Improving Customer Service and
Communication Skills in an
Organization
 Half our problems originate because we don’t communicate.
The other half it’s sad but true, may come about because we
do
Objectives
 Discuss how to improve customer service communication
skills
 How improve communication skills and enhance the service
in an organization.
 Identify customers' priorities and make the best decisions on
how to improve service delivery
 Understand how to improve customer satisfaction and
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improve efficiency
How to set goal for delivering effective customer care within
an organization through teamwork
Methods of evaluating customers and assessing their level of
satisfaction
Understand how to provide the exceptional service that
customers deserve.
How to set time, plan and prioritize work for customer care
services
Importance of Communication
 Good communication helps businesses develop trust
with their clients and articulate needs, expectations
and any challenges.
 By communicating more effectively , this can improve the
client relationship and potentially add more leads to the
business.
 Giving customers the opportunity to provide testimonials
and on-line reviews.
 Personally asking customers their views after they have used
your product or service.
Communication
 Transferring information from one part of the business
to another that leads to some outcome, changed
behaviour or changed practice
 Formal Communication – established and agreed
procedures
 Informal Communication – channels not formally
recognised – ‘the grapevine’
Communication : The Flow
Channel
Delivery
Formulating
Message
Sender
Feedback
Perception
Response
Understanding
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Receiver
Effective Communication…
 Is scarcer than quality water
 Is measured by results or actions
 Does not need to be very complex
 Is aimed at informing others
 Is complete and clear
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Barriers to Successful Communication
• Ability of the sender – how much the sender understands
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of the message they are trying to send
Content – including technicalities and jargon
Method of communication – including style and body
language where appropriate!
Skills and attitude of the receiver
Organisational factors – complexity of the organisation,
scope of the organisation
Cultural attitudes
Perceptions, prejudices and stereotypes
Inappropriate target for the message
Technical capabilities – ICT!
Barriers to Effective Communication…
 Personal Barriers
 Your style and character
outspoken)
(rude, polite, shy,
 Preparation & presentation
 Lack of clarity
(pronunciation, pitch, etc.)
 Lack of credibility
 Timing
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Barriers to Effective Communication…
 Organisational Barriers
 Culture
 Environment
 Size & structure
 Pace of activity
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Barriers to Effective Communication…
 Process Barriers
 Channel/Medium
 Irrelevant Information loading
 Lack of Response or Feedback
 Inappropriate Questions
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Overcoming the Barriers…
 Say to yourself, “I will get Response”
 Come up with a topic for discussion
everyday
 Start improving upon pronunciation
 Develop habit of reading – start with the
English newspaper / Comics
 Understand first, then communicate
 Don’t be afraid of asking questions
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What is Customer Service?
Customer Service is all about:
• Providing customers with what they want
• Offering consistent levels of service
• Exceeding and not just meeting expectations
• Fulfilling all customer needs
• Going out of your way to delight customers.
Why is Service Important?
• Intense competition
• Customers have a choice
• It is the only thing that can make us different from our
competitors
• Satisfied and delighted customers will come back
• Dissatisfied customers will not come back.
Customer Expectations
Customers:
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Expect the core service to meet their needs for quality
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Expect polite treatment at all times – even when they are being difficult
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Need to see attention is being paid to their requests
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Want to feel their needs are important
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Do not want to hear “No” or “I do not know”
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Want to feel secure in the knowledge that you have all the answers and
solutions
Customers Expectations continued
Customers:
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Want mistakes admitted to and rectified
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Expect promises that are made to be honoured
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Expect to be treated with respect
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Need to have time given to them for explanations
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Need to know when a problem arises
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Expect you to know about your job and your company
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Expect you to be able to answer questions
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Expect you to find solutions to their problems.
Your Expectations
You:
• Expect that you will receive full training
• Need to learn about the products and services you provide
• Need to understand the systems and procedures for dealing
with customers
• Expect to be supported by your manager
• Need to be treated fairly by the customer.
Organisation’s Expectations
Organisations expect you to:
• Meet the organisation's customer service policy
• Consistently deliver service standards
• Meet standards laid down in standard manuals
• Follow service procedures
• Meet legal standards related to the delivery of
service
• Project a positive image at all times when
Effective Communications
• Increases quality of service
• Saves time
• Improves customer care
• Avoids misunderstandings
• Builds good relationships
• Creates a positive atmosphere
• Encourages open discussion
Ineffective Communications
• Hampers relationships
• Wastes time
• Affects customers and colleagues
• Destroys morale
• Creates a negative atmosphere
• Builds a negative reputation
Listening
• Look at people
• Turn off negative thoughts
• Nod
• Ask questions
• Stick to the subject
• Lean towards people
• Start with the first word
• Think of speed
• Do not interrupt
• Use their name and use “you”
Question Technique
Open Questions
Who? – What? –Why? –Where? – How? –When?
Closed Questions
Do you? - Are you? - Is it? - Have you?
Reflecting Questions
To summarise and check back
Non-Verbal Techniques
• Lets the customer know you are interested
• Allows you to listen to customers’ feelings as well as
their words
• The moment a customer walks up to you, regardless of
what you are doing, make immediate eye contact
Facial Expressions
Facial expressions often show how you feel:
• Smile if you are happy!
• Frown if you are not!
Combined Use Of Verbal and
Non-verbal Communications
7%
actual words
38%
voice, tone, pitch, pace and quality
55%
body language
Why Communication…
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to express our emotions
achieve joint understanding
to get things done
pass on and obtain information
reach decisions
develop relationships
What are the most common ways
we communicate?
Written Word
Home Truths about Communication…
 Good Communication can’t exist without honest listening
 We do not try HARD to get our message across
 We do not take advantage of various media available to us
 We all could improve our communication skills
 It cannot be perfected
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Building a an Effective Office Communication
Strategy
 Safeguard credibility to establish loyalty and build trust.
 Maintain consistency to establish a strong employment brand.
 Listen to employees and to members of the leadership team.
 Seek input from all key sections.
 Provide feedback.
 Prepare managers in their roles as organizational leaders.
The Importance of Effective Office
Communication
 Communicate consistent messages.
 Establish a recognizable office communication brand.
 Deliver messages that are congruent with the organization's
mission, vision and culture.
 Improve processes and procedures and ultimately creates
greater efficiencies and reduces costs.
 Ensure effective departmental communication.
Improving how to Communicate within
the Mission
 Always define goals and expectations – deliver
clear, achievable goals to both teams and individuals,
outlining exactly what is required on any given project,
and ensuring that all staff are aware of the objectives of
the project, the department and the organisation as a
whole.
 Clearly deliver your message – Ensure your message is
clear and accessible to your intended audience. To do this it is
essential that you speak plainly and politely – getting your
message across clearly without causing confusion or offence.
 Choose your medium carefully – Once you’ve created your
message you need to ensure it’s delivered in the best possible
format.
 While face-to-face communication is by far the best way to build
trust with employees, it is not always an option. Take time to
decide whether information delivered in a printed copy would
work better than an email or if a general memo will suffice.
 Keep everyone involved –
 Ensure that lines of communication are kept open at all
times.
 Actively seek and encourage progress reports and
project updates.
 This is particularly important when dealing with remote
staff.
 Listen and show empathy – Communication is a two-
way process and no company or individual will survive
long if it doesn’t listen and encourage dialogue with the
other party.
 Listening shows respect and allows you to learn about any
outstanding issues you may need to address as an
employer.
Promoting Internal Communication
 Make sure that your office runs smoothly and effectively by
promoting official and unofficial internal communication.
 Provide people the information they need to do their jobs
effectively
 Make sure they know about anything that concerns them
 Provide people with clear standards and expectations for their
work
Promoting Internal Communication Con’t
 Give people feedback on their own performance
 Provide them emotional support for difficult work
 Suggest new ideas about both their work and their lives
 Allow them to take the pulse of the organization and
understand its overall situation
 Help them maintain a shared vision and a sense of ownership
in the organization
Why should you Improve Internal
Communication
 It will improve the effectiveness of the organization.
 It keeps everyone informed of what's going on in the
organization.
 It allows the organization to respond quickly and efficiently
to change, emergencies, etc.
 It makes problem-solving easier by providing a channel for
everyone's ideas and opinions.
 It creates a climate of openness within the organization.
Improving Customer Service and
Communication
 Communicating with Customers
 It is incredibly important that you develop the best
communication skills possible with your customers.
 Some of these skills include speaking clearly, effectively,
efficiently, and politely.
 You also need to employ empathetic listening in your
customer service setting.
 Excellent communication skills are important because
communicating in this way shows customers that you
understand what they actually mean instead of what they are
simply saying.
Speaking Clearly and Effectively
 Speaking clearly and effectively with your customers is an
extremely important skill.
 You want to be able to explain procedures, policies, and
other aspects of your company to your customers so they
walk away without any questions.
 Clear and effective speaking also gives the customer a good
impression of you as well as your company.
 Customers do not want to speak with someone who
mumbles or cannot articulate points clearly.
 Lastly, speaking effectively leaves no room for error. Both
you and the customer have a solid understanding of the
company or the issue that you are fixing for them. This sort
of understanding will lead to a long lasting relationship with
the customer.
Speaking Efficiently and Politely
 Customers want their questions answered as quickly as
possible and in a polite manner.
 Doing this shows that your company appreciates their
business.
 Speaking efficiently shows that you are knowledgeable on the
topic or problem you are speaking to the customer about.
 It is all about getting right to the point instead of going off on
a different subject.
 As mentioned earlier, customers want the answer fast!
 Speaking politely to your customers is extremely important,
as this is a sign of respect and a reflection of the company and
its reputation.
 I am pretty sure that everyone can remember a time when
they dealt with a rude employee.
 It doesn't exactly make you want to return to that place of
business again.
Employing Empathetic Listening
 Empathetic listening also should be integrated into every
customer service situation and department, and it shows the
customer that you are listening and understanding what they
are saying to you.
 You put yourself in the customer's position and make it a
judgment-free zone so they feel comfortable talking with
you.
 Make sure you are maintaining eye contact, nodding when
appropriate, and apologizing.
 The goal of empathetic listening is to have the customer
know that you understand exactly what their problem is and
that you have a clear understanding of what happened.
 The customer should feel that you are just as upset as them
about the issue and that you will do everything you can to
correct it.
Summary
 Customer Care representatives have big shoes to fill in an
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organization.
You need to communicate effectively with others
Solve problems on a daily basis and do all of these things
while performing daily clerical tasks.
If you are good as a customer care representative then you
will excel in the position of office manager.
Remember the duties and responsibilities of this position are
great, however, the results can be wonderful as well as the
office manager is taking on a very important role in the daily
business operations
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