Topic 5 - Customer Care. Higher Administration & IT

Transcription

1 Topic 5 - Customer Care Higher Administration & IT 1

2 Learning Intentions / Success Criteria Learning Intentions Customer Care Success Criteria By end of this topic you will be able to describe the following aspects to do with customer care: The features of good customer care such as: - written customer care policy - service level agreements - complaints procedures. Methods for monitoring and evaluating the quality of customer care such as: - satisfaction surveys - customer focus groups - market research - quality management systems. The benefits and consequences of good customer care. 2

3 Customer Service To survive in today s competitive market modern business organisation s must make a determined effort to provide the best possible service to their customers in the most cost-effective way possible. 3

4 Features of Good Customer Care Putting the customer first Communicating with customers effectively Ensuring that staff are knowledgeable about products and services Providing a good after-sales services Dealing with complaints effectively and to the customer s satisfaction. 4

5 The Roles of the Administrative Assistant When dealing with external customers, it is essential that the Administrative Assistant is aware of organisational polices and procedures and adheres to standards of service: competence have a knowledge of the organisation s products or services confidence smile, keep eye contact and display positive body language concern listen attentively to what the customer has to say courtesy be polite and don t argue with a customer even if they are shouting or being abusive communication ask questions, take notes and keep the customer informed. 5

6 Types of Customer Service Polices Written customer care statement/strategy Customer Service Level Agreement (SLA) Complaints procedure 6

7 Written Customer Care Policy A formal written statement about the standards that a customer can expect from an organisation. It is written to try to ensure that the customer gets what they want, at the right standard, quality and price. This statement should be shared with employees and customers so that everyone is aware of the standard expected. If a customer care strategy is properly implemented it will allow the organisation to benefit from: high levels of customer satisfaction increased sales greater customer loyalty a good reputation a higher level of competiveness fewer complaints to deal with. 7

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9 Customer Service Level Agreement (SLA) This is an agreement between the organisation and the customer that describes what the organisation promises to do and what the customer can expect. The agreement may include the following aspects: how the organisation will deliver on the promises, for example, - delivery of products will take place within three working days from the day of purchase what will happen if the organisation fails to deliver on its promises extended warranties on products incur an additional cost and must be purchased within one week of purchasing the product any hidden or extra costs, for example, - delivery of products from the organisation to the customer incurs an additional - installation of a product in the customer s home is not included in the purchase price. 9

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11 Complaints Procedure In reality things do go wrong and when they do it is important that a procedure is in place to deal with customer complaints. The following should be covered by a complaints procedure: All complaints should be taken seriously, logged and given a reference number. Staff who deal with complaints should be trained appropriately. All complaints should be acknowledge in some way and some indication of the next steps should be outlined. Clear timelines should be given to customers and an indication of how long they should expect to wait for a response. The result of the complaint should be communicated to the customer as soon as possible. 11

12 Benefits of Good Customer Care High staff morale and motivation, which can increase productivity Low staff turnover as staff will want to stay in an organisation where there are not many customer complaints Satisfied customers who will remain loyal to the organisation and also recommend the organisation to others Good reputation which will attract new customers Competitive edge in the market place Increased market share. 12

13 Effects of Poor Customer Care Demotivated staff and low staff morale, which will result in poor working relationships and high staff turnover Dissatisfied customers who will not return and will not recommend to others Increased complaints and poor reputation which is difficult to turn around Reduced sales revenue and profits for the organisation Loss of the competitive edge and market share Downfall of the organisation. 13

14 Methods for Monitoring and Evaluating Customer Care It is important that organisations gain feedback on their customer care so that improvements can be made. The following are methods organisations may use: Satisfaction surveys Mystery shopper Customer focus groups Loyalty cards Market research Quality management systems 14

15 Customer Satisfaction Surveys This is a way of collecting information from customers and listening to what they are saying about the service they receive. However, sometimes it is difficult to get these back from customers and it can be a costly process to send them out and analyse the results. There are various ways of collecting the information required, including: questionnaires comment cards telephone interviews interviews in the street online surveys. 15

16 Written Surveys Written surveys can be preprinted forms or questionnaires posted out to the customer with a replypaid envelope. Not everyone fills in questionnaires, so incentives such as entry into a prize draw are often given to encourage customers. 16

17 Advantages of Written Surveys They give the customer the opportunity to comment and make them feel valued. They can be issued immediately after the customer has had dealings with the organisation and he experience is still fresh in the customer s mind. A permanent record is created which can be compared with previous surveys over a period of time. Results can be analysed and statistics extracted. 17

18 Disadvantages of Written Surveys The number of responses received is usually low and may not be representative of the whole customer base. The people who respond may only be those who are either very satisfied or very dissatisfied and the results may not therefore represent the full customer base. They are not time-efficient. The survey has to be prepared, printed and sent out, and it may take some time for responses to be returned. The wording of questions is crucial. Questions should be pre-tested to ensure they are unambiguous, clear and understandable or customers will not bother to answer them. Many surveys are based on box ticking and so are not very flexible. Increasingly, online surveys are used as they are quick and simple to complete; however, people do not always read the questions properly, so the information provided may not be accurate. 18

19 Telephone Surveys Customers may be telephoned and asked pre-set questions. This can be cheaply and effectively outsourced to call centres, but some customers resent being interrupted at home. 19

20 Advantages of Telephone Surveys They make all those contacted feel valued. They generate instant data which can be used for fine-tuning customer service strategies. This kind of survey is cheap compared with other methods, particularly when it can be outsourced to a specialist call centre. Any ambiguous questions can be explained. 20

21 Disadvantages of Telephone Surveys Customer may resent being interrupted at work or at home. Customers may think there is a hidden agenda, such as the company trying to sell another product or service. Questions often have to be very simple when they are given only verbally. Complex questions cannot be used. If the organisation has outsourced the survey to a third party, the third party may lack the specialist knowledge to be able to explain the questions to the customer if the customer does not understand what is being asked. They may only reach certain groups of customers and so not be truly representative. 21

22 Customer Focus Groups A focus group is a face-to-face meeting with a group of customers to allow them to provide feedback to an organisation on goods and services. However, a focus group can be very expensive to arrange as the participants may have to be paid a nominal fee and the cost of travel and a meeting venue would have to be covered. Also, customers may only tell the organisation what they want to hear and not give any negative feedback. 22

23 Advantages of Focus Groups A pre-determined number of customers (which is representative of the customer base) can be invited to a focus group so you can guarantee the number of responses. The organisation get instant feedback from a focus group. Those invited to a focus group will feel valued and are likely to give more positive responses than they might on a written survey. Customers may give more considered responses because everyone is given the opportunity to speak. Any questions which the customers do not understand can be clarified or re-worded. Additional questions can be asked to probe any issues which arise. 23

24 Disadvantages of Focus Groups There may be a time delay between the customer buying the product or service and the meeting of the focus group. All customers cannot be invited to the focus group so the organisation is sampling responses right from the start. The interaction of the individuals in the group may lead to an infectious negative experience and feedback. In order to get a national perspective, large companies would have to hold many focus groups throughout the country an even more complicated, expensive and timeconsuming exercise. 24

25 Face-to-face Interviews Face-to-face interviews may be deemed appropriate in some cases, especially where information is confidential; for example, if research is being done into financial services. Here, interviews are usually on a one-to-one basis, either at point of sale or later. Banks often make use of these. 25

26 Advantages/Disadvantages of Faceto-face Interviews Advantages They are usually one-to-one interviews, allowing close interaction between interviewer and interviewee. They allow for more private or personal questioning. Disadvantages They can be longer and more time-consuming. They are less structured and it is therefore often more difficult to summarise what has been reported. They are expensive, labourintensive and fewer people are reached. 26

27 Mystery Shopper This is when someone is employed to act as a customer and report back on the service they receive. This information is given to staff and any concerns regarding poor standards can be rectified. Praise may also be given to staff if the mystery customer has a good experience. 27

28 Advantages/Disadvantages of Mystery Shoppers Advantages It gives a really clear idea of what a real customer might experience. It is good for identifying staff training needs. Disadvantages It monitors and evaluates on the performance of the individual staff that the mystery shopper comes in contact with. It normally only assesses front-line customer service. There may be hostility from the staff. 28

29 Loyalty Cards Loyalty cards are used to reward customers for their loyalty to an organisation by giving them points that can be exchanged for rewards. This is a good way of retaining customer loyalty. Organisations can also use the information from loyalty cards to gain information about their customers and their spending habits. They can use this information to target customers by gearing special offers on the products they buy towards them. 29

30 Market Research A process of collecting information and feedback about what customers think of an organisation and improvements that can be made. Market research is also used when organisations are thinking of launching new products onto the market to gain the opinion of potential customers before a product is launched. 30

31 Quality Management Systems Using quality management systems an organisation instils a culture where quality is the responsibility of all staff. The customer is at the heart of the organisation and customer service is the responsibility of everyone and not just the people who deal directly with the customer. It is important that all staff are committed to improving standards and delivering what has been promised to the customer. 31