Apprenticeships CUSTOMER. Functional Skills Level 1 ENGLISH

Transcription

1 Apprenticeships CUSTOMER SERVICE Functional Skills Level 1 ENGLISH

2 Published by Pearson Education Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales, having its registered office at Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2JE. Registered company number: Designed by AM Design Typeset by Tek-Art, Crawley Down, West Sussex Illustrated by Pearson Education Limited Cover design by Zannah Hawdon, Motif First published British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright notice All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS ( Applications for the copyright owner s written permission should be addressed to the publisher. Acknowledgements The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs: Alamy Images: ableimages 1 All other images Pearson Education Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and we apologise in advance for any unintentional omissions. We would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgement in any subsequent edition of this publication. Websites Pearson Education Limited is not responsible for the content of any external internet sites. It is essential for tutors to preview each website before using it in class so as to ensure that the URL is still accurate, relevant and appropriate. We suggest that tutors bookmark useful websites and consider enabling students to access them through the school/college intranet. Disclaimer This material has been published on behalf of Edexcel and offers high-quality support for the delivery of Edexcel qualifications. This does not mean that the material is essential to achieve any Edexcel qualification, nor does it mean that it is the only suitable material available to support any Edexcel qualification. Material from this publication will not be used verbatim in any examination or assessment set by Edexcel. Any resource lists produced by Edexcel shall include this and other appropriate resources. Copies of official specifications for all Edexcel qualifications may be found on the Edexcel website: ii

3 To achieve your BTEC Apprenticeship Level 2 in Customer Service you will need to pass Functional Skills English at Level 1. The texts and questions that follow reflect some of the sorts of questions that you will need to answer in your Functional Skills test. They are not intended to reflect complete Functional Skills English papers with a full range of questions and mark schemes. The questions below are in the context of the type of work you may do in a customer service role, while the questions you meet in your Functional Skills test will not be in the context of one particular industry or role. These materials don t necessarily cover all the question types that will be included in your Functional Skills test. And remember that your Functional Skills test will be generic, and won t contain questions based on the same sector as your Apprenticeship. Your tutor can help you prepare for your test by visiting 1

4 DEVELOPING FUNCTIONAL READING SKILLS When taking Functional Skills English Level 1 you will read Text A and Text B, and answer a range of questions on each text. Section A Read Text A and answer the questions that follow. Text A You read the following: Customer Care Guidelines We are well known for our quality of customer care and we want to keep up our good reputation. If you are unsure about anything, check our company website for more details. Be fully aware and familiar with the policies and procedures for dealing with customer complaints. Check the standards that relate to specific complaints from customers. Check the company policy on how to deal with complaints that may not be justified. Check any concerns with a manager when unsure if the complaint is genuine. Your manager will be able to give you further advice. Respond to all complaints whether they are face to face, formally written or via telephone or with sympathy and understanding. Always show respect to the customer when dealing with complaints. Focus on the points made in the complaint and the possible solutions and not the emotions or personality of the client. Always show a willingness and ability to understand the customer whether you agree with their points or not. This can help to calm down a customer when they are angry or disappointed. Ask advice from other colleagues about how to speak to a customer we are here to help each other. Use phrases like I understand that this is upsetting for you rather than Yes I agree that you have been treated unfairly. Use an understanding tone when replying to letters of complaint. Check all written responses follow company guidelines if in doubt ask a colleague to help you by reading your letter before you send it. If you want more support, we offer additional training for customer services. Information about dates, times and places are available on request. Answer questions 1 to 3 with a cross in the box [X]. If you change your mind about an answer, put a line through the box [X] and then mark your new answer with a cross. 1. The main purpose of the guidelines are: Answer A B C D to describe the company s complaints procedure to persuade staff to follow the company s procedures to ask staff to adapt the policy to suit the situation to tell staff how to give compensation 2

5 2. The guidelines are there to: Answer A B C D advise customers how to complain to the company help staff follow company procedures give staff a step-by-step approach to answering complaints tell staff how to contact customers 3. Which one of the statements about the guidelines is true? Answer A B C D All steps must be followed as laid out in the guidelines Avoid showing sympathy when replying to a customer The company has no policy on how to deal with complaints that are not justified Respect must be shown at all times when dealing with customer complaints 4. Name one emotion you need to show when responding to customer complaints. 5. Name two things you need to check when dealing with a complaint that might not be valid Identify two ways that a complaint could be made if you were a customer Someone you work with wants more support for how to deal with customers. Using the information in Text A, give two ways other than reading the guidelines that he could get more support. 3

6 Section B Text B Read Text B and answer the questions that follow. You have joined Capitol Retail as a customer services officer and have been asked to deal with this letter of complaint. Dear Sir/Madam 113 Broadfi eld Avenue Baveheart BJ3 5RZ 29 September I recently purchased a Sony DVD player to go with my new television from your store in Estrick. The cost of the player was , and it was the latest blue ray edition. When I arrived home and unpacked the player I found the following faults: The plug fi tting was European and not a standard 3 pin version usually fi tted on electrical devices. There was a DVD in the player. The guarantee was out of date. The underside of the player was marked with white paint. I want a full refund or a new replacement. Clearly this item had not been checked before it was put in the dispatch box. I expect you to check that any replacement is in perfect condition and working order. My car is in for a service so my neighbour collected the DVD player for me. It is too big an item for me to use public transport and as my neighbour is away on business at the moment, there is no means to return this item to the store in the next few days. I am also away on business very soon and I would like this to be sorted out before I leave. I am available for someone from your company to collect the DVD. I would like you to tell me what you intend to do about the problems outlined above and how you will compensate me for the player and the inconvenience this has caused. Please either telephone me on or me at me@my .ok.uk as a matter of urgency. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully Sam Fry 4

7 Answer questions 8 to 9 with a cross in the box [X]. If you change your mind about an answer, put a line through the box [X] and then mark your new answer with a cross. 8. What is the main purpose of Text B? Answer A B C D To persuade the customer service officer that there is a problem To get a refund/replacement for the purchase of the DVD player To inform Capitol Retail of problems with a new purchase To tell Capitol Retail about the business trips 9. Identify two features from below that show Text B is a formal letter. Answer A B C D E F Bullet points Address and date Contact number Heading Use of yours faithfully Use of an image 10. Identify two problems with the new DVD player Give two reasons why Sam Fry is unable to return the DVD player to the store in person According to the text, identify one way that customer services could contact Sam Fry. 13. You have read the letter and a colleague about the complaint. Using the information from Text B, identify two ways the customer wants the company to deal with the problem

8 DEVELOPING FUNCTIONAL WRITING SKILLS When taking Functional Skills English Level 1 you will complete two tasks that assess your writing skills. Remember that spelling, punctuation and grammar will be assessed in both tasks. Task 1 You are a member of staff dealing with customer complaints and you receive the below regarding a faulty mobile phone. New Message To: From: Subject: Rita (Rita@ .ok.uk) Harry@cook.ok.uk Customer Complaint Dear Ms Harris I bought a mobile phone from Chatterbox last week and have had problems with texting my mates and getting s. This phone is under guarantee for 12 months and I need it urgently to chat, speak and text to friends and family. Please can you tell me what I need to do to get it replaced or repaired? I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks Harry Cook Writing Task Write a letter to Harry Cook responding to his complaint, telling him to return the phone to you. In your letter you need to inform Harry about: relevant company policy of replacing the phone the address to return the phone to: 111 Bruntsfield Row, Waverley, Dorset, W13 2PZ the timeframe for dealing with the complaint. Remember to set your letter out correctly. Begin your letter on the next page. 6

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10 Task 2 The customer services department you work in has received a number of complaints concerning an advert that was placed in the local paper. You have been asked to deal with them. TRUMPHTELLY.CO.UK Vintage TV SETS FOR SALE This set can be yours for inc VAT Colours available: pink, baby blue, orange and purple Delivery: next day Product number: Customer information High quality vintage TV Fully guaranteed for 3 years Lightweight Writing Task You have received a number of complaints about the advert. Customers concerns are: There was an error in the price on the advert. The only colour available is baby blue. Delivery is 4 6 weeks. Write an to customers apologizing for the errors outlined above. The management team at your place of work will give customers a voucher as a gesture of goodwill if they purchase the TV. Begin your answer on the next page. 8

11 New Message From: To: Subject: Complaints 9

12 DEVELOPING SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS When taking Functional Skills English Level 1 you will need to complete two assessments to show that you are able to take full part in formal and informal discussions and exchanges that include unfamiliar subjects. You will be assessed for both a formal and an informal activity. A suitable length for both assessments is 30 minutes. You will be assessed with a maximum of four other participants for these activities although not all of you need to be formally assessed at the same time. As an employee in customer service you will need to have discussions with customers about a range of issues and some of these will be formal and others informal. Below are some discussions you may need to have within your job. Activity 1: Formal discussion Hold a monthly review meeting with your line manager to discuss your progress to date and to set new targets for the next month. Run a focus group with the team you are working with to look at how customer services could be improved at your place of work. Recommendations will be taken forward to the senior managers. You have applied for a full time permanent post in customer service and have been selected for an interview. The interview will take place this afternoon and you will have three senior members of staff asking you questions. Your company has an effective recycling policy. As a passionate environmentalist you have been selected to be interviewed by a local newspaper about how other companies could take forward your firm s policies on recycling. Activity 2: Informal discussion Hold a discussion with your colleagues about a complaint from a customer regarding a price increase on goods advertised at a lower value or the sending of an incorrect order to a customer. Carry out a role play on how you might deal with customers who discriminate against a member of staff. This discussion could be on any aspect of discrimination. You have been working in the organization for six months and you have been asked to use your personal experience to take place in a debate on how to provide effective team work. Hold a discussion with your colleagues about how you might help the company reduce its electricity bills by making a policy on efficient use of lights and computers in your office. 10