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Implement customer service strategies:
Content guide
Contents
Implement customer service strategies: Content guide 1

Overview 2
Key terms 2
Tell staff about the service strategy 4
New staff induction programs 5
Training 5
Coaching 8
Modelling and leader behaviour 9
Resources for service success 10
Allocating resources 11
Resource planning chart 13
Resource capability matrix 14
Customer service problem solving 15
Examples of service problems 15
How to deal with complaints 16
The problem-solving and decision-making process 18
More resources 19
Sample answers to ‘My workplace’ questions 20
Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 1 of 23

 ANTA 2004
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Overview
Developing customer service strategies that meet our customers’ needs is
important. But we must also consider how these strategies can be
implemented to ensure the delivery of quality products and services that
satisfy both internal and external customers. We can achieve this by using
available resources to maximise opportunities, and developing appropriate
procedures to resolve customers’ objections and complaints.
We’ll discuss a number of skills and approaches that you can use to manage
the implementation process successfully.
Key terms
Coaching
Coaching involves training learners, and encouraging them throughout the
learning process. Coaching is offered to individuals and teams with the aim
of achieving superior performance or achieving a set goal.
Induction
Coaching involves training learners, and encouraging them throughout the
learning process. Coaching is offered to individuals and teams with the aim
of achieving superior performance or achieving a set goal.
Mentor
An experienced person who provides advice and support to a less
experienced person.
Modelling
Setting a good example for the rest of the team to follow, as in being a good
‘role model’.
Motivation
The individual drive that causes us to behave in a certain way.
Pareto Principle
A small proportion of people/effort/time (20%) accounts for a large
proportion of the results (80%). Also called the 80/20 rule.
Problem-solving

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The process of identifying a problem, its causes, generating options, and

choosing a solution. Also see decision-making.
Zone of tolerance
The latitude between a customer’s desired level of service and what they are
prepared to accept as adequate.

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Tell staff about the service strategy

There are various ways to promote service strategies and opportunities to
individuals and groups in your organisation. The best methods depend on
the nature and size of your organisation, the purpose of the strategy, and the
resources available.
You may choose some of the following methods to communicate and

promote your service strategy:
 newsletters and brochures
 posters
 email
 voicemail
 popup computer screen messages on the organisation’s intranet
 formal group presentations.
In a team environment, you may choose to make your communication more

direct and personal by promoting your service strategy:
 in induction sessions for new staff,
 training programs, or
 in coaching sessions.
You may also use mentors to convey the service message. And, don’t forget
the power of management behaviour in communicating to staff —be
conscious of your own behaviour as a model of customer service.
Whatever method you use to promote the service strategy, remember some
of the basics of effective communication:
 Use simple, direct language that the receivers of your communication can
understand and relate to.
 Seek feedback to ensure you have been understood.
 Use empathy to help understand the possible effects on others of your
communication.
 Consider timing. Identify specific times when your message will be most
effective.
 Be positive. Your attitude, communicated by your words, will influence
how people hear and accept the message.
 Think it through first, especially if the message is complicated.
 Listen. It helps to create empathy and avoid misunderstandings.

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New staff induction programs

Organisations frequently go to great trouble to recruit and select staff. Then
they simply expect the new employee to intuitively ‘know’ what is expected
of them in the workplace and to perform accordingly.
An induction program is a formal process that introduces employees to the

workplace and familiarises them with their jobs, team and the organisation.
It gives new employees an understanding of their role in the organisation
and the performance standards required in the new job.
The behaviour required of employees when dealing with customers, and the
systems and processes used to ensure customer satisfaction differ from
organisation to organisation. Informing new staff of the needs of the
organisation’s customers — and the strategies to meet those needs — is one
of the primary functions of a staff induction program in a customer-focused
organisation.
My workplace
1. Think about the first day of your team members in their new jobs. What are the
most important things they need to know about the organisation’s customers?
What information is most crucial to their success in their jobs? From whom do they
learn this information?
Answer:
Training
You may choose to communicate and promote your service strategy through
training sessions with your staff. You may conduct these sessions yourself,
or internal or external training experts may conduct them.
You’ll first need to determine the training needs. These should come from
observation of employee performance, examination of performance records,
or the outcomes of a formal appraisal program. If there is a gap between the
actual performance and the performance required to ensure the success of
the service strategy, then you may have a training need.
This step is essential to ensure the real issue has been identified and the
nature of the training required determined. You can use the resource
capability matrix described later in the learning pack to help you analyse the
training needs of your people.

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Then, you’ll need to prepare a training session plan. A session plan is a

detailed overview of all that you will be covering in your training session.
Your training session plan should include such things as:

 the training outcomes
 where the training will take place
 key areas to be covered
 the training methods
 resources you will use
 assessment criteria (What will staff be required to know or do after
training?).
A well-planned training session will:

 help you stay focused on the training objectives
 outline the sequence and priorities of the skills and knowledge you need to
cover
 provide a record of the training session
 be able to be used again or modified if necessary.
Here is an example of a plan for a training session on managing customer

complaints for new administrative assistants in a manufacturing company.
Sample training session plan
SAMPLE TRAINING SESSION PLAN

Organisation: JBC Manufacturing
Department: Human Resources
Date: 28th October
Trainer: Jack Pickle
Participant/s: 5 new recruits — administration
Location of training: Training room 3rd floor
Training objectives: By the end of the training session participants will be able to
manage customer complaints effectively in their work area.
Introduction: We will cover reasons for customer complaints, benefits of effective
complaint handling skills to manage complaints and emotions .

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Assessment:
Participants will:
 determine reasons for customer complaints
 identify benefits of complaint management
 handle complaints
 manage emotions.
Main points Training methods
Why customers complain Group discussion
The benefits of effective complaint Group discussion, brainstorming

management
Complaint management procedures Overhead transparencies, practice
Managing emotions Question and answer, role play
Conclusion: Areas covered, feedback about performance, any future plans

Resources/training aids: Whiteboard, overhead projector, handouts
My workplace
2. Develop a training session plan for a customer service skill you’d like your staff
to learn or improve. You can use the template below and model your answer on
the worked example above.
Table: Training session plan
TRAINING SESSION PLAN

Organisation:
Department:
Date:
Trainer:
Participant/s:
Location of training:
Training objectives:
Introduction:

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Assessment:
Main points Training methods
Conclusion:
Resources/training aids:
Further reading
For some tips on delivering training and measuring its effectiveness refer
to Cole, K (2001) Supervision. The theory and practice of first-line
management 2nd Edition Prentice Hall: Sydney, pp 511–518.
If you are not conducting the training yourself, you can demonstrate
support for the training of your staff by others by:
 creating opportunities and allocating time for participants to practise new
skills
 showing interest and enthusiasm in their learning
 speaking positively about the training
 encouraging attendance, eg dropping in to the course yourself for a short
visit to see what’s happening
 asking questions about what they are learning
 looking for development of their skills: ‘Catch them doing things right!’
Coaching
Coaching is another way to tell your team members about service strategies
and the skills they need to satisfy customers. Coaching involves guiding
team members and giving feedback to help them to improve their
knowledge and skills.
Coaching situations fall into two main categories:

 Coaching for success — this is proactive. When a team member faces a
new or challenging situation, you can offer guidance to help them to work
through it successfully. Coaching in advance increases the chances that the
person will effectively apply the new skills and knowledge to the situation.

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 Coaching for improvement — coaching for improvement is reactive. It

helps people improve performance. The purpose of the coaching for
improvement discussion is to review performance, find out causes of
mistakes or unattained objectives, and give feedback regarding
opportunities for improvement. It's also a chance for you to gain (or regain)
commitment to service excellence.
Coaching will also help your team members to discover the best way to
perform their work responsibilities. As a coach, your short-term goal is to
help them accomplish a task or solve a problem. The long-term goal is to
develop people who can think through similar issues on their own and so
become more self-reliant.
Modelling and leader behaviour

In books about management, much is mentioned about the importance of
frontline leaders modelling desired behaviour. We could say that the three
most important keys to effective leadership are:
 lead by example
 lead by example, and
 lead by example!
This means that your team members are much more likely to behave in a
certain way if they see you behaving in that way — they will copy or model
what you say and do. If you pay a lot of attention to the cleanliness of your
work area by, for example, picking up papers and wiping work benches,
your staff will be more likely to maintain a clean and tidy work area.
Modelling can also work in a negative sense. For example, if you arrive to
work untidy and tired, then your staff are more likely to come to work
looking this way too.
Further reading
To find out more about leadership, see Kouzes, JM & Posner, BZ (1995)
The leadership challenge. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco p 56.
Or refer to Cole, K. (2001) Supervision. The theory and practice of first-line

management. 2nd Edition Prentice Hall: Sydney, pp 346–356.
My workplace
3. Think of a time when you or another manager or team leader has ‘led by
example’. How did this influence the team members?

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Answer:
Resources for service success

The ultimate aim of providing good customer service is to increase profit,
but it also incurs certain costs. It is important to ensure that the return from
providing the best customer service exceeds the costs involved. This
requires knowing, in advance, the costs associated with any change and
whether the expense will improve the service and thus provide additional
benefits.
In other words, we need to budget for the implementation of customer

service strategies and any resources that may be needed. These costs can
then be compared with the additional profit or savings the strategy is
expected to produce.
Having developed a budgeting process for income and expenditure, it is

important that the information in your budget can be compared with actual
income and cost figures contained within your organisation’s recording
system. In this way, you can monitor whether the anticipated results are
being achieved. This may involve some changes to the organisation’s
accounting and/or financial reporting process, as budgeted and actual
figures should be easily compared. That way, you can ensure that the
desired results are being achieved. You will also be able to take corrective
action where variances occur.
For a more detailed analysis of the profit/cost relationship in customer

service, refer to Martin, D (1998), One stop customer care. Institute of
Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) Publishing and Prentice
Hall Europe: United Kingdom, pp 87–91.
Here are some examples of resources you may need to budget for:
 staff hours spent in consultation
 your hours spent in consultation
 extra staff required for implementation
 extra hours required for implementation
 staff training
 stationery
 uniforms (Will the strategy require an image change?)
 travel

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 technology (Does the strategy need new computer programs or other

technology?)
 printed matter (Do you need to produce brochures or handouts?)
 consultants
 market research
 other resources?
Allocating resources
No organisation has limitless resources. Managers need to understand how
best to use the resources they have to bring about the most beneficial results.
You can use the Pareto principle to make sure that your resources are
channelled in the most productive way. Vilfredo Pareto was a nineteenth
century Italian economist and sociologist. He came up with the Pareto
principle, now known as the 80:20 ratio. Simply put, it says that 80% of an
organisation’s revenue comes from 20% of its customers.
This also means that 20% of your results will absorb 80% of your effort.
This ratio has powerful implications for every area of your organisation and
the key is in understanding which customers fall into the top 20% and which
of your customer service personnel put in the 80% effort.
It is significant to remember here that effort is not necessarily related to

being busy. When ranking your customers in the top 20%, remember there
are those that bring in the most profit but not necessarily the highest number
of sales. For instance, in the cinema industry, most profits are made through
the candy bar. So the ‘top 20%’ of patrons may not be those who go to the
movies more frequently, but those that go less regularly and spend more in
the candy bar each time they go.
Customers can be ranked in pyramid formation as in the following diagram:

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Pareto’s customer pyramid
The key to making use of Pareto’s customer pyramid is:

 to gain new customers while retaining the customers you already have
 to develop new strategies to move your customers upwards through the
pyramid.
Keep in mind that a 2% upward migration can equal 10% more revenue and
50%–100% more profit if fixed costs stay the same. Research indicates that
5%–30% of customers have potential to upgrade within the pyramid. Most
importantly, customer satisfaction is critical for upwards migration.
Further reading
For more information about this, see Collis, J (1992) Your business is your
customer. McGraw Hill Book Company: Sydney, Australia.
Understanding your customers’ zone of tolerance is equally important in

defining how to use resources most constructively. The difference between
the level of service a customer desires and the level of service they are
willing to accept as adequate is called the zone of tolerance. If you don’t
know what the customer’s expectations are, or their perceptions of value, it
can result in providing excessive services and thus wastage of valuable
resources.
You may discover that you have been providing more services than
necessary. Understanding where your customers’ zone of tolerance lies will

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make it easier for you to match customer service with customers’ needs, and
to allocate resources appropriately. You can determine your customers’
zone of tolerance by discussing their expectations with them, implementing
satisfaction surveys, and observing their reactions to service offerings and
their experiences.
My workplace
4. Identify who your top 20% of external customers are. Reflect on and identify
why this top 20% remain with your organisation. What aspects of customer
service do you believe have served to retain this 20%?
Answer:
Resource planning chart

There are many tools that can be used for planning and allocating resources
for your customer service strategies. One of these tools is a resource
planning chart. This simple, easy to use tool is illustrated below:
Resource planning chart
The objective How Resources What if?

required
What must be How will it be Any potential
done and by done? (the tasks Who will do each problems?
when? involved, the task?
stages/key Any potential
points) What is needed issues with co-
for each task? ordination?
How will the tasks
be measured?
To plan the resources you’ll need to implement a service strategy, complete

the columns addressing each of the questions listed.
The objective should contribute in some way to your overall customer

service strategy. Answering the other questions and completing the rest of
the chart will help you to identify exactly how your team will contribute,
what resources you’ll need, timeframes, and potential problem areas.

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You may need to consult with other people both within and outside your
team so that you have all the information you need. You are also likely to
find that if you involve others in this early stage they will be more interested
and committed to ensuring the success of the plan.
Resource capability matrix

Another useful tool that you can use in the resource planning process is the
Resource capability matrix. This matrix allows you to capture the skills of
the current and proposed team members. If you have completed the
Frontline management unit, Implementing operational plan then you will be
familiar with this tool.
To complete a matrix:
 Write the task that will contribute towards the key objective of the service
strategy in the row labelled ‘Task’.
 List the names of your team members in the left hand ‘Team member’
column.
 Label each ‘Capability’ column with one of the task skills required to
deliver the service strategy, eg ability to determine customer needs or
ability to manage complaints.
 Record the skills that each team member currently has, deciding on an
appropriate rating (low proficiency, medium proficiency, high proficiency,
excellent proficiency/can train others to do the job).
Here is an example of a team member capability matrix.
Team member capability matrix
Reviewed Task:
on:
/ /
Team Capabilit Capability Capability Capability Capability Capability 6

member: y1 2 3 4 5
A ++ + + +++ 0 ++
B ++ ++ ++ ++ 0 +++
C ++ + + 0 ++ ++
D + + ++ ++ 0 +
E ++ ++ + ++ 0 0
F + + +++ ++ +++ 0
A resource capability matrix allows you to identify areas of strength in

certain capabilities within a team and also areas where there may be
capability gaps. If capability gaps are identified, they can be ‘plugged’ by

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increasing the training to a team, or by changing the members of a team to

include individuals with the required capabilities.
Customer service problem solving

Whether we actively seek customer feedback or not, there will be times
when customers let us know about problems they have had in their dealings
with us. Despite our best efforts to provide quality products and services,
problems will occur. How we deal with these problems will affect whether
we keep our customers in the long term. It will also influence how they
speak about us, and our organisation, to other potential customers.
It is well known that for every customer who complains about their
dissatisfaction, there are 19 who do not, but those 19 may each tell ten of
their friends. The multiplier-factor makes for alarming arithmetic.
Take, for example, an organisation with one million customers. If only 1%

of that organisation's customers have a reason to complain in any year, the
total number of people who hear about problems is around 100,000,
although only about 500 complaints will be communicated to the
organisation directly.
Dealing sensitively and sincerely with complaints when they arise can
preserve a customer relationship which otherwise might be lost. Many
organisations find that customers who have their complaint well managed
grow more loyal as a result of that overall experience. Loyal customers are
real assets to an organisation, and they are very costly to replace. Systems
that look after them make good commercial sense.
For all these reasons, complaint management systems are not just good
manners, they're important components of an effective, competitive,
customer-focused business.
The optimum value of a complaints system is gained when it is integrated

with service delivery, quality monitoring, management reporting and
organisational learning. So don’t only deal with complaints when they are
received. An Australian Standard AS4269 describes the essential elements
of a quality complaint handling system. Copies of this standard are available
from Standards Australia, and you can read more about it on the website
www.standards.com.au. Go to ‘Australian Standards’ in the top menu.
Examples of service problems

There are many types of service problems that cause customer
dissatisfaction. The following examples can refer to service problems for
both internal and external customers:
 they have expectations that are not being met

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 they feel no one will listen

 service providers are not well-trained
 they don’t get the information they need to make appropriate decisions
 they get inaccurate information
 service is delayed
 products are out of stock
 products are damaged or don’t work properly
 service providers are rude or discourteous
 they are told different things by different service providers
 the organisation has an inflexible returns policy
 they are promised something that it not delivered.
The list is almost endless!

These service problems can be caused by many factors in the workplace, for
example, unrealistic targets, management issues, resource issues,
environmental issues, low morale, lack of job knowledge/skill.
Whatever the service problem is, you’ll probably need to deal with it on two
levels. The first level is addressing the specific problem that the customer
has brought to your attention — you must deal with the situation and the
complaint that is presented to you at a particular time. The second level is
solving service problems that appear to be recurring. This process may
involve your team and others involved in service delivery in your
organisation.
How to deal with complaints

1. Show your concern and remain calm.
Complaints are important to the people making them, so give them a
chance to let off steam and to express their feelings. If they have a
problem, you might have one too. It’s OK for them to be upset, but you
need to remain calm, in control, tactful, and ready to respond.
2. Be objective.
Your job is not to judge — the issue is not really about who is right. The
customer is simply seeking satisfaction. You must make it clear that you
are interested in the problem and are concerned with fair treatment. Often
the opportunity to complain is just as important to some people as any
resolution of the issue.
3. Be prepared to listen.
Every story has at least two sides, and you are about to hear one of them.
Listen to, and empathise with, the customer. This not only shows respect
but might also enable you to find out what the real problem is — including
any hidden agenda — and the depth of feeling associated with the
complaint. Your considered response will show that you have taken the

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matter seriously. If you are particularly busy at the time, make an

appointment to meet within a day or two. Never allow people to gain an
impression that you are not interested.
4. Assemble the facts.
Although you should avoid any escalation of the perceived problem, you
should resist making a decision until you’ve probed for the facts.
Customers may attempt to minimise their part in a problem by selectively
omitting certain details, so search beneath the surface to understand what is
involved without trying to manoeuvre them into admitting the complaint is
unfounded. Finally, state your interpretation of the key issues and allow the
customer to clarify where necessary. Effective handling of the complaint at
this early stage should avoid complications later.
5. Refer the customer to the right person.
Sometimes the best help you can give people is to put them in touch with
the person who can help to solve their problem. You should make the
necessary arrangements for the discussions to take place, and thoroughly
brief the person to whom you refer the complaint.
6. Adopt and follow a grievance procedure.
You may already have documented procedures and accompanying work
instructions for reporting and handling complaints and workplace
problems. If not, develop procedures for handling complaints and educate
employees and customers about those procedures. Though not every
complaint will require strict adherence to formal, documented procedures,
you can’t afford to ignore a grievance or a complaint.
7. Address the complaint and advise of the decision.
It’s safe to assume that anyone coming to you with a complaint or
grievance would like a direct answer. Either give it in clear, definite and
understandable terms, or guarantee a response by a certain time. If further
time is required to investigate, unanticipated delays should be
communicated to the customer. Once you’ve made your decision, tell the
person yourself. Any misunderstanding can be clarified at this point.
Though customers may not always agree with your decision, they should
understand that their complaints were given very serious consideration, and
that you appreciate their feedback.
My workplace
5. Think of a time when you’ve managed a customer complaint. After reading the
above steps, are there any things you think you could have done better? What do
you believe you did well?
Answer:

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The problem-solving and decision-making process

When service difficulties recur, you may need to spend some time and effort
resolving the problems behind the complaints that you are receiving. There
are generally three phases to the process.
Figure 1: Problem-solving and decision-making process
Further reading
For more detail about these steps you can refer to Cole, K (2001)
Supervision. The theory and practice of first-line management. 2nd Edition
Prentice Hall: Sydney, pp 346–356.
Look for tips that Cole gives to help with solving problems and making
decisions.
My workplace
6. How are service problems identified and resolved in your workplace?

Are service teams involved in making decisions about service issues?
When is it best to involve your team in the problem-solving and decision-
making process?
Answer:

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More resources
If you're keen to find out more about this topic, look for these books in your
local library.
Albrecht, K (1990) Service within: Solving the middle management

leadership crisis, Richard Irwin Publishing: Illinois, USA.
Albrecht, K (1992) The only thing that matters — bringing the power of the
customer into the center of your business, HarperCollins: New York
Albrecht, K & Bradford, LJ (1990) The service advantage — how to identify

and fulfil customer needs. Dow Jones-Irwin: Illinois, USA.
Anderson, K & Zemke, R (1991) Delivering knock your socks off service.
AMACOM: New York.
Carlzon, J (1989) Moments of truth — new strategies for today’s customer-

driven economy. HarperCollins: New York.
Chase, RB & Dasu, S (2001) Want to perfect your company’s service? Use
behavioural science. Harvard Business Review, June 2001.
Cole, K (2001) Supervision. The theory and practice of first-line

management. 2nd Edition Prentice Hall: Sydney.
Collis, J (1992) Your business is your customer. McGraw Hill Book

Company: Sydney.
Flanagan, N & Finger, J (2003) The management bible, Plum Press:

Toowong, Queensland.
Hosking, R (1997) Managing operations: Customer service. Eastern House:

Croyden, Victoria.
Guaspari, J (1991) The customer connection — quality for the rest of us.
AMACOM, New York.
Gerson, RF (1992) Beyond customer service. Crisp Publishing Inc.: USA.
Kouzes, JM & Posner, BZ (1995) The leadership challenge. Jossey-Bass

Publishers: San Francisco.
Martin, D (1993) Quality service — A positive guide to superior service, 3rd

Edition, Crisp Publications: California.
Martin, D (1998) One stop customer care. ICSA Publishing and Prentice
Hall: United Kingdom.
Mitzberg, H (2001) Why I hate flying. Strategy + Business, Booz Allen &
Hamilton, Issue 22, 1st Q 2001.

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Parasumanina A, Zeithamel VA & Berry LL (1994) Reassessment of

expectations as a comparison standard in measuring service quality —
implications for further research. Journal of Marketing 58(1):111 1–124.
Seddon, J (1992) Ideas for quality service — the unreasonable guide to

service and quality in organisations. Vanguard Press: Buckingham, UK.

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Sample answers to ‘My workplace’

questions
1
Compare your list with the induction program currently offered by your
organisation. Is anything lacking that you believe are important for your
new team members? If so, you may want to take the appropriate steps to
review the induction program.
If a review of the organisation’s formal process is not possible, consider

filling the gaps with your own ‘team induction’ program.
Your training session will be tailored to your own workplace, but be sure to
use good template for what you do — either the one in this Content guide,
or another one that you may have.
You may find it difficult to think of a specific time when you have
demonstrated leadership behaviour — after all, you probably do this every
day! But reflecting on our actions and their effects on others helps us learn
what works and what doesn’t. This way we can consciously repeat effective
behaviours, and take steps to avoid those that are ineffective.
Try to think of at least one example of how you have ‘modelled the way’ for
your team. Do you help them out with their tasks when they are very busy?
Do you show them how to complete a new task or process? This is
‘modelling the way’.
In ranking your customers remember that the top 20% are those that bring in
the most profit, although not necessarily the highest number of sales. As you
reflect on why they have stayed with your organisation you might consider
the characteristics or dimensions of effective service.
Dimension Description
Access approachability, ease of contact

Responsibility willingness to keep customers happy
and provide prompt service
Courtesy politeness, respect, consideration,

friendliness

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Reliability ability to perform the promised service

dependably and accurately
Security freedom from danger, risk or doubt (eg
security of data, protection of health and
safety)
Communication keeping customers informed in a
language they can understand; listening
to customers
Understanding making an effort to know customers and
their needs
the customers
Tangibles appearance of physical facilities

equipment, personnel and
communication
Credibility Trustworthiness, believability, honesty
of service provider
Competence possession of the required skills and

knowledge to perform the service
In addition to the points made above, did you do the following:

 avoid ‘off the cuff’ remarks
 practise patience
 concede any point that you could
 admit any errors (without admitting liability), apologise, and take steps to
ensure it won’t recur
 take the complaint seriously
 help the person to voice the complaint
 alert your manager if you felt the grievance could escalate?
Your answers should help you to identify your development needs in

relation to managing customer complaints. What will you do to improve
your skills?
The question of whether or not to involve your team in solving service

problems can be difficult. You should consider the following factors, which,
if present, indicate that you should involve your team:
 The need for acceptance. The more you need your team to accept the
decision, the more you should involve them.

 ANTA 2004
 Its effect on the group. The more the problem or decision affects the group,
the more you should involve them.
 Their involvement in implementing it. If the team will be implementing or
carrying out the decision, involve them.
 The ability and desire of the group to become involved. If the team wants
to become involved, consider involving them, particularly of they have
sufficient knowledge or expertise in the issues. Even if they do not,
involving them could provide useful training and development.

 ANTA 2004

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Implement customer service strategies:

Implement customer service strategies: Content guide 1

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 1 of 23

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 2 of 23

The process of identifying a problem, its causes, generating options, and

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Tell staff about the service strategy

You may choose some of the following methods to communicate and

In a team environment, you may choose to make your communication more

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 4 of 23

New staff induction programs

An induction program is a formal process that introduces employees to the

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 5 of 23

Then, you’ll need to prepare a training session plan. A session plan is a

Your training session plan should include such things as:

A well-planned training session will:

Here is an example of a plan for a training session on managing customer

Sample training session plan

SAMPLE TRAINING SESSION PLAN

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 6 of 23

The benefits of effective complaint Group discussion, brainstorming

Complaint management procedures Overhead transparencies, practice

Managing emotions Question and answer, role play

Conclusion: Areas covered, feedback about performance, any future plans

Table: Training session plan

TRAINING SESSION PLAN

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Main points Training methods

Coaching situations fall into two main categories:

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 Coaching for improvement — coaching for improvement is reactive. It

Modelling and leader behaviour

Or refer to Cole, K. (2001) Supervision. The theory and practice of first-line

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 9 of 23

Resources for service success

In other words, we need to budget for the implementation of customer

Having developed a budgeting process for income and expenditure, it is

For a more detailed analysis of the profit/cost relationship in customer

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 10 of 23

 technology (Does the strategy need new computer programs or other

It is significant to remember here that effort is not necessarily related to

Customers can be ranked in pyramid formation as in the following diagram:

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Pareto’s customer pyramid

The key to making use of Pareto’s customer pyramid is:

Understanding your customers’ zone of tolerance is equally important in

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 12 of 23

Resource planning chart

Resource planning chart

The objective How Resources What if?

To plan the resources you’ll need to implement a service strategy, complete

The objective should contribute in some way to your overall customer

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Resource capability matrix

Here is an example of a team member capability matrix.

Team member capability matrix

Team Capabilit Capability Capability Capability Capability Capability 6

A resource capability matrix allows you to identify areas of strength in

Up Front! Toolbox: Implement customer service strategies — Content guide Page 14 of 23

increasing the training to a team, or by changing the members of a team to