2.02 – FOSTER
positive
relationships
with customers
to enhance
company
image.
Marketing 6621
Identify beliefs held by employees who have
a customer-service mindset
 Fostering
positive customer interactions vs.
negative
 View negative customer interactions as a
way to identify customer’s needs
 View your work through the eyes of the
customer
 Define your functions with the customer in
mind
Importance of exhibiting a customer-service
mindset
 Customer
satisfaction = Profit
 Goodwill/positive feelings develop
 Gathers information about customer
buying decisions
 Avoids loss of sales
 Avoids markdowns and sales returns
 Avoids delays in sales
Occasions for exhibiting customerservice mindset
When a customer is upset and angry, the
employee should act quickly to correct
the mistake.
Employee should demonstrate a focus of
attention on the customer when there is a
problem.
Guidelines for exhibiting customerservice mindset
 Measure
regularly through customer
feedback
 Measure internally for employee
satisfaction
 Customer satisfaction = employee
bonuses (incentives)
 Link customer satisfaction to other
business goals
Demonstrate a customer-service
mindset
 Employee
shows clear, relentless,
unwavering focus on the customers.
 Internal customer (co-workers) satisfaction
is important
Activity 1
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
Divide Paper into a Clock- 12, 3, 6, & 9
Make appointments for each time.
Write: Select an employee whom you can
observe to identify that person’s efforts in
exhibiting a customer-service mindset.
Record your observations
Share them with 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock
appointments.
6 o’clock - Suggest/talk about how your
experience could improve. What could
they have done differently.
With your 9 o’clock create a list of the five
most unique ways that employees
exhibited a customer-service mindset.
Activity 2
 Read
Article: “Creating the Service
Mindset: Where does it Start?”
Service orientation
 Listening
to and understanding the
customer. Customer satisfaction is high
priority.
The Relationship between communication
and service




Clear communications from sales personnel will
ensure customer buys the product that best suits
his needs.
If there is a problem, then clear communication is
imperative so that the employee can act precisely
and quickly to clear up the problem for the
customer.
Clear communication is again necessary in record
keeping so that the data can be used to influence
future business decisions
Clear communications to receive feedback from
customers and employees on satisfaction levels
Different Ways employees demonstrate
service orientation.






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Greets the person promptly
and courteously.
Pays attention to the person.
Asks questions to determine the
person's needs.
Listens carefully and
empathizes with the person's
concerns.
Offers relevant information.
Summarizes to check for
understanding.
Acts or agrees on a clear
course of action.







Tries to do better than
expected.
Asks questions to check for
satisfaction.
Follows through.
Thanks the individual.
Takes surveys to determine
people's needs.
Is courteous to citizens, clients,
patients, etc.
Does not "pass the buck.” (Play
the “blame” game)
Procedures for reinforcing a service orientation
through communication
 Use
customer surveys to pinpoint areas for
improvement
 Use employee surveys to pinpoint areas
for improvement
 Develop a follow up procedure to
determine levels of customer satisfaction
after the sale
Activity
Select a job in marketing, and write
five ways or statements that an
employee in that role could reinforce
a service orientation through
communication.
What is the purpose of Adapting
communication to a client’s cultural or social
community?
To avoid offending clients with your lack
of sensitivity to their needs.
2. To better assist clients to make the right
purchase for their needs.
1.
What is the importance of context in
communication?
 Context
is the surrounding story or thought
process of a communicated idea. It is
what helps get the point across.

The wrong context can completely skew
the meaning.
Reasons for adapting communication
to the cultural or social differences
among clients.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Our market is very global and therefore impacts
many different cultures socially and
geographically.
The success of all companies depends on their
abilities to understand cultural differences and
work with them to keep all customers happy and
well-informed to make the best buying decisions.
It is impossible to achieve customer satisfaction
without clearly communicating product features
and benefits.
Clients could be offended by your lack of
understanding of their culture’s typical use of a
product.
Skills associated with adapting
communication.
 Empathy
 Being
– Risk taking – Problem solving
patient, flexible, and empathetic are
key personality traits when dealing with
communication barriers.
Different ways to adapt
communication to the cultural or social
environment of clients.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Language
Material culture (understand the way a
country makes products and you will
understand how they value the products)
Aesthetics (what a culture considers
valuable or beautiful)
Social organization (what is acceptable in a
culture)
Religious beliefs, attitudes, values, space
and time
Activity – 1
2.02 Indicator Activity Scenarios

Partner with a classmate.

You will draw a scenario/situation and country.

You must develop a 3 – 5 minute presentation (EX: Powerpoint, skit,
“how to” talk, life coach presentation for a client, “do’s and don’ts
brochure) to show how you would adapt your communication style
to the cultural/social differences among clients.

You will use www.cyborlink.com to identify cultural information, social
differences, behavior expectations, and communication
requirements.

Explain your situation to the class.

Present the information to the class and allow them to record how
you adapted communication to the situation.

Ask classmates to explain what they observed about the country’s
cultural information, social differences, behavior expectations, and
communication requirements and how they could improve the
communication.
Activity – 2
 With
a partner, develop a skit showing how
you would adapt your communication to
the cultural/social differences among
clients.
 Explain the situation to the class.
 Present the skit to classmates, while they
identify and record how you adapted
communication to the situation.
 At the end of the skit, ask classmates to
explain what they observed and how they
could improve communication.
Explain the nature of customer
inquiries.
 Inquiries
 Ex:
can be sincere or hidden
Sometimes “price” is the hidden problem
and the customer will complain about color
Identify the types of customer
inquiries
1.
Merchandise

2.
Store personnel

3.
Defective, wrong size or color, damaged,
improper labeling, not meeting customer needs,
customer purchased the wrong product
High pressure sales, rudeness, providing
insufficient product information, being
inaccurate
Business

Unhappy with the number and types of services
offered, unhappy with business policies)
Know your Company!
 You
must understand how to apply
company policies to each situation in
order to remain fair.
 You must know the company capabilities
in order to handle the customer inquiry
rapidly and satisfactorily
 Ex:
Policies, History, Capabilities, etc.
Why product knowledge?
 Product
knowledge is a necessity in order
to respond to the customer situation in the
best manner.
 Product knowledge is needed to
understand the customer’s problem with
a product
 Understanding of the product makes it
easier to understand the company policy
in respect to the product
How to handle customer
inquiries:

Listen to determine reason for complaint
(shows a concerned attitude)

Restate the complaint
(show your understanding of the problem)

Investigate the problem
(determine how to handle)

Explain the store policy
(desire to maintain fairness by following store
policy)

Take action
(quick action makes the customer feel
important)
Demonstrate use of proper procedure
for solving a customer inquiry in a
marketing situation.
Activity
 With
a partner, create a skit that
demonstrates the proper guidelines for
handling customer inquiries.
 Examples
of possible inquiries: Merchandise,
Store personnel, or business.
 Using
a performance checklist, evaluate
the students’ demonstration.
 Discuss your ratings with the class.
Term business policy:
 General
rule that personnel should follow
in order to avoid misunderstandings and
apply fair and consistent treatment to all
situations
Characteristics of effective
business policies
1.
2.
3.
4.
Goal should be customer satisfaction
Policy should be used consistently
Policy should be flexible
Policies should be well understood by
employees
Why do business’ have
policies?
 The
policies create a business image and
help you to consistently maintain that
image.
Types of policies that affect
customers:
 Purchase
policies
 Return and exchange policies
The employee’s role in
interpreting business policies.
 Employees
are the ones dealing with
customer inquiries and must learn how to
apply business policies to each situation.
 Clear policies must be communicated to
employees so they will understand how to
implement them.
Business policies should be
interpreted when…
 EVERY
situation is unique and different,
policies must sometimes be adjusted to fit
the occasion while maintaining their initial
integrity.
Guidelines for interpreting
business policies to customers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
State the policy and explain how it
applies to the situation.
Stress the desire to maintain fairness
through the use of the policy
Remain calm.
Answer any questions on store policy
Demonstrate procedures for
interpreting business policies to
customers.
Activity 1
 Randomly
put students into groups of 3
 “POLICIES
& Customer Service – CAN YOU
BLEND THE TWO?”
 Complete
groups.
 Draw
ALL situations within your
for which situation your group with
share their solutions to the class. Then
discuss improvements as a class for each
situation.
Activity 2
 Keep
a record of the policies that have to
be interpreted for customers at a schoolbased or work-based enterprise.
 Discuss
the findings with the class.