Customer Service Skill

ALLISON
 Module 1
Understanding Customer Service
• What is Customer Care?

• Caring for customers and ensuring that every single contact with your organization is
positive.

• Excellent customer service care requires:

• Build relationships with your customers;

• Know your product or service & how it can bene t your customers;

• Communicate e ectively and learn what’s important to them;

• Take responsibility for handling complaints ;

Internal customers - work within the organization
and may provide to somebody else while also
looking to you for services.

• Go the extra mile. External customers - who purchase from you or

the organization. Outside of the organization.
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Module 1 - Understanding Customer Service

THANKING THEM FOR

GREET THEM IN A WARM
EXTERNAL

CALLING/COMING IN/ETC AND FRIENDLY MANNER. CUSTOMERS

BUILD RELATIONSHIP
INTERNAL
OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE

WITH CUSTOMER CUSTOMERS A ‘NEW FRIEND’

INTERNAL

RESPECT
CUSTOMERS

ENGAGING IN DIALOGUE
PROVIDE THEM WITH

EXTERNAL
ABOUT
+ INFORMATION THE NEED AND

CUSTOMERS HOW TO TREAT THEM

WHAT THEY NEED
WITH RESPECT
Module 1 - Understanding Customer Service

EXPECTATION

60 MET

45

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION
WOW! Service
ABOVE EXPECTATIONS

30

BELOW EXPECTATIONS

15

0
EXPECTATION LEVEL
Module 1 - Understanding Customer Service

Barriers to Excellent Customer Service Overcoming these Barriers

• Customer Service - commitment of the entire • Barriers to excellent customer service
organization at every level.
cost your organization lost of
customers,

• Many things interfere with an individual’s ability

of delivery of exceptional customer service:

• Removing barriers = improves

• Organisational policies;
customer service:

• Poor communication skills;

• Empower your employees;

• Insu cient resorces;

• Bureaucracy;

• Take training classes to improve your

communication skills;

• Inadequate facilities or equipment;

• Take steps to reduce red tape

• Poor attitude;

Communications - verbal and nonverbal -> ask questions, listen more, engage in
• Inadequate training. dialogue.

Better relationship, better service provided.

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Module 1 - Understanding Customer Service

Customers want someone who… Customers don’t want someone

who…

• Understand their issues;

• Can’t help;

• Takes responsibility;

Find a way to serve their needs.

• Gets defensive;

Mistake made -> takes responsibility -> x mistake.

• Communicates e ectively;
• Continually puts them on hold;

• Is courteous;
• Can’t nd them in the database;

• Is honest. • Won’t return their calls.

Keep your promises!

5 Service Quality Factors:

1. Reliability - how often does a customer come to you and you provide the same service.

2. Responsiviness - how quickly will you respond to your customers needs and how throughly you respond to and understand their needs.

3. Assurance - do they feel comfortable in knowing when they come to you, you have empathy, that you care and you’re going to take care of them.

4. Empathy

5. Tangibles - what did you actually do for them.

Characteristics of Excellent Customer Service

Motivation to service - are you internally inspired to take care of your customers?

Flexibility when dealing with daily challenges the customers bring to them.

Energetic and enthusiastic.

Ownership of their customers situations and problems.

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Module 1 - Understanding Customer Service

Developing an Excellent Customer Service Strategy

• Four steps to develop a dynamic Service Strategy:

1. De ne the current situation

Understand what your current situation is in your service levels, know exactly what you provide, how you provide and what your knowledge is.

2. De ne all targets and value

Who is it that you want to provide your customer service care to. That’s your target. You want to provide the best customer service you can.

3. Implement Excellent Customer Service Strategy

Moving from where you are now to where you want to be.

4. Ensure you stay in tune with customers’ changing needs

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Module 1 - Understanding Customer Service

Define the Current Situation Implement Excellent Customer

Service Strategy
• Situation Analysis:
• Implement, or build, the excellent
customer service strategy you’ve
• Analyse your business, current de ned.

business environment and

values of your customers;
• You need to put into practice the
service level you’ve decided will
• Points you in the right add value to the overall
direction regarding value;
customer experience.

• Gives you the ability to identify • Points needed:

what will add value to the

customer experience. • To develop certain capabilities;

• Training in certain areas;

• Relevant skills and knowledge.

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 Module 2
Focusing on the customer
• Guidelines for Making Positive Impressions

• You can make customers feel welcome and valued so that they have a positive
impression about your organization with these simple guidelines:

• Greet the customer;

• Focus on the customer;

Find your customers’ needs using questioning techniques by asking
appropriate questions

Take time to give your customer your attention. Type 1 - open ending questions: learn more about their needs and
wants.

• Keep your area clean;

Type 2 - close ending questions: yes or no questions.

• Dress appropriately;

• Maintain a professional atmosphere.

 Module 2 - Focusing on the Customer

Effective Listening Technique Making a Positive Impression

• Being a good listener is an • You must follow through on your great

essential skill for customer service rst impression with ensuring that you
make a great last impression.

professionals.

• To ensure that your customers leave with

• It communicates sincere interest in a positive last impression of your
customers and their needs.
organization:

• Helpful tips:
• Say ‘Thank you’

After everything you are able to do for them.

•Shaking
Use non-verbal signals;
• Invite them back

your head in understanding = shows you are listening

and understand them.
• Pause to allow the individual to • Follow up to make sure they are
pleased with their experience.
clarify or elaborate on a
comment;

Satis ed customers

FOLLOW
Dissatis ed customers

• Paraphrase and summarise the UP New customers

Former customers
FEEDBACK

individual’s statement.
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Module 2 - Focusing on the Customer

Follow-up Methods
• There are no hard or fast rules for choosing a particular methods of follow-up over
another.

• Each method works best for di erent situations and business:

• Telephone;

• Letters;

• Email;

• Direct-mail advertisement or brochures;

• In-person.
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 Module 3 Using your voice
Customer Service and the Telefone
• Greeting
• Enunciation

• Salutation (Good Morning)

• Voice quality

• Identi cation statement

• Volume and pitch

• Name of organization
• Rate of speed (PAUSES)
• Name of department or
group

• Your name

• O er assistance.
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Module 3 - Customer Service and the Telefone

Procedure for Transferring Calls Taking Meaningful Messages

• Explain the reason for the person’s

• Explain why you are connecting unavailability in a positive light.

the caller with another person.

Communicate what the call is about.

• Provide the customer with an estimated

• Ask the caller for permission to time the person will likely became
connect them with another person.
available if possible.
If known.

• Make sure the call is transferred to • If you cannot help or transfer the
the right department or person.
customer, o er to take a message.

• Explain the nature of the call to the • Con rm your understanding of the
customer’s message by repeating it
person whom you are transferring. back to them.

PEN & PAPER -> Write down message-> repeat back the message

• Assure the caller that you will make

sure the person receivers the message
as soon as possible.
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Module 4
Handling Complaints Why Customer DON’T Complain

• They…

• Complaints:

• Don’t want to go through the

• A complaint is a customers’ hassle;

expression of dissatisfaction
with the product they have • Don’t know where to go;

purchased or the service they

received.
• Don’t think it will do any good;

• Think they’ll be treated badly;

• Whether the complain is valid Received bad customer service.

or not, from the customer’s • Feel it’s easier to go somewhere

perspective, a problem exists else;

There’s a GAP between the expectation of the customer and the delivery
of the organization.

Complaint should be viewed as an opportunity to improve a product on

• Don’t want to get the employee in
service -> improve product if there’s a aw.
trouble.
Development of trust and loyalty of customers.
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Module 4 - Handling Complaints

Five Forbidden Phrases Service Recovery

• When handling a complaint, • Involves taking action to resolve a
consider your words carefully. problem to the customer’s
Certain words and phrases can satisfaction.

create negative images in the

customers’ mind:
• 6 steps to service recovery:

• ‘I don’t know’
• Apologize;

• ‘We can’t do that’

• Understand the problem;

• ‘You’ll have to…’

• Determine the cause;

• ‘Hang on a second, I’ll be right • Explore possible acceptable

solutions;

back’

• Implement best solution;

• ‘No’ (at the beginning of any

sentence) • Follow-up.
Module 4 - Handling Complaints

Guidelines for Dealing with Difficult Customers

• Remain calm.

• Allow the customer to vent to release the anger, frustration, and irritation that would
get in the way of nding a solution.

• Express empathy to convey that you understand your customer’s problem.

• Ask close-ended questions to gain control of the situation and get the customer
focusing on the problem.

• Show con dence.

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 Module 5
Enduring Stress Managing Your Reaction to Stress
Sources of stress:

• The ‘ABC’ Model:

• Excessive amounts of work.

• A stands for the actual event.

• Demanding Customers.
What was the stressor that precipitated the reaction?

• Unclear expectations.
• B stands for beliefs.

This is how the actual event was understood or perceived.

• Long work hours.

• C stands for consequences.
Consequences are the feeling evoked or the actions taken in response

• Con ict.
to the stressful event and directly related to beliefs about the situation.

• Dealing with complaints and

problems.
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Module 5 - Enduring Stress

Indentifying Your Beliefs Using Questions to Challenge

Thinking

• Consider how you feel and behave.

• Use the following questions:

• Re-examine past events as you experience

them to learn how you perceive stressful • Is my understanding logical?

events.

• Understand certain beliefs are linked to • Is there any evidence to

speci c emotions:
support my understanding?

• Violation of rights - anger.

• Am I overreacting?

• Actual loss or loss of self-worth - sadness

or depression.
• Are my expectations realistic?

• Anticipation of future threat - anxiety or

fear.
• Am I taking things too
personally?

• Violation of another’s rights - guilt.

• Loss of standing with others - • Am I wrongly blaming myself

embarrassment. to others?
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Module 5 - Enduring Stress

Take Preventive Measures

• Take healthy breaks;

• Breathe deeply;

• Eat healthy;

• Exercise regularly;

• Practice relaxation techniques;

• Develop standard responses to common situations;

• Smile and laugh.