Customer Service Aims A1-A3

What is Customer Service Customer Service roles In order to offer excellent customer service, organisations need to understand what their customers expect from them. For example, many people need to catch a train to get to work. However, they expect a seat on the train, a clean environment and the train to be on time. Successful train companies know their customers well, are aware of their expectations and meet them.Customer service can be defined as the ways in which a business meets customers’ expectations and satisfies their needs.Customers’ expectations are met through the staff who deal directly with them. These include receptionists, shop assistants and delivery drivers. For example, if the ticket inspector on the train is impolite to a customer, this will have a negative impact on the travelling environment for the customer and therefore not meet their expectations. Staff roles that do not involve direct customer service can also greatly impact customers’ expectations. For example, if the train is dirty because the cleaners have not done their job properly, customers will not be happy and will use a different train company. What are your expectations and needs when you go to the sixth form canteen? Make lists of the expectations that are met and those that are not met when you visit the sixth form canteen at lunchtime Expectations Met Expectations Not Met Customer Service businesses Customer service can come in many different forms. In many organisations, customers’ expectations are met by a service deliverer, the person seen by the customer as providing customer service and representing the business, for example a sales assistant. This is face-to-face customer service. Other examples of face-to-face customer service include:• reception staff in hotels• waiting staff in restaurants• instructors in leisure centres• nurses in hospitals.Other businesses never come into face-to-face contact with their customers. This is remote customer service. For example, if you buy a product from an online retailer like Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk), you never come into contact with an employee. The customer service is delivered to you via e-mails and your online account. Remote customer service can also be delivered through call centres. In order for an organisation to deliver effective customer service to meet customers’ expectations, the individuals and departments within the company need to cooperate. This is known as customer service teamwork. For example, if a customer phones an organisation with a complaint about their mobile phone bill, the call centre staff need to communicate with the finance department and share information in order to solve the customer’s problem. Some organisations need to work with other businesses in order to meet their customers’ expectations.For example, a customer has a problem with a product bought on www. amazon.co.uk. However, the product was sold by a different company that sells through the Amazon website. When the customer makes a complaint, Amazon has to cooperate with the seller to rectify the problem. Key Terms Match Match the terms with the correct definitions by clicking and dragging from a term on the left to the correct definition on the right Customer service the ways in which a business meets customer expectations and satisfies their needs Customer service teamwork the network of staff in an organisation who deliver customer service, including individuals, departments and other businesses Face‐to‐face customer service when the service deliverer and customer interact in person Remote customer service when the service deliverer and the customer interact via telephone or the internet Service deliverer the person seen by the customer as providing customer service and representing the business How do each of the 7 job roles impact on customer service within a business? Job Role Customer Facing or Non-Direct? How does the job role impact on customer service in a business? Receptionist Contact centre worker Shop assistant Delivery driver Cleaners Gardeners Engineers Why is it just as important for non-customer facing to have customer service skills? Research the different ways that two different businesses handle customer complaints and problems. Do your own research online into how 2 different businesses deal with complaints from customers Describe the type of customer service that Joseph received Joseph ordered a birthday gift for his girlfriend online. The gift did not arrive in time for her birthday so Joseph contacted the company. The customer service representative apologised and explained and that his order had left the depot and was due to be delivered the next day. Joseph was angry. The company had originally said that the product would be delivered in five days. It was now the seventh day.