Chapter 10
Nonverbal Communication,
Dress, and Manners
Objectives
Understand the elements and
interpretations of body language
Recognize the importance of having a
dress code in the workplace
Cite examples of business etiquette and
manners
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Customer-Friendly
Body Language
Body language includes tone of voice, eye
movement, posture, hand gestures, facial
expressions, and more.
These nonverbal cues are more immediate,
instinctive, and uncontrolled than verbal
expressions.
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A Message Consists of:
55% of the message = Nonverbal signals
38% of the message = Tone of voice
7% of the message = The words we use
Therefore, 93% of every conversation is
interpreted through body language.
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Major Elements of
Body Language
Eye Contact – the eyes communicate more than any other
part of the human anatomy
Tone of Voice – this is especially important on the phone
when visual cues are missing
Smiling – this shows customers that you enjoy helping
them
Posture – an alert posture tells the customer that you are
interesting in helping
Gestures – using gestures contributes to how your total
message is interpreted
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Body Language Cues
Openness and warmth
Open-lipped smiling, open hands with palms visible
Confidence
Leaning forward, keeping the chin up
Nervousness
Smoking, whistling, fidgeting, wringing hands
Untrustworthiness or defensiveness
Frowning, squinting, clenching hands
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Dressing to Make
a Good Impression
“There’s never a second chance to make a first
impression…
OR
“First impressions are lasting ones…”
Presenting an effective image in business shows
competency, self-confidence, and professionalism.
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Dress Code Elements
Consider the following areas surrounding
your overall appearance as you use
common sense and exercise good judgment
when following a company’s dress code:
hair, nails, makeup, dress, footwear, jewelry
and accessories, perfume and cologne
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The Business Attire Issue
Businesses consider the following when
deciding to develop an appropriate dress
code for employees:
The business’s public image
The nature of the work performed by the
employees affected by the dress code
Safety standards
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Personal Dress Standards
Your industry, age, geographical location,
position in the corporate hierarchy, and
personality will contribute to determining what is
appropriate dress for each employee.
Regardless of how informal the outfit, clothes
should always be clean and pressed, stain- and
odor-free, and not ripped, torn, or frayed.
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Business Etiquette
and Manners
Business etiquette dictates the rules of
acceptable behavior that identify the
application of correct or polite manners in
a general business situation.
Soft skills, like punctuality, positive
attitude, and cooperation are more
important than knowing how to perform a
job.
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Chapter 11
Effective Telephone
Communication
Objectives
Detail the essential customer service skills
needed when communicating over the phone
Understand the purpose of voicemail and how
to leave a customer-friendly message
Learn how to evaluate the quality and delivery
of your voice, especially when speaking on the
phone
Distinguish between outbound and inbound
telemarketing
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Answering the Telephone
Telephone greetings help form first
impressions with customers
Key elements of a telephone greeting
The department or company name, your
name, and an offer of assistance
Example: “Customer service, this is Melissa.
How may I help you?”
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Answering the Telephone
The Basic Process
Stay close to the phone
Be friendly and pleasant
Do not use technical language or abbreviations
Always remain courteous, even if the caller is
not
Have paper and pencil handy to take notes
Bring closure to the call
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Transferring Calls
Strategies to use
State what you can do, not what you cannot do
Avoid using the word “transfer”
Pass along customer information
Stay on the line
Don’t guess who to transfer a call to
Do transfer the customer, if that is his or her
preference
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Reminders When
Placing Callers on Hold
Tell the caller why you would like to put him or
her on hold, and ask for permission to do so
Keep callers on hold no longer than 45 seconds
Thank the customer for holding
Offer to call the customer back instead of putting
him or her on hold
Check back frequently
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Handling Irate Callers
Surveys show that almost 75% of people
who complain will do business with the
same company in the future if the problem
is resolved quickly and to the customer’s
satisfaction.
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Voicemail–Outgoing Greeting
and Leaving a Message
Recording an
outgoing greeting
State your name
and title and give
reasons you cannot
answer the phone
at this time
Request key
information from
the caller
Remember to
return calls
promptly
Chapter 11
Leaving a voicemail message
State your name, date/time,
company name and why you
are calling
Say what you would like the
recipient to do
Give reasons for the request
Say, “Thank you.”
Finish with providing your
phone number clearly stated
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Voice Qualities
While Speaking on the Phone
General guidelines for using your voice
Use a steady, moderate rate of speech
Never allow your voice to become overly loud
or shrill
Keep a smile in your voice
Increase the energy in your voice
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Delivery Techniques
While on the Phone
Customers are impressed when a CSR
demonstrates
Friendliness and interest in them
Proficiency in handling the caller’s request
without much delay
Intelligence about product and service
features, functions, and benefits to the
customer
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Understanding
Telemarketing Activities
Outbound telemarketing
A direct marketing technique used by many
organizations because of rising postage rates
and decreasing long-distance phone charges
Inbound telemarketing
Used by companies to take orders, generate
leads, and provide customer service
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Chapter 12
The Impact of Globalization on
Customer Service
Objectives
Understand the impact globalization has had on the
world economy and call center hiring trends
Discuss the reasons globalization of customer service
has shifted from an offshore to a homeshore
environment
Describe the extent to which online services are growing
and the challenges facing companies involved in
e-commerce on the Internet
List the multichannel communication methods used by
online shoppers
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Globalization and
Outsourcing of E-commerce
Globalization initiatives ensure that customers
around the world have appropriate and useful
experiences as they communicate, collaborate,
and transact online—regardless of location,
language, culture, or business practices.
Outsourcing is the purchase of labor from a
source outside the company rather than using the
company’s own staff.
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Homeshoring
A work-style trend that companies are
using is hiring U.S. home-based call agents
as an alternative to more expensive inhouse operators or less-qualified offshore
call centers.
According to data from IDC, home-based
phone representatives in the U.S. will grow
to 300,000 by 2010.
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Providing Customer Service
on the Internet
Business advantages of e-commerce
The global market is open 24/7
Customers can conduct price comparisons easily
Feedback to queries regarding the status of orders can
be immediate
FAQ pages provide easy access to self-help customer
support
Companies can gather customer information, analyze
it, and react on the basis of current data
Distribution costs for information are reduced or
eliminated
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Online Shopping Preferences
Effective search tools, express ordering, and
highlighted specials
Assurance of on-time order fulfillment
Order status information or the ability to
securely track their own orders
The ability to exchange items purchased online at
any of the chain’s physical stores
The ability to buy merchandise 24/7
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Relationships with
Online Customers
Five rules to follow when building strong
relationships with online customers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Chapter 12
Excel at each stage of the customer buying cycle
Empower customers to help themselves
Help customers succeed by empowering them to be in
control of the buying situation
Protect the privacy of consumers
Offer several types of free technical support
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Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)
CRM is a business strategy that integrates the
functions of sales, marketing and customer
service using technology and wide-ranging
databases of information.
Elements of CRM
Knowledge management
Database consolidation
Integration of channels and systems
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Recognizing Online Customer
Service Issues
In response to growing customer complaints,
many e-commerce companies are trying to make
technological “fixes” to the customer service
problems by investing in software and
technology-based systems.
Specifically, they are
Evolving into multichannel customer interaction
centers
Hiring and training e-reps or an online CSR
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Multichannel
Communication Centers
A traditional call center mainly uses the
telephone to contact customers dealing with
routine concerns.
However, the evolving customer contact center is a
technology driven area where customers want to
talk to a CSR only if they cannot successfully
address their situations electronically themselves.
Many e-customers are seeking to avoid human contact.
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Hiring and Training
an Online CSR
Online CSRs are referred to as e-reps.
They interact with customers by using e-mail
and chats that require good oral
communication and accurate and fast
keyboarding skills.
Multi-tasking, a component of work efficiency,
is a critical skill for e-reps.
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Chapter 13
Customer Service Technologies
Objectives
Describe the use of web-based technologies in customer
service departments.
Discuss some design principles that are important to
remember when developing a website.
Understand the advantages and disadvantages of
exchanging email messages with customers.
Describe the application of instant messaging, chat
rooms, and web logs (blogs) when serving customers
online.
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Identifying Customer Service
Web-Based Technologies
Email allows a customer to send a message
quickly and effortlessly.
Instant messaging and chat rooms allow a
customer to engage in one-on-one, real-time text
dialogs with CSRs.
FAQs permit customers to quickly view the most
common product and service issues through a list
of frequently asked questions.
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Identifying Customer Service
Web-Based Technologies
Knowledge bases offer current and detail
information about products and services.
Online forums allow users to share
information and post responses to each.
Voice call-back permits customers to click a
button on the customer service site to
receive a return call from an e-rep.
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Website Issues and
Design Considerations
Business-to-consumer e-commerce (B2C)
Consists of the sale of goods and services from
a business entity to a consumer or the general
public through its website, or electronic
storefront
The B2C model eliminates the middleman
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Effective E-Commerce
Websites
Factors that lead to
E-loyalty
Low prices
Wide selection of
products
Website appearance
and ease of navigation
Accessibility of up-todate information
Chapter 13
Ease of ordering
Posted privacy policies
Security safeguards
Shipping choices
On-time delivery
High-quality customer
support
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Considerations When Designing
a Service-Friendly Website
What is the purpose of the website?
What graphics are needed to capture and
maintain customer interest?
How easy is it to navigate and perform search
functions?
Will customers feel secure with the buying
experience?
Is the website fun, current, interactive, and
interesting?
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Emailing Customers
Advantages
Disadvantages
Eliminates telephone
tag
Saves time
Speeds up the process
of making decisions
Is inexpensive
Chapter 13
Is not confidential
Does not communicate
the sender’s emotions
well
May be ignored or
delayed by
respondents
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Other Customer
Messaging Systems
Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange
systems (IP-PBX)
Call center equipment that routes inquiries
automatically
Instant Messages
A real-time Internet communication service that
notifies you when one or more people are online and
allows you to exchange messages or files in a real-time
typed conversation.
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Other Customer
Messaging Systems
Chats
The purpose is for agents or specialists to
approach customers while they are online and
offer assistance
Fax Documents
A device that transmits and receives
documents over telephone lines
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Other Customer
Messaging Systems
Blogs
A website where entries are made in journal style and
displayed in reverse chronological order.
Also referred to as web logs, they contain text, images,
and links to other blogs or web pages and are part of a
wider network of information.
There are almost 9 million active blogs, with 40,000
new ones popping up each day.
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Chapter 14
Managing, Training, and
Rewarding Great Customer Service
Objectives
Explain the role of management in setting
standards for customer service
Describe the working environment and duties
for most customer service representatives
Identify reasons companies should train,
empower, and reward service professionals
Discuss the qualities that a good customer
service manager should possess
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Setting Standards in
Customer Service
Standards are a baseline description of service
performance guidelines that tell workers what is
expected of them, both in the quality and in the
quantity of their work.
Mission statements
Articulate what the customer service department is
expected to contribute
Provide guidelines for the behavior of various
departments involved in customer service situations
Provide a sense of identity, continuity, and pride in
CSRs
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Standards for
Customer Service
Customer service standards reflect an
understanding of what customers need, want,
and are willing to pay for
Performance measurements measure
Operations management
Service level
CSR quality and productivity
Employee satisfaction
Customer satisfaction
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Examples of Measurable
Customer Service Standards
98% of online customer inquiries will be
answered live within five minutes of their
receipt.
Credits on product returns will be posted to
customer accounts within two working days.
Complaints involving $500 or less will be
resolved within three working days.
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Understanding the Evolving
CSR Position
CSRs perform a variety of duties that
require them to communicate effectively
and to work under limited supervision.
Work inside offices between 35 and 40
hours/week
Use telephone, calculator and computer to
produce documents and product information
for customers
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Understanding the Evolving
CSR Position
Promotion opportunities for CSRs tend to
be limited
Certification
Available through the International Customer
Service Association (ICSA)
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Retaining CSRs and
Other Loyalty Issues
Retain CSRs by training, empowering, and
rewarding them
CSR Training
Methods used include coaching and role playing
Empowering CSRs
Involves giving CSRs authority to handle customer
complaints on the spot and to use that authority to win
customer satisfaction without fear of repercussion
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Retaining CSRs and
Other Loyalty Issues
Rewarding CSRs
With service performers going unrecognized
compared to salespersons, it is unwise for companies
to send the message that service is less important than
sales.
A small recognition event means a lot.
Motivators that retain loyal employees
Provide meaningful work
Provide good bosses
Provide a feeling of being part of a team
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Managing a Customer
Service Department
Managers motivate CSRs when they
Generate a spirit of service
Build trust
Develop people
Lead through example
Stay focused
Managers can monitor CSRs when they
Review email for consistency and core values
Monitor customer service calls
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Resolving Conflicts
To disagree diplomatically, follow these rules
1. Reflect your understanding of the other’s
position or opinion.
2. Let the other person know you value him
or her as a person, even though your
opinions are different.
3. State your position or opinion.
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