The philosophy of “our existence depends on your existence” should always guide your relationship with a customer
After learning this chapter, you will be able to understand:
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how to be a good
customer servant
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the elements of service
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the effects of service
environment
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the advantage of
language skills and team work
11.2.1 You Are the Business Card of Your Company
Companies compete in many ways, so do retail businesses. One of the most important factors in the success of a business is competent and friendly customer service. The personnel and the customer service it provides are important competitive tools. The personnel’s competence and abilities influence the profitability of the whole company. Professional customer servants take their job seriously. Each employee takes part in the marketing of the company where they work.
The employees provide both internal and external customer service. The customers sense the atmosphere of the service environment the moment they enter the shop. When each employee of the service chain knows their jobs, customer service is fluent.
There are two kinds of professional competencies needed in customer service. These are educational and skill-based competencies. Knowledge about the products on sale and knowledge about the services sold by the company are educational competencies. To improve his skill-based competencies, the customer servant is required to improve the right attitude towards his work. A customer servant should prepare for each service situation with care. He has to be interested in gaining know-how at work as well as in his own time.
A good customer servant knows the products on sale, recognizes the needs of the customer, and finds the solution for it, based on their educational competence. A good customer servant is also aware of the operations of the competitors, for example about their campaigns or their selection in general.
Nowadays, a professional customer servant has to be multi-skilled. So it is necessary to keep your competence up-to-date and develop it, too. A customer servant, who is proud of their profession, is multi-skilled and is able to find the best possible solution for their customers. A customer is the person who actually pays your wage.
11.2.2 Service Processes
Internal customer service means all the services that are provided for the company’s other employees. Employees help one another – in a shop work is rarely done alone. Successful teamwork will show to the customer.
Internal customers are the company’s each and every employee. Internal customer service requires agreements and rules that are observed. Superiors, co-workers and subordinates – all form internal clientele whose work and success are also affected by one’s own work contribution. Good internal customer service can also be perceived outside the company: by the external customers, the actual paymasters.
Service environment means everything that a customer can perceive around him stepping into a shop. The customer notices the spirit and effectiveness of the service environment very quickly. If the personnel seem to be professional and the atmosphere positive, the customer experiences the visit to be pleasant. A hasty and stressful atmosphere is also easily conveyed to the customer.
The professional skills of a good salesperson in customer service consist of various parts and they increase as time goes on. A motivated sales person wants to provide the customers every day with a service experience that exceeds their expectations.
11.2.3 Elements of Professional Service
In a shop, every day is different from the other. What kind of a day it will be, depends mainly on our attitude towards events and people. It is challenging to communicate with customers and co-workers if we are jumpy from the very beginning of our shift at work.
A good salesperson in customer service can be recognized by his confidence in his work. Professional skills develop with the years at work, but a new person working at customer service is also supposed to know about the products he is selling and the policy the company practices.
A skilful and educated salesperson is interested in the products he is selling and wants to develop his skills and knowledge. In addition, he tries to act in a customer-orientated way as much as possible in every service situation.
The more a salesperson knows about the products and services on sale, the easier it is for him to offer the best possible solution to the customer. An expert salesperson will find the best possible solution for the customer, who will feel to have received value for his money.
11.2.4 Operational Environment
Knowing the operational environment is a feature of an active salesperson. He voluntarily gains information about the competitor’s selections and contemplates their strengths and weaknesses.
On the business premises you should concentrate on the cleanness of the window display, the business area, and the fitting room. The whole environment is a visual expression of the value given to the customer. The customers facing with bins full of rubbish, fingerprints on the windows, damaged or wrinkled products, bad odors, messy or dusty shelves, spoiled food products as they enter, will leave without passing to the communication stage with the customer servant. For example, when the customer enters the store the presence of staff chattering around the cash register or dealing with their mobile phones will make the customer feel unimportant.
11.2.5 Understanding Processes of Different Service Situations
A good salesperson tries to act in a customer-orientated manner in every service situation. He knows what the company’s policies in various situations are, including challenging customer service situations, such as complaints or disorder.
Skill-based competence of a customer servant means knowing the processes and procedures of their workplace. The customer servant understands the importance of their work in the service chain provided for the customer. A skilled customer servant is able to use the company’s machines, devices and information systems as well as possible. He or she needs language skills to manage in the international business environment. A good customer servant knows not only the basics of a language, but also the professional and special vocabulary needed in their work.
11.2.6 Orientation
Orientation is an introductory stage in the process of new employee assimilation, and a part of her continuous socialization process in an organization. The major objectives of the orientation are to gain employee commitment, reduce his or her anxiety, help him or her understands the organization's expectations, and conveys what he or she can expect from the job and the organization. It is commonly followed by training tailored to specific job positions.
In order to provide as natural customer service as possible, the company has to take care of the on-the-job training of new employees. The salespersons have to be able to operate the shop’s machines, devices and the company’s information systems fluently and flawlessly. This also means loss prevention.
11.2.7 Communication and Language Skills
The growth of e-Commerce has changed the requirements of the competence for the customer servants working in shops. A skilled customer servant also has good communication skills. Good communication skills are needed with workmates and in customer service. Each customer service situation is unique. Recognizing the various customer types helps in choosing the best operational model in a certain service situation.
In customer service, the importance of language skills has grown considerably. In some retail companies, it may be a condition for employment. So, an expert salesperson is interested in developing his language skills and vocabulary, so that he would be able to serve customers in the best possible way.
11.2.8 Team Work
The members of a well-functioning work community help and support each other, and learn from each other. Sometimes though, one or more of the employees might create negative atmosphere around themselves. This, at its worst, will also show in customer service.
Each person working in a shop deals with a lot of people during the day. Working in a team, one has to understand the importance of one’s contribution in the operation of the whole team. It is also important to appreciate the tasks of your co-workers. Ways of working can vary among the team members, and they are also worth being monitored: your own skills might well develop at the same time!
At its best, the team succeeds when its members respect and support each other to achieve better and better performances.
Case: How to improve the skills of employees?
Alma, who has a small shoe store, has decided to invest in improving the skills of her employees, Agnes and Rihan. What kind of activities would you recommend her?
Tips: Customer service skills that matter
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Patience
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Attentiveness
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Clear communication
skills
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Knowledge about the
product
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Ability to use positive
language
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Acting skills
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Time management skills
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Ability to “read”
customers
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A calming presence
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Goal oriented focus
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Ability to handle
surprises
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Persuasion skills
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Tenacity
- · Ability to close sales
- Willingness to learn