GLOBAL BRIDGE COLLEGE

GUNUNO CAMPUS

Clerical Works Support Level III

Unit title Develop Business Practice

Unit code- BUF BCS2120812

Unit of competencies

1. Establish contact with customers

2. Identify customer needs
3. Deliver service to customers
4. Process customer feedback

Introduction to Customer Service

“There is only one boss, and whether a person shines shoes for a living or
heads up the biggest corporation in the world, the boss remains the same.
It is the customer! The customer is the person who pays everyone’s salary
and who decides whether a business is going to succeed or fail. In fact,
the customer can fire everybody in the company from the chairman (CEO)
on down, and he can do it simply by spending his money somewhere else.

Literally everything we do, every concept perceived, every technology

developed and associate employed, is directed with this one objective
clearly in mind – attracting the customer.”

INFORMATION LO1

SHEET MODULE Establish Contact With

EIGHT Customers

Lo1- Establish Contact with Customers

The Three Key Elements

Expand Your Definition of Service How you define service shapes every
interaction you have with your customers. Limited definitions of service
based on an exchange of duties for goods or service misses the overall
point of customer service. “Service” should provide the customer with
more than a product or action taken on his/her behalf. It should provide
satisfaction. In principle, the customer should walk away pleased at the
result of the transaction – not just content but actually happy. A happy
customer will continue to be a buying customer and a returning customer.

Who are Your Customers?

Customers, buyers and clients want to pay a reasonable price for quality
service or products, and feel satisfied they have paid for a service/product
and received what they have paid for in return. They also want someone
to take care of them. They need someone to understand their needs and
help answer them. They need someone to hold their hands and walk them
through a process. Customer service starts with the ability to listen to the
customer and find out through polite questioning what he/she needs or
wants.

Customer service and contact with a client mean that the customer will be
heard and his/her problems will not go unanswered or ignored. It also
means getting to know your client, his/her likes-dislikes, ideas,
background, etc.

The other most important aspect to do is to listen to what the customer is

saying. If people do not understand what is motivating the customer, they
will not be successful in handling them. Do research on customers, their
habits, and what they want and expect.

Most customer service is defined by how a company or organization treats

“external customers,” but there is “internal customer service” as well.
While this manual mainly addresses “external customers,” expanding
your definition of customer service to include co- workers will lead toward
even greater success. Remember, the internal customer chain is just like
the external, we are all customers both inside and outside the company or
organization. As a Wall Street Journal article succinctly put it, “Poorly
Treated Employees Treat Customers Just as Poorly.”
Develop a Customer Friendly Approach One commonality among all
companies or organizations that provide good service is the development
of a system and attitude promoting customer friendly service. By
“customer friendly” we mean viewing the customer as the most important
part of your job. The cliché, “The customer is always right” is derived from
this customer friendly environment.

INFORMATION LO2 Develop Business

Practice
SHEET
MODULE Identify customer needs
EIGHT

LO2- Identify customer needs

Solving the Customer’s Problems When you listen to the customer’s

complaint you take responsibility to solve the problem.

 Listen without interruption and with full attention.

 Behave without aggression, and without arguing.
 Do not extend excuses for the problem, and thank the customer for
drawing their attention to it and helping solve it.
 Express sympathy and full understanding.
 Customer service problem solving involves:
 Ask necessary questions to get more complete information and
completed picture of a situation
 Find out exactly what the customer needs you to do for them
 Explain first what you can do, and then gently add what you cannot do
 Discuss in detail all opinions, and then decide what needs to be done
 Undertake immediately what was discussed
 Check the result to make sure the customer is completely satisfied

Follow -Up with the Customer

It pays to please we like companies that treat us well, and some people
will even pay more to obtain this.

Here are some recent statistics that prove the point:

 People spend up to 10 per cent more for the same product with
better service
 When people receive good service, on average, they tell 11 people
  When people receive poor service, on average, they tell up to 20
people
 There is an 80 per cent chance that customers will repurchase from
a company if their complaint is handled quickly and pleasantly
 If the service is really poor, 90 per cent of customers won’t come
back

It is extremely important to make sure that all customer service measures

that were discussed or promised are in fact taken. It is not enough for the
customer to experience a satisfactory telephone or face-to-face
interaction. If nothing comes of the contact they will be even more
frustrated and unhappy. Make sure you do whatever you have promised in
a timely manner.

Initiative is the difference between adequate customer service and

customer service that wins you a customer for life.

Everyday examples of exceptional customer service:

 Taxi driver who opens the door for you or waits at night for you to
safely get into your destination.
 Computer technician who does computer work and then calls back a
week later to make sure your IT is functioning well.
 Car salesperson that calls a month after you buy a car to make sure
it is running well.
 The petrol station attendant who washes your window or checks
your oil.
 The electric company who calls and checks to make sure your
service is working well and apologizes for any “brown outs” or
“black outs.”

None of these customer service people HAD to make this extra effort or go
to this trouble. These “goodwill initiatives” are beyond the call of duty and
make the customer beyond satisfied. They make the customer remember
the transaction or occasion.

Customer service traits to copy

 Be on time, open on time, deliver on time

 Follow through and deliver your promises
 Go the extra kilometer for customers
  Offer you customer options
 Express empathy to upset customers
 Treat customers as the MOST important part of your job
 Treat co-workers as if they are customers
 Give customers your name and contact details

Benefits of good customer service Beneficiary Benefit

Providers

Higher income (more sales, repeat business, referred business)

Recognition Personal satisfaction &fulfilment Less stress Higher self-
awareness and self-control Greater authenticity Happier life at work
Happier life outside work

Organizations

More repeat business more referred business Fewer returns Better

reputation Higher morale, happier employees Lower employee turnover
Fewer complaints Higher productivity Better work environment Higher
inventory turnover Higher profits

What do IFTA customers think at the moment? Here are some excerpts
from the insectnet.com website where many IFTA customers talk about
the customer service that they have received from you. Some are good
but many show that you could be doing better.

I know a while back there was some discussion about the Insect Farming
and Trading Agency in Papua New Guinea. I just completed a purchase
from them and overall I was very happy with the purchase. A few
specimens showed a bit more wear than I would have liked, and the
shipping from New Guinea can be a bit slow.

On the whole, however, the specimens were excellent, they all came with
good collection data, and the prices were very good. David Whitaker at
IFTA was especially helpful and rapid with his email communication.

I certainly plan on ordering from them again in the future and recommend
them highly and without reservation.
 INFORMATION LO3 Develop Business Practice

SHEET MODULE Deliver service to customers

EIGHT

Two critical qualities to the “Customer Friendly Approach”:

• Communications

• Relationships

The two main tasks of successful customer relations are to communicate

and develop relationships. They don’t take a huge effort, but don’t happen
instantaneously either. Positive dialogue/communication with your
customers and developing ongoing relationships wit h your customers are
perhaps the two most important qualities to strive for in customer service.

What Customer Service Means As mentioned earlier, customer service

means providing a quality product or service that satisfies the
needs/wants of a customer and keeps them coming back. Good customer
service means much more – it means continued success, increased
profits, higher job satisfaction, improved company or organization morale,
better teamwork, and market expansion of services/products.

Think about it places where you enjoy doing business – stores, petrol
stations, suppliers, banks, etc. Why, aside from the actual product or
service they provide, do you like doing business with them? You probably
find them courteous, timely, friendly, flexible, interested, and a series of
other exemplary qualities. They not only satisfy your needs and help you
in your endeavors but make you feel positive and satisfied. You come to
rely on their level of service to meet your needs and wants.

On the other hand, let’s review a business you dislike patronizing maybe
even hate utilizing but in some cases do so out of necessity. Maybe it is
the Police when you need a new driver’s license or maybe it is the local
store that carries a product you need but who offers lousy

5
service when you purchase. In both of these cases we are willing to
hypothesize that the customer experience is marred by long lines, gruff
service, inefficient processing, impolite and unfriendly clerks or
salespeople, lack of flexibility, and no empathy for your customer plight.
In these cases you feel abused, unsatisfied, and taken advantage of – in
essence, your experience is wholly negative.

Unfortunately, in the cases we outlined above there is no competition for

the services/products offered or you would gladly not consider using
either the Ministry of Transport or the rude department store. This is the
advantage of a monopoly on a good or service because in a competitive
marketplace, the unsatisfied customer shops elsewhere.

Remember, good customer service results in consumer satisfaction and

return customers and growth in business. Poor customer service, except
for monopolistic strongholds, generally results in consumer dissatisfaction,
lack of returning customers and dwindling business.

Customer Service Qualities Customer Service = Accountability + Delivery

Professional Qualities in Customer Service Professionals who constantly

deal with customers (inside and outside the company) need to strive for
certain qualities to help them answer customer needs.

The professional qualities of customer service to be emphasized always

relate to what the customer wants. After years of polling and market
research, it turns out customers are constantly internalizing their
customer service experience. What this means is they are grading your
customer service during each transaction but you rarely know it. While
there are a multitude of customer needs, six basics needs stand out:

• Friendliness – the most basic and associated with courtesy and

politeness.

• Empathy – the customer needs to know that the service provider

appreciates their wants and circumstances.

• Fairness – the customer wants to feel they receive adequate attention

and reasonable answers.

• Control – the customer wants to feel his/her wants and input has
influence on the outcome.
• Information – customers want to know about products and services but
in a pertinent and time-sensitive manner.

It is also very important for customer service employees to have

information about their product or service. Service providers who answer,
“I don’t know” or “It is not my department” are automatically demeaned
and demoted in the mind of the customer. These employees can end up
feeling hostile as well as unequipped. Customers want information, and
they disrespect and distrust the person who is supposed to have
information but does not.

Good Information is Often Good Service Employees need to be

empowered to satisfy customers. Employees will give bad service to
customers if they themselves receive bad service and little feedback from
their managers and supervisors. Remember: external customer service
starts with internal customer service.

INFORMATION LO4 Develop Business Practice

SHEET MODULE Process customer feedback

EIGHT

LO4- Process customer feedback