Unit standard: 18223 Level: 3 Credit: 4

Title: Provide customer service in the

tourism and travel industry

Customer Service
CUSTOMER SERVICE
18223
1 Assessment (project)
1 Role Play covering
elements 1-4
Principles for
delivering good
customer service

1. Appear friendly. Even if you are
having a bad day, no need to take it out
on your customer!
2. Go the extra
mile.
If you are helping a customer and
seem to run into a dead end, try
to go the extra mile. Call another
wholesaler for a service they are
seeking.
Carry their brochures out to their
car (or arrange for someone to do
this for them).
Have a magnifying glass ready
for small print

3. Pay attention to the
customer.

Make sure to give the customer your full
attention when you are assisting them.
4. Make eye contact.
When you are dealing with a
customer, be sure to make eye
contact with them.

5. Give notice to other
patrons that you will be
right with them.



6. Keep brochures
stocked up.
.

7. Be courteous.
Imagine every one of us
has an invisible sign
around our neck that
says Make me feel
important

8. Tell them what you can do.
7 ELEMENTS OF GOOD
CUSTOMER SERVICE

Clarity of speech
Appropriate language
Questioning skills
Listening skills
Positive body language
Meeting and exceeding
customer expectations
Product knowledge
Because we all expect good service!
A dissatisfied customer will tell 10 people
13% of that 10 will tell 20 people
Happy customers tell 3-5 people
Only 4% of customers
complain
This means we may not
hear from 96%
91% of those just go away
because they believe that
complaining will will no them
any good.


Complainer are more likely
to do business with you
again, assuming you acted
on their complaint..
Even without the
customers................. if bad service is
given this can relate back to the staff
in other ways
So what are the benefits of good
customer service?
More satisfied customers
So Why do Satisfied Customers Defect?.
REPEAT CUSTOMERS
Satisfied customers become
loyal repeat clients who feel you
are taking the extra service step
in order to exceed their
expectations.

New customers through word of
mouth advertising

Creating positive personal recommendations
will generate new visitor and business
growth which quickly translates into bottom
line profits.
Word of mouth is potentially the most
important business-builder in the tourist
industry

ATTITUDES
It costs five times as much to win a new customer
as it does to keep and existing one.

Good or bad attitude?
Personal factors that influence
customer service
Motivation: You need to
show that you are motivated
so that your clients recognise
that you really want to help
them
Motivation, in and of itself, is little
more than a feeling, an urge to
move ahead.
Interest
Showing interest allows the client to know that
you are going that extra mile.
That you are genuinely interested in them as
people and not just making your agency money
RESPONSIVENESS
continuous product and service improvement,
cost control and accountability,productivity and
responsiveness, and an emphasis on customer
satisfaction.

Customers know that it is getting hard to trust any
airline or travel agents to deliver long-term
customer service
Some of the customers past experiences would
have seen them treated with complete disregard -
like sheep.
And if they have done any waiting on the phone
in order to speak to you, then they will be doubly
annoyed at what they perceive to be a waste of
their time.

Wow is king!
Word bank
Having spent money to gain the
customer in the first place, it
makes sense to treat them well
in every respect so they come
back.
An example:
" Let's try book that new agency
in the bay!?"
"Mary said that she and Bill
booked a flight last week and
the service was great!"
All customers have a sphere of
influence. Friends, family &
neighbours.
Research shows us that
customers who have a good
experience dealing with a
company or a brand will tell
people within their circle of
friends (their sphere of
influence) that we are a
trustworthy company to deal
with.

Employee competence
the capacity of employees to
act in a wide variety of
situations
Internal structure
everything that does not
leave at night: models,
concepts, computer and
administrative systems, the
"culture" or "spirit" of the
organisation.
External structure
relationships with customers
and suppliers, networks,
brand names and reputation
or "image".

Wow word of mouth
Form of influence
To receive a brand recommendation from one friend to
another is a very powerful form of influence. The trust
from the friendship overlays onto the recommended
product and new product barriers are overcome.
WOM (Word of mouth) is the most valuable form of
advertising/marketing you can ever have.
However, there is a huge downside to this form of
advertising. Because, if they have a bad customer
experience with our company, they also tell other
people but this time they tell more.
FACT: People talk more about their negative
experiences than their good ones

REMEMBER.......
Rule of Thumb: Stats show that a happy
customer will tell 10 other people of their
satisfaction. An unhappy customer will tell 20.
Furthermore, it's nine times more expensive to
get a new customer than it is to sell to an existing
customer. And you know as well as I do that
customers vote with their feet!
THE GREETING

A standard
professional call
opening should
contain the
following elements:



The Welcome
This can be anything from good
morning / afternoon or
welcome.
Just using "Welcome to..."
means that you won't get the
time of day of wrong!!
It is also warmer as you are
welcoming the caller into the
company...

The name of your company /
division
This should be clear and
concise - NOT too long! For
example:
"Welcome to Polytechnic Travel
and sales, customer service
office..."
Informative, BUT just a little too
long... how about:
"Welcome to Polytech travel" -
short, sharp and concise

Your name
Your callers should know who
they are talking to,
this is just polite and
professional.

There are some basic
reasons why organisations
lose their customers; some
of them are obvious while
some of them may be less
obvious

YOUR TASK: What
do you think are the
percentages of each
reason why
organisations lose
customers?

1. Customer was turned
away by the indifferent
attitude of a company
employee
2. Customer was
dissatisfied with the
product
3. Customer was lured
away by competition
4. Customer was
influenced by a friend to
go
5. Customer moves
away
6. Death of the customer

68
14
9
5
3 1
Why customers leave
indifference
Dissatisfied with
product
Lured away
Influenced by friend
Moved away
Death
Meeting the customer's needs

For us to offer excellence in
customer service we first have
to understand what the
customers actually want or
expect from us.
How do we do that? By
Listening!
By learning how to listen
actively a lot of information
can be gained from the
customers.

CHINESE SYMBOL TO
LISTEN
DID YOU KNOW?

Experts say that about two-
thirds of everything you learn,
you learn through listening.
Yet, very few people are good
listeners.
"The average person
remembers only about 25
percent of what he or she
hears, and some people
remember as little as 10
percent. The problem is that
while hearing is incredibly
easy, listening takes a real
effort."

What affects listening?

What do you think of the subject matter?
Is it new or have you a lot of experience with it?
Will it be difficult to understand, or simple?
Is it important to you, or just fun?
Is the speaker experienced or nervous?
What are the non-verbal cues of the speaker?
What frame of mind is he or she?
How personable, threatening, intelligent, etc.?

Prepare with a positive, engaged
attitude

Focus your
attention on the
subject
Stop all non-
relevant activities
beforehand to
orient yourself
to the speaker or
the topic

Review mentally what you already
know about the subject
Organize in advance relevant material in order to
develop it further
(previous familes, TV programs, newspaper
articles, web sites, prior real life experience, etc.)

Avoid distractions

Seat yourself appropriately close to the speaker
Avoid distractions (a window, a talkative neighbour,
noise, etc.)

Acknowledge any emotional
state
Suspend emotions until later, or
Passively participate unless you can control your
emotions
Set aside your prejudices, your opinions
You are present to learn what the speaker has to
say,
not the other way around

Lets recap on actively listening:

Be other-directed; focus on the person
communicating
Follow and understand the speaker as if you were
walking in their shoes
Listen with your ears but also with your eyes and
other senses
Be aware: non-verbally acknowledge points in the
speech

Be involved:
Actively respond to questions and directions
Use your body position (e.g. lean forward) and
attention to encourage the speaker and signal your
interest

Follow up activities

One-to-one

In a group/audience


Give the speaker time and space
for rest after talkingExpress appreciation for the
sharing
to build trust and encourage dialogue
Check if you have understood
Restate
key points to affirm your understanding
& build dialogue
Summarize
key points to affirm your understanding
& build dialogue
Ask (non-threatening) questions
to build understanding
Continue dialogue:
Reflect on your experience
to demonstrate your interest (feedback)
Interpret
after you feel you have grasped content
Apply what you have learned
to a new situation


Give the speaker space to regroup,
to debrief after talkingDuring Q & A
If posing a question
Quickly express appreciation
Briefly summarize a preliminary point
Ask the relevant question
If making a point
Quickly express appreciation
Briefly restate the relevant idea
as presented
State your idea, interpretation, reflection
Invite a response
Continued development
Get contact information
for later reference
Invite friends/colleagues/etc.
for discussion afterward
Write out a summary with questions
for further review

So why should we do it?
What difference does it make to us if
we offer good service or not?
Job security
Better environment
Personal satisfaction
Increased business from customers
Recognition from management
Bonuses or incentives


What will the signs that will tell you
are on the track and offering the
service people want?
Compliments from customers
Happier customers
Reduced stress
Customers ask for you
Repeat business
New customers by referral

By offering the best possible service it means the
customers have an enjoyable and easy
experience which will probably make them want
to come back again, not to mention telling other
people.
Four Levels of Business

There are four stages we all go through as a
customer. Some of the stages we may not
reach depending on how we are treated by the
companies we are dealing with.

ADVOCATE
Advocate - An existing customer who openly
recommends
you as a business partner. The advocate
approach is the
basis for many loyalty programmes or 'friend get
friend' programmes.
We are generally advocates every day. We tell
people about a great movie we saw, a fantastic sale
that is on, a good book or restaurant. The power of
word of mouth is very successful because it is built on
trust. Research has shown for many years that we
are more likely to believe someone we know than
advertising.
How many of your customers are advocates or
raving fans
when someone asks them for a recommendation?

Communication is a basic life skill.

People are being constantly presented with
situations
where effective communication skills are needed.
Relationships, both personal or those with your
co-workers
will affect how each person chooses to behave
and communicate.

STYLES OF COMMUNICATION
Styles of communication are learned behaviours
that can be grouped into the categories of
assertiveness,
aggressiveness,
and passiveness.
Ideally, everyone should aim to communicate
in an assertive manner,
allowing thoughts and ideas to be conveyed in a
clear, thoughtful way.
We can only accept responsibility for our own
communication behaviours.
Change is NOT easy though and this unit
standard is aimed at giving you information to
help you become more assertive.


It's not what you say -
but the way that you say it!

Well how many times have you heard that said?
Right through your childhood if you were like
most kids.
Well guess what? Nothing has changed!
As a Customer Service Professional, you are
completely reliant on your voice.
You will learn in this module, it is thetone of your
voice that is your major communication tool.

Key point:
It is quite common to have two behavioural styles
depending on the circumstances we are in.
For example, we may act differently
when relaxed compared to being at work.
Customers also can be very different and can
communicate in different ways.
So, first of all we need to gain some sort of
understanding of the particular types of behaviours
and communication styles.
This knowledge will aid in understanding the
types of responses and skills that are required in
effectively dealing with them.


You need to be aware that your behavioural style
can affect how you communicate with the
customer.
Our behavioural styles are also likely to differ
depending on the circumstances we are in.
For example, we may act differently when relaxed
compared to being at work or in a social setting.

When dealing with customers we
need to be assertive.

As customers we are looking for assistance,
advice and guidance from the people we are
dealing with.
This must be communicated in a positive and
assertive manner so that customers build faith in
the people they are dealing with.


Different Communication
Requirements

Depending on whether we are face to face or on
the telephone with someone will determine how
our messages are being transferred.
Once we understand this we then know where to
put our focus and attention to ensure the
message gets across.

TELEPHONE SALES
Over the telephone we lose the aspect of 'seeing'
the other person, therefore what we have to rely
on is how they sound.
It is amazing how much information can be
picked up just from someone's tone of voice!
0
50
100
VOICEWORDS
Key Points:
Over the telephone, the majority of your
message will be communicated via your voice,
So you need to:
Listen actively
Ask Open and Closed Questions
Employ a sense of humour
Be aware of the tone you are using

Passive Behaviour
Styles

When people allow their ideas or rights to be
restricted by another individual or situation,
they are behaving passively.
Actions that indicate passive behaviour are:
Use excessive professional courtesy.
Use ambiguous statements and beat around
the bush.
Express concerns in the form of a question,
rather than making a statement.
Avoid conflict.
Refrain from challenging questionable
procedures used by another team member.
Are labelled as, along for the ride.

Word bank
Ambiguous:
vague, unclear
Passive Communication
Make long rambling statements (often
justifying themselves)
Avoid making I statements or qualify
them, e.g.
Its only my opinion but.

Use other qualifying words, e.g.
Maybe
Would you mind very much?
I wonder if
Just.
Sorry to bother you but.
If it's OK with you....

Passive communicators use filler
words, e.g.
UhYou know., Sort of, I mean
Put themselves down, e.g.
I seem to be hopeless at this
I cant
I keep trying but.


Use phrases that make it easier
for others to ignore their needs
or wants, e.g.
Its not important really
It doesnt matter
I only meant
Never mind.

Passive words include qualifiers
such as
"maybe
I guess
would you mind if
only
just
I can't
if that's what you want."

Problems with Passive
Behaviour:
These people tend to keep their feelings inside.
Their emotions, such as fear, anxiety, depression,
fatigue and nervousness may build to unsafe
levels and cause internal conflict which can
eventually lead to health problems
So what does this mean for the
customer?
From a customers point of view this behaviour
can be very frustrating.
A customer wants and needs to know the person
they are dealing with is in charge of the
situation and assisting them to the outcome they
require.
Indirect or Passive Aggressive
Behaviour:

The purpose of passive-aggressive behaviour is
to express anger without having to be
responsible for that anger, so anger can be
denied.
This type of communication is frustrating for
people who have to deal with it because the
person using it is not willing to actually deal with
whatever is bothering them, but would prefer to
play guerrilla-warfare by 'pecking at others' in
oblique ways.

Examples:
why would you think I would be angry at being taken
for a ride?"
"no, no, there's no problem" (when clearly there is)
These people use what is termed as "below the
radar "behaviour.

This means that they are manipulative in their
dealings and make others around them begin to
question their own abilities.
Passive-aggressive behaviour is the term used to
describe
behaviour that is passive in expression but is
aggressive or malicious in intent.

Word Bank
Malicious: nasty
Intent: aim

Actions that indicate passive
aggressive behaviour are:

Never dealing with issues head on
but always complaining about them
Having snipes at other people
behind their back when they are
supposed to be friends.
Denying issues if directly confronted
with them.
Blaming others around them for
their mistakes and believing it is
their fault
Passive Aggressive
Communication
Putting down people around
them
Avoids taking personal
responsibility for things and
blames others


Fails to come out and say /
ask what they want
Well I wouldn't have
I didn't say that...
I wonder if
Is it just me or.
If you are sure you don't
mind....

Use phrases that make it
easier for others to ignore
their needs or wants, e.g.
Its not important really
It doesnt matter
I only meant
Never mind.
These people will:
Try to undermine us and catch us out.
We need to be direct and honest with these
people

AGGESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
Problems With Aggressive Behaviour
Inappropriate anger,
rage or misplaced hostility
expresses aggressive responses.
this behaviour restricts communication within the
team.
trust is non existent as people around them feel
they will get the blame if something goes wrong.

These people need to be calmed
down.

In essence, you can overcome the difficulties by
empathising,
repeating the problem back to the person,
showing you understand how they feel - rather
than just telling them you do and try to agree on a
solution to the problem.

So what does this mean for the
customer?


Nobody likes to be talked down to, bullied or even
made to feel like they have been threatened.
This is no way to try and conduct business as it is
a sure fire way of pushing customers to the
competition.

Problems with Assertive
Behaviour

Assertive people feel empowered to speak up
and do it with respect.
The team leader, supervisor or manager must be
able to harness the energy of assertive team
members.
They may stand out from the others as being
thought of as out spoken or direct.

So what does this mean for the
customer?
The ability to be assertive means you sound
confident,
you take control of the situation
and you guide others to a solution or an outcome
that is suitable.

Customers will be more relaxed and happy
knowing they are dealing with a professional and
someone who will take care of their needs with
little effort on their part.
Did you know?

We can think four times faster than we can
talk?

This is the reason that 'listening' is a hard skill to
master

What customers want:

Clients want a chance to get their own ideas and opinions
across first.
Remember they call/come to see you because they have
something to ask or something to say.
A consultant who is a good listener lets them do it.
Wait until they finish talking before you speak. If you let
them do that upfront, the rest of the call will go easier.
Try and listen "between the lines" - in this case 'between
the words'.
Listen for sighs, exasperated intakes of breath.
A raised voice is a sign of someone who feels as if they
have been given the run around.
Concentrate on what is not being said as well as what is
being said and the way it is said.

3 Great Opening Steps
to Manage and Calm
an Upset Customer:
This model uses every requirement a customer
is looking for:
SORRY - acknowledgement / empathy ownership
GLAD - acceptance / willingness to help
SURE - action plan / solution

What they want
Upset customers may want a variety
of responses from you:
to be taken seriously
to be treated with respect
to get immediate action
to gain compensation/restitution
to have the party who wronged them reprimanded and/or
punished
to clear up the problem so it never happens again
to be listened to
Expressions of empathy such as, "I can see why that
would make you feel that way" are phrases to show that
we care.


How they might react!

How these customers react when they reach you
will depend on a number of things:
Are you the first person they have spoken to?
How serious is the issue?
How many times have they had to repeat their
story?
Is this the first time they have complained about
this issue?
How long have they been kept waiting?

Successful agents manage to find out what
customers want, expect and need.
They go out of their way to do this by

Dealing with Irate, Angry, Know-it-All
and Rude customers!

Here we look at 4 types of aggressive clients
and strategies to either end or take control of the
call/or the person in front of you!

Angry client-Dont react to
emotion, react to information

Be Calm
Example: control your breathing,
try standing up
Empathise
Example: I can see why that
would be frustrating; if that
happened to me I would be angry
too.
Get the customer details
Example: In order to help you,
may I ask you some questions?
Let them know you are listening
Example: uh huh mmm okay
right



Apologise
Example: I apologise for the
inconvenience this has caused
Paraphrase
Example: So if I understand May I
confirm

Propose action plan
Example: What I can do; What I can
suggest

Follow Through
Example:Do what you say you are
going to do!

The know it all client
Step One:
Acknowledge their
knowledge
Example: as you would be
aware, as you would
appreciate as you would
understand
Step Two:
Ask open/probing questions
Example: Tell me more
about
Step Three:
Be firm but polite
Example: In order to help
you, I need to
understand/know

Step Four:
Be honest
Example: Let me confirm this
for you, Let me check
Step Five:
Make sure you know your
products/services
Example:Find out where
information is stored/use
market research
Step Six:
Make sure you have the
delegated authority
Example: Check this out with
your manager

Dealing with the non-stop talking
customer

This customer telephones with a query and then
wants to talk about everything else.
You may have been the first person they have
spoken with all week.
They can frustrate you and they prevent other
clients from getting through

Dealing with the customer with
a language barrier

Until they become completely fluent in English,
people who speak English as a second language
normally go through the following process:
they hear what you say in English
they translate what youve said into their
language
they construct their answer in their first
language
they reply to you in English

Remember raising your
voice does not act as a
translator!!
Be patient with these
people
Handling Verbal Complaints
The steps are:


a) identify yourself, listen, record details and determine what the client
wants;
b) confirm the details received;

c) acknowledge the clients feelings and empathise with the client in a
courteous manner;

d) explain the courses of action available, i.e. that the complaint will be
sent to the appropriate person for immediate attention

e) do not attempt to lay blame or alternatively do not be too defensive at
this stage;

f) ensure that the client is informed that the complaint is receiving
attention and the likely response time for the client to receive an update
on the progress of the complaint;

g) set a timetable and take action to gain a resolution within the
timetable;

h) report the complaint to the appropriate business department

Acknowledge feelings
Acknowledge the person's feelings and apologize
for the inconvenience the customer has
encountered. Make an effort to be sincere.
In today's impersonal society, it's incredibly rare
to hear the words "I'm sorry that happened. Let
me get the ball rolling to fix it."
You'll probably spend about 80 percent of your
time massaging the caller's feelings and 20
percent actually solving the problem.

Sympathize and empathize with
the caller.
Phrases like, "I can understand why you're
upset," help soothe ruffled feathers.
Pretend it is you calling.
Then get busy solving the problem.

Accept 100 percent responsibility
for the call
.This is probably the toughest part.
Chances are you had nothing to do with the
problem.
However, it is your job to accept responsibility
and initiate work on a solution.

Prepare to help
Begin by reintroducing yourself callers don't
usually remember your name.
State that you will be able to help.
Use the caller's name, if possible, which helps
diffuse the anger.
A willing attitude is essential because if the caller
senses insincerity or indifference, he will stay
angry.
It's exasperating to file a complaint with someone
who obviously doesn't care.

THE COST OF POOR SERVICE
a. Annual revenue
$10,000.00
b. Total number of customers
2500.00
c. % of dissatisfied customers x
0.25
d. Number of dissatisfied customers =
625
e. % of dissatisfied likely to switch =
0.70
f. No. of customers who will switch =
437.5
g. Average revenue per customer
$4000
h. Revenue lost through poor service
$1,750.00

Lost Opportunity Revenue
i. Number of other people dissatisfied
customers tell (437.5 x 10)
4375
J. Number of potential customers
who buy elsewhere due to negative
word of mouth (assume one in 50 tell,
therefore 1 x.02)
87.5
k. Potential lost revenue (JXG)
$(350,000)
Customer replacement cost
l. Customer acquisition costs
(66% of A) $6,600,000
m. Average cost per customer $2640
n. Replacement cost of lost customers
$(13200)
Total Costs
o. Total annual cost (H+K+N) $(2,113,200)

o. Total cost over customer's lifetime of doing
business for 10 years (o x 10)
$(21,132,000)
As you can see from this frightening example, our
hypothetical company will lose more than
$2million a year due to poor customer service
and customer retention.