Transcript Element 2 – Working with customers

Communicate with customers
What is the aim of any business?
• To make money!
Customer service
• All organisations need customers in
order to survive
• I see you as the college ‘customers’
• No organisation wants its customers to
be dissatisfied or unhappy.
• Working efficiently with customers will
help your organisation to retain its
current customers and attract new
ones, hopefully!
Presenting a positive image
• Customer loyalty is cherished by all
businesses – it’s expensive to
advertise and to attract customers
and to gain their trust
• How many of you have had terrible
customer service experiences over
the phone or face-to-face?
Your possible range of customers
• External
• private individuals or businesses which
buy goods and services from the
organisation
• You might be involved with responding
to customer queries, dealing with
customers on the phone and greeting
visitors
• The way YOU deal with your external
customers whoever they are WILL
affect your organisation positively
OR negatively this depends on YOU!
Internal
• These are your colleagues who need
you to do something for them
• You have a responsibility to give all
your customers equal importance
• You may think it’s obvious to give good
customer service to an external
customer but if you let your internal
customer down this may also affect an
external customer
The importance of your impact
on other people
• First impressions
• appearance
• attitude
• This influences your opinion as to
what type of person they are. In
business, it also influences your
opinion of the company as well
Personal presentation
• How would your future employer
expect you to present yourself?
• ie: They would expect you to be
clean and tidy at all times. This
includes your hair, fingernails and
shoes – as well as your clothes.
Some answers
• They will expect you to wear suitable
work clothes. This normally
excludes jeans, trainers, Doc
Martens, crop tops and shorts
• Restrained jewellery
• Restrained make-up (females?)
• Appropriate hair style
• Nice breath! Watch out for eating
lots of garlic the night before work!
Manner and attitude
• Everyone’s manner and attitude is
influenced by the way they think.
• depressed = negativity
• fed up = boredom
• Customer service professionals
argue that the best attribute is to
have a positive attitude.
A positive attitude
• People prefer being with others who
radiate positive vibes
• Positive people always think ‘yes’
• If you are positive about your work and
your customers then you are also giving
a positive and up-beat image of the
organisation.
• Positive people usually have high
personal standards and always want to
do their best.
What would you prefer?
• ‘Oh, I doubt if we can do much about
that’
• ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure we can sort this
out.’
Style of communication
• Positivity will be reflected in your
verbal and written communication
• you will talk enthusiastically
• and with a smile you will highlight the
benefits of something automatically
Body language
• Positive people sit, stand and walk tall
• They smile at people and have the
confidence to look at them when they are
talking
• Because they want to understand the
customer they often ‘reflect’ body
language – by shaking their head or
nodding to show they agree with the
customer
The importance of providing
effective customer service
• Effective customer service is
possible only if everyone in the
organisation cares about customers
and realises their importance.
• Sometimes called ‘customer-focused’
Customer-focused
• the customer always comes first
• customer needs are identified
quickly
• customer expectations are exceeded
• customers are consistently delighted
with the service they receive
The organisation benefits because…
• You help to increase customer satisfaction
and loyalty
• You help them to gain and retain customers
• Talking to customers gives you the
opportunity to promote your company and its
products or services
• You improve the image and reputation of the
business as word gets around
• You help the company to stay in business,
increase its profits (which may finance a pay
rise!) and even expand
The benefits to you include…
• Greater enjoyment because you
know you are doing a good job
• A reduction in the number of
problems and complaints you have
to deal with
• Greater job security – companies
with many satisfied customers are
unlikely to go out of business
• Better promotion prospects
Facts and figures….
• customers in the UK spend a total of 92
days out of the past four years waiting in
over 2,000 queues.
• They also spend approximately 40 hours a
year ‘holding’ on the telephone!
• ‘Queue rage’ is becoming more common
• Researchers also predict our patience
levels are constantly reducing because we
are less used to waiting than previous
generations. Today we expect fast food,
fast IT connections and fast service