1.1 Presenting a quality image
Tutor guidance notes
Aims and objectives
At the end of these activity sheets learners should be able to:
•
identify good practice requirements when dealing with customers
•
state the requirements for taking responsibility for jobs in domestic
properties
•
detail the acceptable procedures for dealing with customer complaints.
The questions and activities are not intended as formal assessment. However,
the answers should be debated with all the learners in a group discussion to
ensure full comprehension of the subject.
Individual teachers will wish to use these questions and activities in different
ways: at the end of a session as a recap; individually during the session as a ‘tothe-point’ learning tool; or as homework. Customer care – T1.1 Basic principles
exercise <author to advise what is being referred to here – there doesn’t
appear to be an exercise by this name> could be used when the subject is
revisited at the beginning of a subsequent lesson to link prior learning. Whichever
method is chosen, it is strongly recommend that a completion date is set and
agreed.
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Candidate name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________
1.1 Presenting a quality image
Chapter 1: Customer care
Aims and objectives
At the end of these activity sheets you should be able to:
•
identify good practice requirements when dealing with customers
•
state the requirements for taking responsibility for jobs in domestic
properties
•
detail the acceptable procedures for dealing with customer complaints.
1
Name some poor practices that can give you, your company or the industry a
bad name or reputation.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2
If you are a good plumber it does not matter what you look like or how you
treat your customers. Is this true? Explain your answer.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3
Why is it important to present a good quality image?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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4
What good practices can you and your company undertake that will enhance
your reputation?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5
When would you use verbal communication with customers? What might you
discuss?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
6
When should communication be in writing?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
7
A customer is unhappy with your proposed position for installation of a
radiator and would like it moved onto a different wall. What actions and
communication methods may be required?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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8
While working you need to take responsibility for a job. What is meant by
this?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
9
What are the do’s and don’ts related to running a job?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
10 Can you list the five top reasons customers make complaints?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
11 Complete the following key issues about dealing with complaints:
a The company should have __________ in place for __________ with
complaints. Procedures will indicate __________ is going to __________
the complaint and __________ it is going to be dealt with – quite often it
will be a senior company official.
b The key to __________ with a __________ is to take __________
__________ of the nature of the complaint and make a __________ – this
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is important because, if the complaint ends in __________ __________,
then you’ve got records of your actions to back you up.
c An appointment should be made to see the __________ as soon as
possible. Deal with the __________ before it gets any worse.
d If it is your __________ or the __________ fault, then the fault must be
rectified as __________ as __________ and at __________ __________
to the customer – this is the law.
e If it is not your fault then an __________ is obviously required together
__________ a ___________ why it has occurred. A plan of action needs to
be put in place to __________ out how the problem is to be __________.
It is not good practice to leave the customer to __________ with
___________. Try to be of assistance – if this involves ____________
work, then it will obviously need to be arranged through your ________.
f __________ the problem as ________ as possible.
g __________-__________ after a few days, to see if everything has
__________ put right.
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Candidate name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________
Assignment 1.1: Presenting a quality image
Work in pairs to identify a method of dealing with the
following to ensure that the problem does not occur again.
Joe runs a small plumbing company. One evening he received a phone call from a
very good customer whose hot water cylinder had burst partly flooding the
property. He visited the site the same evening and isolated the hot supply but
had no time to do a site inspection. He advised the customer that a replacement
cylinder would cost in the region of £170.00 and also, given that the cylinder was
a special size, he would have to advise when a new one could be fitted as he was
unsure of availability.
The next day, a Friday, he contacted the customer to advise that he would be
there on Saturday as his friend who ran the local plumbers’ merchants had
managed to obtain a cylinder. The customer said that owing to the fact that no
hot water was available the family would be away for the weekend but a key
would be available next door.
Joe and his apprentice started the work on Saturday and within 2 hours found
the reason the leak had occurred. It was due to a pretty serious fault in the
system. Joe went to the next-door neighbour’s house but no contact details had
been left. Given that it was a very good customer Joe made a decision to get on
with the work, including the rectification work required. This involved working late
into Saturday evening and well into Sunday.
Joe called round on Monday morning to make sure that the customer was
satisfied with the job and to outline details of the additional work that had been
carried out – the customer was extremely grateful – that is, until Joe submitted
his invoice for the work a week later. The invoice amounted to some £600.00. Joe
was faced with a situation where payment was refused and the customer accused
him of ‘ripping people off’.
Joe produced a number of written communications to the customer to obtain
his money. Each time the customer became more aggressive. Finally he chose to
seek legal advice from his solicitor who advised him to drop the claim, as it was
unlikely to win in any legal action.
Now it’s over to you!
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1.2 Customer-service policies
Tutor guidance notes
Aims and objectives
At the end of these activity sheets learners should be able to:
•
outline the content of a basic formal customer-service policy
•
outline the content of a basic informal customer-service policy
•
identify how to put customer-service policies into practice.
The questions and activities are not intended as formal assessment. However,
the answers should be debated with all the learners in a group discussion to
ensure full comprehension of the subject.
Individual teachers will wish to use these questions and activities in different
ways: at the end of a session as a recap; individually during the session as a ‘tothe-point’ learning tool; or as homework. Assignment 1.2: Customer-service
policies could be used when the subject is revisited at the beginning of a
subsequent lesson to link prior learning. Whichever method is chosen, it is
strongly recommend that a completion date is set and agreed.
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Candidate name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________
1.2 Customer-service policies
Chapter 1: Customer care
Aims and objectives
At the end of these activity sheets you should be able to:
•
outline the content of a basic formal customer-service policy
•
outline the content of a basic informal customer-service policy
•
identify how to put customer-service policies into practice.
1
Customer care may be formal or informal. What do these terms mean in
relation to your company and the industry in general?
Formal: ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Informal: _______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2
Do you think there are benefits in detailing a company-service procedure in
writing? Why?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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3
A formal customer-service policy may cover:
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________________
4
Complete the following:
Customer-service policies
The __________ customer-service policy is a __________ statement of
standards that the __________ aims for when dealing with __________. It is
made by looking at the __________ carried out by the __________ and then
working out how __________ to carry out that work in relation to its
customers. A __________-__________ policy will tend to be a __________,
straightforward __________. It must be __________ effectively to all staff
as well as to __________.
Putting a customer-service policy into practice
Most companies with a __________ customer-care __________ will provide
a copy of it to __________ when doing a __________ or a __________
__________. The details of an __________ __________ will often be
__________ with the customer during the initial work survey – and are
__________ used as a sales approach for getting the __________!
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__________ staff in the company need to be __________ of what is
__________ by the __________ and how to __________ with __________
arising from it. Ongoing sessions are often given by __________ staff or
__________ on what the __________ of the policy are and how __________
can meet them. The __________ may also have __________ in place for
checking that staff __________ to the customer-care policy. This will
__________ include contacting __________ to see how they feel they have
been __________.
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Candidate name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________
Assignment 1.2: Customer-service policies
Working in pairs, you are required to produce a customer-service policy for a
plumbing business employing 15 staff. The business undertakes work for both
property developers and private domestic customers. Provide a detailed policy
covering no more than two sides of an A4 sheet of paper. Include:
•
an initial statement of the company’s commitment to how it deals with
customers
•
simple paragraphs in ‘plain English’ detailing the standards being set for each
aspect of the business and how those standards are going to be met – the
standards identified must be achievable.
Conclude the session with group feedback on your findings.
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