Service Culture (2)

MODULE 1
Introduction to Service Culture and Customer Service
A. Introduction:
This module is designed to develop the necessary skills for a success as a customer service
provider. The module provides various service situations and develop an attitude of superior customer
service which is critical to the success of the organization.
B. Objectives:
In this lesson, students should be able to:
1. understand what service excellence stands for;
2. explain the importance of good communication skills;
3. understand what is expected while interacting with a customer and the concept of a
successful customer service call;
4. understand the logic behind using appropriate words while writing an email;
5. manage and handle customer interactions and relationships;
6. instill in customer service professionals the importance of providing excellent customer
service;
7. equip customer service professionals with effective technique and skills to provide
excellent service;
C. Learning Contents:
1. Service
2. Introduction to Customer Service?
3. Key Elements of Customer Service
4. Effective Technique and Skills
5. Dealing with Different Types of Customer
6. Service Excellent
7. Introduction to Communication
8. Methods of Communication
9. Call Control Tips
10. Questioning Technique
11. Phonetics Alphabet
D. Pre-Test:
1. How would you define good customer service?

2. What’s the best customer service you’ve ever received?
PT4-Service Culture P a g e 1 | 38
3. Please tell us about a time when you received poor customer service?
E. Learning Activities:
Introduction: Service Culture
Definition: Culture
 Culture is a pattern of beliefs and expectations shared by the organization’s members. –
Davis (1981)
 Culture is the traditions and beliefs of an organization that distinguish it from others. –
Mintzberg (1989)
 Culture is shared orientations that hold the unit together and give distinctive identity.
Service Defined
 A service is an action of doing something to someone which is essentially (purely) intangible.
 Service is an act of performance offered by one party to another that is essentially intangible and
does not result in the ownership of anything.
Service Culture
 A service culture is made up of various factors including values, beliefs, norms and practices of
group or organizations.
 A service culture indicates that, for everyone in the provider organization, customer satisfaction
is the top priority and that service provider activity obviously contribute to the business
objectives of the customer.
 A service culture exists when you motivate the employees in your organization to take a
customer-centric approach to their regular duties and work activities. Sales and service
employees put customer needs first when presenting solutions and providing support. Other
employees work behind to scenes to ensure customers get a good products experience. Develop a
service culture requires time and consistency.
Defining a Service Culture
Building of Service Culture requires
 Hiring right people
 Retaining the best people
 Developing the people to deliver service quality
 Providing needed support system to people
Introduction: Customer Service

 We hear more complaints about customer service today than ever before.
 In today’s competitive market-place, effective customer service is essential to the survival of any
business.
 You can lose more business due to poor service than from your product quality or cost problem.
Some Statistics of Customer Service

1. 68% of customer leave because they feel mistreated.
2. It costs 5 times more to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones.
3. An average business never hear from 96% of unhappy clients.
4. 45% of customers can’t remember a recent successful customer experience.
5. A customer will tell 5 people if they are happy with our service.
6. A customer will tell 10 people if they have problems with your service.
7. As little as a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25 to 95%.
Good customer service can improve your bottom line.
What is Customer Service?

 Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction –
that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.
 How a company deals with its consumers before, during and after a purchase or use of a service.
 A proactive attitude that can be summed up as: I care ad I can do.
 There is a very famous Chinese proverbs “ A man without a smiling face must not open a shop”.
Just imagine you get to florist and ask for a bouquet of flowers since you want to sent this
bouquet to someone special in your life. What is the least that you expect from the person who is
providing you with the service?
A welcoming smile.
 A customer service can be a simple smile or a free home delivery of a bouquet of flowers which
you were not expecting.
What Customer Service is NOT
 Customer service is NOT a smile campaign!
 Customer service IS:
• The quality of WHAT you deliver, and
• HOW WELL you deliver
Why Does Customer Service Matters?

 Customer are the reason for our existence
 Rising customer expectations
 Sets the organization apart from competition
 Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty
 Improves employee engagement
Displaying Customer Service Attitude

 Projecting confidence
 Thinking positive
 Using positive language
 Being enthusiastic
 Conveying speed or urgency
 Taking ownership or accountability
 Being courteous
The Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction
Why Ask for Expression of Satisfaction?

 Know what is on customer’s “invisible report card”.
 Make sure they are not left either dissatisfied or in the zone of indifference.
 Provide opportunity to make adjustment if they are not satisfied.
Customer Satisfaction Approach
6 Basic Rules of Effective Customer Service
RULE # 1: Have a positive attitude

• Be committed to helping people and solving problems.
• Be polite and enthusiastic about you profession.
• Learn how to see the problem to the logical end (satisfied
customers!)
• Do not be easily upset by yelling customers.
• Surveys reveal that lack of politeness is the major problem in customer service.
• Take full responsibility of all elements of your job.
Practice Tips
• When you are talking to customers, speak clearly but don’t sound aggressive.
• When giving complex information, speak slowly so they can easily follow what you are saying.
• Choose words that convey a positive, respectful and helpful tone.
RULE # 2: Know your product or service

• Talk with your peers to get useful data – they have valuable
information on the common and the unique problems.
• Talk to other departments who have assisted you.
• Have manuals, notes, policies and procedures on hand if
available.
RULE # 3: Listen to the customer

• Listen completely to the customer’s situation.
• Do not cut them off or jump to conclusions.
• Allow customers to “vent” their frustrations.
• Listen to the customer’s complete story before talking.
RULE # 4: Maintain communications

• Need to be able to establish and maintain clear
communications.
• Keep customer apprised of their status.
• Always get back to the customer when you have promised.
RULE # 5: Solve the problem
• The objective of a competent customer service advisor is to solve
the problem.
• Do not quit until you solve the problem.
• If you cannot solve the problem, move it up the chain of
command.
• Solve problem = happy customer.
RULE # 6: Always follow up

• Follow up with the customer within 24 hours after the problem
has been solved.
• If the problem has not been resolved, you will get another chance.
• This will give you a professional and competent image.
Two Parts of Customer Service
Displaying Customer Service Attitude

• Projecting confidence
• Thinking positive
• Using positive language
• Being enthusiastic
• Conveying speed or urgency
• Taking ownership or accountability
• Being courteous
Who are Customers?
• A customer is a recipient of a product or service.
• Customers are people who need your assistance.
• People who phone, people who walk-in, people who write/email.
• Customers are not an interruption to your job, they are the reason you have job.
What is expected out of you?
As we are now at a stage where we know that customer service is very important for us and the
person who is buying goods or services from us, it is also important to understand your role.
We in customer services deal with various products such as credit cards, Bank accounts, Mortgages
etc. The customer calls a customer services umber where he is expecting a resolution to his problems
regards to the product or service that we offer or answers to his queries. You would at all times be ready
to get to the best of your abilities and knowledge to help the customer.
To provide customer service we should know the type customer’s we have to deal with.
Types of Customers
There are two types of customer: Internal and External
Who are your Internal Customers?

 People inside your organization e.g. employee, stakeholders
 Colleagues
 Supervisors
 Managers
 Other Departments within your Unit
Who are your External Customers?

 Clients that we provide services to
 End Customers that we interact with on a regular basis
 People outside your organization who plays for your products and services.
Customer Service is not a department it is an ATTITUDE.
We all come across customer service representatives in our day to day life, and we all have
expectations too from the service provider.
What Customer Want
 Professionalism
 Enthusiastic service
 Timely service
 Personal Recognition
 Empathy
Customer Expectation
 Polite and Friendly Voice.
 Pleasant tone.
 Smile in the voice.
 Acknowledge the customer.
 Make an effort to help.
 Keep them informed.
 Make appropriate notes during the call.
 Is a subject matter expert on the product.
 Is able to control the conversation.
 Offers alternative solutions.
 Know how to say “no” without offending the customer.
Providing customer service needs a “will” rather than a style. While providing service
communication plays a very important role hence it is very important to understand the impact and
method of communication.
Tips for Identifying, understanding and anticipating customers’ needs

 Being sensitive to cultural differences.
 Knowing their time requirements.
 Being attentive.
 Developing the skill to read your customer and understand what your customer may need or
want.
Meeting Customer’s Needs and Expectations

 Explaining your products, services, policies or procedures.
 Personalizing your service.
 Adapting what you normally do and how you normally do it to better meet the needs of your
customers.
Why Personalize?
 Is the way to differentiate the service (“brand”) you provide.
 You are saying to your customers:
• I am proud of what I do and I want to personally associated with it.
• I am confident enough that I am willing to “put my name on it”.
• I want you to remember my service as something special that you only get when you do
business with me and my organization.
Two Parts of Personalizing

 Demonstrating that you think about the customer as an individual.
 Helps the customer know that the service was given by you or your organization instead of
another service provider or competitor.
Definition: Adapting
 Making a connection with customers by doing things in ways that
are most appropriate to them as individuals.
Two Kinds of Adapting
Why Customers Get Angry

• Didn’t get what was promised.
• Got something and it didn’t work correctly.
• Service was slow or sloppy.
• Were treated rudely or with indifference.
Why Do Customers Leave?
 1% - die
 3% - move away
 5% - develop other relationship
 9% - leave for competitive reasons
 14% - are dissatisfied with product or service
 68% - leave because of rude or discourteous service
Observation Skills
 Helps us to identify customer conditions
 Observation includes:
• Watching body language
• Listening for what is said and how it is said
• Looking for cues that tell you what you’re seeing and hearing may not be in agreement
Customer Conditions
Customer Conditions: Indecisive

 Need reassurance and clarify
 Our self-talk
• Be patient, supportive, confident
• Non-judgmental
• Be sensitive
• Be assuring
 Used closed questions to determine needs and expectations.
 Show that you care about them and willing to extend all the time they need
Customer Conditions: Demanding

 Need immediate action
 Expect you to do what they tell or ask you to do, now
 Our self-talk
• Be cooperative, efficient, confident and assertive
• Not defensive, competitive
 Make customer feel important.
 Keeping customer informed.
Customer Conditions: Angry

 Need validation that they have a right to be angry and to express it.
 Focus our self-talk on:
• Our intent/commitment to solve the problem
• Need to manage the interaction, not the anger
• Need to continuously listen, validate and understand
• Reinforcing that customer doesn’t have a problem
 Ask “feeling-finding” questions.
 Offer ongoing support.
What is Good Customers Service?

 Philosophy of excellence in customer service must be incorporated into day to day operations.
 Processes and systems must be built to provide structure to both the customer and the employees
who serve them.
 Staff should be given the right tools, training and consistent support.
 This is NOT an overnight program!
Skills for Customer Service?

 Know about your organization, products and services.
 Learn the technical parts of the job.
 Communicate well.
 Be consistent.
 Be organized.
 Know your place in the team and be a team player.
Reliability – Acting/ Completing as promised
• Providing the service that you’ve promised to your customers.
• Systems and processes are robust and reliable.
• Service delivery is consistent and timely.
• Being accurate and efficient.
• Improving the quality of service.
Empathy – Acting with care and understanding

• Treating customers as individuals, not as a number.
• Seeing things from a customer point of view.
• Genuinely caring about customer needs.
• Building good relationship with customers.
• Empathy is NOT sympathy.
Greeting Customers and Establishing Positive Rapport

 Greet the customer.
 The purpose is to create and maintain a welcoming environment.
 Be attentive, acknowledge a person as soon as they appear, even if you’re busy.
 Smile.
 Make or establish eye contact.
 Tell them your name.
 Ask how you can help.
 Project a positive attitude.
 Give the customer your full attention.
 Be polite and courteous.
 Watch your sound and tone of voice and body language.
 Have a sense of urgency.
 Personalize and adapt.
 Thank the customer.
 Follow up (if necessary)
Words and Phrases that Damage Customer Relationship

* You don’t understand. * That’s not my job/responsibility.
* I don’t know. * You must/should…
* I can’t… * You’ll have to…..
* You don’t see my point. * What you need to do is…
* Hold on (or hang on) a second * What’s your problem?
* Our policy says (or prohibits)…. * Why don’t you….?
* I never said…..
Understanding Customer’s Needs and Expectation

 Needs
• What a customer has to have.
• More focused on the contents or job/technical dimension of interaction.
 Expectation
• What a customer likes to have.
• More focused on the people dimension or how I get what I need.
• This is the customer’s “invisible report card”
Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
Overcoming Communication Barriers
 Seek first to understand the message.
 Listen actively.
 Be sensitive to body language.
 Use appropriate language.
 Use the right communication channel.
 Be honest and sincere.
 Obtain feedback.
Three Parts of Effective Listening
Effective Telephone Techniques

 Smile before answering the phone.
 Answer the phone in three rings or less.
 Give you company name and your name when answering the phone.
 Use proper language and warm, friendly voice tone.
 Be courteous and pleasant.
 Be helpful. Tell the customer the action you are going to take.
Effective Face-to-Face Communication Techniques

 Focused attention
 Eye contact
 Body language
 Check your physical appearance
 Clear, concise messages
 Active Listening
 Respect cross-cultural preferences
 Feedback
Improving Customer Service Professionalism
 Make excellence your goal
 Get your basics right
 Take your job seriously
 Switch off personal problems
 Focus on your work
 Be willing to learn
 Be a team player
 Enjoy what you do
Dealing with Difficult Customers

 Label the behavior, not the customer
 Listen
 Don’t get defensive
 Don’t take it personally
 Find out what the customer wants
 Discuss alternatives
 Take responsibility for what you CAN do
 Agree on action
Saying “No” Positively
Don’t Say Use Instead

• “Call back tomorrow” • “ I’ll call you back tomorrow.”
• “It’s not ready.” • “ It will be ready on _____.”
• “You should have called • “ I understand why you
sooner.” called.”
• “That’s not our fault.” • “Let’s see what we can do.”
Five Steps Recovery Skills

 Acknowledge the situation and the discomfort.
 Apologize for the discomfort.
 Accept responsibility for helping the customer.
 Adjust to solve the problem.
 Assure the problem has been solved.
Delivering Service Excellence
Introduction to Service Excellence
 Rising customer expectations

 Customer service is an important aspect of doing business
 Customers are the reason for our existence
 Quality service as a competitive advantage
 The need to constantly create value for the customer and improve customer satisfaction
Service Excellence: What is Service Excellence?
 Employees who can adjust themselves to the personality and requirement of the customer staying
within the guidelines of the Service provider is a customer oriented service.
 Customer service representative should sincerely believe that they can make a difference with
the effort.
 One of the most important aspects of customer service is the “Feel Good Factor”. Basically the
goal is to not help the customer have a good experience, but to offer them an experience that
exceeds their expectations.
Characteristics of Excellent Service
 Especially pleasing because they are unexpected.

 Cost little or nothing.
 Take little or no extra time.
 Set us apart from competition.
 Involve doing something better or in a more personal ways as opposed to giving something
additional.
Four Service Dimensions
Method of Communication
You can interact or communicate with the customer while you are sitting in front of him or even
when you are not and just interacting with him through a medium. Does this make a difference.
Introduction to Communication
First Impression and Its Impact:

 It is said that “First Impression is the last Impression”.
 Every single thing you say and/or do has an impact on the customer.
 One should make an effort to create a positive lasting impression on the customer.
 In order to create a positive impression focus on “What you say and how you say it”.
What you say?

 It is very important that the words, ideas and structure of your message are well organized.
 Commonly used words in short and direct sentences have the most powerful impact as compared
to longer sentences which may be difficult to follow.
 Company jargon will often be incomprehensible to customers and make it difficult for them to
understand. (e.g.: A person who works for a bank may understand the term DORMANT
(account with no transaction for a certain period), as compared to someone who is not familiar
with jargons from the Finance Industry).
How you say it ?

 Even if you chose the right words, how you say it makes a big impact on the conversation.
 Your voice conveys meaning by tone, inflection, volume ad pitch or the words that you use while
communicating.
 If these aspects of your voice are consistent with the content of what you say, your message will
be more powerful and more likely to be understood in the way in which you mean it.
 IF what you are saying and the way you are saying it are” not compatible” the effect can be quite
the reverse; misunderstanding and arguments will often be the result.
For example:
When you say “ I am sorry or I understand your concern” let your voice convey this.
While dealing with the customer’s you should identify with their feeling which is nothing but
Empathy, it is required in Customer service to get a satisfied customer. Following is the section
that talks about Empathy and its importance.
Importance of Empathy?
Empathy plays a vital role while communicating with customer.
It is important to understand the difference between empathy and sympathy and thereby use
empathy appropriately.
 Empathy is the ability to put yourself in another’s shoes and walk a mile. It’s ability to imagine
what it might be like to experience what the other person is feeling.
 Empathy acknowledge a person’s feelings and his/her right to feel that way.
 Whereas Sympathy is a feeling of care and understanding for suffering. Moreover, sympathy is
agreeing with those feelings.
 Look at the chart and see if you can think of examples for both empathy ad sympathy.
Sympathy Empathy
Meaning Feeling Bad or sorry for Putting yourself in someone’s
someone position or showing someone you
know how they feel.
Situation Death Anything good or bad
Loss of job/card, new job/car/
house, marriage.
Benefits of Empathy?
Letting customer know that you understand why they are upset, helps build a
bridge of rapport between you and them. It lets the customer know that you are
listening. It helps build the customer’s trust in you.
What are the key points to keep in mind while empathizing with a customer?
Point 1: Always remember you tone needs to match what you’re saying.
Point 2: Listen Carefully: Listen with your ears, eyes and heart. Pay attention to others’ body
language, to their tone of voice, to the hidden emotions behind what they are saying to you
and to the context.
Point 3: An empathy statement always needs to be followed with what you can do to help the
customer.
Example: I can understand why you would be upset, don’t worry I will ensure that a copy
of your statement is send out today.
So now that you know how to empathize, you should avoid empathizing in the following
situation:
• Divorce – you don’t know what the situation is…. Unless the customer says he/she is
going through a very bad time.
• Inheritance – you don’t know what the situation is….. Unless the customer says he/she
is extremely happy.
• Death – In the case of death you normally sympathize with the caller….
Below are some Empathy situations with customer comments ad appropriate responses.
Customer Comments Associate’s Response

I am going on a holiday tomorrow That sound wonderful!
I am going through a divorce and I want I can certainly help you with that.
to give you my new address.
I just got a new job and will be travelling Congratulations! That’s a great news.
to New York on my first assignment.
I am sorry to trouble you with this again… It’s ok.
Thank you for all your help. You’re welcome. Is there anything else
I can help you with?
My husband just passed away. I am so sorry to hear that.
I haven’t been able to use my credit card Oh that sounds terrible.
for two weeks now.
Though what to say is of importance equally importance is given on how you say it. Tone of your
voice is a mirror of what you mean which creates an impact on the situation.
Tone and overall impression

Some examples of impact and related vocal elements:
Sample:
Customer service agent is sounding interested.
Customer service agent is sounding warm and friendly
Customer service agent is sounding Harsh and Irritated.
Customer service agent is sounding Bored.
Do’s and Don’t’s While Communicating

Some examples of impact and related vocal elements:
DO’s DON’T s
• Stay calm • Get frustrated

• Be polite and helpful • Raise your voice when the
• Answer the queries promptly customer is unable to hear.
• Be confident and listen • Understand what you are saying,
• Make mental rotes • Eat while on the phone.
• Seek help when you don’t • Sound cisinterested
know the answer • Assume the query when you don’t
understand.
Inappropriate Responses
When a customer contacts you with a complaint or query, don’t make them more annoyed by
casting doubt on what they have said.
Some examples on what you could say on the phone that could make the situation worse as
unintentional behavior:
Rusty words or phrases
Inappropriate Word or Potential Impact on Customer Appropriate Responses

Phrases
I’m new You don’t know what you’re doing. Ok Mr. XXX let me sort
The customer loses confidence. this out for you.
I’ll try You may try but will you succeed? Let me resolve this problem
Makes us look inefficient and the for you.
I can’t help you Who can then? Tell the customer Let me speak to someone
what you can do. who can help me resolve
this for you.
You’ll have to I don’t have to do anything, you do What we will need to do
Mr. XXX is
I’ll have to Sounds like we are being put out by This is what I will do
the customer
Let me ask someone who I want to speak to the person you Thank you Mr. XXX I am
might know are going to speak to. going to transfer your call to
our supervisor/colleague
who
Sorry to keep you waiting I’ve been kept waiting, they are Thank you for being patient
inefficient and I apologize to keep you
waiting for so long.
Sorry my system is running You can’t cope Can I take all the details
low from you Mr. XXX and call
you back on your
convenience.
Phhhhhhhhr! (Big sigh) Can’t be bothered Good morning, how can I
help you today?
Let say you know your business, you are one of the best customer service associate in the world
still remember the customer is said to be the KING, so it’s obvious that your King would be demanding,
at time you will be helpless could be because of the policies with which you are working, you want to
change those for the customer but they are beyond your control.
It’s always recommended to keep some common medicines even before you fall sick. Below are
some useful traits to handle such difficult customers and situation while providing customer service.
Difficult Situation
No matter how hard we try, it is impossible to work in a customer service role and not
occasionally “meet” an unhappy customer.
Most of use often view objections and complaints from customers as personal attack, as a result,
objections and complaints become things to be feared, guarded against or, preferably, avoided
altogether.
The habitual reaction to these ideas is to defend, either by attacking back, by changing or
ignoring the ideas altogether, or by just saying nothing at all. This makes response and co-operation
almost impossible especially if you are being criticized for something that is not your fault.
The Trick to handle difficult customers
Given the we all have an automatic and understandable reaction to defend, remember to use the
acronym ARCC to manage the situation:
• Acknowledge – demonstrate that you have listened and that you understand the problem.
• Respond – answer the customer’s concern directly or pass them to someone who can.
• Confirm Satisfaction and Close – when you have addressed the customer’s concern, ensure
that the customer knows that the matter has been resolved.
This places you in the position of directing the conversation.
Quick Tips for dealing with a Difficult Customer
• Let the customer vent
Customer who are upset want two things:
• To express their feelings

• A solution to their problems
So it’s important that we allow the customer to speak whilst letting them know that we are
listening.
To achieve this demonstrate “Active Listening Gestures”
Verbal nod’s such as (Mmhhmm, Aha, I see)
Be careful with OK or alright as an angry customer will pick up on these. e.g. “SO YOU THIK
ITS OK THAT ITS TAKEN 3 WEEKS FOR IT TO BE DONE DO YOU?”
• Avoid negative thoughts
Be careful not to formulate opinions on a customer when they are angry. The moment we
start to form those opinions we are building a “negative filter” and this dramatically effects how
we communicate with that person. You need to rise above the anger and assertively take control
of the conversation by asking a logical question related to the customer’s query.
• Problem Solving
• Gather the additional information you need via effective questioning.
• Do not jump to conclusions
• Double-check the facts (So what you’re saying is……./ If I understand correctly…..)
• Agree to the Solution

Talk to the customer about what you “can do”
• “I can sort that out for you right now Mr. Smith”
If something is not possible, say so assertively but follow it up with what is achievable.
• I can guarantee, it will reach you within…. Days, however “ I’m afraid that I cannot
guarantee that your new card will reach you within 48 hours “Do not over-promise and
under deliver, as this will only ensure that an angrier Mr. Jones calls back at a different
time.
• Using the customer’s name

• It will help you personalize the call and help you build rapport with the customer.
• Try and use the customer’s name at least 5-6 times during a conversation at various
intervals.
• Acknowledgment
• Acknowledge the query; show the customer that you have understood their request.
• Rephrase sentences and use positive words.
• Summarizing
• Summarize key points at the end of the call to let the customer know that you have
understood the query and provide an abridged version of the action that you are going to
take.
To get information from the customer on the query is very important; this should be done by
not letting the customer feel that he is being interrogated. To avoid customer dissatisfaction, it is
advisable to follow an appropriate Questioning technique.
Questioning Skills
 Open questions
 Closed questions
 Paraphrasing
 Check for understanding
Questioning Technique
Excellence in any customer-facing role is dependent on understanding what your customer

wants. Understanding anything depends on asking good questions and then listening to the responses
your questions are generating.
There are various type of questions such as:

• Open Ended
• Open Leading
• Closed
• Check for information
• Multiple
Open ended Question
The purpose of open ended question is to elicit a more elaborate response and top get them to
divulge information, opinions or issues. Open ended questions usually start with the following words:
• Who?
• Why?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• How?
• Which?
Open ended questions can be used to open up the conversation and gain information from the
customer. Put this on top and not at the end.
Example of open ended questions – Business related
• What do you think are the areas we should improve on?

• What is the nature of your business?
• What do you think we can add to get the best customer satisfaction survey?
Open Leading Questions
This is a very similar to the open ended questions however is more tailored. Also begin in the
same way, however relate specifically to one topic thus increasing the control of the conversation. Open
leading questions are also effective when dealing with difficult situations.
For example: “What action would you like me to take to rectify this matter for you?”
Closed Ended Questions
Closed ended questions are used to elicit one word answers e.g. “yes” or “no” or definitive
answer. They often start with words such as:
• Do……?
• Can……?
• Will……?
• Are…….?
• Have…..?
These are effective for guiding the conversation to a close.
Check for Information
These are closed ended questions which can be used to ensure that you still have the interest and
attention of the person you are speaking to, and most importantly, that they understand you. Some
examples of checking questions:
• Are you with me so far?

• Does that make sense?
• Do you have any questions on what I’ve said so far?
• Is that your understanding?
• Have I explained that clearly enough?
Multiple Questions
These are questions asked with are inter-related to a specific query raised by the customer.
Technique that could be helpful while probing/questioning
Funnel Technique
A Funnel technique is a method that you can follow without letting the customer feel that he is
getting interrogated.
Below are the 3 steps that you need to follow to get all the information required from the
customer to give a satisfactory resolution to the query.
Step 1: Open ended Question – this will give you an opportunity to get majority of the
information required to resolve the query e.g.: “ How may I help you today”.
Step 2: Open Leading Question – this will allow you to get more information on a specific query
raised by the customer and is also relevant to get in depth knowledge if the query has a history.
Multiple or Checking questions can also be used if need be.
Step 3: Closed Ended Question – The answer to this type of question is either a “Yes” or a
“No”. The question doesn’t require any explanation.
Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic alphabet helps to differentiate between similar sounding letters i.e. P/B, M/N, D/B,
T/D, S/F etc.
Business Email writing: effective Business E-mails
There are times when you will also communicate with the customers/other department over
emails; hence Business email writing is also one of the important aspects of communication.
The importance of Email in Business Communication
 Email is widely used as a form of business communication and overall it is a highly effective
communication tool.
 Sending simple messages to an entire workforce with just the click of a mouse is fast, easy,
convenient and can save the company money.
Benefits of Email Communication
 Easy to archive for future recall: Most worthwhile-e-mail applications provide search ability
that can provide you with all your pertinent e-mail – often even sort able according to
conversation threads – in return for a few entered key words.
 Contains details of correspondence: No need to rely on memory for facts of interaction. E-mail
is great in that it allows access to useful information long after memory of it has faded.
 Lower risk of making errant or embarrassing comments: With e-mail your communication
can be edited and rephrased as much as is desired before it can be read by the recipient.
Important Steps for Writing an E-mail

Made format provides a structure to the email.
 MADE format –
• Message – What do you exactly want me to know?
• Action – What exactly do you want me to do?
• Details of the message – what things I should keep in mind while completing?
• Explanation – Why are you asking, me to do this? or Why are we doing this?
Modern E-mail Layout
 Salutation
 Thanks and Acknowledgement
 Message
 Action
 Details
 Ending/Summarization
 Invitation and Personalized Goodbye
 Closure
 Signature Block
Important Email Etiquettes
 Avoid using all uppercase/lowercase

HI RAUL,
THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY,
Regards
ganesh
 Be wary of humor or sarcasm
Hi Santosh,
The email dated 16th Jan. 2012 said that the details will be sent to me by the 17 th.
Thanks for sending this to me as per your promise which is Today on the 21st Jan 2012.
Regards,
Satish
 Salutations – Address the receiver
Sameer,
Thanks for the details
Regards,
Shahan
Importantly spell check and take a moment to read, clarify, shorten and reconsider emails before
sending.
Some things to remember while writing business e-mails
Get right to the point

 Don’t distract or confuse the reader by using unnecessary words and phrases
 Be direct to the point.
 Make the reason for writing the e-mail clear at the beginning.
 Only add details that are directly related to the topic of the e-mail
Pay attention to the choice of words

 Remember that writing is a form of indirect communication.
 Unlike having a conversation with someone, you do not have a chance to clarify yourself by
restating your ideas or use nonverbal cues to make your meaning clear.
 You have to make sure your reader understands what you want to say and gets the right
“message” the first time.
 Think about how the e-mail might be perceived by the reader. Are there any words or phrases
that may make the tone seem angry, flippant, or disrespectful.
 Avoid trying to make a joke or say something funny in an e-mail. Sometimes what you think is
funny might be misunderstood by the reader and create a bad relationship.
Example:
Hey,
I got your email, what do you mean by saying please revert for any clarification. Does this mean
any clarification, any…. In literal sense?
Love
Rahul,
The subject of the e-mail
 Always write the subject of the e-mail on the subject line.
 Remember that business people often receive hundreds of e-mail every day.
 If you don’t write the subject in the subject line the person receiving the e-mail might think it’s a
spam or a junk e-mail and delete the message.
 If the subject isn’t clear they might delete the e-mail as well. So make sure the subject is direct.
Don’t use too many words.
Examples
Professional E-mail
To Xxx,
This is to inform you that I have to attend a family function in Delhi and hence will need leave
from 6th-10th June 11.
Request your approval for the same.
Yyy,
Signature
Unprofessional E-mail
Hi,
As you know, I am getting engagement on June 21 and I am going to need some time LEAVE. I
am asking for three days leave.
Yours truly,
Yyy,
Example of Bad Email
Subject: Meeting
Hi Rob,
I just wanted to remind you about the meeting, we have scheduled next week. Do let me know if
you have any questions!
Best wishes,
Mark
Example of Good Email
Hi Vijay,
I wanted to remind you about the meeting which is scheduled for Monday, October 5, at 10:00
am. It will be held in a conference room A, and we will discuss the new PASS Process. If you
have any questions, please revert (x3024).
Best wishes,
Sameer
Observation on the email above:

 See how specific this new headline is?
 The great thing about this headline is that the reader doesn’t even have to open the email to get
most of the relevant information.
 And the precise nature of the headline serves as a useful prompt.
 Every time the reader glances at his saved email, he’ll be reminded about the specific meeting.
Commonly Used Operational Definitions

 SLA
 MBR
 BCP
 AHT
 CSAT
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
 An SLA is a document that describes the minimum performance criteria a provide promises to
meet while delivering a service. It typically also sets out the remedial action and any penalties
that will take effect if performance falls below the promised standard.
Purpose of using a SLA:

• Identifies and defines customer needs.
• Provides a framework for understanding
• Simplifies complex issues
• Reduces the areas of conflicts
• Eliminates the event of disputes
• Eliminates the unrealistic expectations
What does an SLA cover?
• Introduction and purpose
• Service to be delivered
• Performance, tracking and reporting
• Problem management
• Fees and expenses
• Customer duties and responsibilities
• Warranties, remedies and Security
• IPR and confidential information
• Legal compliance and resolution of disputes
• Termination
Monthly Business Review (MBR)
 What is the purpose of MBR? MBR is a meeting with presentation to track the operational
progress against the strategic and operating plan.
 Who executes the MBR? The operation manager and process owners are ultimately responsible
and accountable for the creation and execution of the MBR. The review is discussed with the
client.
 What is the frequency of MBR’s? MBRs are conducted once a month. Scheduled as per
clients/process owners request.
 What is the agenda for the MBRs? The agenda for the MBRs is to review operating performance
for prior month and discuss action plans.
Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
 What is Business Continuity Planning? Business Continuity Planning is the process whereby
organizations ensure the maintenance of critical operations when confronted with adverse events
such as natural disasters, technology failures, human errors, or terrorism. The objectives of a
business continuity plan are to minimize loss to the organization, continue to serve customers,
and maintain administrative operations.
The Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is executed after health, life, and safety issues are
addressed. The Emergency Operations Plan addresses these issues via a structured process for
emergency response.
 Does business continuity planning focus on big disasters only? No. Disaster-readiness is good
management. Many practices that prepare us for a large disaster also prepare us for lesser events.
Proper backup reduces all data risks; a handy emergency phone list can be serve normal needs as
well as emergency needs; proper training and cross-training of staff are fundamental’s to daily
operations.
 Why do departments need to do this planning? Preparing for disaster requires the engagement of
all levels of the organization. The continuity planning tool assists departments in general
preparedness (computer backups, phone lists, etc.) as well as disaster preparedness. Hence, each
department needs to complete their own plan.
Average Handling Time (AHT)
 What is AHT? Average handle time (AHT) is a call center metric for the average duration of
one transaction, typically measured from the customer’s initiation of the call and including any
hold time, talk time and related tasks (After call work- ACW) that follow the transaction.
 What is an ACW? After Call Work is call related task that the customer service representative
may need to complete. E.g. documenting the discussions after the call on the customer’s account.
Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSAT)
 What is CSAT? Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and
services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key
performance indicator (KPI) within business.
In a competitive marketplace where business compete for customers, customer satisfaction is

seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy.
Customer Satisfaction is “Worthless”.

Customer Loyalty is “Priceless”.
F. Assessment:
A. Do you think this is a proper way to write a business email? Explain.
Hi Rahul,
Hope you are fine and in pink health. The details that you have sent are as per the standard of the
company.
While reading this email I just felt that I was reading your bosses email as even he use to present
the report in the same way before he left the company overall everything is fine on my end and I
pray to god that it remains the same at your end.
Thanks
Ganesh
B. Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on the space
provided.
_______ 1. A customer walks into the office and asks for the deadline to file a permit
application. You do not know the answer. It would be best for you to do which of
the following?
A. Tell the person what you think the answer might be.
B. Say that you are not allowed to give out that information to the public.
C. Inform the person that you don’t know but will find out.
D. Refer the person to your supervisor.
______ 2. A person approaches you and tells you of many complaints he has about your
department. You should first:
A. Assume that his is just blowing off steam and ignore his complaints.
B. Regard the complaints as accurate and take immediate steps to correct them.
C. Check into the legitimacy of the complaints.
D. Ask for advice from your supervisor on the best way to handle the person.
______ 3. Assume that you are taking a telephone message for a co-worker who is not in the
office at the time. Of the following, the least important item to write on the message
is the:
A. Length of the call.

B. Name of the caller.
C. Time of the call.
D. Telephone number of the caller.
______ 4. A customer has come into your office and submitted an application. When you
give her some more forms to complete, she complains about all the bureaucratic red
tape that is slowing down approval of her application. In which of the following
ways should you respond to the customer?
A. Suggest that she can contact her state legislators if she wants to change the law.
B. Tell her the reasons why your office needs the information.
C. Simply be patient with her.
D. Say that you cannot process her application until all the forms have been
completed.
______ 5. You are asked to push a particular viewpoint with a client. The request makes
perfect business sense but you happen to not believe in the particular notion you are
to advocate. How do you deal with the situation?
A. Despite the intention to go ahead with the request, I just can’t follow through
with it.
B. I pull it off effortlessly.
C. I will make an attempt and I will be convincing.
D. I try to do my best to pull it off.
G. References:
https://www.slideshare.net/flevydocs/
https://www.slideshare.net/oeconsulting/

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Service Culture (2)

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MODULE 1

Introduction to Service Culture and Customer Service

1. How would you define good customer service?

Introduction: Service Culture

Defining a Service Culture

Introduction: Customer Service

Some Statistics of Customer Service

Good customer service can improve your bottom line.

What is Customer Service?

Why Does Customer Service Matters?

Displaying Customer Service Attitude

The Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction

Why Ask for Expression of Satisfaction?

6 Basic Rules of Effective Customer Service

RULE # 1: Have a positive attitude

RULE # 2: Know your product or service

RULE # 3: Listen to the customer

RULE # 4: Maintain communications

RULE # 6: Always follow up

Two Parts of Customer Service

Displaying Customer Service Attitude

What is expected out of you?

Who are your Internal Customers?

Who are your External Customers?

Customer Service is not a department it is an ATTITUDE.

Tips for Identifying, understanding and anticipating customers’ needs

Meeting Customer’s Needs and Expectations

Two Parts of Personalizing

Two Kinds of Adapting

Why Customers Get Angry

Customer Conditions: Indecisive

Customer Conditions: Demanding

Customer Conditions: Angry

What is Good Customers Service?

Skills for Customer Service?

Empathy – Acting with care and understanding

Greeting Customers and Establishing Positive Rapport

Words and Phrases that Damage Customer Relationship

Understanding Customer’s Needs and Expectation

Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

Three Parts of Effective Listening

Effective Telephone Techniques

Effective Face-to-Face Communication Techniques

Dealing with Difficult Customers

Saying “No” Positively

Don’t Say Use Instead

Five Steps Recovery Skills

Introduction to Service Excellence

 Rising customer expectations

Service Excellence: What is Service Excellence?

Characteristics of Excellent Service

 Especially pleasing because they are unexpected.

Four Service Dimensions

First Impression and Its Impact:

What you say?

How you say it ?

Customer Comments Associate’s Response

Tone and overall impression

Customer service agent is sounding interested.

Customer service agent is sounding warm and friendly

Customer service agent is sounding Bored.

Do’s and Don’t’s While Communicating

• Stay calm • Get frustrated

Rusty words or phrases