identify any unmet customer needs and discuss suitability of
other products/services
4.4 Support customers to make contact with other services
according to organisational policies and procedures
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Foundation Skills
This section describes language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills incorporated in the
performance criteria that are required for competent performance.

Reading

Ø Understands requirements in organisational policy and procedure documents

Ø Interprets product and service information in a range of formats to provide customer advice.

Writing

Ø Records customer information according to organisational requirements.

Oral Communication

Ø Provides information or advice using structure and language to suit the audience

Ø Asks questions and listens to gain information or confirm understanding.

Navigation of World of Work

Ø Follows organisational procedures and practices relevant to own role.

Interact with Others

Ø Uses accepted communication practices to establish connections, build rapport and develop
professional working relationships

Ø Adjusts personal communication style in response to the opinions, values and particular needs
of others.

Get the Work Done

Ø Addresses routine problems in familiar work contexts

Ø Recognises opportunities to enhance work practices and outcomes.

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Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

Ø Greet customer and establish rapport/relationship in accordance with organisational

requirements

Ø Identify customer needs using appropriate interpersonal skills

Ø Provide prompt service to address customer needs in accordance with organisational

requirements

Ø Identify and follow up opportunities to increase the quality of service and products

Ø Respond to and record all customer feedback according to organisational standards, policies
and procedures.

Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.

Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

Ø Identify and briefly describe key provisions of relevant legislation from all forms of government
that apply to provision of customer services

Ø Identify and explain workplace organisational policies and procedures relating to customer
service and the customer service process.
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Assessment Conditions

Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates

consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the customer service field of work and
include access to:
Ø Office equipment and technology

Ø Workplace documents, organisational policies and procedures for customer service

Ø Examples of customer complaints and feedback

Ø Case studies and, where possible, real situations

Ø Interaction with others.

Assessors must satisfy NVR/AQTF assessor requirements.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet -

https://vetnet.education.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=11ef6853-ceed-4ba7-9d87-4da407e23c10
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1. Establish Contact with Customers

1.1. Acknowledge and greet customer in a professional, courteous and concise manner according to
organisational and legislative requirements

1.2. Maintain personal dress and presentation in line with organisational requirements

1.3. Communicate using appropriate interpersonal skills to facilitate accurate and relevant exchange
of information

1.4. Maintain sensitivity to customer specific needs and any cultural, family and individual
differences

1.5. Establish rapport/relationship with customer and express a genuine interest in customer
needs/requirements
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1.1 – Acknowledge and greet customer in a professional, courteous and concise

manner according to organisational and legislative requirements

By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:

Ø Create a poster outlining key points to remember when greeting a customer.

Customer service
Delivering a service to customers is the reason for most organisations existing, whether or not the
service provided is one which generates a profit for the organisation providing it. It is important that
this service is delivered competently and professionally as the standard of service delivered makes a
huge contribution to the organisation’s overall reputation. People rarely return for bad service. Think
about the last time you had bad service in a cafe, restaurant or bar; are you still happy to remain a
customer of that establishment? The likelihood is that when we experience poor service, we either
don’t return to that organisation again or return with some reluctance due to the previous bad
experience. We can, therefore, agree that good service is important.

Let us consider who we mean when we use the term ‘customer’. A customer is a person or organisation
which receives a service from you.

Customers can include the following:

Ø Contacts from other organisations

Ø External customers

Ø Internal customers

Ø Members of the public

Ø Patients

Ø Service users.

Types of customers
Depending on the nature of your organisation, customers may pay for what you provide, such as goods,
information or services. In other contexts, no money will change hands; this would be the case with
‘internal customers’. These are people who work in the same organisation as you and to whom you
provide a service. A good example might be a person who works in the Finance department; their
internal customers are the staff whose salary they are responsible for paying each month. Another
example would be someone working in the IT department who serves the other employees who ring up
for Helpdesk support. In these cases, the employees do not pay for the services of their colleagues in
other departments, but they do depend on receiving the correct service at the correct time. It is
important not to forget the internal customers.
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There are other contexts where no money changes hands, such as when the customer receives a grant
or the service is paid for by another source. This would be the case for government-funded dental
provision or childcare, for example. In these examples, the cost of the service is either fully or partly
funded by the government, and the customer (or service user or patient) does not pay in full for the
cost of the service which they receive. Remember, it doesn’t matter if the person receiving the service
has paid for it or not. The customer is still entitled to good customer service.

As the saying goes: “If you’re not serving the customer, you’d better be serving someone who is.”

Greeting customers
The first step in delivering good service is to establish contact with the customer. In other words, greet
and communicate with the customer in an appropriate manner whilst conveying a positive impression
of yourself and your organisation. The first element of this is greeting the customer which we will now
explore in a little detail.

Take a look at the following story:

A customer approached the till in a popular bookshop where the assistant was talking with someone on
the telephone. The customer placed their items on the desk and waited for the assistant to
acknowledge them and close the call. The call continued for a few minutes, and it was evident that the
caller was a member of staff ringing the store to query their shifts for the following week. The assistant
gave excellent service to their colleague on the other end of the line, and she thoroughly checked the
following week’s staffing rota and made sure that her colleague had all of the information required.
However, during these few minutes, the assistant did not speak or make eye contact with the customer
who was waiting to pay for their purchase; she simply ignored him and made no effort to speed up the
call. When the call eventually ended, the assistant said: “Right, you’re taking these, are you?” She did
not greet the customer or make an apology for keeping them waiting.
The customer said: “No thanks,” and left the store without buying anything.

There are several examples of poor practice in the way the shop assistant behaved in this example.
She:
Ø Completely ignored the customer standing right in front of her, and concentrated solely
on dealing with the caller

Ø Prioritised helping a colleague over helping a customer

Ø Failed to greet or acknowledge the customer

Ø Failed to apologise to the customer for keeping them waiting.

It is very difficult to attend to more than one person at a time, and it was demanding for the shop
assistant to have two people needing her attention at the same time.
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However, a better way of dealing with this would be to have done any of the following:
Ø Close the call with the colleague saying that she’d ring them back shortly or asking
them to ring again later

Ø Continue the call (if it was absolutely necessary to do so), but smile and make eye
contact with the customer in the store

Ø Continue the call, but ask the caller to hold for a moment whilst she apologised to the
customer and to say that she’d help them as soon as she’d dealt with the call (e.g. “I’m
sorry, I’ll be with you in a second....”).

Any one of these options would let the customer know that they weren’t
being ignored. A prompt greeting or acknowledgement of the customer
would have been a better way for the assistant to deal with this situation,
and the customer probably would not have walked out without buying
anything.

So, we can establish from this story that the way in which a customer
is acknowledged and greeted is very important; it sets the tone for the
entire transaction. A positive, welcoming and friendly greeting is a
great way to start a transaction with a customer as it makes them feel
that they have your full attention and that you are ready and willing to
help them.

Imagine how the customer feels if they receive a greeting such as those described below:
Ø The customer rings another department within their organisation and asks if Marcus is
available. The person who answers says “Yeah. Who wants him?”

Ø The customer approaches the sales desk in a store where the assistant is facing them
but studying some paperwork. The assistant doesn’t look up. The customer is forced to
cough or speak in order to get the assistant’s attention

Ø The customer goes into a store and wants some help from an assistant, but they can’t
find anyone who looks like they work there as people are all dressed very casually

Ø A customer approaches the reception desk in a doctors’ surgery. The receptionist calls
out “Next! Yes? What is it?”

These are all examples of unprofessional and discourteous greetings to customers which create a
negative impression for the customer and set an uncomfortable tone for the rest of the transaction.

When establishing contact with customers, it is important to let the customer know that you are aware
that they are there; this can be done with a smile, eye contact and a greeting. Organisations often have
standard greetings for dealing with customers either face-to-face or on the telephone.
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Typical greetings include:

Ø Telephone greeting. For example: “Good morning/afternoon. ABC Company, Matilda
speaking. How may I help you?”

Ø Face-to-face greeting: For example: “Hello. How can I help you?”

Ø These are many better alternatives to ones are often used such as:

o “Next!”

o “Can I help?”

o “Yes?”

Key components of an effective greeting are:

Ø Professionalism

Show professionalism in the way that you greet the customer

Ø Body language

Use appropriate non-verbal signals as part of your greeting. For example, smile or make
eye contact

Ø Tone

Use an appropriate tone, showing interest in the customer to demonstrate friendliness

Ø The greeting itself

Follow your organisation’s guidelines on how you should greet customers.

Your organisation’s policy and procedure requirements may include:

Ø Customer service guidelines

o personal dress, mannerisms and conduct

o handling complaints and grievances

o processing returns

o authorising discounts

Ø Access, equality and anti-discrimination principles and practices

Ø Following WHS (workplace health and safety) procedures for dealing with customers

Ø Legal and organisational policies, guidelines and requirements

Ø Quality and continuous improvement processes and standards

Ø Quality assurance and procedures manuals.

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You should familiarise yourself with any special instructions or guidelines that you are required to follow
when dealing with customers. This will ensure that you do not break any legislative requirements and
ensure you deliver the most professional service.
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Activity 1A
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1.2 – Maintain and personal dress and presentation in line with organisational
requirements
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Identify why it is important to maintain personal dress and presentation in line with
organisational requirements

Ø Outline the differences between good and bad standards or personal dress and
presentations.

Appearance
As soon as a customer sees you, they will instantly make a judgement about you and your organisation.
They will decide things like whether or not you look like you work for the organisation and whether or
not you present an appropriate and professional impression.

Whilst dress codes will vary from one organisation to another; it is important to follow the
organisation’s guidelines regarding personal dress and standards of presentation. The initial impression
you create has a large impact on how the customer sees the organisation as a whole. If a customer is
greeted by an employee who is dirty, untidy and wearing inappropriate clothing, the impression created
will very probably be a poor one.

There may be legislative requirements concerning this. If someone is working with food or with
dangerous equipment, for example, there are strict rules regarding health and safety and hygiene. Long
hair might have to be tied back or put in a hairnet, and loose clothing might have to be avoided around
dangerous or heavy machinery. These legislative requirements keep both the employees and the
customers safe.

The organisation may also have a uniform which all employees wear.

Uniforms have a number of benefits:

Ø They are usually provided free of charge for employees

Ø They ensure that all staff are easily identifiable to customers

Ø They contribute to the overall positive impression of the organisation

Ø They may include an element of personal protection (e.g. for hygiene

purposes)

Ø For the employees, they remove the need to make decisions about
what to wear to work.

In other organisations, there is no uniform, but employees would generally be expected to dress
appropriately according to the role and the context in which the organisation operates. For example,
someone running lessons for tourists at a surfing school would look very out of place in a suit and tie.
Equally, someone wearing beach shorts and sandals in a warehouse would probably not be appropriate
as they may not be adequately protected from the risks.
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Whether or not a uniform is required, there are guidelines which organisations would expect their
employees to follow in terms of their personal dress.

These may be contained within an employee handbook and typically cover things like:
Ø Wearing the correct uniform (if applicable)

Ø Clothing must be appropriate for the role being carried out (e.g. no open-toed sandals
in a kitchen)

Ø Clothing must be clean, tidy and well-maintained (no creases, missing buttons or rips in
fabric).

Customers will also notice standards of personal presentation. They will notice things like dirty hair and
fingernails, strong body odours and excessive make-up.

Again, organisations may have guidelines written into an employee handbook such as:
Ø Hair should be clean and tidy

Ø Long hair should be tied back if working with food or near

dangerous equipment

Ø Hands and fingernails should be kept clean

Ø Good standards of personal hygiene should be maintained.

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Activity 1B
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1.3 – Communicate using appropriate interpersonal skills to facilitate accurate

and relevant exchange of information

By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:

Ø Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills through conversational role play

Ø Greet and communicate with the customer appropriately to ascertain needs.

Communicating with customers

When establishing contact with customers, it is necessary to use the appropriate interpersonal skills to
enable you to find out what they need and establish how you can help them. There are many skills that
are useful here.

Listen actively to what the customer is communicating

Active listening involves giving the customer your undivided attention so that you can gather as much
information as possible about their request.

When we are not listening actively, we do things like:

Ø Interrupt people while they are speaking

Ø Do other tasks whilst the customer is talking

Ø Lose concentration and think about something else

Ø Think about what we are going to say next.

If we do any of these things, we are not properly listening to the customer, and there is a real danger
that we misunderstand or make assumptions about what they are saying. For example, imagine a
customer approaches and asks a member of staff about bus times to their destination, but they don’t
want the times for today; they are travelling on Sunday and need to know the timetable for that day. If
the assistant is only half-listening to their request, they may give them the wrong information which
could have significant consequences for the customer.

To listen actively, you should:

Ø Stop what you are doing and face the customer (making eye
contact if appropriate)

Ø Avoid distractions

Ø Concentrate completely on what the customer is saying

Ø Avoid the temptation to interrupt the customer while they are

talking

Ø Avoid thinking of what you are going to say next.

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Ask questions to clarify and confirm customer needs

We can use questions to check that we understand what the customer is asking for. The exact nature of
the questions will, of course, depend on what the customer is asking.

In general, the types of questions that are useful are:

Open questions
These usually start with what, who, why where, when and how? They open up the topic of discussion
and allow the customer to say more about their needs. ‘What?’ is particularly useful (e.g. “What will you
be using the item for? What would you like the finished product to look like? What else can you tell me
about the item you’re looking for?”). Open questions are good for gaining lots of information.

Closed questions
These invite either a yes/no or a short answer. Examples include: “Can you take the delivery next
Tuesday? Have you checked the sizes?” These are useful questions for checking facts and specific
details.

Summarise and paraphrase to check understanding of customer’s message

Sometimes we can fall into the trap of believing that just because two people have spoken to each
other, it must mean that they understand each other. If you can recall an example of a communication
breakdown, you will know that is not always the case! What one person considers to be a very clear and
simple request can be turned into something else by the other person who later realises: “Oh, that was
what you meant!” This can be avoided simply by summarising or paraphrasing what the customer has
said.

Summarising is simply restating what the customer has said in a shortened form (e.g. “So you want the
green curtains with the cream trim. I’ve got your measurements, and you need these to be ready for
collection by the 30th – is that correct?” This gives the customer chance to correct any errors or to add
any information that seems to be missing from this summary.

Paraphrasing is slightly different from summarising in that it involves you

restating what the customer has said but in your own words. For
example, “OK, as I understand it, you’d like to have the curtains completely
finished and installed before your daughter’s wedding, so that means they have
to be ready for you to check by the end of this month before we install them. Is
that right?” This involves a little interpretation of what the customer has said,
and again it gives them the opportunity to correct any errors or add any
important information.

Seek feedback from the customer to confirm understanding of

needs
This builds on the previous step of summarising and paraphrasing where the customer is given the
opportunity to confirm your understanding of their request.
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Provide an opportunity for the customer to confirm their request

Again, this builds on previous steps in that it encourages the customer to confirm or correct any details
that have been discussed. The confirmation may be verbal (e.g. “Yes, I’d like two of the blue ones,
please”) or it may involve the completion of paperwork which the customer signs to confirm their order.

Use appropriate body language

Body language can be used for a variety of purposes.

Using appropriate body language, you can:

Ø Encourage the customer to say more or keep talking

Ø Show your understanding of what they are saying

Ø Show your acceptance

Ø Indicate your willingness to help them.

Following these steps is important in making sure that you get the
correct information from the customer so that you can assess how to
meet their needs.
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Activity 1C
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1.4 – Maintain sensitivity to customer specific needs and any cultural, family
and individual differences

By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:

Ø Identify and address the specific needs of a customer based on cultural, family or
individual differences

Ø Outline why it is important to maintain sensitivity to customer specific needs.

Sensitivity to customers
Customers are not all alike. Even if you have a ‘typical’ customer who accesses your products or
services, there will undoubtedly be those customers who have specific, individual needs which have to
be met. There may be cultural, family or individual differences which need to be taken into account
when providing a service to some customers.

For instance, a family which is accessing medical services may have specific requirements in terms of
support that need to be met in order for them to fully access the service. This might involve transport
assistance, or interpreting services. Take a look at the following scenario:

The mother of a three-month-old infant attends her local dental practice for a routine check-up with the
dentist. The baby is hungry, and the mother needs to breastfeed him. If the staff were sensitive to the
customer’s needs, they would provide a separate area for the mother to take the baby so that she could
breastfeed in private, and reschedule appointments slightly to allow her the time to do this. In an
insensitive environment, she may be asked to visit the ladies’ toilets to feed the baby, and reschedule
her appointment if she hasn’t finished by the time the dentist is ready to see her.

Customers need and want to feel valued. If they feel taken for granted or badly treated, they will stop
using your services and may complain about them.

It is very important to identify those customers who may need to be shown additional sensitivity. Take a
look at the following story:

An elderly lady who suffered from dementia enjoyed a weekly shopping trip to the supermarket with
her carer. Outwardly, there were no visible signs that the lady was ill, but she found it very difficult to
communicate. She approached the cigarette kiosk one day whilst the carer was busy paying for the
shopping, and she didn’t know what to ask for. She couldn’t remember the name of her brand of
cigarettes. When the carer caught up with the lady, she was standing at the kiosk looking at the
assistant. The assistant laughed and said, “You haven’t told me what you want yet!”
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In this example, the assistant showed no sensitivity towards the lady. Whilst there were no visible signs
of her condition, the assistant should have noticed that she wasn’t able to communicate clearly and
could have helped by asking how she could help and was it cigarettes she wanted to buy.

Just by having a general awareness of the different people who access your products and services, it can
help to identify those customers who need a little bit more support and assistance. Sometimes, all the
customer needs is to be dealt with patiently and to be allowed to speak in their own time.

Customers may have a range of specific needs which need to be met. These include:
Ø Age

Ø Beliefs/values

Ø Culture

Ø Disability

Ø Gender

Ø Language

Ø Religious/spiritual observances.
It is important to establish any particular needs that the customer may have, for a number of reasons:
Ø All customers should equally be entitled to access your organisation’s products and
services, irrespective of their individual needs

Ø It makes good business sense to ensure that your organisation can meet the needs of
individual customers. A satisfied customer will advertise this fact and possibly generate
more business as a result

Ø Denying a customer access to your products/services may be in breach of legislation

Ø Some customers may be able to attract a grant or subsidy for your products/services on
account of their status (e.g. disability)

Ø A customer’s needs may affect the priority given to them (e.g. a cancer patient may
receive priority treatment over a healthy individual).
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Activity 1D
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1.5 – Establish rapport/relationship with customer and express a genuine

interest in customer needs/requirements
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Outline why it is important to build rapport with customers

Ø Describe how rapport can be built with the customer.

Rapport
Rapport is a connection with another person which allows you to communicate well with them. It can
be defined as the oil which helps the wheels to turn smoothly. Without oil, the wheels will grate and
grind and will be difficult to move. Where there is little or no rapport between people, the conversation
is awkward, stilted and generally difficult. Where there is rapport, the conversation seems to flow
effortlessly, and it is a much better and more enjoyable interaction. You don’t have to be the best of
friends with your customers, but a little rapport goes a long way to delivering excellent customer
experience.

Rapport can be built through the effective use of positive, professional body language and good quality
questioning and listening. By having a rapport with the customer, it is much easier for them to open up
with any specific details regarding their expectations and any concerns that they may have. It is also
easier to let the customer down gently if it is not possible to fully meet their expectations when there is
a good rapport.

Rapport can be built using the following tips:

Ø Smile

Ø Make appropriate eye contact

Ø Give the customer your undivided attention

Ø Look and sound interested in the customer

Ø Ask appropriate questions

Ø Make appropriate gestures such as nodding

Ø Mirror the customer’s body language

Ø Ask icebreaking questions such as ‘How are you today?’, but

without being obtrusive

Ø Show the customer that you are listening.

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When you observe people in public, you can tell when people have a close bond or a conversation is
going well. Rapport is likely to be a factor. People communicating well will walk at the same pace, be
leaning towards each other, make frequent eye contact and will be obviously listening to each other.
You can equally tell when a conversation is not going well if people are turned away from each other,
there is no eye contact, have stern or frowning facial expressions and there are long silences or talking
over each other.

Consciously building rapport is a very simple yet powerful way of establishing contact with customers.
Two customers can receive identical service: one where the assistant has built rapport and one where
the assistant has had no rapport and simply delivered the service with no ‘personal touch’. The
customer who developed a rapport will be happier, even if they received the same service. It makes the
difference between satisfactory customer service and excellent customer service, and this distinction is
important in creating a positive impression of the organisation.

Think of your favourite bar, cafe or restaurant and what makes it your favourite compared with similar
places elsewhere. Although things like location, decor, menu and price may have a part to play in your
decision, it is also likely that the customer rapport with staff is good. It is unlikely that you would keep
returning to an organisation where the service is poor.

When there is rapport, it is much easier to deal with complaints and difficulties. Imagine having to
disappoint a customer by telling them that their usual dentist is off work due to illness today so they’ll
have to see someone else, or that the building work cannot go ahead next week as essential supplies
have not been delivered. These situations are much more comfortable and easier to manage when
there is a rapport with the customer.

Rapport can be strengthened by showing a genuine interest in the customer’s requirements and a
desire to meet them. This interest can be shown by asking questions and making appropriate comments
such as: “Yes, that’ll make a big improvement. I can see how that will make things better for you. That
sounds great.”
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Activity 1E
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2. Identify customer needs

2.1. Use appropriate questioning and active listening to determine customer needs

2.2. Assess customer needs for urgency to identify priorities for service delivery

2.3. Provide customer with information about available options for meeting customer needs and
assist customer to identify preferred option/s

2.4. Identify personal limitations in addressing customer needs and seek assistance from designated
persons where required
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2.1 – Use appropriate questioning and active listening to determine customer

needs
2.2 – Assess customer needs for urgency to identify priorities for service
delivery

By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:

Ø Create a list of both open and closed questions that help identify customer
needs/urgency

Ø Demonstrate appropriate questioning and active listening through role play to

determine customer needs/urgency.

Customer needs
It is absolutely vital to have a very clear understanding of the customer’s needs and expectations in
order to deliver a good service. Unless you know what the customer wants, it will be very difficult to
deliver a service which meets their expectations. Particularly where the customer has very specific
needs, it will be important to them that their needs can be met to the required standard and within the
required timescales.

Customer needs and expectations may include:

Ø Accuracy of information

Ø Advice or general information

Ø Complaints

Ø Fairness/politeness

Ø Further information

Ø Making an appointment

Ø Prices/value

Ø Purchasing organisation’s products and services

Ø Returning organisation’s products and services

Ø Specific information.

The two key tools for determining the customer’s needs are asking questions and active listening.

Asking questions
We tend to be quite poor at asking good quality questions. Many people tend to just ask closed
questions which require a yes/no or one-word answer. These can be very useful for checking specific
facts and details, but they don’t really help you understand what the customer’s needs are. This is
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particularly important when the customer wants something unique or specific, or where they have
particular needs such as delivery to a specific timetable.

Open questions usually start with who, what, where, why or how and explore the customer’s needs.

For example:
Ø “What are you hoping to achieve?”

Ø “What should the end result look like?”

Ø “Why does this have to be delivered on X date?”

Ø “How are you going to use this item?”

Questions such as these give a little more information so that you can really begin to understand the
customer’s needs and expectations.

Active listening
Listening sounds easy. We’ve been doing it since we were born and it’s likely that we’ve never been
shown how to listen properly. However, effective ‘active’ listening is more than just passively hearing
what the other person has said. Active listening is really listening closely and giving the other person
your full attention. It is impossible to listen actively when looking at a mobile phone, glancing out of the
window or thinking about what you are doing later.

To listen actively, it is important to:

Ø Stop everything that you are doing and look at the customer

Ø Make eye contact to let the customer know that you are listening and to
enable you to pick up any non-verbal clues that may be important

Ø Give the customer your full attention. Consciously stop yourself from
thinking about other things

Ø Use appropriate body language and questions to enhance your

understanding of what the customer is saying.

Urgency
The timescales for meeting customers’ needs can vary from:

Ø Immediate

Ø Short term

Ø Medium to long term.

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Customers’ immediate needs may relate to obtaining information, buying a product or service or
making a complaint. For example, a customer may ring an organisation asking for information about a
particular product, its price and its availability. In these situations, there should be a fairly
straightforward and swift response after checking the relevant details. If it’s not possible to give an
instant answer, then it should be possible to give an answer within a few minutes or hours.

In other situations, the customer may require the provision of the products or services in the short,
medium or long term. The definitions of the short, medium and long term will vary depending on the
context of your organisation. In general, the short-term tends to mean the next few weeks, whereas
medium to long term tends to mean in the next few months. However, this may vary and in some
organisations, a period of one year may be viewed as ‘short term’. It is important to have an
understanding of what different timescales are relevant in your own organisation.

It is also important to understand what the customer means if they give vague or imprecise timescales.
If they say that they want the product or service ‘soon’ or ‘as soon as possible’, it is very difficult to
determine exactly what they mean without further questioning. Again, in some contexts, ‘soon’ might
mean ‘today’, but in other contexts, it might mean ‘within the next four weeks’.

It’s useful to check out any restrictions that the customer has
in terms of delivery timescales. They may need to have your
product or service in place/delivered by a certain date in order
for another supplier’s products and services to be delivered on
time. A good example of this is when a customer is
undertaking a project in which there are a few different
components being provided by different suppliers.

Part of establishing the customer’s needs is gaining a clear

understanding of their timescales and priorities so that this can
be taken into account when reaching an agreement with them.
Using clear and specific questions will help you to establish the
degree of urgency associated with the customer’s request.
When you have this understanding, you can then proceed to agree what you will provide and when.

Other factors to consider when looking at timescales include:

Ø What other commitments and priorities do you have?

Ø Do any of your existing commitments conflict with this customer’s request?

Ø Will you be able to deliver to the timescales requested?

Ø What organisational requirements should you take into account?

Ø What legislative requirements should you take into account?

It is important to take a realistic view of existing commitments that you have made to other customers.
It is disappointing (and potentially damaging to the reputation of your organisation) to overpromise and
under deliver. It is not desirable to make a commitment to a customer which you are unlikely to be able
to keep due to the other commitments.
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When considering timescales, you should take into account any policies, procedures or practices which
affect any agreements that you are making with customers. For example, there may be a discretionary
or statutory ‘cooling off’ period between a customer placing an order and the agreement becoming
legally binding. If the customer wanted the product delivery before the expiry of the ‘cooling off’ period,
this may compromise your organisational or legal requirements. Alternatively, a customer may wish to
take advantage of a special pricing offer that is only available for a limited period of time and so this
would have to be taken into account when planning service delivery with the customer.
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Activity 2A
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2.3 – Provide customer with information about available options for meeting
customer needs and assist customer to identify preferred option/s
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Identify why it is important to provide the customer with information about available
options

Ø Summarise the types of information provided to customers when making an enquiry at

their organisation

Ø Explain how to help customers make decisions.

Providing information
Having identified the customer’s needs and the degree of urgency associated with their request, it is
important to communicate to them how you can help to meet their request. With a good understanding
of what the customer is looking for, you are now in a position to offer them a range of possible solutions
and help them to choose the best option for them.

Returning to our example of providing dental treatment, when the dentist and customer are discussing
what the customer wants, it would be appropriate for the dentist to outline some options which may
meet their needs. For example, the customer may want to have their teeth chemically whitened, but
the dentist may have identified that the existing enamel on their teeth is very thin and any chemical
treatment may be too harsh, and may actually cause damage to the teeth rather than improve them.

They may suggest some options such as:

Ø Explaining the advantages and disadvantages of the
teeth whitening treatment and how this may affect
the customer’s teeth

Ø Offering alternative treatments that are less harsh

but have a similar effect

Ø Explaining steps that the customer can take to reduce

discolouration of the teeth

Ø Showing the customer photographs in a magazine or on-line of

suggested alternative treatments.

This is the step at which you can set out precisely what your organisation can do to meet the customer’s
needs and the key facts associated with each option. For example, a customer may want to redesign
their kitchen, and the salesperson could set out the range of kitchen styles and products that they
provide, the relative costs of each, and any associated advantages or disadvantages to help the
customer to make a choice. This might be done with the help of sales literature or other written or
online information, and so it would be important to have a good knowledge of the facts and information
contained within that literature so as to guide the customer effectively.
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A useful technique for helping customers to decide between options is to outline the relative
advantages and disadvantages of each option.

So, in our teeth whitening example above, the advantages and disadvantages may look like this:

Advantages Disadvantages

Ø Instant results Ø Can cause damage to existing tooth

surface
Ø Achieve the look that you are seeking
Ø Can limit the life expectancy of the teeth
Ø Simple and painless to administer the
treatment Ø Expensive process

By summarising the advantages and disadvantages of the available options, the customer can make an
informed decision about what they want to do.

Sourcing information
There might be occasions where a customer asks you a question to which you are not sure of the
answer. Continuing with the dental analogy, a customer might visit the dentist and ask whether a
particular toothpaste has teeth whitening properties. If the dentist does not know the answer, then
they will need to find the answer in order to deliver excellent customer service, and for the customer to
make an informed decision.

Product and service information may be found:

Ø On product packaging

Ø In service terms and conditions

Ø In an accompanying manual

Ø On online systems

Ø On the manufacturer’s website.

Product and service information may relate to:

Ø Product specification, compatibilities and/or functions

Ø Service conditions

Ø Pricing and/or payment plans.

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Activity 2B
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2.4 – Identify personal limitations in addressing customer needs and seek

assistance from designated persons where required
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Identify difficulties and limitations in meeting customer needs

Ø Explain how to deal with encountering difficulties and limitations in meeting customer
needs.

Personal limitations
If you are simply unable to meet a customer’s needs, then it is important to say so, clearly and simply
and without delay. A common scenario involves a service provider who visits a customer’s home or
business premises to provide a quote for a piece of work but never actually submits a quote.
Meanwhile, the customer is unable to take any other action whilst they await the outcome of the quote.
This can happen for a variety of reasons.

The service provider may not be:

Ø Competent to do the work

Ø Interested in doing the work

Ø Available to do the work within the

customer’s timescales

Ø Able to do the work within the customer’s

budget, or to the required level of quality.

The consequences of this provider failing to deliver a quote can hinder the delivery of the overall project
whilst the customer awaits information that is never forthcoming. It is much better, and more
professional, for the service provider to simply state at the outset that they are unable to provide a
quote for the work. This enables both parties to move on without any delay or hard feelings.

Sometimes the answer may not be what the customer wants to hear, but it is in everyone’s best
interests to state this clearly and simply at the outset. A far better response from the service provider to
the customer might be: “Thank you for inviting me to quote for this piece of work. However, I am unable
to meet the timescales you have asked for, and so I won’t be able to provide you with a quote on this
occasion.”

This lets the customer know where they stand so that they can then seek assistance from others or
pursue queries with other service providers. However, turning a customer away is a last resort and
efforts should be made to work within the limitations imposed by your organisation or legislative
requirements to offer potential solutions to the customer.
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Having agreed what the customer wants and determined their exact requirements, it is important to
assess any limitations which may affect the delivery of the products or services. In the example of a
dentist who is recommending a particular course of treatment, it would be an organisational and
legislative requirement to undertake treatment only when the dentist is aware of any medication that
the patient is currently taking. The purpose of this is to ensure that the treatment doesn’t conflict with
any existing medication and to avoid potential harm to the patient.

If the patient reports that they are using a medication which would make the dental treatment
unsafe, the dentist may decide to:
Ø Ask for another opinion from a colleague or supervisor

Ø Ask for advice from the treatment supplier

Ø Double-check the medication details with the customer

Ø Offer a different treatment option which does not affect the customer’s medication.

By doing this, the dentist can be sure that they have avoided a potentially harmful treatment option,
met the legislative and organisational requirements and worked with the customer to find a mutually
acceptable solution.

When you have identified any limitations in delivering the agreed service to the customer, you may be
able to offer some possible solutions from your own experience. However, it may be necessary to refer
these situations to other designated persons for advice and guidance.

This may include:

Ø A manager, supervisor or team leader

Ø More experienced personnel with specific

knowledge or information

Ø Staff from other work areas with particular

product or service knowledge.

Your colleagues and supervisors and managers may have

personal experience of similar situations. They may also be able to
offer guidance on the organisational or legal requirements affecting
the service you are discussing with the customer.
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Activity 2C
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3. Deliver service to customers

3.1. Provide prompt customer service to meet identified needs according to organisational
requirements

3.2. Provide information regarding problems and delays, and follow-up within appropriate
timeframes as necessary

3.3. Communicate with customers in a clear, concise and courteous manner

3.4. Identify opportunities to enhance the quality of service and products, and take action to
improve the service whenever possible
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3.1 – Provide prompt customer service to meet identified needs according to

organisational requirements
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Outline multiple ways in which their organisation provides customers service

Ø Demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of ‘prompt’ in different contexts

Ø Outline how to ensure service is delivered promptly and in accordance with

organisational and legislative requirements.

Providing customers with service

Customers generally expect that their needs will be met in a timely fashion. At the dentist’s surgery, for
example, a customer would not expect to be kept waiting for 30 minutes after their appointment time
before they are seen by the dentist. In a different situation where the customer was having a room in
their house redecorated, if the customer is expecting the work to take place in the third week of June,
then they will expect that to be the case unless they are given advance warning of any delays.

The definition of ‘prompt’ will depend on the nature of the service being provided and the context of
your organisation. Getting a room redecorated within six weeks of making the initial enquiry may be the
norm in the decorating trade. In the context of the dentist, customers would not expect to wait months
for an appointment; in this context, they are more likely to expect the service to be delivered within
days or weeks depending on the nature of the appointment. In an emergency, they certainly wouldn’t
want to wait for weeks.

In other circumstances (e.g. a bar or cafe), customers would expect near immediate attention and
would not expect to be kept waiting for long periods of time. What is meant by ‘prompt’ in your
organisation may be set out in procedures or guidelines? If you are unsure, you should ask your
supervisor or manager for a definition.

It is not unusual for organisations to have customer service standards such as:
Ø Answer the telephone within three rings

Ø Reply to customer emails within 24 hours

Ø Send quotations to customers within one week of initial enquiry

Ø Offer the customer a drink within five minutes of arrival.

These customer service standards are useful as they give the staff a clear indication of
what timings are considered acceptable within their context.
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Customers don’t like to feel ignored or forgotten about. It is frustrating for a customer to arrive at an
organisation’s premises and to be kept waiting until someone attends to them. It is equally frustrating
for the customer to arrive at a till point where the assistant is talking to someone on the telephone, and
they have to wait until for them to finish the conversation. Also, customers dislike feeling forgotten
about. When someone has promised to ring them back with an answer to their query, for example, it’s
very disappointing if this doesn’t happen and the customer has to pursue the organisation for the
information they were looking for.

There are some key guidelines for delivering good quality service to customers:
Ø Always acknowledge the customer with a smile and a polite greeting

Ø If dealing with something else like a telephone call, make eye contact with the
customer to let them know that you have acknowledged them. It would be even better
if you excused yourself from the phone call to say: “I’ll be with you in a moment” to the
customer

Ø Avoid keeping customers waiting for long periods of time. If you are behind schedule
which will result in a delay for the customer, let them know this as they can then make
a decision about how to use the waiting time. It is very frustrating to be kept waiting
without knowing why or how long you are likely to have to wait

Ø Explain to customers what you are doing. For example, you may have to go away to get
an item or to check information. Tell the customer what you are doing so that they
know you are still helping them

Ø Use your interpersonal and effective communication skills to engage with the customer

Ø Make sure that what you provide is what the customer has asked for.
This may require checking with them that the item/service provided is
in line with what they were expecting

Ø Make sure that you follow your organisation’s procedures and

any legislative requirements, avoid breaching procedure.
At best, this may compromise your organisation. At
worst, it could result in harm being done, for example, if
safety precautions were not adequately explained to
customers.
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Activity 3A
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3.2 – Provide information regarding problems and delays, and follow-up within
appropriate timeframes as necessary
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Identify why it is important to provide the customer with information regarding
problems and delays

Ø Identify the key points to make to a customer regarding a delayed order.

Providing information to the customer

Customers do not like to be uninformed. Quite naturally, they will assume that all is well with their
order unless they hear otherwise. If there is to be a problem or a delay with their order, customers
prefer to know about this as soon as possible. Not only is this good customer service practice to keep
customers informed about the progress of their order, but it enables the customer to make any changes
to their own plans and arrangements if necessary. It also enables them to make any decisions as a result
of the problem occurring.

For example, imagine that a customer has arranged for a decorator to paint their kitchen. The dates
have been agreed, and the customer has taken a few days’ holiday from work so that they can be at
home whilst the decorator is working. If the decorator has an injury at work which prevents them from
working, then they should notify the customer straight away. This helps to manage the customer’s
expectations. The customer was expecting the work to be completed on a certain date; if the decorator
is no longer able to meet that commitment, by letting the customer know, they can reschedule their
holiday and take those days again at a later date when the work is confirmed again.

A similar example is that of a customer taking a day’s holiday to wait for the
delivery of an item to their home. The date has been set, confirmed in
writing and the customer has booked a precious day’s holiday off work.
They cannot go anywhere else on that day as they have to wait for the
delivery. Imagine the frustration if the customer has to wait at home all
day only for the delivery to never arrive. These sorts of situations are
commonplace, and they are hugely frustrating for the customer.

Customers do appreciate that problems can happen. However, they are really
interested in knowing how the service provider is going to resolve the problem and
keep them informed about it. Keeping the truth from customers and hoping that
they don’t notice the problem is never a good idea!
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Use the following guidelines when a problem or delay occurs:

Ø When you have identified a problem or delay, consider what action can be taken to
avoid this impacting on the customer, and ensure that this action is taken

Ø Where there is nothing that can be done to avoid the problem or delay, notify the
customer as soon as you have investigated the situation yourself

Ø Apologise for the problem or delay

Ø Explain how and why the problem or delay has happened if possible

Ø Explain what you have already done to remedy the situation

Ø Explain your recommended solution

Ø Outline any alternative options, if applicable

Ø Gain the customer’s agreement to your recommended solution or a new solution

Ø Confirm what will happen next and when

Ø Explain your personal responsibility in terms of what you will do next

Ø Make sure that you do what you have promised.

Following through on your promises is very important. If you have promised to update the customer’s
record, you must make sure that you do it. If you have promised to ring another department or
colleague about the situation, you must make sure that you do it. If you have promised to ring the
customer back to confirm what you have agreed, you must make sure that you do it.

Nothing damages an organisation’s reputation more than empty promises.

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Activity 3B
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3.3 – Communicate with customers in a clear, concise and courteous manner

By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Create a poster containing key guideless for communicating with customers.

Communicating with customers

When delivering a service to the customer, it is inevitable that you will be communicating with them.
The nature of the communication will vary depending on the service being provided.

It may consist of:

Ø General conversation whilst the service is being delivered (also known as 'making small
talk’)

Ø Providing information about the progress of the service delivery (e.g. delays, reporting
on good progress being made)

Ø Information about any changes that need to be made to the service delivery as a result
of any problems or delays

Ø Asking the customer to make decisions as the service provision is being delivered.

Whatever the circumstances, the communication with customers should always meet the same high
standards as when the initial contact was established with the customer. In other words, you should aim
to maintain the same good impression that you created when initially greeting the customer. This
means that the same standards of professionalism and the same standards of interpersonal skills still
apply.

In terms of communication, customers expect the following:

Ø Politeness/courtesy

Ø Accuracy of the information given

Ø Honesty and the full facts being given

Ø Concise information

Ø A helpful and positive attitude

Ø Clarity of information. Ensure that the information is

not vague or ambiguous.

This can be achieved simply by treating the customer the way you would want to be treated yourself.
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Activity 3C
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3.4 – Identify opportunities to enhance the quality of service and products, and
take action to improve the service whenever possible
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Outline why it is good practice to identify opportunities to enhance the quality of
service and products

Ø Suggest enhanced services and products a customer might expect in two different
scenarios.

Enhancing the quality of service

When delivering a service to customers, there is an opportunity to advise them of additional products
and services which would complement their main purchase. For example, when buying a pair of shoes,
the assistant may offer specialist cleaning products to make the shoes stay looking new for longer.
When having a room redecorated, the decorator may suggest carrying out some minor repairs to the
walls and woodwork. When visiting the dentist, they may suggest purchasing a new toothbrush which
they have on display in reception. These are all ways of enhancing the customer experience. They may
also generate additional sales although this may not always be the case.

There is a wide range of potential opportunities for enhancing the quality of services and products and
not all of these should or would incur additional cost to the customer. For example, offering to carry a
customer’s purchase to the car, or deliver it for free, are great ways of enhancing the service and
customer experience.

Other opportunities may include:

Ø Advice about warranties, guarantees or support services

Ø Packaging options

Ø Pricing options

Ø Procedures for delivery of goods or service

Ø Provision of product knowledge

Ø Systems for recording complaints.

Customers like to feel that they have had value for money, and these additional ‘extras’ give
the customer feeling that they have had a little bit more than they were expecting. For example, when
buying a product, if the assistant can demonstrate the use of the product and give advice about how to
use it effectively, then the customer will feel that they have had more than just the product alone as
they have received valuable advice too. It also demonstrates the expertise of the assistant, which will
generate trust between the customer and the organisation.
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Excellent deliverers of customer service are constantly looking to do that little bit extra for customers to
give them the best possible customer experience. This makes good business sense as we know that
satisfied customers are likely to return and to recommend the organisation to others.

They also have an eye for opportunities to improve existing products or services and will take action to
do this whenever possible. These customer service experts won’t wait to be told what to do. They will
spot the opportunity to help the customer to take their shopping to the car without being asked. They’ll
make a call to find out some specific information about a product without being asked. They’ll make a
recommendation to their manager about improving a product without being asked.

In other words, when delivering good service, you are also noticing what else can be done to make it an
even better experience for the customer, bearing in mind that sometimes it’s the smallest things that
make the biggest difference.
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Activity 3D
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4. Process customer feedback

4.1. Promptly recognise customer feedback and handle sensitively according to organisational and
legislative requirements

4.2. Accurately record any feedback and communication between customers and the organisation
according to organisational standards, policies and procedures and legislative requirements

4.3. Identify any unmet customer needs and discuss suitability of other products/services

4.4. Support customers to make contact with other services according to organisational policies and
procedures
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4.1 – Promptly recognise customer feedback and handle sensitively according to

organisational and legislative requirements
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Outline the signals customers might give to demonstrate their feedback

Ø Outline how to handle a customer complaint sensitively and in accordance with

organisation and legislative requirements

Ø Identify ways in which complaints can benefit and organisation.

Customer feedback
Customer feedback is essential for understanding the customer experience, such as what is working well
and what is not. It is also a basic component of any customer service offering; the organisation provides
a product/service to its customers, so of course, it should be interested in whether or not they are what
the customer expects and requires.

Feedback from customers can be obtained in a variety of ways. Customers may make:
Ø Facial expressions or give body language signals which indicate that they are either
happy or unhappy

Ø Positive or negative comments, either directly, to themselves or to a companion

Ø A formal complaint about the product/service.

All of the above signals give you an insight into what the customer thinks about their experience.
Whether this is positive or negative, and whether the customer is right or wrong, this is useful
information telling you how they perceive the service. It provides a great opportunity to build on the
positive feedback and to respond appropriately to the negative.

Customers may have feedback about:

Ø Damaged goods or delivery problems

Ø Delays

Ø Invoicing errors

Ø Quality of customer service

Ø Quality of service provision.

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Let’s assume that a customer is in front of you with a companion. You are reaching the end of the
transaction, and the customer says to their friend: “I’m glad I chose the cream linen. I think it’ll look
better in the bedroom.” You can either ignore this, as the comment hasn’t been directed to you, or you
can pick up on it and respond with something similarly positive such as “Yes, it’s good when you find
something that’s just right, isn’t it?”. Not only is this a pleasant way to interact with the customer, but it
also demonstrates a genuine interest to the customer and underlines the good service they have
received. They are likely to leave this interaction feeling very good about the whole experience.

Now imagine that the same customer turns to their companion and says “They’re so slow to take your
payment here...” Again, you can ignore this if the comment has not been directed to you. However, a
better response would be to say something like “I’m sorry this seems to be taking a long time; I’m
having a problem with X, but I’ll get it sorted out for you just as soon as I can. Sorry to keep you
waiting.” This lets the customer know that you are aware that the service is slow, you have apologised
for it, and you have said what you are doing about it. Sometimes all the customer wants to hear is an
apology or an acknowledgement that things are not going as smoothly as they might.

Complaints
Complaints offer a useful insight into the customer’s experience on both the quality of the actual
product/service purchased and the way in which the service was provided. Customers may complain via
the traditional means of a letter, email or phone call, but increasingly customers are using social media
to express their dissatisfaction with products and services. Product reviews are widely
available on the internet, and dissatisfied customers will not hesitate to record their
feelings about a product/service in a very public forum.

Organisations which campaign for customer rights frequently comment on the effectiveness
of social media when making complaints as customers will often
receive a swift and satisfactory response using social media as
opposed to the more traditional methods of complaining.
Complaints are in fact a gift for the organisation. If the customer is
unhappy and does nothing about it, the organisation does not have the
opportunity to put things right. However, when a customer complains, the
organisation can begin to understand why they are unhappy and take
steps, if appropriate, to rectify the situation.

When dealing with a complaint, use the following guidelines:

Ø Always acknowledge the complaint and thank the customer for bringing it to your
attention

Ø Apologise, even if it’s not personally your fault; the customer will expect to receive an
apology on behalf of the organisation

Ø Ask questions to determine the exact nature of the complaint and its effects

Ø Ask the customer what would be a good solution for them. Are they looking for a
replacement, a refund, a discount, or a formal apology?
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Ø Tell the customer what you are able to do to resolve the complaint. You must ensure
that you act within your organisational and legislative requirements so you should not
promise anything that is outside these parameters. For example, if your organisation’s
procedures allow you to offer an immediate replacement only, don’t offer discount on
future purchases as well

Ø Agree on the next steps with the customer and

check that they are satisfied with what you are
proposing

Ø Deliver the solution that you have promised. This

may involve keeping the customer informed of your
progress, such as calling them to let them know
when they can expect redelivery of their item.

Complaints should be handled with sensitivity. It may take a great deal of nerve and effort for some
people to complain. When a product or service is not as expected, the customer has a right to say
something about that and to expect for the matter to be resolved to their satisfaction. Customers
should never be given the impression that they are wrong to complain.

Sensitive and courteous complaints handling involves:

Ø Giving the customer sufficient time to explain what the problem is

Ø Avoiding interrupting the customer while they are speaking

Ø Allowing the customer to vent their frustration or anger

Ø Apologising early on in the conversation. You can say something like “I’m sorry that
you’ve had this problem.” You are not actually taking responsibility for causing the
problem by saying this, but it is reassuring for the customer to have received an
apology

Ø Actively listening to the customer and showing empathy with their situation

Ø Encouraging them to continue if necessary

Ø Asking questions to check the facts of the problem

Ø Agreeing that the customer was right to raise the complaint in the first place

Ø Thanking them for raising the matter and apologising before closing the conversation.

A complaint that is handled well can actually create fans of the organisation. If a customer feels that
their complaint has been taken seriously and resolved to their satisfaction, they are more likely to
remain a customer and may even become a loyal advocate of your business. Handled badly, a
complaining customer may well become an ex-customer who will never do business with you again and
will delight in telling lots of people about their poor experience.
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On average, a satisfied customer tells three or four people about their positive experience; a dissatisfied
customer typically tells 12 others. In an age where social media is used extensively to publicise
customers’ opinions, it’s actually very easy for a dissatisfied customer to tell thousands of people about
their negative experience and so it makes good business sense to make sure that complaints are
handled effectively.
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Activity 4A
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4.2 – Accurately record any feedback and communication between customers

and the organisation according to organisational standards, policies and
procedures and legislative requirements
By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:
Ø Identify why it is useful for an organisation to record feedback/communication with
customers

Ø Write a report outlining types of feedback and how they are managed/recorded within
their own organisation.

Recording feedback
It is important for an organisation to have a good understanding of how their products/services are
perceived by its customers. If the feedback about a particular product or service is consistently good,
then it gives the organisation the confidence that this seems to be working well and that they should
continue to offer it. However, if the feedback is poor (even in just one or two instances), then this is a
signal to the organisation that this particular product/service may need to be reviewed. These sorts of
decisions can only be made with any degree of confidence if the customers’ feedback is recorded and
analysed in a systematic manner. Making decisions about the future supply or improvements to
products and services is risky if it is just based on gut feel and intuition.

When customers provide feedback, good or bad, it is essential to capture it. Some organisations will
have structured forms and reporting mechanisms for this; others will have little or nothing. As part of
delivering good customer service, it is good practice to capture customer feedback in some form or
other. In the absence of any structured forms in your workplace, making a simple list of feedback from
customers would be a useful starting point. This list can be updated on a daily or weekly basis,
whenever customer feedback is obtained. This list need only be a short summary of the nature of the
feedback and what it was in relation to. It may also be useful to add a date and the customer’s details. If
you do not have a mechanism at work for recording customer feedback, this is something to discuss
with your supervisor or line manager.

This overview of customer feedback can then be reviewed periodically. You may find that some of the
comments relate to things that are outside your control (e.g. pricing and product availability). However,
you may find that some of the feedback relates to trends which you can have an impact on such as
speed or service, quality of service, interpersonal skills used in interacting with the customer. Even in
the absence of any structured processes to review and act upon customer feedback, you should review
any comments that relate to things that you can influence and consider what action you can take to
improve in future.
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Depending on the nature of your organisation and the products/services provided, you may have very
strict policies and procedures governing the communication between the customer and the
organisation. Furthermore, some of these policies and procedures may be underpinned by legal
requirements for records to be in place. In some circumstances, there may be forms which you and the
customer have to sign to confirm the agreements made with the customer and to set out any terms of
the agreement.

Whether or not there is a legal requirement to record these communications, by keeping a record it
enables the organisation to have an audit trail of all interactions and agreements made with the
customer. This means that anyone can pick up the customer’s ‘case’ and understand the progress of
their order. This avoids dependency on one individual if the customer has a query.

It is important to be fully aware of your own organisation’s procedures regarding the recording of
communications with customers so that you can ensure that you comply with these at all times. If in
doubt, please ask your supervisor or line manager for further information.
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Activity 4B
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4.3 – Identify any unmet customer needs and discuss suitability of other
products/services

4.4 – Support customers to make contact with other services according to

organisational policies and procedures

By the end of this chapter, you must be able to:

Ø Recognise unmet needs customers might have with their own organisation

Ø Identify ways to meet unmet needs of customers

Ø Outline three ways in which to support a customer seeking to contact an outside

service.

Unmet customer needs

In the course of closing a transaction with a customer, there is an opportunity to identify any unmet
needs, such as anything that the customer was expecting to happen but hasn’t. So for example, if the
customer was expecting to receive curtain tie-backs in addition to the curtains they ordered, when they
come to collect their order it might become apparent that the curtains are there, but not the tie-backs.
This is an unmet need. In another example, the customer at the dentist may have expected a clean and
polish as part of their routine check-up. If this didn’t happen, then this is also an unmet need.

Sometimes customers will be quite vocal that there is an unmet need, and at other times, they will rely
on the service provider pointing this out to them. This might be the case with things like delays in
service provision. The customer will know that they are still waiting for the service delivery but may feel
dependent on you to keep them informed and ensure that their order/request is not missed.

When customers have unmet needs, you have a few options:

Ø Do nothing, but the need remains unmet

Ø Take action to resolve the problem so that the need can be met or otherwise

Ø Offer alternatives to the customer to ensure that the need can be met.

In some situations, when an unmet need comes to light, the customer may decide to do nothing about
that. For example, in the dentist example above, the customer may decide to wait until their next
routine appointment for a check-up. However, if the customer decides that they do still wish for that
need to be met, the receptionist may offer a separate appointment for the clean and polish, or they
may suggest a separate visit to a dental hygienist for that service. In either case, there is a conscious
decision to carry on trying to meet the need or not, and then
deciding what action to take as a result.

When discussing the suitability of other options with the

customer, you may find yourself referring back to the options
which you discussed with the customer as part of your initial
interaction with them. Or you may find that you have to
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generate some new possible options in the light of the circumstances the customer now finds
themselves in.

For example, if the curtain tie-backs don’t get delivered, you can offer options which may include:
Ø Ordering the curtain tie-backs again and waiting for the next order

Ø Choosing alternative or off-the-shelf tie-backs which will complement the curtains

Ø Deleting the tie-backs from the order and refunding the customer.

All of these are valid options to resolve this problem, and it would be useful for the customer to have a
brief summary of the available options to help them decide what action to take.

Making contact with other services

Sometimes, you may not be able to help your customer yourself, and you will have to recommend that
they contact others, perhaps in external organisations. Customers find it enormously helpful if they can
be signposted in the right direction. So, if you are unable to answer the customer’s query about
something, you may be able to give them the contact details of the people or organisation that can. For
example, if your dental patient is interested in teeth whitening, but this is a service which your practice
does not offer, you may be able to recommend a surgery which specialises in this, or you may be able to
signpost them to a website giving them more information about the procedure and where it can be
obtained.

In some cases where customers frequently ask about other services which are related to the service you
provide, it is useful to have ready access to the relevant details. In a doctor’s surgery, for example, a list
of local taxi firms may be displayed by the public telephone so that patients can readily access relevant
telephone numbers without having to ask or find out themselves. In this example, the staff at the
doctor’s surgery have identified that this is useful information for some patients to have access to, and
they have provided it so that it is available for use by any patient at any time. Other methods might
include providing leaflets or a print-out of useful contact details.

In some situations, simply providing the contact information alone will not be sufficient to meet a
customer’s needs. Some customers will require a little more support in contacting other services. This
support may include simply making a call and then handing the telephone over to the customer when it
is answered. Alternatively, the circumstances may require that you make the call on behalf of the
customer and then report back to them on the outcome.

Your organisation should have a policy and procedures for assisting customers to make contact with
other services, and which services are approved for you to refer to. It is potentially damaging to the
organisation if staff refer customers to disreputable organisations. Nowadays, many organisations will
have an ‘Approved Service Provider List’ or similar which gives the details of those organisations or
services that may be recommended to customers. If you are not aware of such a policy or procedures,
you should ask your supervisor or line manager. If in doubt, ask first before recommending another
organisation or service.
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Activity 4C
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Summative Assessments
At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find the Summative Assessments.

This includes:

Ø Skills Activity

Ø Knowledge Activity

Ø Performance Activity.

This holistically assesses your understanding and application of the skills, knowledge and performance
requirements for this unit. Once this is completed, you will have finished this unit and be ready to move
onto the next one – well done!
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References

These suggested references are for further reading and do not necessarily represent the contents of
this unit.

Websites
Customer service skills: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/general/customer-service.html

20 essential customer service skills: http://www.customerservicemanager.com/customer-service-skills/

25 skills for excellent customer service: http://visual.ly/25-skills-excellent-customer-service

All references accessed on and correct as of 03/04/2017, unless other otherwise stated.