DELIVER QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

DELIVER QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

Element 1 IDENTIFY CUSTOMER NEEDS

Objectives Upon completion, you should be able to: 1. Use appropriate interpersonal skills to identify customer’s needs 2. Assess customer’s needs for urgency 3. Provide customers with information about available options 4. Seek assistance in addressing personal limitations

IDENTIFY CUSTOMER’S NEEDS • Throughout the business day there will be a continuous flow of customers –with or without appointment and it is very important to make all customers feel welcomed and appreciated because the next customer could be a new customer. • So, who are your customers? Let us look and see the many types of customers that you will encounter on a daily basis:

Internal customers • Managers • - Co-workers • - Branch associates

Customers with formal appointments • Job applicants • Business persons attending meetings • Customers or clients seeking information • Complaints/compliments about goods or service

Customers without appointments • Persons seeking employment • Sales representatives • Well-known business associates • Maintenance personnel

Regular customers • Postmen • delivery persons • security van drivers

Unexpected customers • Family and friends of staff members & • disabled customers

The Need To Feel Understood Once you are working in the front office, communication with customers is of vital importance. Similarly, lack of good communication skills can be a serious problem. All employees must be able to communicate well as a major part of your job function involves interacting with both internal and external customers. This obviously means that you should exercise tact and diplomacy at all times. ?

One of the essential elements in effective service is the ability to help the customer identify his/her needs. This is so because in some instances it may be difficult for a customer to state exactly what he/she requires.

The following which a customer’s needs may be identified: • Listen attentively • If you are to understand what is needed by the customer you must listen attentively to everything the customer is saying. As soon you understand you must then confirm this understanding by paraphrasing what was said, then you proceed with the service required.

Verbal (cont’d) • Ask a few well-chosen questions • Sometimes you will have to ask questions in order to identify what the customer really needs/wants. It is important that you remember that the questions must be well chosen in order to achieve the desired objective and not to make the customer feel intimidated.

Your interpersonal skills are of the highest priority at this point and should include: • Establishing rapport with the customer – this may be achieved through your introductory sentences of offering help • Using appropriate body language – smiling, handshake • Questioning to clarify information – ask questions that will not require a mere “yes’ or “no” response. Open-ended questions are best.

Summarise and paraphrase the information that you got from the customer • Provide an opportunity for the customer to confirm his/her request and to give feedback • Choose an option • Having listened attentively and having asked the most appropriate questions, you are now in a position not only to identify the customer’s needs but also to help the customer choose an option that will best suit him/her or to offer a suggestion that may best meet the need.

Choose an option • Having listened attentively and having asked the most appropriate questions, you are now in a position not only to identify the customer’s needs but also to help the customer choose an option that will best suit him/her or to offer a suggestion that may best meet the need.

Your interpersonal skills are of the highest priority at this point and should include: • Using appropriate body language • Being able to summarise and paraphrase information • Questioning to clarify and confirm information • Seeking feedback from the customer • Providing an opportunity for the customer to confirm his/her request

Choose an option • Having listened attentively and having asked the most appropriate questions, you are now in a position not only to identify the customer’s needs but also to help the customer choose an option that will best suit him/her or to offer a suggestion that may best meet the need. •

Your interpersonal skills are of the highest priority at this point and should include: • Using appropriate body language • Being able to summarise and paraphrase information • Questioning to clarify and confirm information • Seeking feedback from the customer • Providing an opportunity for the customer to confirm his/her request

ASSESS CUSTOMER’S NEEDS FOR URGENCY You must be able to assess the urgency of the customer’s needs and deal with the situation and individual’s need accordingly. But how does one assess the urgency of a customer’s need? All customers who come to your desk will tell you that it is an emergency and they need to be dealt with immediately; you must also remember that you do have other tasks to perform. So, let us see how best you can deal with this situation.

Remember the customer’s need may relate to but are not limited to any of the following: • Advice or general information • Specific information • Further information • Making an appointment • Complaints

Let us look at some very useful hints in being able to assess the customer’s need and pace yourself: Time management Once a customer approaches the desk, immediately greet the person and find out what he/she desires. Once this is done you should now be able to assess the level of urgency that is required and the approach that you are now going to take.

If situations can be dealt with by you then do so quite efficiently and effectively; however, if someone else must deal with it then, you should seek such assistance. Remember, it is only polite and efficient to see that a customer reaches the right office and the right person he/she wishes to see. The most cordial greeting at the reception desk can be ruined if the customer then gets lost trying to find the right office or the right person.

Working with colleagues Once you are able to work together with your co-workers then a more harmonious and efficient office will exist, and customers will notice. When a customer is at your desk, it does not necessarily mean that you cannot assist another person or ask what their need is. This can be done very quickly and you direct the customer to the appropriate personnel.

Prioritising task This is also another way of assessing your customers that are before you. Remember, questions that you ask will help to assess whether the customer has a need that requires urgent attention or not. Always remember to keep a list of the tasks that must be performed for the day.

Prioritising task Even though you have a task list, situations will occur unexpectedly, and you will have to place your tasks in the order of importance. This will allow you to deal with customers in a more efficient and prioritised manner.

PROVIDE OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES Many customers sometimes may find it difficult to make a final decision or even to request clearly the service they require. Your job at this point is to summarise and paraphrase the customer’s information to have a full understanding of the customer’s message.

PROVIDE OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES • Your ultimate goal in satisfying an undecided customer is providing them with options and alternatives that will make them feel that they have been given the best service and professional advice.

Here are some valuable questions that you should ask yourself to make sure you are providing the customer with the best-suited option/alternative: • What does the customer require? • Do I understand what the customer is saying? • Is the customer expressing him/herself clearly? • What suggestion/advice can I give? • Is that the best alternative/option available? • Did I give sufficient information to the customer?

CHECKPOINT: Why is it important to suggest alternatives/options to customers?

ADDRESSING PERSONAL LIMITATIONS Sometimes you may find that you are not able to provide the information or assistance that is required of the customer. This should not be a situation where you become embarrassed or allow the situation to affect your work with your other customers. In such a situation the best option for you is to seek the assistance of your supervisor or another senior person who will be able to provide the service that is required.

Personal limitations may be but are not limited to: • Being new on the job • Not being familiar with the policies/procedures of the company • Not being familiar with the use of equipment • First work experience • Nervousness • Personality differences

Here are some questions that you should ask yourself to make sure that you are addressing any limitations that you may have: • Why am I nervous? • How is my attitude towards people? • Do I prefer to work alone? • Why do I lose my temper easily? • Am I keeping abreast of training, seminars/workshops, and readings? • Am I aware of the policies and procedures of the company?

Once you have identified a limitation never allow it to be a downfall. Your next step is to do a self-assessment and to find the best possible way of dealing with the situation. Always remember that your supervisor is there to help you and that he/she should be your friend.

ELEMENT 2: DELIVER QUALITY SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS

LEARNING OUTCOMES On completion, you should be able to: 1. Provide prompt customer service to meet identified needs 2. Establish appropriate rapport with customers to enable high quality service 3. Handle customers’ complaints sensitively and courteously 4. Identify opportunities to enhance service quality and products

PROVIDE PROMPT CUSTOMER SERVICE As soon as a customer enters your office you need to greet him/her promptly, courteously and by name if known. In a case where you are busy when he/she arrives you need to greet him/her pleasantly and offer him/her a seat until you are free to attend to him/her. Remember, you are the person responsible for receiving visitors and one of the most important public relations representatives of the organisation with whom a customer will come in contact.

ESTABLISH APPROPRIATE RAPPORT WITH CUSTOMERS Your relationship with the customer who visits the organisation will affect their opinions of the organisation. You will provide a window into the organisation. A friendly receptionist will know how to put a customer at ease without being flippant or over-bearing.

HANDLE CUSTOMER’S COMPLAINTS • Many times customers will enter your office with complaints that they feel should be dealt with immediately. Sometimes you will realise that these complaints are not as “serious” as they may seem at first.

Here are some tips in dealing with customer’s complaints: Here are some tips in dealing with customer’s complaints: • Document all complaints that come to you from the customer • Always listen attentively with interest and concern • Never show prejudice even if the complaint is not expressed clearly • Inform your supervisor about the situation

ENHANCE QUALITY OF SERVICE AND PRODUCTS If you intend to be successful you must be able to use the product and service information effectively. Information about the product and the services must be one of the tools you not only use to satisfy the customer but also helps to improve the quality of your service. Customers need answers with enough and the right kind of information to help them feel satisfied.

Total quality management This is defined as an organisation’s commitment to infuse quality into every activity through continuous improvement. This focuses on improving teamwork, increasing customer satisfaction and to some extent even lowering organisational cost. Many organisations have adopted this system whereby every effort is used to infuse quality into every activity that the organisation goes through.

ACTIVITY: • Do role play in which you have four different customers at your desk, each having a different need. Demonstrate how you would deal with each customer who all seem to desire urgent attention.

ACTIVITY You have a customer at your desk, who is having difficulty expressing him/herself. Demonstrate how you would deal with this customer and the options you would provide for him/her.

ACTIVITY • You are at your desk where you are meeting a client for the first time. Role play this situation and show how you would make a lasting first impression to the customer.

ACTIVITY Discuss with your peers “The importance of providing quality service to the customer”.

IT’S A MATTER OF CHARACTER

Why is Character Necessary for Career & business success? • Character strengths, often determine an individual's success in a career-- even more so than technical skills and/or academic qualifications. • “The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he would not be found out”

TEAM MEMBERS OF VISION MAKERS WORLD REACH Thank you for your attention!

DELIVER QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE