Significance of Customer Service in

fashion industry

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 1
A hearty welcome to this Webinar

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 2
 Universal application of
Customer Service
• Customer Service is significant to any business
• So also it is significant to fashion industry
• The concept of Customer Service by and large
same for all business.
• Products can be divided into goods and
services.
• Significance of Customer Service is very high in
service sector such as fashion industry

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 3
 Evolution
• Once upon a time people never used to wear
clothes.
• Later, with time people felt the need to protect
against external hazards.
• So they started covering their bodies with leaves and
tree trunks and later also with animal skin.
• After the civilisations began, people realised they
could weave cloths from a plant source.

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 4
A scene from a boutique

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 Non Verbal Language
• When you attend to your customers, the words you
speak are only 5% important.
• Non Verbal Language is 25% important.
• Whether you are happy in attending to your customers
can be easily judged from your body language.
• You must improve your body language.
• Eye contacts, Facial expressions, shake hands, poise,
movements etc.
• your body language should suggest that you are pleased
to attend to your customers

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 6
 Non Verbal Language

Can U differentiate between the body

language of these 3 designers?
Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 7
 A question
• A vegetable vendor daily comes in the morning with
50 KGs of vegetables and goes home after selling it.
• One day morning a customer offers to buy entire 50
KGs of vegetables.
• A vegetable vendor refuses the offer and agrees to
sell maximum 5 kgs.
• The customer thinks this illiterate vendor is a fool.
• Can you guess the reason?

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Introduction
In a speech in South Africa in 1890 Mahatma Gandhi
said this:
•“A customer is the most important visitor on our
premises.
•He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.
•He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose
of it.
•He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it.
•We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is
doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

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Customer Service
• Customers are the backbone of the business
organizations irrespective of whether it is a
fashion boutique, or Bank, or cloth shop, or
grocery shop
• They posses the power to make or break any
organisation irrespective of its nature and size
• You forget your customers and you are out of
your business.
• So, it is necessary to take adequate care of
them and at the same time increase their
number.
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Introduction
• Customer service needs professional skills that
transcend the inevitable potential for friction that
exists between people.
• Customer-serving employees need Ability to
Service.
• Intemperate customer behaviour is not to be seen
as a fault in the customer, it should be viewed as a
sign that something is wrong with us and our
product/service offering.
• Customer is King.
• Rules, services and service charges should be
displayed in a prominent place
Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 11
Customer Service

• Due to changing needs of the customers, their

changing expectations and changing technology,
there is a need for change in the approach of the
service providers towards customer service.
• No organization can exist without consumers
• KYC: Know Your Customer
• KYI: Know Your Industry
• Complaints from the customers are the guide for
our improvement.
• Customer service is our real Capital.
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 KYC: Know Your Customer

• His/her name and

• His/her contact details like Phone number and
Email id. This will help in digital marketing
• His/her family details. Your aim should be to
convert the family into customers
• His/her likes and dislikes
• His/her professions/Occupation/Business
• His/her Income/Budget
• His/her past dealings and experiences with you
• His/her Life Style
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 KYI: Know Your Industry

• What is the total size of the business?

• Who are the major players in the industry?
• What is the Market share of major players?
• What is your Market share? Doesn’t matter even
if it is 0.001%
• What are the popular brands?
• Who are your immediate competitors?
• What is the future scope of the industry?
• Where do you see yourself after 5 years?

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 Major brands in Cloth
1. LOUIS VUITTON
2. GUCCI
3. HERMES.
4. PRADA.
5. CHANEL.
6. RALPH LAUREN.
7. BURBERRY.
8. HOUSE OF VERSACE.
9. FENDI.
10. ARMANI.

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Who is a Customer?

• A person who is purchasing a product from you

is a Customer. This is the traditional definition.
• A representative of customer is also a customer.
• Any person entering the premises of the
organisation is a potential customer.
• A casual visitor to the premises for a casual
enquiry or window shopping.
• A consumer is one who consumes goods and
services available in the market.

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Definition of consumer as per the Consumer
Protection Act 1986

• "Consumer" means any person who-

• buys any goods or services for a consideration
which has been paid or promised or partly paid
and partly promised, or under any system of
deferred payment and includes any user of such
goods when such use is made with the approval
of such person, but does not include a person
who obtains such goods for resale or for any
commercial purpose;

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Customer Vs. Consumer
• The terms customer and consumer are often used
interchangeably.
• In the broader sense both have the same meaning.
• In technical sense there is a difference between the
customer and consumer.
• An individual who purchases goods and services
from the market is called a customer.
• A consumer is one who consumes goods and
services.
• We have to satisfy both the customer and consumer

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Customer’s Needs

• Reasonable Price
• Quality product
• Quick Service
• Accurate measurement
• Courtesy
• Proper Guidance
• Proper/Correct Information
• After Sale Service

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 Need for Customer service
• To retain the existing customers
• To attract new customers through the satisfied
customers. It is a free and effective
advertisement
• A satisfied customer is the best advertisement
but a dissatisfied customer is the worst
advertisement
• A lost customer is lost for ever
• If you don’t take care of your customer, the
customer has the choice of other designers
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Factors affecting Customer Service
• Demands and Needs of Customers,
• Expectation from Service Provider
• Job knowledge of Staff
• Attitude of staff towards service
• Motivation to staff
• Systems and Procedures
• Customer grievance procedure
• Philosophy of the top management.
• Staff Accountability regarding customer service.

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Consumer Behaviour

• Consumer Behaviour refers to the mental and

emotional process and the physical activities of
the people who purchase and use goods and
services to satisfy particular needs and wants.
• Every fashion designer should study the subject
of Consumer Behaviour and the factors affecting
the behaviour.
• This will help the fashion designer to understand
the psychology of different customers and to
serve them appropriately
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Factors affecting Consumer Behaviour
Type Examples
Demographic Age, Gender, Education, Income, Occupation
Psychographic Self Concept, Self Esteem, Interests, Opinions,
Values, Lifestyle, Learning, Memory
Psychological Personality, Self-image, Risk involvement, Attitude,
Influence Beliefs, Motivation, Brand image
Social Influence Culture, Subculture, Social class, Reference group,
Family
Geographic Climate, Local needs, Rural, Urban Metro
Marketplace Recognizing needs, response to marketing &
behavior communication, price and product acceptance
Consumption Situation, usage rate, satisfaction, loyalty
relations
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Customer Expectation

1. Service < Expectation : Dissatisfaction

2. Service = Expectation : Satisfaction
3. Service > Expectation : Delight
• Customer expectation is like a shadow.
• You cannot overtake your shadow.
• Service cannot exceed the expectation.
• If you reach his expectation, he will increase his
expectation.

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Customer Expectation
1. Value for Money
2. Fitness for use
3. Conformance to Standards
4. Proper instructions regarding usage of product
Eg. Instruction for washing and dry cleaning
5. Proper guidance in selecting a product
6. Service with smile
7. Service with personal touch
8. After sale Service
9. Repairs or replacements in case of defaults
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3 Situations in Customer Service

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Reasons for dissatisfaction
• Delay in service and decision making
• Rude Behaviour
• Inaccuracy and deficiency in service
• Faulty decisions and advice to customers
• Undisciplined staff
• Emphasis on letter of law and not spirit of law
• Lack of flexibility in rules.
• Excessive service charges
• Apathy and insensitivity towards customers.
• Uninformed, incompetent and untrained staff.
• Not attending the phone calls/Emails/SMSes
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 Traits expected of a fashion designer
• Customer service orientation
• Extrovert/Social/Talkative
• Looking from customer’s point of view
• Ability and willingness to understand your
customers and their behaviour
• Listening Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Communication Skills
• Accepting that “Loko Bhinn Ruchihi”
• Knowledge about consumer psychology
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 Traits expected of a fashion designer
• Passion for Fashion
• Creativity
• Imitation/Improvement/Innovation in
products/services
• Customer Relationship Management
• Belief in “Variety is the spice of life”
• Customer Data Base Management
• Updatation about new developments in fashion
industry
• Attractive and pleasing personality
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 Traits expected of a fashion designer
• Appropriate dress sense and body language
• Ability to attract and retain the customers
• Ability to use social media for networking
• An eye for minute details.
• Ability to identify and evaluate the competition
• Willingness to learn new things every day
• Basic knowledge about personal selling and
promotion
• Willingness to accept reasonable profit
• Concern for long term relations with customers
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Be creative to attract the
customers

Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 31
 I visited the New York show room of
International brand “Zara” during June 2019

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Employees’ approach towards Customer Service

• Customer Service should be a way of life

• Employees should develop an art of listening
• Employees should be trained to be polite and
courteous.
• No customer should remain unattended.
• You should be prompt to ask him how can you
serve him/her before he asks you
• Employees should have thorough knowledge
about the product or service
• Employees should not give false information to
customers
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The Rights of Consumers

(a) The right to be protected against marketing of

goods which are hazardous to life and property;
(b) The right to be informed about the quality,
quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of
goods to protect the consumer against unfair
trade practices;
(c) The right to be assured, wherever possible,
access to an authority of goods at competitive
prices;

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The Rights of Consumers

(d) The right to be heard and to be assured that

consumers interests will receive due
consideration at appropriate forums;
(e) The right to seek redressal against unfair trade
practices or unscrupulous exploitation of
consumers; and
(f) The right to consumer education.

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Definition of Defect

• “Defect" means any fault, imperfection or

shortcoming in the quality, quantity, potency,
purity or standard which is required to be
maintained by or under any law for the time
being in force or under any contract, express or
implied or as is claimed by the trader in any
manner whatsoever in relation to any goods;

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Definition of Deficiency

• “Deficiency" means any fault, imperfection,

shortcoming or inadequacy in the quality, nature
and manner of performance which is required to
be maintained by or under any law for the time
being in force or has been undertaken to be
performed by a person in pursuance of a
contract or otherwise in relation to any service

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Service to Society

• Service to customers is the service to society.

• Identify the needs or wants of society.
• Develop products to satisfy these needs or
wants.
• Marketing is seen from the point of views of its
final result that is from the customer’s point of
views.
• A satisfied customer is the biggest and cheapest
advertisement.
• It is called as Mouth Publicity
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Feed back

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Survey

You should conduct Survey to know the feedback

of the customers
You can design a questionnaire with several
statements and give options as under
• A = Strongly Agree
• B = Agree
• C = Neither Agree Nor disagree
• D = Disagree
• E = Strongly Disagree
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Out come of a Customer Service Survey

Very Good: 28%

Good: 59%
Not Good: 13%
On the whole 77% are satisfied with service.
Reasons for poor service :
Work Pressure : 47.5%
Job Security: 25%
Lack of Work Ethics : 15%
Customer Behaviour: 5.7%

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Improving Customer Service
• Training and Motivation to Staff
• Computerisation
• Delegation of Authority
• Customer surveys to know the feedback
• Customer Education
• Communication with Customer
• Looking at problem from Customer point of view.
• Customer grievance procedure through customer service
cells.
• Data Bank about customers to send them messages
about new products
• Greeting the customers on birthdays and anniversaries

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 Redressal of Customers’ Complaints
• Complaints should be treated as a part of genuine
feedback.
• Welcome the complaints.
• Provide a complaint box, email id or phone number to
lodge the complaints
• Acknowledge the complaint, indicate the time for solving
• Offer regrets for the inconvenience
• Don’t argue with the complaining customers
• Avoid confrontation even if you are right
• Offer to rectify the defect/replace the part/replace the
whole product
• Be ready to refund the price and take back the goods
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LEGAL PROTECTION TO CUSTOMERS

• Consumer protection act

• Right to information act
• Civil Courts
• Criminal action in case of offences

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 Definition of unfair trade practice
“Unfair trade practice" means a trade practice which,
for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or supply
of any goods or for the provision of any service,
adopts any unfair method or unfair or deceptive
practice;-
Falsely represents that
 The goods/ services are of a particular standard,
quality, quantity, grade, composition, style or model;
 The old goods as new goods
 The goods or services have sponsorship, approval,
characteristics, uses or benefits
 There is any warranty of the performance
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Definition of unfair trade practice
 False publication of any advertisement
 False offering of gifts, prizes or other items
 Selling substandard goods with health hazards
or risks to the user
 Hoarding or destruction of goods especially
during the shortage (Masks during corona)
 Manufacture of spurious goods

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 QUOTES

IF YOU BUILD A GREAT EXPERIENCE,

CUSTOMERS TELL EACH OTHER ABOUT
THAT. WORD OF MOUTH IS VERY POWERFUL.
Jeff Bezos
Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They
do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.
Donald Porter
HAPPY STAFF MAKES CUSTOMERS HAPPY.
“Don Silvensky”

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QUOTES

Customer service is awareness of needs,

problems, fears and aspirations.

Anonymous
Our greatest asset is the customer. Treat each
customer as if they are the only one!
Laurice Leito.
It takes less effort to keep an old customer
satisfied than to get a new customer interested.
Robert Half
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Prof.Shantilal Hajeri 49