Alicia

For C3 you thinking of doing something about a questionnaire which can be left on seats at a performance. Go ahead with this as it is a PROCEDURE. You are considering the procedure of gaining customer feedback on customer service and it is a justifiable improvement.

Plan the layout of the questionnaire. Think about the sorts of things the Rep would require feedback on - e.g. booking procedure, effectiveness of website, how they heard about performances etc (look at the customer feedback sheet sent by post)

You must state how this improvement will benefit the REP

Try to complete this before Weds lesson

Mrs N

Customer Service strand C update

c strand
This is concerned with the benefits of effective customer service and, in the case of stronger candidates, may well overlap with strand a.

c1 – The description must make reference to the organisation for marks to be awarded.

c2 – Follow the Assessment Evidence grid not the exemplification for c2 (page 75)Make sure that you are referring to customer service procedures rather than to the services the organisation provides for its customers.

c3 – In recommending improvements you need to clarify the benefits that these would bring to the organisation. Again, ensure that you are referring to customer service procedures rather than to the services the organisation provides for its customers.

I've also updated the earlier entry for C2

Hope this clarifies the requirements
Mrs N:)

F3

Evaluate your performance in the customer service situations undertaken, including the handling of complaints made by customers.


To achieve f3, you will have shown that when handling a complaint, you showed mature
reflection on your strengths and weaknesses and were able to identify areas where your
performance could have been improved with further training or more knowledge of the
organisation.

F2

Effectively handle a customer complaint, following the procedures of the organisation.

To achieve f2, you should have demonstrated that a customer complaint has been handled
effectively and that you followed the procedures and policies of the organisation, whether
this involved referral to a more senior member of staff or the ability to offer some form of
recompense.

F1

Describe simply how they have handled a customer complaint.


You will need to understand that it is important to listen to customers and to keep calm. You
will need to know when to refer a customer to a more senior member of staff if you are not able
to deal with an enquiry.

Customer complaints could be in writing, over the telephone or face-to-face.
It is important that you know how to deal with these situations and when and whom to ask for help.
When dealing with complaints you should always:
• listen carefully to the customer;
• apologise in general terms for any inconvenience caused;
• let the customer know that the matter will be fully investigated and, if possible, put right;
• try to see the problem from the customer.s point of view;
• keep calm and not argue with the customer;
• find a solution to the problem;
• agree the solution with the customer;
• make sure that what you promised to do gets done



To achieve marks for this section you need to:
- write a description showing how well you handled a complaint describing:
- the complaint itself
- the way the customer communicated the complaint
- the way you dealt with the complaint
- any follow up action taken
- obtain a witness statement, confirming what you did when dealing with the complaint, with an assessment of your level of skill in handling the complaint.


To achieve f1, a simple description would be sufficient. If you did not actually handle a
complaint, a simple description of the action that you would have taken would be sufficient

E3

Communicate successfully and confidently with customers, listening carefully and providing a full and effective response.


To achieve the highest grades possible in e3, your description and witness statement will
show that you used successful communication skills, demonstrating competence and
confidence whilst dealing with all the different types of customers, and that you gave
appropriate full responses to enquiries to meet the needs of the organisation and the
customer.

E2

Deal confidently with a variety of customers, demonstrating good presentation and communication skills.


To achieve e2, your description and witness statement must show that you demonstrated
good presentation and communication skills and dealt with a variety of customers and
situations.

E1

Communicate clearly with a variety of customers, listening carefully and responding appropriately.


The evidence used to meet this criterion must show how well you communicated with a variety of customers, including listening to the customer and responding appropriately, if briefly, to the situation.


individuals
groups
people of different ages
people from different cultures
non-English speakers
people with specific needs such as those whose hearing is impaired or those requiring
facilities for young children
business people.
By choosing a variety of customers you will demonstrate how different customers have
different needs. The description of your response will show how you appreciated their
needs and responded appropriately to the situation and the customer.

The details should involve a description of what happened with each customer, or the scenario for the role play. You should demonstrate the following customer service skills:

• listen carefully to the customer;
  • apologise in general terms for any inconvenience caused;
  • let the customer know that the matter will be fully investigated and, if possible, put right;
  • try to see the problem from the customer.s point of view;
  • keep calm and not argue with the customer;
  • find a solution to the problem;
  • agree the solution with the customer;
  • make sure that what you promised to do gets done.

Demonstrate how different customers have different needs and their responses should be appropriate to the situation and the customer.

Communication with customers may be face to face, over the telephone or in writing. All
customers will expect to receive a very high standard of communication.

Your tasks:
1. Write a description showing how well you communicated with a variety of customers,
which includes listening to the customers and responding appropriately.

2. Show that you can respond to customers over the telephone and in writing as well as face to face - you will need to devise role play situations for a telephone complaint and record your conversation using Audacity so it can be saved as a wmv file on a disc.

3. Include your witness statements from the Carol Concert, work experience or year 8 disco confirming your skills in communicating with the customers, as well as describing what you did and their views on how well you handled the situation. This must be signed and dated.

You will need to use appropriate:
Language
Pitch and tone of voice
Pauses and silences
Body language


You will need to be able to:
Work accurately
Listen and respond to customers
Ask appropriate questions (using open and closed questions)


Depending on whether you need to communicate with customers face to face, over the
telephone or in writing, some or all of the following points are important:
- dress
- personal hygiene
- personality
- attitude
- behaviour.
Mention these in your description. For example, when dealing face to face, dress and
personal hygiene are extremely important.

D3 Suggest alternative ways the organisation could use its existing records to improve customer service provision in the organisation

In order to complete everything required for d3, you need to look at existing customer records and suggest amendments to them or alternative ways that the records could be used to develop customer service.

Existing customer records you could consider are the

• complaints record
• booking record
• accident record
• customer questionnaire record
  
  For example, a suggestion/comment box in the foyer area may help dissatisfied customers highlight weaknesses rather than just walking away feeling disappointed never to return. Comment cards could be left on tables in the bar area or on seats prior to a performance.
  
  The REP sends out customer surveys to REP club members - but how do they cater for the members of the audience who might have a complaint.
  
  Would it be possible to have a posting box and postcards available in the foyer for customers to record their comments?
  How could this be effectively managed?
  
  Is there a public notice board where customer concerns are highlighted and the action being taken and a deadline for this to be completed is shown? This is seen in David Lloyd Health Club
  
  The state of toilets is very important particularly for organisations where food is served. Are records kept at the Rep?
  
  What about staff that leave an organisation? Are staff reasons for leaving logged? Internal customers are extremely important, and time and money invested in training them is wasted if there is a high staff turnover, especially if they are leaving because of conditions in their working environment,

D2

d2 requires you to explain fully how these records are used to develop, in other words
improve customer service.

examples of records you could refer to include:

• customer complaints
• accident report forms
• booking records

how might records improve customer service?

• more efficient
• improve safety and security
• lead to repeat business
• increased sales
• give edge over competition
• satisfied customers
• better public image

For example, accidents are bound to damage an organisation’s reputation and be an unpleasant experience for the customer involved.
By keeping an up-todate book or database of accident record forms, frequently occurring accidents can be spotted and steps taken to avoid them happening again.

The talk we had stated that besides general data kept on REP club members, they also recorded details of which performances have previously been booked. This enables them to send leaflets out relating to future performances which might be of interest to the customer - increased sales.

D1

Simply include two examples of customer service records used by the organisation
in your portfolio. Examples include:

• telephone message slips


• blank customer enrolment forms


• membership records


• booking record


• blank accident record forms


• complaints record


• questionnaire record

Or you could use any other record used covering internal or external customers.