This workbook supports BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints in the Business Services Training Package.

Transcription

1 Process Customer Complaints This workbook supports BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints in the Business Services Training Package. Upgraded to BSBCMM301B by Software Publications writing team Copyright Sandra Griffith, 2013 Author: Sandra Griffith ISBN Disclaimer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, scanning, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Software Publications Pty Ltd. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. These learning materials have been prepared for use as part of a structured vocational education and training course and should only be used within that context. The information contained herein was correct at the time of preparation. Legislation and case law is subject to change and readers need to inform themselves of the current law at the time of reading. Publishers Software Publications Pty Ltd (ABN ) Head office Sydney Unit 10, 171 Gibbes Street Chatswood NSW Published and printed in Australia

2 Process customer complaints Respond to complaints 1.1 Process customer complaints Process customer complaints using effective communication according to organisational procedures established under organisational policies, legislation or codes of practice. It is not unusual for people to feel anxious or have negative feelings when they are on the receiving end of a customer complaint. You may associate customer complaints with such experiences as confrontation, conflict, aggression and frustration. In this Learner Guide, you will develop the knowledge and skills required to welcome customer complaints as an opportunity to identify things that you and your organisation could be doing better. You will also develop knowledge and skills to embrace customer complaints as an opportunity to impress the customer with excellent customer service. Complaints can provide the organisation with an excellent opportunity to exceed the customer s expectations. An effective complaints management system can benefit an organisation in several ways, including: better understanding of customer needs enhanced reputation of the organisation improved product quality and service delivery increased customer loyalty less time and money spent attracting new customers word-of-mouth advertising by satisfied customers Tip: When a customer complains, it means that their expectations about a product or some aspect of the organisation s service have not been met. You now have a new opportunity to exceed their expectations about how their complaint is handled. By being able to identify the problems that are causing persistent complaints, the organisation has an opportunity to reduce the time and effort spent fixing them, as well as gaining a clearer picture of other ways to improve the organisation s policies and procedures. Research has found that even in those cases where a complaint is not completely resolved to the customer s satisfaction they will remain loyal to the organisation as long as a genuine attempt was made to resolve it. It's worth remembering that it costs about five times more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one. Page 12 BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints

3 Respond to complaints Process customer complaints Learning Journal Activity You may want to record your reflections of your learning as you progress through this Learner Guide. In your Learning Journal, you should record an instance where you have been disappointed with the product or service you received from an organisation. Describe how the product or service did not meet your expectations. Did you let the organisation know that they had not met your expectations? If you did let them know, what outcome did you want from making a complaint? If you did not let them know, why not? Who are your customers? You may receive complaints from both your external customers and your internal customers. Customers are people or other organisations that wish to obtain goods or services from the organisation that employs you. These types of customers are termed external customers. However, you may be employed in a position where you only need to have contact with other teams or individuals within your organisation. These other parties will also require you to provide them with goods or services to satisfy their needs. Customers that are from within your organisation are termed internal customers. Issues that customers complain about When a customer complains, it means that their expectations about a product or some aspect of the organisation s service have not been met. Customers could complain about such issues as: administrative errors such as incorrect invoices customer satisfaction with service quality damaged goods or goods not delivered delivery errors housekeeping issues Is the music too loud? Is the reception area too dark? Is the café unclean? problems accessing the organisation (physical access for customers with special needs or online access for remote customers) prices product delivered product not delivered on time products being out of stock range of products BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints Page 13

4 Process customer complaints Respond to complaints service errors slow or inefficient service and unhelpful or rude staff staff having poor product knowledge or giving incorrect advice Activity, Customer Communication Survey Ask your colleagues, friends and family about their experience in complaining to organisations about products and services. You should gather information about what types of issues they complain about and what type of response they have received. What constitutes best practice in handling customer complaints? What types of skills do you need to handle complaints effectively? Do you have these skills? How could you develop them? Interpersonal skills for customer service Processing customer complaints is a component of customer service. In order to provide excellent customer service, you need to be an effective communicator. In this Section, you will examine a range of interpersonal skills that you should seek to develop that will assist you to provide customer service. Treating a customer courteously involves a lot of little things that demonstrate to customers that we recognise and respect them as individuals and that we appreciate the contribution they make to the success of the organisation. You should consider: greeting the customer by name smiling and maintaining eye contact offering to assist them asking permission before asking them questions using their name not interrupting them or speaking over them respecting their privacy being alert to any special needs that they may have offering additional services where appropriate thanking them for their custom farewelling them and encouraging them to return Page 14 BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints

5 Respond to complaints Process customer complaints Exercise 1, Identifying interpersonal skills for customer service You should reflect on your interpersonal skills and identify those that you currently possess and those that you will need to develop on the table below. In your Learning Journal, you should reflect on the methods that are available to you, such as on-the-job experience, training and education and volunteer positions that will assist you to develop these valuable skills. Interpersonal skill I possess this Excellent listening skills Excellent verbal skills Ability to quickly respond to situations as they arise Ability to work to deadlines Demonstrated initiative Flexible attitude to work Organisational skills Team player Ability to problem solve Ability to identify opportunities to deliver value-added customer service Ability to relate well to a diverse range of people High levels of enthusiasm and self-motivation Patience and tact Ability to empathise with customer High standards of honesty and personal ethics Effective time management skills Establish Rapport Customers prefer to do business with people they like. You can gain this approval by establishing rapport, or a positive connection, with a customer. Rapport with your customers is essential to build their trust and enhance the credibility of the organisation and its staff. Rapport can be established by: asking questions making eye contact BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints Page 15

6 Process customer complaints Respond to complaints offering to help recognising mutual interests simple gestures such as calling a customer by their name You will usually find that the customer responds to this type of behaviour by identifying you as being keen to assist them to understand their needs and find a solution to their problem. The time you take to establish a relationship with the customer will enhance their commitment and trust in the organisation. Providing excellent customer service requires organisation, skill and hard work. It involves listening, asking and answering questions, clarifying concerns and solving problems, suggesting alternatives and handling complaints. In this Section, you will explore some of the interpersonal skills that you can use to develop rapport and to establish a relationship with a customer. Case Study, Establishing rapport Ben enjoys his role as a Customer Service Representative. His organisation enjoys a reputation for providing excellent customer service. Ben has been with the organisation for six months. He has been trained to use the various software applications that he needs to process customer car rentals, including accounts. He has enjoyed participating in the Customer Service Training Program that his organisation provides and looks forward to sharing his experiences with his colleagues at their regular team meetings. This morning has been particularly busy. It is the first day of the school holidays and many customers have arranged to rent a car for their vacation. Ben has noticed that the customer he is now ready to help has already been waiting some time at reception accompanied by her two small children. Ben: Good morning. I am sorry you have had to wait. How may I help you? Mrs Alvarez: Thanks but you should try standing here with these two. Day one of the holidays and already I can t wait for them to be over. Ben: I remember my mother saying that when I was about the age of your son. I assume you re heading off on vacation that should be a lot of fun. How may I help you this morning? Mrs Alvarez: I have booked a Four Wheel Drive for Alvarez for 10 days. I would like to get going. Ben: Mrs Alarez, the Four Wheel Vehicles have all been detailed this morning and are ready to go. I will need to get some details from you so that I can get you on your way. Is that okay? Mrs Alvarez: Thanks. I need to make sure there is a booster seat for Joe, too. Page 16 BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints

7 Respond to complaints Process customer complaints Role Play, Establishing rapport at Accelerate Bank You are employed as a Customer Service Representative at Accelerate Bank. You are having a challenging day. The branch Automatic Teller Machines are not working which means that more customers than usual are requiring personal service. The computer system that you use to assist customers is also unusually slow this morning. Your next customer has been waiting quite some time. You overheard the customer say to the person next to them that they have spent most of their lunch break waiting in the queue. Role play, with a partner, the interaction between yourself and this customer where you try to establish rapport with them. Questioning There are three basic types of questions: open question closed question reflective question You will use all three questions to gather information from a customer. Encourage customers to talk by using positive language. Once the customer has given you information, you can use open questions to probe for more information. It is essential that you do not appear to be interrogating the customer. Remember, that you need to concentrate on listening to the answers that the customer is giving you rather than focusing on thinking of the next question you will ask. Many customer service professionals ask the customer for permission before they begin the process of asking questions to gather information. Open questions Open-ended questions are questions that can t be answered with a yes or a no. Open questions begin with: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and HOW. You would typically use open questions to gather information that is relevant to the complaint. Open questions are particularly helpful in those cases where you want to: clarify information encourage the customer to continue to talk explore options identify specific behaviours open up additional areas for exploration BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints Page 17

8 Process customer complaints Respond to complaints Activity, Open questions The following table includes examples of questions you may ask to gather information from customers. You are to consider the purpose of each question and write an example of your own. Purpose Example of question Your example Clarify information Encourage the customer to continue to talk What delivery instructions did you give when you made your order? What did you understand would be included in the package? Explore options. Identify specific behaviours Can you tell me about what you are looking for in a gym membership? When would you be available for us to deliver a replacement? Open up additional areas for exploration What are your thoughts about using online ordering? Closed questions Closed questions are those that can be answered with a yes or no, or which allow only a limited number of responses. Using open questions, you will have identified the customer s needs. You may use closed questions to clarify the information you have been given or to check that the solution that you are thinking of is likely to be acceptable to the customer. Closed questions begin with: WAS, DID, ARE, DO, IS, WILL, WHY. Reflective questions Reflective questions are those you use when you want to show the customer that you have heard what he or she said and check your understanding at the same time. Examples of reflective questions include: So, you would have preferred the larger size? You won t be available for delivery this afternoon? Then you would prefer a pay-by-the-month plan? Page 18 BSBCMM301B Process Customer Complaints