Shingai's Sandpit

Section outline

• customer care
  

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  Positive customer interactions

  

  In this topic we will:

  Identify a range of communication skills that support positive customer service interactions in a retail environment.

  This topic relates to learning outcome 3 of this course.

  When you have gone through all of the material in this topic, and completed the tasks, go to the assessments tab and complete the relevant course assessment.

   

  •   Think about...

    The characteristics of your customers for example;  

    • • Younger generation up to 15 years old
      • 15-25 year olds
      • English as a second language
      • Mother with children
      • Elderly gentleman
      • A shy person

    Reflecting on these, how would you communicate differently to each of these groups?

  • Security Practices

    The personal security of staff, contractors and customers needs to be considered when putting in place security procedures in the workplace.

    In the case of a retail business other types of security issues include the physical security of the building, personal security of staff and access to the premises.

    In measuring the risk before designing security measures to put in place, the following factors need to be taken into account the:

    type of business. types of merchandise stored or sold. range of hours the premises are open to the public, and/or occupied. number of staff working in the premises and their hours of employment.

    location of the workplace. physical characteristics of the premises and its surroundings. incidence of crimes in the area.

  • Unhappy Customers

    

    Why could they be unhappy? 

    Poor service

    Damaged or faulty product

    Having a bad day

    Naturally not an outgoing happy personality

    Could be shy

    What emotions are they going through?

    Angry, Frustrated, Gesturing, Raised voice, Pointing, Leaning forward, Chin out. Passive aggressive, Aggressive, Swearing, Frowning, Blunt comments

    How do we best help to resolve the situation? 

    Accept and acknowledge their emotions WITHOUT INTERRUPTION – they HAVE to let off steam!

    Apologise for their inconvenience.

    Let them know you will be resolving their issues for them TODAY.

  • Topic forum: Unhappy Customers

    Recall a situation when you have witnessed a customer complaining.

    Complete a minimum of two questions below.

    • Where should you talk to the upset customer?
    • What should you do if you don’t have the authority to resolve the situation?
    • How would you turn the complaint into a compliment?

    Also complete the Using Professional Language table shown in the forum.

    Go to the topic forum and upload your response to these questions:
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    Unhappy Customers - Forum

    Start discussions: 1 Make forum posts: 1
  • Handling Conflict

  • Video

    Active Listening (2 mins)

    We have two ears and one mouth for a reason!  By demonstrating sound listening skills in a retail environment you will become more valued by the customers and your boss.  You will also learn more!  

    As you watch this video think about and record the 5 keys ideas. Remember to practice these in your workplace.

  • Barriers to communication

    Communication Problems

    When you ask a question do you always get the answer you were looking for?  Not always, in the “real” world things can go wrong.  

    Some of the most common communication breakdowns occur because of the following situations:

    Verbal communication breakdowns occur because of the following situations:

    Using the wrong words – for example, “it won’t cost you much at all”. Can be ambiguous. (“Not much” can mean different things to different people.)

    Communication chain too long – the more people a message is passed to the more things can go wrong.

    Priority clashes – for example, in a restaurant, a waitress may be given different instructions by three supervisors.

    Message overload – this can occur, when too many messages are given at once or too quickly.

    Using industry jargon – Each industry has its own jargon. A new staff member may experience difficulty and confusion when confronted with jargon they are unfamiliar with.

    Culturally based language – Guests and staff from many different backgrounds may have communication problems.

    Environmental and other factors

    Environmental factors such as lighting, temperature, the noise level all impact on the ability to listen and communicate effectively.

    The tone, level, speed and language a person uses.

    The length of time it takes to deliver the message.

    The use of unfamiliar words or jargon.

    The listener’s emotions; They may not listen to you if they are upset or distressed.

    How the listener perceives the sender; Do they like the person? Do they think the person knows what they are talking about? Do they think the person is too flash? The listener may feel that they already know the information or that the information is irrelevant to them.
  • Technology in the workplace - Best practice!

  • Telephone Etiquette

    Hold the mouthpiece about 3cm from your lips and speak directly into it. Remember, though, that you are speaking to a human being at the other end of the line, not to the mouthpiece. If you receive a large number of calls and make constant use of a computer terminal on your desk, consider asking for a telephone headset. Your hands will then be free to use the keyboard and mouse, and to take notes. Because the telephone picks up background noise, there is a good reason for maintaining quiet in the reception area. Never carry on a conversation with a staff member without putting any call you are engaged in on hold. Placing your hand over the mouthpiece will not block out any remarks to a third party. Do not eat, drink or shuffle papers while speaking on the telephone. It is distracting to the person you are talking to. Remember that you are in a business situation. Keep to the matter in hand and avoid time-wasting conversation. Your time on the telephone is a cost to the business so keep it business-like and brief. You should be guided by your employer as to whether personal calls are allowed during work time. If you are cut off, the expectation is that it is the responsibility of the person who phoned to call back and resume the conversation.

    Cell phones in the workplace

    Some businesses require you to have a cell phone on your person, normally provided by work with its own set of rules to enable you to complete you job effectively. When your role doesn’t involve this then your cell phone should be living in your bag/locker until your breaks. Some employers will take a very firm line with you if you break company policy with the business phones or with your personal cell phone.

    Emails and internet use

    This is a business tool to be respected and not abused. You should not be for checking any social media or looking at trading sites. It is a privilege to be able to have and make use of these tools and must never be abused. Your accessibility to these tools may be taken away, it would also be seen as misconduct in the workplace, as is with cell phones, and could result in a written warning on your record.
  • Video 

    Good and bad telephone etiquette - 6 mins

    The following videos show examples of good and bad techniques in answering the phone. To understand the key differences take note of these as this will be useful for your assessment.

  • Checkpoint

    Positive customer interactions - Quiz

    Let's check your understanding of customer service!  Open the tab below and complete the quiz.  Aim for 9/9!

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    Positive customer interactions - Quiz

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  • 

    Difficult Customers H5P
  • 

    Handling Conflict H5P