Certificate IV
in
Frontline Management
Learning and Assessment Material
BSBCMN 410 A
CO-ORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF
CUSTOMER SERVICE STRATEGIES
BSBCMN 410 A
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September 2004
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Contents
Customer Loyalty…………………………………………………………………………………3
Strategise And Plan For Loyalty!………………………………………………………………..3
Market To Your Own Customers!……………………………………………………………….4
Use Complaints To Build Business!…………………………………………………………….4
Reach Out To Your Customers!…………………………………………………………………4
Loyal Customers and Loyal Workforces………………………………………………………..5
Why is dis-un-empowerment important?……………………………………………………….7
What is Dis-Un-Empowerment and how do we improve it?………………………………….8
Level One - Systems and Procedures:…………………………………………………………9
Level Two - Customer Satisfaction:…………………………………………………………...10
Level Three - Exceptional Service Quality:…………………………………………………...10
So how do organisations dis-un-empower workers?………………………………………..12
Ideas for Customer Care……………………………………………………………………….13
One Last Story:………………………………………………………………………………….14
Understanding Hostile Customers…………………………………………………………….15
It Isn’t Personal………………………………………………………………………………….16
What Does The Angry Person Want?…………………………………………………………16
What To Do?……………………………………………………………………………………..16
Specifics:…………………………………………………………………………………………17
Conclusion:………………………………………………………………………………………17
TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES AND QUESTIONS………………………...18
ASSESSMENT TASK…………………………………………………………………………..19
ASSESSMENT MODE A……………………………………………………………………….20
ASSESSMENT MODE B - Skills observation checklist …………………………………….21
Participant survey of materials…………………………………………………………………23
 Hinson Institute of Training
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BSBCMN 410 A
CO-ORDINATE
IMPLEMENTATION OF
CUSTOMER SERVICE
STRATEGIES
Element of competency:
1. Advise on customer service needs
2. Support implementation of customer service strategies
3. Evaluate and report on customer service
CUSTOMER LOYALTY
"It takes a lot less money to increase your retention of current customers than
to find new ones-but I know I don't give it as much effort as I should because it
does take a lot of energy and effort!"
STRATEGISE AND PLAN FOR LOYALTY!
Do you even have a specific plan for building customer loyalty?
I bet you haven't given it as much thought as you should- because to tell the
truth I need to give it more effort also.
If you currently retain 70 percent of your customers and you start a program to
improve that to 80 percent, you'll add an additional 10 percent to your growth
rate.
Particularly because of the high cost of landing new customers versus the
high profitability of a loyal customer base, you might want to reflect upon your
current business strategy.
These four factors will greatly affect your ability to build a loyal
customer base:
1. Products that are highly differentiated from those of the competition.
2. Higher-end products where price is not the primary buying factor.
3. Products with a high service component.
4. Multiple products for the same customer.
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MARKET TO YOUR OWN CUSTOMERS!
Giving a lot of thought to your marketing programs aimed at current
customers is one aspect of building customer loyalty.
When you buy a new car, many dealers will within minutes try to sell you an
extended warranty, an alarm system, and maybe rust proofing. It's often a
very easy sale and costs the dealer almost nothing to make. Are there
additional products or services you can sell your customers?
Three years ago my house was painted, and it's now due for another coat.
Why hasn't the painter called or at least sent a card? It would be a lot less
expensive than getting new customers through his newspaper ad, and since I
was happy with his work I won't get four competing bids this time. Keep all the
information you can on your customers and don't hesitate to ask for the next
sale.
USE COMPLAINTS TO BUILD BUSINESS!
When customers aren't happy with your business they usually won't complain
to you - instead, they'll probably complain to just about everyone else they
know - and take their business to your competition next time. That's why an
increasing number of businesses are making follow-up calls or mailing
satisfaction questionnaires after the sale is made. They find that if they
promptly follow up and resolve a customer's complaint, the customer might be
even more likely to do business than the average customer who didn't have a
complaint.
In many business situations, the customer will have many more interactions
after the sale with technical, service, or customer support people than they did
with the sales people. So if you're serious about retaining customers or getting
referrals, these interactions are the ones that are really going to matter. They
really should be handled with the same attention and focus that sales calls get
because in a way they are sales calls for repeat business.
REACH OUT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS!
Contact . . . contact . . . contact with current customers is a good way to build
their loyalty. The more the customer sees someone from your firm, the more
likely you'll get the next order. Send Christmas cards, see them at trade
shows, and stop by to make sure everything's okay.
Send a simple newsletter to your customers-tell them about the great things
that are happening at your firm and include some useful information for them.
Send them copies of any media clippings about your firm. Invite them to free
seminars. The more they know about you, the more they see you as someone
out to help them, the more they know about your accomplishments-the more
loyal a customer they will be.
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LOYAL CUSTOMERS AND LOYAL WORKFORCES
Building customer loyalty will be a lot easier if you have a loyal workforce-not
at all a given these days. It is especially important for you to retain those
employees who interact with customers such as sales people, technical
support, and customer-service people. Many companies give a lot of attention
to retaining sales people but little to support people. I've been fortunate to
have the same great people in customer service for years-and the
compliments from customers make it clear that they really appreciate specific
people in our service function.
The increasing trend today is to send customer-service and technical-support
calls into queue for the next available person. This builds no personal loyalty
and probably less loyalty for the firm. Before you go this route, be sure this is
what your customers prefer. Otherwise I'd assign a specific support person to
every significant customer.
The guru of quality, W. Edwards Deming probably said it best:
"...It will not suffice to have customers that are merely satisfied. Satisfied
customers switch, for no good reason, just to try something else. Why not?
Profit and growth come from customers that can boast about your product or
service - the loyal customer. He requires no advertising or other persuasion,
and he brings a friend along with him."
Building loyal customers with service quality is a common competitive strategy
for business success today. Yet why is it we get service that is often less than
satisfactory? Why don't some people seem to care? What really builds
customer loyalty and maintains profitability? The answer is simple, obvious,
and manageable. Let's illustrate with a few simple stories:
Can I, Really?
At a major hotel chain, employees are wearing buttons that say, "Yes I can." I
ask the front-desk clerk if she could give me a button and she says, "No, I
can't." She said wearing the button was management's policy and the hotel
didn't have extras. Caught in a dilemma, she was not able to do what the
company or customer wanted her to do. And it is these types of dilemmas
that, over time, will drain her self-esteem.
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At McGuffey's Restaurants, employees and managers wore buttons saying,
"The Answer is yes." Ask anyone for a button, and they'll give you their very
last one, knowing this response is the expectation of top management. This
attitude infected the restaurant, with waitresses making a quick run to
McDonalds to buy a customer's kid a Big Mac, raising money for charities or
driving to the grocery store to buy anchovies for my Caesar salad.
The hotel chain talks about competing on service, even including questions
about their "Yes I Can Attitude" on its customer surveys. But people feel
frustrated by situations where they can't respond to customer requests quickly
and efficiently.
McGuffey's, on the other hand, uses the same concept to establish
extraordinary levels of teamwork and commitment to customers, helping them
build an outstanding reputation for service quality. McGuffey's people are
expected to take staff-taught programs in self-esteem and goal setting.
Fly Me Again, Please.
A flight attendant cordially bends the rules so a friend traveling to the same
conference can join me in First Class - after all, the cabin is only one-third full
and my upgrade certainly paid for a couple of drinks. She then surprises us by
offering my friend a drink and a dinner. She made two customers quite happy
by her behavior - another great service story in the making? Is this another
one that we'd both tell others in our training sessions?
Nope.
With a landing and crew change in Boston, a new attendant comes on board
and rudely confronts my friend in an accusing tone, saying, "You're not
supposed to be in that seat, are you?" End result? "We Love To Fly" didn't
show, I sit alone in an almost empty front cabin and the airline now has two
dissatisfied customers. So far, they have lost a few thousand dollars in sales
with my decision to fly their competition, losing many times more than the cost
of a couple of drinks and a smile. And we have this story to tell other people.
Most of us have similar stories of people doing not what's right, but doing only
what the systems and procedures require. Unempowered employees tend to
drive customers away or miss chances to build customer loyalty.
Top performers, the ones who build positive long-term relationships with
customers, will often bend rules and make decisions for the long-term good of
the customer relationship when necessary. They tend to retain customers and
build loyalty.
The answer to service quality improvement is simple and straightforward - It's
people; people dis-un-empowered to make decisions to the benefit of the
customer and the company. And dis-un-empowered people will generally
make the right decisions!
Dis-un-empowered people do what's right for the business, rather than doing
only what the systems and procedures require.
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WHY IS DIS-UN-EMPOWERMENT IMPORTANT?
The well-known Rockefeller University data (1988) indicate that almost 70% of
customers leave because of perceived rude or indifferent behavior by an
employee, compared to about 20% combined for price and product quality.
And an article about Fidelity Investments' recent customer research, reported
in the Wall Street Journal (11/27/90), indicates that customers value polite
treatment well ahead of investment performance and accuracy of statements
for their retention. "At the very top of their list were things like 'People taking
responsibility for me' and 'People listening to me.'"
I didn't complain to the airline - after all, what was there to complain about?
But I did write a positive letter about the first attendant and her overall
performance. I also took my business elsewhere, something most customers
do. We don't complain, we just go away.
Most customers don't complain; 50 percent just go away.
John Halbert, a service quality consultant, talks about the little "pinches" that
all of us receive in dealing with organisations. Over time, these little pinches
become increasingly annoying and increase the likelihood that the pin will hit
the balloon and we will shift to a competitor. The oft-cited TARP research on
complaint behavior suggests only 5% of customers with problems will
complain to management and that 50% simply go away.
But TARP research also indicates that customers do tend to complain to frontline people about 45% of the time for service-related issues. The right
responses at the right time will retain or even build customer loyalty. Thus,
complaints to action-oriented people will positively impact customer retention
through their responsive behaviour.
Why aren't people more responsive? Frank Layton, former basketball coach
of the Utah Jazz, once complained to a player not playing to his potential:
"Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?" To which the player
responded, "Coach, I don't know and I don't care."
Complaining to people who act like they know or don't care tends to insure
customer defections. The real cause in most organisations isn't ignorance -people know how to do the job. It is more likely apathy caused by ineffective
management of people or frustration caused by your policies, procedures, and
systems.
As we said before, the people who handle service opportunities the best are
those most focused on doing the right thing for customers and the business.
These people will make decisions, take appropriate risks and take action. And
these people are the ones that retain your customers as shown in Figure One.
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Fig. 1
WHAT IS DIS-UN-EMPOWERMENT AND HOW DO WE
IMPROVE IT?
Our notion of dis-unempowerment fits tightly with the concept of customer
retention. If organisations are truly focused on retention, this focus drives a
wide variety of desired behaviours and insures that systems and procedures
work well. Customer retention is also profitable; companies will boost profits
by about 100% by retaining just 5% more of their customers (Reichheld and
Sasser, 1990). Thus it makes sense that:
A primary goal of every organisation should be the
attraction and retention of customers and employees.
There are two issues to dis-un-empowerment, the organisational ones and the
personal ones.
The response of the service provider is based on the structure and systems of
the organisation. Service providers are the messengers and will tend to reflect
the alignment of vision and values in their organisation. Dis-un-empowerment
requires organisational alignment to allow people to make decisions based on
customer needs as they relate to organisational goals.
At the same time, many organisations with structural support are stymied by
an apparent unwillingness of many of their service providers to actually make
these decisions. We will address some of the factors that underlie this issue
as we conclude.
Our Service Maturity Model of service quality management is a basic
framework to relate service quality to training and competitive strategies.
There are three levels of service and strategic focus:
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LEVEL ONE - SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES:
Organisational systems and procedures must work effectively and efficiently
so that customer orders, questions, and problems can be quickly handled.
Sertec, an Atlanta-based complaint monitoring company, finds that resolving a
complaint within 24 hours results in 96% customer retention; for each day of
delay in responding, there is about a 10% additional loss. Response time is
critical to perceived service quality and the structure and systems of the
organisation must lend itself to rapid responses.
The Service Maturity Model suggests that systems and procedures must exist
to process and handle these transactions efficiently and effectively and that
initial training must focus on operating systems and following procedures. If
systems aren't effective or efficient, consider the costs and the corresponding
impacts on response time and employee morale. The costs of fixing systems
problems are generally far outweighed by a high return on your investment in
people.
Teamwork, as well as a linkage of interdepartmental objectives, is often
required since many transactions will cross-departmental boundaries. A call to
a salesperson about a billing discrepancy, for example, is best resolved
quickly on the initial call with the salesperson handling the situation
themselves. (If you can't trust your people to do this, get new people.) The
goal is to make all of your systems work efficiently and effectively from the
customer's perspective.
McGuffey's, for example, shares an elegant example of a system glitch
related to the condiment dishes called ramekins. Company President Keith
Dunn was working as an order expediter and had dinners ready to be served,
but no ramekins. Given their commitment to service quality, he asked himself
why a 25-cent item should be allowed to interfere with the entire dining
experience. His next step was to make a public commitment that his
restaurants will never, ever run short of ramekins. In fact, if you ask for one,
they will give you one free.
To effectively manage the "Process and Handle" Level of
Service Maturity:

Ask your customers about your systems for inquiry on order status,
order entry, billing, complaint handling, and follow-up. Do these
customers ever feel "processed and handled?"

Ask your customer contact people about your systems' effectiveness.

Develop high levels of communications between departments.

Co-develop
possible.

Train all employees on the proper systems and procedures.

Establish good internal measures of service quality at every level of the
organisation.
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LEVEL TWO - CUSTOMER SATISFACTION:
The next level of service is focused on meeting customer expectations with
training focused on technical and professional competencies. Customers like
to interact with people who do more than process and handle transactions.
They often require access to technical information and expect good
interpersonal and communication skills.
To accomplish these objectives, companies need to share missions, visions
and goals. They need to monitor changing customer expectations and modify
the delivery of service and product quality to match these expectations on an
ongoing basis.
Leadership must demonstrate a consistency in its behaviour toward these
visions and values, as well as a commitment to them from the top down. A
common breakdown in quality management occurs when top managers don't
truly understand the issues, costs, and impacts of their behaviour and behave
in ways that send conflicting messages to the front-line employees and
supervisors, as in our hotel example.
To effectively manage the "Satisfy" Level of Service Maturity:

Ask your customers to compare your service to your competitors and
other organisations to which you benchmark your service.

Ask your customer contact people to compare you to other
organisations.

Build teamwork throughout the organisation and develop real
partnerships with customers whenever possible.

Train all employees on the technical information about your products
and services.

Develop good communications
throughout your organisation.

Establish good external measures of service quality at every level of
the organisation and between departments.
skills
and
interpersonal
skills
LEVEL THREE - EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE QUALITY:
Service quality is more than having systems that work and doing what's
expected. Service quality must be built on people exceeding customer
expectations, which we label "Care" in the Service Maturity Model. And here is
where the dis-un-empowerment issues become most obvious.
Organisational dis-un-empowerment issues around systems and procedures
linked to decision-making are pretty straightforward. Do people truly feel that
they are able to make decisions? Has risk-taking been rewarded (or
punished) in the past? Are people praised or are they second-guessed? Has
the organisation truly gotten people involved in making decisions? And do
employees feel a strong sense of ownership and commitment?
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You can find out by asking.
Contrary to common belief, it is not Rocket Science!
Personal dis-un-empowerment issues are less clear.
Astronaut Scott Carpenter gave a nice analogy about walking in space. Years
of training, simulations, and practice in weightless conditions as well as
hundreds of hours of discussion and preparation did not adequately prepare
him for the reality of standing in the doorway of the spacecraft with black
infinity in every direction. He thought he could do it, but he froze. Wouldn't
you? There are direct parallels to dis-un-empowering people.
The American Society for Quality Control recently reported that while two in
three workers said they had been asked to become involved in workplace
decision-making, only one in seven felt they had the power to make those
decisions. And if they don't feel dis-un-empowered to make decisions, they
won't.
Why don't most people feel dis-un-empowered to make decisions? Because
they are uncomfortable doing things differently than they have done them
before. Most people will resist change. (See Box One). One key is to help
these service providers to internalise the personal resources necessary to
Service Maturity Level Three.
"The only change people like is the kind that jingles in their
pockets."
Jerry Brown
Note that almost every organisation has a few top-performing employees
doing exactly what is necessary to build and maintain customer loyalty. They
are the people that generally receive most of the letters of recognition and
generate the highest profitability. They are the ones that customers would
follow if they moved to a competitor. The challenge is to expand the number
of people who perform at this level. For example:
Cindy sells jewellery. A few years ago, she thought to send Thank You notes
to her customers. The response was most interesting - she began to get thank
you notes for her thank you notes. Cindy did more than $1,000,000 in sales
and the owner of the store bought her a mink coat. Her co-workers were
actively encouraged to model her system, and the sales of the store have
dramatically improved.
Exemplary performers manage roadblocks much more effectively and tend to
have clearer perspectives and focus on what your customers require. They
also tend to focus on doing the small things that truly make a difference in
building a client relationship with the customer. But also recognise that they
often bend the rules to do what is right - thus delivering the highest perceived
value.
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If organisations want to build service quality, they must have systems that
work, must understand customer expectations, and must be willing to let
trained people make decisions with few restrictions. Work hard to remove the
things that people think are getting in the way of improving quality and
service. They will add revenues and build loyalty of the customers.
SO HOW DO ORGANISATIONS DIS-UN-EMPOWER
WORKERS?
Simple structural or systems changes do not necessary result in behaviour
change on the front-line. Changes meant to help workers make decisions are
often resisted by the majority and implemented by a minority. Why don't
people accept risk and change more readily?
Consider patterns of thinking as one of the keys to improving organisational
performance. Our current behaviour is influenced primarily by our memories
of our past experiences - a series of positive and negative images or
thoughts. Top performers think about past successes and often embellish
these memories; poor performers think about failures and tend to embellish
them and make them worse than they were.
By understanding the mental aspects of performance and structuring your
organisation to better manage constructs of mission, vision, goals, and
expectations, you can create more positive environments that better support
top performance. Change is made easier by a positive image of the future that
engages and enlists people in the effort.
Top skiers, for example, see themselves successfully negotiating a
racecourse. This repetition of success helps them develop a positive mindset
for the event. Poor performers, on the other hand, often think about previous
crashes, thus programming themselves for future failure.
An insurance salesman calculates he earns a $1,000 commission for every
sale and that only one in ten sales attempts is successful. While an average
insurance salesperson finds selling frustrating because of the high turndown
ratio, this one mentally thanks each prospect for the $100 he will receive from
their discussion. Imagine thanking every prospect you meet for $100 and the
message it conveys to the prospect!
Imagine the attitude and behaviour of your billing personnel if they were to
(mentally) "thank every complaining customer for $100" when a question was
resolved. But isn't a resolved complaint and a retained customer worth at least
$100 to your company? This is the type of attitude and thinking that underlies
performance of your best people.
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IDEAS FOR CUSTOMER CARE.
Here are some ideas about what you and your organisation can do to
effectively manage at the "Care" Level of Service Maturity. Many of these
ideas are focused on asking for information. Asking invites involvement and
commitment.
Organisational Development:

Ensure that systems and procedures work and that customer
expectations are understood and shared. Ask for suggested
improvements.

Develop a strong sense of mission and vision and create a
commitment to values and expectations.

Start every meeting with a positive story about service, either one
about your people or someone from another organisation. Send the
message that you appreciate good service and that it is important to
you personally.

Make sure that every person understands the impacts of customer
service quality on profitability and cost.

Minimise roadblocks to action. Ask about what gets in the way.

Ask your team to develop a set of desired service quality standards.

Reward bad decision-making publicly and positively. Talk about what
was done correctly and ask how it should be done differently in the
future.

Consider doing upward appraisals, giving subordinates an opportunity
to provide feedback about how they can be managed more effectively.
Personal Development:

Help people develop personal "States of Success." Have them envision
the most successful service in the past and talk about what that would
look like in the future.

Help people accept that discomfort is a normal part of change. Share
the exercise described in Box One.

Have your most successful people share their thinking and personal
mindsets as well as specific examples of service behaviours. Do this
regularly.

Encourage people to establish personal and professional goals for
themselves and to continue to build the self-esteem needed to grow
and prosper. A few companies such as L.L. Bean even offer courses
on resume writing!
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
Become future-oriented in your thinking. Focus on corrections for the
future and not on the problems of the past. (But note how difficult this is
when your boss keeps focusing on the past!)
Your people are your human capital. They are assets that appreciate in value
with experience and polishing. And these assets directly impact your
profitability and growth by building a growing base of loyal customers that will
have many impacts on your business and your future.
Let's end with two quotes that get to issues of service quality, change, and
empowerment:
"We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are."
Max DePree in Leadership is an Art
"A lot of people have fancy things to say about customer service,
including me. But it's just a day-in, day-out, ongoing, never-ending,
unremitting, persevering, compassionate type of activity."
Leon Gorman, President of L.L. Bean.
ONE LAST STORY:
A customer comes back into McGuffey's needing help. Seems he locked his
keys in the car and had only a few minutes to save his child from Day Care
Purgatory. A young waiter he didn't know loaned the customer the keys to his
new Camaro, asking only that the customer, "bring it back before my shift
ends at 11:00."
On Thanksgiving, this same restaurant closes, yet most of the workforce
comes in - they volunteer to transport and serve dinner to the needy in their
communities. They sponsor golf tournaments as fundraisers and do a widevariety of community development programs.
McGuffey's Restaurants in Asheville NC is an incredible organisation in a
most competitive industry. Their employee turnover is one fifth the industry
average. And with most of the staff knowing hundreds of customers’ names
and preferences, they build personal relationships and loyalty with their
customers. And they show steady growth on existing stores using word of
mouth for their marketing.
Keith Dunn, their leader, closes the chain for their spring and fall team
Olympics. He's been on the cover of Inc. Magazine as a leading example of
small business leadership and has even presented his concepts to Zig
Zeigler's staff in Texas.
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People are what most businesses are about: the attraction and retention of
customers and employees. And personal empowerment is what drives most
organisations. It's difficult to manage and most difficult to control, but if it can
work in a restaurant, it can work almost anywhere.
"DARE TO BE DIFFERENT"
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN.
UNDERSTANDING HOSTILE CUSTOMERS
You probably see hostile customers every day. You know, the ones that treat
you like a personal dumping ground for everything that has ever gone wrong
in their lives? They may be sarcastic, or abusive. They may swear at you,
threaten, attempt to intimidate. They are difficult to deal with, and an
encounter with one of these people can ruin your day.
Although you may be provoked, it isn't a good idea to respond in kind. Doing
so will usually inflame the situation, and can in fact put you at risk. Yelling
back, or trading insults can result in only negative consequences for you.
Let's face it. You don't have time to waste arguing and yelling...you have too
much to do. But you do need to deal with hostile customers. You need to get
the situation under control, deal with it and get on with your work.
There are a number of techniques you can use to do this, but we are going to
help you understand what is going on when hostile customers direct their
anger at you. Understanding angry people helps us become less reactive,
and less prone to losing our own temper.
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IT ISN’T PERSONAL
The first thing to remember about angry customers is that while their
behaviour is directed at you (and it can be personally insulting), the real
source of the anger is elsewhere. The angry person is not usually angry with
you as a person. He or she is usually angry with you as an employee of an
organisation that is perceived as cold, unfeeling, and unhelpful. Since it is
difficult to yell or abuse an entire organisation, the angry customer will direct
anger
towards
you.
WHAT DOES THE ANGRY PERSON WANT?
One of the half-truths about hostile customers is that they want their problem
solved. This isn't the whole story. When a person is initially denied something
from an organisation, they get to a point where the problem becomes
secondary. Yes, they want the problem solved, but after a point, they get so
angry that they are unwilling to work positively to get what they started out
wanting. Even if you could work something out with them, they would still be
angry.
It is important to realise that very angry people want an opportunity to vent
their anger, and they want to be heard and acknowledged. If you don't
acknowledge their anger, and move too quickly to try to solve the problem,
you
will
likely
make
them
angrier
and
more
abusive.
WHAT TO DO?
There are specific things you can do to take control of potential hostile
situations so that they don't escalate into major time-consuming conflicts.
First, you need to observe customers as they approach, and prepare yourself
for the possibility that they may show hostile behaviours.
People who are irritated or upset will show telltale signs even before they
open their mouths. They will send non-verbal clues which may include
hunched shoulders, clenched fists, red face, fidgeting and restlessness,
staring or avoidance of eye contact, rapid movement, etc.
You need to look for these signs so that any outbursts do not surprise you.
Many hostile situations get out of hand because the employee reacts too
quickly to hostile behaviour, because he or she did not expect it.
If you see a hostile person approach, prepare yourself mentally by reminding
yourself that you CAN control the situation, and that you need to keep yourself
under control. If you get angry yourself you are likely to contribute to the
deterioration of the situation.
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 16 of 24
Second, when you are in contact with a hostile customer, you must strive to
present yourself in as un-bureaucratic a way as possible. Remember we
talked about customer anger being really aimed at the organisation? If the
customer perceives you as an object, a piece of the bureaucracy, they will be
more likely to be more abusive. However, if the customer sees you as a
human being who doing the best you can, it is more likely that he or she will
show less aggressive behaviour.
SPECIFICS:
Let's get more specific. How do you do this?
1) Speak in a friendly manner. Do not speak in a monotone or in a way that
implies that you are uninterested.
2) When possible use the customer's name as soon as possible, and also
introduce yourself if that fits the situation.
3) Greet the person properly. Don't look up from your paper work and say
"Yes?” or "Next". That makes you look like part of a machine. Try "Good
morning, Mr. Smith".
4) Listen carefully. Show the customer you are listening by paraphrasing
what was said back to the customer. This shows your interest and
concern. A common error made by people is that they don't allow the
customer to finish.
5) Don't use the "P" word. The P word is "POLICY". Many times an
employee will explain that it is against "our policy to do" what the client
wants. This infuriates many people. Even if the request is against your
policy, find other words to say it. Rather than simply quoting policy,
explain the purpose of the policy (eg. "Sir, we need to make sure that you
are dealt with fairly and others are too.")
6) Never say, "I only work here" or "I'm only following rules". Again this makes
you into a non-person. It may be true that you don't make the rules, but try
saying it this way: "Sir, the regulations are made by [whoever]. Perhaps
you might want to talk to [so and so] and indicate that you feel the
regulations are unfair. Would you like the phone number?"
CONCLUSION:
Every hostile situation is different, and not all solutions will work all the time.
The general principles we have talked about here are to be prepared by
observing customers early in the process, and make sure that you come
across as a real person.
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 17 of 24
BSBCMN 410 A
CO-ORDINATE
IMPLEMENTATION OF
CUSTOMER SERVICE
STRATEGIES
TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES AND QUESTIONS
The Trainee will be required to demonstrate competence on the job, in
practical demonstration; observation, question/answer and role-play
situations, incorporating verbal questions and written work, including
completing workplace forms, either to the RTO Trainer or Supervisor, under
the guidance of the RTO Trainer.
Element of competency:
1. Advise on customer service needs
2. Support implementation of customer service strategies
3. Evaluate and report on customer service
1.
How do you reach out to your customers?
2.
Why is dis-un-empowerment important?
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 18 of 24
3.
What Does The Angry Person Want?
4.
How do you deal with the angry customer?
ASSESSMENT TASK
Prepare a written report that identifies a customer service problem within your
workplace and outline a strategy that you might use to rectify this problem and
prevent its recurrence.
Detail how the problem was identified, how the customer was satisfied (or
otherwise) and how you would monitor your strategy to ensure that the
problem will not recur.
Include samples and examples of forms and letters that were used where
appropriate.
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 19 of 24
ASSESSMENT MODE A
Trainee name:
Name of Workplace:
RTO Trainer name:
Unit/s of competency:
BSBCMN 410 A
Unit Name:
CO-ORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE STRATEGIES
Date of training/
assessment visit:
Instructions: In addition to written answers provided above, the trainee is required to
provide verbal answers to the following questions that will be asked by the RTO Trainer.
Read the questions prior to the Trainer’s visit, and be prepared to answer them, obtaining
help where necessary.
Yes
No
1. How do you reach out to your customers?


2. Why is dis-un-empowerment important?


3. What Does The Angry Person Want?


4. How do you deal with the angry customer?


5. What would be an example of a customer service issue in your workplace?


6. How would you solve this problem?


Did the trainee satisfactorily answer the following questions:
The trainee’s underpinning knowledge was:
Satisfactory 
Not Satisfactory 
Notes/comments :
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
Question 4:
Question 5:
Question 6:
RTO Trainer signature:
Trainee signature:
Date of assessment:
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 20 of 24
ASSESSMENT MODE B - Skills observation checklist
Trainee name:
Name of workplace:
RTO Trainer name:
Unit/s of competency:
Unit Name:
BSBCMN 410 A
CO-ORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE STRATEGIES
Date of training/
assessment visit:
During the demonstration of skills, did the trainee:
Yes
No
N/A
Customer service needs were clarified and accurately assessed using
appropriate communication techniques



Problems matching service delivery to customers were diagnosed and
options for improved service were developed within organisational
requirements



Advice was relevant, constructive and promoted the improvement of
customer service delivery



Business technology was used to structure and present information on
customer service needs



Customer service strategies and opportunities were promoted to
designated individuals and groups



Available budget resources were identified and allocated to fulfil
customer service objectives



Procedures to resolve customer difficulties and complaints were
actioned promptly within organisational requirements



Coaching and mentoring assistance was provided to colleagues to
overcome difficulties in meeting customer service standards



Decisions to implement strategies were taken in consultation with
designated individuals and groups



Client satisfaction with service delivery was reviewed using verifiable
data in accordance with organisational requirements



Changes necessary to maintain service standards were identified and
reported to designated groups and individuals



Conclusions and recommendations were prepared from verifiable
evidence and provided constructive advice on future directions of client
service strategies



Systems, records and reporting procedures were maintained to
compare changes in customer satisfaction



The trainee’s performance was:
Not Satisfactory

Satisfactory

Feedback to trainee:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------Trainee signature:
RTO Trainer signature:
I confirm competence for this unit BSBCMN 410 A
_________________
(Manager signature)
_________________
(Date)
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 21 of 24
Off-the-Job Training Log
Trainee Name: ____________________________________
Supervisor signature: _________________________________
Company: __________________________________________________________________
Certificate:
 II
 III
 IV
Date: ______/______/200____
in
 Business (Office Admin/Admin)
 Civil Construction
 Extractive Industries
 Food Processing
 Hospitality
 Process Manufacturing
 Retail Operations
 TDT (Road Transport)
 TDT (Warehousing)
 Telecommunications (Call Centres)
List below the times allocated to “Off-the-Job” training for:
Date
Activity
code
Duration
Date
Activity
code
Duration
 _________________
BSBCMN 410 A – Co-ordinate implementation of customer
service strategies
Date
Activity
code
Duration
Date
Activity
code
Duration
Activity Code
1.
3.
5.
7.
9.
11.
13.
15.
17.
Read self-paced guides
Met with Workplace Coach
Discussion on phone
Researched store policy and procedures
Researched customer service
Observed other staff member/s undertaking customer service
Other research
Staff training
Complete appropriate paperwork relevant to task
BSBCMN 410 A
2. Developed knowledge of use and safety requirements
4. Worked on assessment tasks
6. Discussed assessment tasks
8. Researched legislative requirements
10. Researched industry codes of practice
12. Performance appraisal
14. Read relevant industry publications
16. Talking to the supervisor
18. Other: (specify) __________________________________________
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 22 of 24
Participant survey of materials
Unit code: BSBCMN 410 A
Unit name: Co-ordinate implementation of customer
service strategies
Date……..……………
Instructions:
Please complete the questionnaire by circling the one number that best describes your answer to each
question. Please read each question carefully. For mailed surveys, place the completed questionnaire in
the enclosed reply paid envelope and post it back within seven days
Q1.
Thinking in general about the material you were given for this unit, how would you
rate it overall?
Circle only one answer
Poor ………………………………………………………………………….…... 1
Fair ……………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Good …………………………………………………………………………..…. 3
Very Good ……………………………………………………………………….. 4
Excellent ...……………………………………………………………………….. 5
Don’t know ……………………………………………………...…………...….. 6
Q2.
How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the unit
material?
a. The layout of the reading material made it easy to use/read
b. The layout of the assessment material made it easy to use/read
c. The font size of the material was large enough
d. The reading material assisted me to complete the assessment
e. The material was easy to understand
f. The graphics/pictures were useful
g. The graphics/pictures were sufficient in number
h. The graphics/pictures were legible
i. The materials was free from typing errors
j. The material was relevant to my job/workplace
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Don’t know
/ NA
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Circle one answer only for each statement
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
Comments: Please expand on the above points if you rated any of them less than 3
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 23 of 24
Suggested Answers
BSBCMN 410 A
1.
Co-ordinate implementation of customer
service strategies
How do you reach out to your customers?
Contact . . . contact . . . contact with current customers is a good way to build their loyalty.
The more the customer sees someone from your firm, the more likely you'll get the next
order. Send Christmas cards, see them at trade shows, and stop by to make sure
everything's okay.
2.
Why is dis-un-empowerment important?
The well-known Rockefeller University data (1988) indicate that almost 70% of customers
leave because of perceived rude or indifferent behavior by an employee, compared to
about 20% combined for price and product quality.
3.
What Does The Angry Person Want?
One of the half-truths about hostile customers is that they want their problem solved. This
isn't the whole story. When a person is initially denied something from an organisation,
they get to a point where the problem becomes secondary. Yes, they want the problem
solved, but after a point, they get so angry that they are unwilling to work positively to get
what they started out wanting.
4. How do you deal with the angry customer?
There are specific things you can do to take control of potential hostile situations so that
they don't escalate into major time-consuming conflicts.
First, you need to observe customers as they approach, and prepare yourself for the
possibility that they may show hostile behaviours.
BSBCMN 410 A
Co-ordinate implementation of customer service
September 2004
Version 1
Page 24 of 24