CHAPTER 2: THE
CHALLENGES OF
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Learning Objectives
Explain the most common barriers to
providing excellent customer service.
Define customer service
expectations.
Explain the keys to credibility.
Explain the importance of values in
customer service.
Define ethics in customer service.
Indicate the role of scope of influence
in customer service.
HIGH TOUCH AND LOW TOUCH
CUSTOMER
HIGH TOUCH CUSTOMER
Require a high level of
customer interaction.
Expecting high level of
service.
No interaction =
dissatisfied.
E.g: A buyer wants to
buy a real estate. He
needs clear
explanation on the
product, the price, the
buying process.
LOW TOUCH CUSTOMER
Customer expect low
level of interaction.
Low touch exists
because of technology.
E.g: A customer
purchase a fast food
meal through drive-in
windows. The customer
place an order and
collect the food and
make the payment on
next window.
Barriers in Customer
Service
Barrier
is obstacles that make it
difficult to enter a givenmarket.
Barrier happens when:
You promise more than you can
deliver. Never say No.
Your service policies are too rigid.
Not listening to your employees.
Employees dealing directly with your
customer.
COMMON BARRIERS IN
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Some barriers that can be
overcome:
Laziness
Poor communication skills
Poor time management
Attitude
Moodiness
Lack of adequate training
Inadequate staffing
HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS?
Improving
customers satisfaction
with service is a rapidly rising
corporate priority.
Self evaluations to asses providers
effectiveness and to improve
identified areas should be performed
periodically.
Individual should make the effort to
change.
Learn as much as you can about the
Expectation
Vs.
Perception
PERCEPTIONS
The
way that we see something
based on our experience.
Perceptions been developed
through the ways weve been
treated, our values, priorities,
prejudices and sensitivity of
others.
May be influenced by momentary
frustration and anger.
EXPECTATIONS
Personal
vision of the result that
will come from our experience.
Expectations may be positive or
negative.
Expectations are based on our
perceptions.
Level of perceptions:
a) Primary expectations
b) Secondary expectations
TECHNIQUES FOR EXCEEDING
EXPECTATIONS
Become
familiar with your customers.
Ask your customers what their
expectations are?
Tell your customers what they can
expect.
Live up to their expectations.
Maintain consistency.
Communicate with customers using
the method they want to use.
KEYS TO CREDIBILITY
To
be credible means capable of being
believed; believable, worthy of belief or
confidence; trustworthy.
Tips to building trust:
Beware of your body language gestures and
remember to keep them positive.
Remember to make eye contact and listen with
interest.
Dress and act professionally.
Become teammate with your coworkers.
Show your dedication to customers.
Treat all with the same high level of respect.
Apologize of you are wrong.
ETHICS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE
Ethics
are a set of principles that govern
the conduct of an individual or group.
Being ethical is also not the same as
following the law.
Sometimes the spectrum falls in gray
areas in which right or wrong course
of action difficult to identify.
Ethical decision making getting harder.
E.g of ethical actions: promotion
techniques, privacy, bluffing, sexual
harassment, inequality.
CAN ETHIC BE TAUGHT?
The Wall Street Journal announced that
ethics courses are useless because
ethics can't be taught.
Socrates, a philosopher: Ethics consists
of knowing what we ought to do, and
such knowledge can be taught.
Studies indicate that a person's
behaviour is influenced by his or her
moral perception and moral
judgements.
GOOD ETHICS VS. BAD ETHICS
Bad business ethics can be said to be
any instance in which a company
knowingly ignores the best interests of
its employees, customers or the
society in general in order to earn more
money or otherwise preserve its
position.
Good business ethics also comes in
many forms. A fairer treatment to
suppliers or a more employee friendly
style of management.
The Ethical Organization
16
Ethical individuals = honest, have integrity, strive
for a high level of moral development
Ethical leadership = provides the necessary
actions, committed to ethical values and helps
others to embody those values
Organizational structure = embodies a code of
ethics, and methods to implement ethical behavior
IDENTIFY WHICH IS ETHICAL OR
NOT
A
pre-med student considers copying
the homework in Art History.
________________
Giving out customers information to
public. ____________
Using pretty and young girl to
promote products. ____________
Covering
some flaw impacts of the
product to customers. ____________
SCOPE OF INFLUENCE IN
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Influence:
the ability to influence
others based on our perceptions or
experience.
Power of word-of-mouth
advertising.
Studies have shown that it costs
about five times as much to attract
new customers as it costs to keep
our current customers.
Cont
Customers are likely to share a
positive experience with the
people closest to them and with
no one else.
A happy customer can attract
new customers at virtually no
cost.
Tips: Nurturing the personal
relationships you already have,
Staying in touch with everyone
EXCEED CUSTOMER
EXPECTATIONS
Evaluate
your competitions.
Know your customers.
Openly accept feedback.
Be involved and accessible.
Act quickly.
EXERCISE: Learn foreign
language
Instruction: Find Hello / Hi! in other languages. Fill
in the blanks.
Malaysian
e.g: Selamat
Sejahtera,
Salam
Arab
Mandarin
Afrikaans
Tamil
Vietnamese
Japanese
French
Korean
Spanish
Filipino
German
Thai
Russian
EXERCISE: Learn Foreign
Language
Instruction: Find Thank You in other languages. Fill in
the blanks.
Malaysian
e.g: Terima
Kasih
Arab
Mandarin
Afrikaans
Tamil
Vietnamese
Japanese
French
Korean
Spanish
Filipino
German
Thai
Russian
Q & A SESSION
THANK YOU
Eklas Forum
Compare the old strategy
customer service with the new
trends in customer service.
