CUSTOMER CARE AND SERVICES

• CLASSIFICATION OF CUSTOMER

• SOME TIPS FOR IMPROVING CUSTOMER

SERVICE
• RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON
CUSTOMER EXPECTATION
 Classification of customers
Customers are classified based on the following
categories:
Sex: treatment in providing services is not always
similar for both female and male.
Age: different types of outlets may attract different
age groups. Teenagers and young adults go to clubs,
fast food services and café
Marital status: treatment in providing services is not
always similar for both married couples and single
customers.
 Some tips for improving your
customer Services
 Good customer service is the lifeblood of any
business. You can offer promotions and slash prices
to bring in as many new customers as you want, but
unless you can get some of those customers to come
back, your business won’t be profitable for long.
 Good customer service is all about bringing
customers back. And about sending them away
happy – happy enough to pass positive feedback
about your business along to others, who may then
try the product or service you offer for themselves
and in their turn become repeat customers.
• Believe in your product or service:
It won’t matter how gracious and respectful you are if
you don’t have a quality product or unique service
to sell to your customers. You want to keep them
coming back for more, so make sure they always get
their money’s worth.
• Be empathetic:
You don’t have to agree with what your customers
think, but it’s important to let them know you
understand where they’re coming from. Try saying
things like “I can certainly see why that would be
upsetting to you…” if they approach you with a
complaint.
• Be consistent:
One negative customer service experience can erase
twenty positive experiences, so it’s vital you never
allow yourself to slip up and be rude or inefficient.

• Make a commitment and stick to it:

Don’t be afraid to make promises, but be sure you
always keep them. Instead of saying “We’ll deliver
that to you some time next week,” say “we’ll deliver
that to you between 3:00 pm and 5:00 next
Tuesday” - then make it happen.
• Take responsibility:
If a customer isn’t happy with your product, service or
demeanor, don’t try to pass off the blame. Instead,
apologize and accept full responsibility. If you can’t
give the customer what he or she wants, help find
someone who can.

• Ask for feedback:

Talk to your customers and find out what you’re doing
well. Equally as important, don’t be scared to ask for
advice on how you can improve your customer service.
• Train your staff (if you have any) to be ALWAYS
helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable:
Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to
them about good customer service and what it is
(and isn’t) regularly....”
Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information
and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he
never has to say, “I don’t know, but so-and-so will be back at...”
• Listen to your customers:
Is there anything more exasperating than telling
someone what you want or what your problem is
and then discovering that person hasn’t been paying
attention and needs to have it explained again?
• Deal with complaints:
No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have
developed a reflex shrug, saying, “You can’t please
all the people all the time”. Maybe not, but if you
give the complaint your attention, you may be able
to please this one person this one time - and position
your business to reap the benefits of good customer
service. Customer complaints are like medicine.
Nobody likes them, but they make us better.
Actually, customer complaints are probably more
like preventative medicine because they provide
advanced warning about problems.
The root cause of customer complaints can be traced
back to one of three areas.
1. Individual employees,
2. The company,
3. The customer,
with 80 percent of complaints traceable to the last two
categories. By listening carefully to customer
complaints, we can identify opportunities for training
employees, improving products and services,
educating customers - and improving our business's
bottom line.
Religious and Social influences on
customer expectations

Religious practices

Social customs

Dress

Food and drink

Gender issues
• Religion and social characteristics often provide
good indicators of cultural identity and it is
important that people working in the travel and
tourism industry are able to appreciate these
influences when dealing with visitors from abroad
or working overseas.
• Awareness of these characteristics help people who
work in travel and tourism to respond effectively to
people from a variety of cultural, religious and
ethnic backgrounds. Particular aspects that need
special attention include:
Religious practices:-
Knowing the days of worship when in an overseas
country, realizing the significance of particular festivals in
different religions, such as Ramadan for Muslims, when
they are required to fast during the holy month, which can
fall at any time of the year depending on the lunar
calendar.
During Ramadan all Muslims from the age of sever refrain
from eating, drinking and smoking, between dawn and
dusk.
Saturday is the Sabbath for Jews, when they are all
expected to refrain from work, traveling, using the
telephone and handling money, among other restrictions.
• Social customs:-

For Instance, how people are greeted.

Staff who are giving directions or pointing something

out to a Muslim woman should not touch her, even
if this is done with the best of intentions, since this
could be misinterpreted.
Hindu women generally prefer not to shake hands
when meeting new people.
• Dress:-
For instance, the need to cover heads, remove footwear, when
formal attire is expected. Whatever their mode of dress, full
‘hijab’ with veil or a modified version of western dress, the
covering of Muslim women is because they are respected as
mothers, wives.
It is also felt to safeguard their respect and dignity. Middle
Eastern women prefer black veils (chador) and may not
cover their face (it is not essential). Tunisian women wear
white and do cover their face.
Hindu women often dress in traditional saris or loose-fitting
trouser suits made of silk or satin with matching dupattas
(long chiffon scarves). Sikh males wear turbans,
distinguishing them from any other religious group.
• Food and drink: -
For instance, excluded foods, eating times, whether alcohol is
permitted. No pork or pork products of any kind are eaten
by Muslims, who eat Halal meat. Halal refers to the ritual
slaughter of animals and the draining of their blood.
Orthodox jews do not eat pork or shellfish; meat should be
Kosher, similar to Halal, and meat and dairy products
should not be eaten together.
Sikhs are vegetarian and do not drink or smoke. In the case of
Hindus, beef is forbidden as the cow is considered a sacred
animal.
However, many Hindus are vegetarian and the vast majority
do not drink alcohol, especially women. Alcohol is strictly
forbidden for practicing Muslims and Buddhists.
• Gender: –
For instance, the position of women in society.
• Although free to speak out and conduct their own
affairs, many Hindu women leave decision making
to the male members of the family.
• You can see from the above that religious, social and
cultural differences can be complex.
• The important point for staff working in travel and
tourism is to appreciate these sorts of cultural
characteristics and to be sensitive to the needs of
visitors from overseas.
Thank You