CHAPTER 4: SELF HELP SKILLS

SELF HELP SKILLS DEFINITION

Definition:
Those basic skills needed to take care of one’s own
needs.
Why do we have to learn self help skills?
 Low self-esteem and poor self management will
affecting your job.
 In customer service, an employee need to:
– Manage your stress
– Manage your time
 MAIN PROBLEM AMONG
CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDERS…
 MANAGING YOUR STRESS
• What is job stress?
– Harmful physical and emotional responses that
occur when the requirements of a job not match
the capabilities, resources or needs of the worker.
– Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our
well-being is a stress.
 GOOD VS. BAD STRESS
•  Example: Like stepping • Example: Ongoing or long-
up to take the foul shot term events, like coping
that could win the game, with a divorce or moving
getting ready to go to a to a new neighbourhood
big dance, or sitting or school, can cause stress.
down for a final exam. • This can drain out the
• This stress can help keep body's reserves, leave a
person feeling depleted or
you on your toes, ready
overwhelmed, weaken the
to rise to a challenge. body's immune system,
and cause other problems.
 INDICATOR OF STRESS
• Inability to focus on customer problem or
workplace situation.
• Tardiness or absenteeism.
• Being argumentative or aggressive with
customers.
• Nail biting.
• Insomnia.
• Irregular heartbeat.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS JOB FACTORS

STRESS FACTOR

OTHER FACTORS PERSONAL FACTORS

 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
• People can be major source of stress because we
cannot control other people.
a) Physical factors
- noise, odors, bright or dim lighting, heat or cold.
b) Occupational hazards
- safety from dangerous task, heavy machines,
explosive materials.
c) Non-ergonomic situations
- office equipment, computer equipment
d) Organizational elements
- changes on structure, product, service.
 JOB FACTORS
• Job structures
– Work various of shifts, work overtime, hierarchical
or team-based environment.
• Job insecurity
– When there is major changes in organization.
• Unreasonable goals
– Employees have to meet unrealistic goals.
• Conflicting demand
– Multiple responsibility
• Repetitive tasks
– Data entry, cashiering or call centers. No changes
in job routine.
 PERSONAL FACTORS
• Relationships can create stress.
• Physical condition and nutrition – effects your
energy level, ability to think clearly.
• Chemical use – drinking, smoking, taking drug
can reduce effectiveness.
• Financial problems.
• Overworking may results stress.
 HOW TO AVOID STRESS?
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
 Be polite
 Respond appropriately to
message received
 Speak assuredly and use
appropriate language
 Communicate your feelings
MAINTAIN SANITY
 Stay calm
 Manage your time
effectively
 Take a humor break
 Exercise regularly
 Eliminate vagueness
 Vary your activity and get
more sleep
 Find a hobby
 EXERCISE:
HOW DO YOU REDUCE YOUR STRESS?

REDUCE
STRESS
 MANAGING YOUR TIME

Time management is the

act or process of exercising
conscious control over the
amount of time spent on
specific activities, especially
to increase efficiency or
productivity.
 MANAGING YOUR TIME
• 4 positive results from effective time
management:
– Elevated productivity through efficient approach
when dealing with customers.
– Reduce stress level.
– Increased self-satisfaction.
– Improved quality of life for time management
habits.
  STEPHEN COVEY’s TIME
MANAGEMENT MATRIX (1989)
ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES
Crises Relationship
Pressing building
problems Recreation
Deadline- New
driven project opportunities

ACTIVITIES
Interruptions ACTIVITIES
Some Pleasure
meetings activities
Some phone Excessive
calls TV/Games
Time wasters
  STEPHEN COVEY’s TIME
MANAGEMENT MATRIX (1989)
• In Quadrant 1 (top left) we have important, urgent
items – items that need to be dealt with
immediately.
• In Quadrant 2 (top right) we have important, but not
urgent items – items that are important but do not
require your immediate attention, and need to be
planned for.  This quadrant is highlighted because
Covey emphasizes this is the quadrant that we
should focus on for long term achievement of goals
  STEPHEN COVEY’s TIME
MANAGEMENT MATRIX (1989)
• In Quadrant 3  (bottom right) we have unimportant
and also not urgent items – items that don’t have to
be done anytime soon, perhaps add little to no value
and also should be minimized or eliminated.  These
are often trivial time wasters
• In Quadrant 4  (bottom left) we have urgent, but
unimportant items -  items which should be
minimized or eliminated. These are the time sucks,
the “poor planning on your part does not constitute
an emergency on my part” variety of tasks.
 CONCEPT OF TIME
• How you manage your time makes different
because everyone has the same amount of
time every day.
• Time can move quickly or slowly depending on
circumstances.
• Being able to prioritize is an important skill.
• Prioritizing time allow you to be more
proactive in preparing to deal with situations.
 GUIDELINE FOR SETTING
PRIORITIES
• Judgment
 you know your capability to achieve
in a given day.
Do not put too many priorities on a
daily list.
• Relativity
 your no. 1 focus is your
CUSTOMERS.
• Timing
 PRIORITIZING SYSTEM

PRIORITY A PRIORITY B PRIORITY C

“MUST DO OR
CRITICAL ITEMS” “SHOULD DO” “NICE TO DO”
 SAVING TIME TIPS
• Allocate enough time to handle customer
issues.
• Make mental notes on effective past
experienced in handling customers.
• Serve when you have information and
materials you need.
• Prepare your daily schedule.
 TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

VALUE CUSTOMER’S TIME

TIME
MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES

SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENTS USE TECHNOLOGY

TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
a) Face to face situation
 Recognize the value of customer’s time
 Show a service orientation
 Get the customer busy, i.e: fill out form
 Give the customer something to read
 Have the customer take a number
TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
b) Time management on the run
 Schedule your appointments in advance.
 Plan visits during non-rush hour traffic.
 Setting up more than one appointment in same
area can save your time.
 Confirm your appointments to avoid change of
plan.
Invest on a mobile phone.
Listen to record information on audiotapes before
attending appointment.
TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
c) Time management and technology
 To serve customer better, you need to learn
to use technical tools.
 Telephone management; established
objective before making calls.
 Voice mail management; increase
efficiency by helping callers and recipients
save time.
 Email efficiency; respond to messages in a
timely manner.
  INDICATORS OF POOR TIME
MANAGEMENT
• Constant rushing
• Frequent lateness
• Low productivity, energy and motivation
• Frustration
• Impatience
Do You Manage Your Time
And Expenses Wisely?
How You Spend Your Time is How
You Spend Your Life.
Thank You
QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION
 FRONT LINE
BEHAVIOR
(ATTITUDE MOULD DIFFERENT)
Chapter 5

Customer Service and Etiquette

What is Front Line?
• Front Line is a term used in hotels to faced
the customers and deal with them about
the services they want or need
• Front Line are responsible to fulfill
customers need and they have to
communicate with the customers
Front Line Behaviour
 Positive attitude
 First Impression
 Understanding guest body gesture
 Tips for portray the positive first
impression
 Personal grooming
1. Positive Attitude
 Attitude is everything! That’s a fact. The
attitudes that you carry with you create the
experiences, the situations, and the
circumstances of your life.

 Positive attitude manifests in following ways:

 Positive thinking
 Creative thinking
 Expecting success
 Being inspired
 Not give up
2. First Impression
 Good first impression starts a positive
relationship with your customers

 Do not make any assumption of the customers.

Judging a customer by their appearance or how
they speak is a huge mistake

 The front liners are supposed to do everything

to make sure that they give all customers a great
first impression
 Do not let your first impression of the
customer in any way prevent you from
delivering the best possible service

 Personal appearance, grooming, body

language and first word that you want to
say is the tools to make an impact during
the first moment of meeting with
customers
3. Understanding Guest Body
Gesture
 Gestures are a form of nonverbal communication
in which visible bodily actions are used to
communicate important messages, either in place
of speech or together and in parallel with spoken
words

 Gestures include movement of the hands, face,

or other parts of the body
4. Tips to Portray the Positive
First Impression
1. Perfect standing posture
– Make all the difference
and convey to some extent
what type of person you
are
– Always stand up straight
– Standing straight will be
looking taller and
confidence level will be
high
– The straight posture itself
will radiate confidence to
the other person
2. Take care how you
walk
- Confidence through
walk
- Put your steps
confidently like you
conquered the whole
world
- Take care that your walk
should reflect your
confidence and not
portraying you as an
egoistic person
3. Look straight to the eyes 4. Be in relaxed mood
– Always look the other –Don’t show your
person straight into the nervousness even you
eyes. Do not look away are actually experiencing
immediately as it will it
create a bad impression – Keep telling to yourself
that you are in relaxed
mood. You can
immediately feel the
calmness within you
– Do not stress out in
front of the opposite
person
– Take deep breath and
just relax
 Power of Eye Contact
• Eye contact is allowing our eyes to make
visual contact with someone else`s eyes.
• Generally, eye contact conveys sincerity,
interest, compassion and caring.
• Avoiding eye contact may suggest a lack
of concern, honesty and customers may
perceive that the service provider not
interested in what they are saying.
5. Give a firm handshake 6. Be courteous and
– Give a brief yet firm attentive
handshake. Your – Good manners and
handshake should convey polite, attentive and
that you are and what you courteous is behavior that
are doing help make a good first
– Keep a smiling face while impression
shaking hands
– Shaking hand at the end of
the conversation create a
positive first impression
 Words to Use Vs. Words to
Avoid
WORDS TO USE WORDS TO AVOID
• Please • Can`t
• Yes • Never
• May I • Don`t tell me no
• Consider this • Not our policy
• Do • Problem
• Let`s negotiate • I don`t know
• Will • Hang on for a second
• Thank you • Not my job
• Can • You have to
• Would you like
 Power Phrases
• Here are 10 examples of power phrases:
 Due to your specialized knowledge.
 What a unique suggestion!
 I`d like your considered opinion.
 Please.
 You are absolutely right!
 If I could borrow just a moment of your time.
 May I?
 As you, of course, know.
 I`d like your advise.
 I would appreciate it if.
7. Be on time
- Plan to arrive a few minutes
early.
- And allow flexibility for
possible delays in traffic or
taking a wrong turn.
- Arriving early is much better
that arriving late, hands
down, and is the first step in
creating a great first
impression.
8. Be Positive
•Project a positive
attitude, even in the
face of criticism or in
the case of
nervousness. S
•Strive to learn from
your meeting and to
contribute appropriately,
maintaining an upbeat
manner and a smile.
5. Personal Grooming
 Personal grooming is the art of cleaning
grooming and maintaining the parts of
the body

 Grooming in humans typically includes

bathroom activities such as primping,
washing and cleaning the hair, combing
it to extract tangles and styling. It can also
include cosmetic care of the body, such
as shaving.
 Components that important for
grooming (man)
1. Jewelry
• No bracelets, chains or fancy rings
• No earrings
• No heavy sport watches or calculator

2. Hair style
• Short and neat, does not touch shirt collar
• Mustache well trimmed
• Beard recommended only to cover imperfections
 Cont..
3. Shirt
• No wrinkles in collar, cuffs or facing
• Sleeve extends one-eight to one-forth inches
below the jacket
• No short sleeves with suit jackets

4. Tie
• Ends at top of the belt line
• No tie tack or clip
• Tie knot is balanced with shirt collar
 Cont..
5. Shoes
• Highly polished
• Dark coloured, brown, black and cordovan
• Thin soles
• No boots

6. Socks
• Blend with trouser and shoes
• No skin showing
 Components that important for
grooming (women)
1. Hair style
• Should be neat and conservative
• Hair color should be not shocking and striking
• Avoid from gel and hair spray that have a strong
scent and odor

2. Jewelry
• Should not be noisy
• Avoid too large or costume jewelry
• Use a small earrings, simple and above the earlobe
 Cont..
3. Fingernails and hands
• Nails must be clean, trimmed and sculpted
• Avoid using an unusual and shocking nail colors
• To attend business meetings, nail art and nail
jewels are not allowed

4. Dressing
• Wearing a smart suit or straight skirt and blouse
• The color should be sober such as grey, blue,
brown and black
 Cont..
5. Make-up
• Keep it simple for daytime
• Apply make-up properly
• Aim for a fresh and healthy appearance
 Value Malaysian Hospitality
1. Increase the users /contributes to the sector
2. Increase the consumers /customers to the
organization
3. To introducing the quality of the Malaysia’s
hospitality to the whole world
4. To expand the hospitality sector
5. Contribute to the development of the country
and increase the economic level
Personality of Hospitality
Customer Service
Good
+ Personality

HAPPY CUSTOMER

= LOYAL CUSTOMER
 7 Failures of Customer Service
1. The service provider do not care about the
customer.
2. The service provider did not deliver as promised.
3. The service provider did not their job as supposed
to.
4. The service is not on time.
5. It’s a long time before someone answers the
phone.
6. Bad attitude and behavior.
7. The facilities is in poor condition.
 SEVEN(7) Behaviour
that should be AVOIDED
by the Front Line
Egoistic:
•Many of customer service process affected by
this behavior.
•Some of the front line manager /staff are not
willing to ask for forgiveness or admit their
mistake when they do something that may
dissatisfy the customers and think that they are
always right.
 Cont…
Snobbish / Proud
•It can’t be denial that some of the customer service
are very snobbish and sometimes are full of proud.

•This can’t be happen because it will decreased the

chance of staff to communicate with their customers
or consumers.

•The staff or the manager have to be

humble and modest when interact with customer
 Cont…

Less Caring : “I Do Not Know”

•This attitude refer to the staff /manager that are not so
informative /alert with their works or things that related
to customer service or the customer’s need.

•As a staff or manager of front line, we have to be more

informative and alert to overcome all the problems that
can influence the customer’s demand.
 Cont…
Irresponsible
•This attitude always shown by the staff /manager of
front line. This behavior already became the habit.

•Sometimes they ignored the customer and let them

faced it alone.

•This also happened when customers

received wrong service /product and the front line
staff don’t want to take responsible
 Cont…

Unfair
•Some of the frontline staff will being unfair to some of
the customers and they will treat the customers who
will benefit them.

•This is really unprofessional and against the ethics

and professional value.
 Cont…
Bad attire
This covers dress and grooming, which tell us a lot
about other people even before they open their
mouth.

You should dress according to the organization

rules
or the suitable attire.

Conventional business dress can convey much the

same message and bring good
impression to the customers about the hotel.
 Cont…
Bad expression
•The range of possible expressions immense, but we
can generally recognize friendliness when we see it.

•When facing customers, we have to smile and ready

to serve the customers.

•This can bring the good expression towards you in

front of the customer and
you cannot keeps your head down when serves them.
The End..
 Class Activity
In your Group
Choose 1 behavior that should be avoided
by front liner
Choose 1 behavior that should be shown
by front liner
Act out and role play to the class.
COPING WITH CHALLENGING
CUSTOMERS
 In This Chapter, You Will Learn :
 Possible Causes Customers Become Difficult.
 Reasons Why Customers May Be Challenging.
 Explain FIVE(5) Ways to Overcome Challenging
Customers.
 Characteristics of Challenging Customers.
 Explain the Need of Empathy.
 Service Recovery Guideline.
 Ways to Cope With Challenging Customers.
 Benefits of Coping with Challenging Customers.
 CHALLENGING CUSTOMERS

WHO ARE THEY?

Customers with fears, problems,questions, and

personalities that requires us to work to achieve
true communication.
POSSIBLE CAUSES WHY CUSTOMERS MAY
BE CHALENGING TO CUSTOMER SERVICE
PROVIDERS
(1) They do not speak your language.
(2) They do not understand the product.
(3) They are visibly upset about something.
(4) They are quiet and not communicating.
(5) Showing attitude of superiority.
(6) They are impatient.
(7) They are taking advantage.
(8) Difficulty of making decisions.
 5 Ways To Overcome Challenging
Customers.
 Respect the Customers Time.
 Do Not Impose Your Bad or Negative Mood On
Anyone Else.
 Recognize Regular Customers
 Always Smile and Try to Learn Their Names.
 Show Initiatives.
 Waiting Time

• A successful service depends on flawless time

management.
• In a recent customer survey on attitudes about
waiting, 29 percent said being forced to wait
made them feel as though companies "don't
care about my time."
• Only 22 percent gave service providers the
benefit of the doubt and said the length of time
needed to perform service is unpredictable.
 Waiting Time Management
• In a fast paced society, time is a scarce
resource and speed is essential.
• Time management important to keep customers
time in line with their objective.
• Queuing and lining up are examples of waiting.
• Management must plan to cater to customers
urgency and proper waiting time.
• Queue Management is invented to help service
operation run smooth, effective and efficiently.
 Queue Management

• Queue Management System(QMS) is an

electronic system created to manage customers
queuing time fairly.
• Speed service depends on efficient queue
system.
• FIFO system is adopted in this system design.
• Teller machine produce numbering tickets help
customers to be served based on first come first
serve basis
• Queue system must first be identified.
 Queue Systems
• Basic Single Server System :
– One counter serving one line each, serving
customer who queue first come first serve.
– Can be operate in Two or More counters to provide
quicker operation.
– Example : Fast Food Restaurants etc.
• Multiple Server System:
– Two or More Counters are serving one line of
customers queue.
– Fair to all customers who queue first, avoiding other
customers to cut queue.
– Example : Bank, Cinema Operators etc.
 Benefits of QMS
• Improve business turnover.
• Improve customers satisfaction.
• Improve operation efficiency.
• Reduce job delays.
• Reduce anxiety of waiting.
• Increase in productivity and output.
• Assist operation to prioritize with sense of
urgency.
• Assist in achieving customers objective and
organizational goals effectively.
 Strategy of Managing Customer
Wait Times
• Employee Training on Queue Systems.
• Set the expectation.
• Communicate with the customers.
• Pleasant environment for waiting area.
• Provide distractions.
• Service recovery.
Approach to Cope with Challenging
Customers

C : Compose
L : Listen
E : Empathy
A : Apologize
R : Resolve
 COMPOSE

 Remain calm and control your feelings.

 Remember that the customers are not difficult.
 They are upset not because of you but
because the organization has failed them.
 Begin with a mindset that there are no difficult
customers, only challenging customer's
situations.
 LISTEN
 Listen carefully and try to piece together the whole story.
 Never argue or be defensive with customers when they
are in an emotional state of mind.
 Don't try to cut the customer off or urge him to calm down
as he wants be heard, acknowledged, and understood.
 Maintain eye contact.
 Never fold your arms as this indicates that you are
defensive and unwilling to listen.
 EMPATHY
 Put yourself in the customer shoes and see the
situation from the customers perspective.
 Show concern by maintaining sincere and
interested.
 Do not blame or embarrass the guest.
 APOLOGIZE

 Acknowledge your customer distress and

apologize.
 Convey that you are genuinely sorry.
 Ask questions and learn as much as you can
about the situation before you attempt to
resolve the issue.
 RESOLVE
 After you have gathered the facts, summarize
what you have heard but and let the customer
know that you understand him correctly.
 Work with customer to come up with an
acceptable resolution and offer other
alternatives.
 If you cant resolve the problem, get help from
your supervisor or colleague.
CUSTOMER PERSONALITIES
 4 TYPES OF CUSTOMER
PERSONALITIES
1) Amiable
• These people are friendly and outgoing.
• They are usually talkative and are eager to
share their thoughts and feelings others, even
strangers.
• They are highly social and value the opinions
of others
 Cont…
2) Expressive
• These individuals are hard to miss because
they enjoy being the center of attention.
• They are very self-focused and social.
• Expressive individuals are typically full of
creativity and excitement.
 Cont…
3) Analytical
• These individuals want to know the facts.
• They aren't interested in what other people
think; their opinion is the one that matters when
it comes to making their own choices.
• They're also somewhat reserved and aren't
eager to speak up about their own concerns or
feelings.
 Cont…
4) Driver
• Driver personalities want fast results.
• They are very time conscious and don't want to
waste time with unnecessary information.
• Like analytical people, driver personalities are
introverted (shy; self-centered person)
STRATEGIES FOR PERSONALITY
TYPE:
PERSONALITY STRATEGY
Amiable •Talk socially for a few minutes
• Discuss positive opinions of other
customers about the product/service

Expressive •Use a creative presentation that will keep

their interest
• Avoid spending time on details

Analytical • Stay focused on business, present all of

the facts available for the
Customer
• Give him or her time to put everything
together on their own

Driver • Talk about results and benefits

• Don't try to be social and don't keep
them waiting
 Who are the difficult customer?
1) Mr./Ms. Nice Guy/Girl
• Some people just don't know how to disagree
or say no even when they want to.
• They may make purchases or commitments
they later regret and/or back out off.
• They also lead you to believe you've almost
made a sale when they were just being nice.
 Cont…
2) Quiet Types
• There are customers who simply don't feel
comfortable asking questions or sharing their
opinions.
• It can be difficult helping someone who never
says more than yes or no to any question.
 Cont…
3) School Yard Bullies
• These customers are quick to anger, highly
critical, impatient, and often verbally abusive.

4) Wait and See Types

• These people are the ones who don't want to
make a decision. You may spend hours working
with them only to have them put off a choice.
 Cont…
5) Mr./Mrs. Know-it-all
• They know everything about everything,
including how to do your job. Their attitude is
often accompanied by rudeness.

6) Nothing's Ever Good Enough Types

• They find something negative to say about
everything, and they want to complain
constantly.
 Service Recovery Guideline
 Review the Situation :
 Try to look at the situation from the customers perception.
 Observe the Customers Reaction :
 Is the customer visibly upset? Does the customer seem
surprised or hurt by your action.
 Admit Mistake :
 Be aware of your error in your information or judgement.
 Apologize for your actions :
 Express to the customer that you regret the problem occur
but do not make excuses why it happen.
 Find a Solution and Implement It :
 Most effective way to undo the problem is to create an
effective solution and put and solve it immediately.
 WAYS TO COPE WITH CHALLENGING
CUSTOMERS
LISTEN : Allow Customers To Express Their Concern To Share
Their Side of the Story.
ASK QUESTIONS : Seek Clarification of the problem. Determine
the variables involved.
SHOW EMPATHY : Attemp to understand what the customer is
experiencing and take action to assist resolving the issue.
SOLVE THE PROBLEM : Determine the most appropriate
solution for that situation.
FOLLOW UP : Restate what has been decided and how the
situation is being resolved. Ask the customer if they have any
more questions.
END WITH POSITIVE NOTE : Thank customer for their
understanding with professional manner in which you have
resolved the problem.
 BENEFITS OF COPING WITH
CHALLENGING CUSTOMERS
 Learn to deal with conflict by confronting it.
 To be better when managing conflict.
 To reduce customer stress and our own.
 To sharpen communication skills with during
challenging situations.
 To identify our mistakes and learn to improve it
by training other not to repeat the same
mistake.
 To find any idea to improve out system or
improve out policy and procedures.