PowerPoint presentation Understand working in a customer service environment Handout 1: Introduction to develop learners’ knowledge about the importance of customer service Tutor to read the unit outcomes before the session and prepare by checking the PPT tutor notes, session plans and slides prior to the session. Domestics and session behaviours to be agreed before the session begins.

What is customer service? Discuss in groups or with your tutor what you understand ‘customer service’ to be? Tutor to set up this discussion with groups with a scribe. If this is one to one then a short one to one should develop. Learners will/may consider roles and experiences without thinking about skills and behaviours of customer service personnel. This will be discussed in next sessions.

What really is ‘customer service’? Write a definition of what ‘customer service’ is. Avoid using the internet, have a think in your groups or with the assistance of your tutor. Once the learner/s have discussed their understanding get them to write a couple of short sentences to define their understanding.

What ‘customer service’ really is! Oxford Dictionary definition: ‘The assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services.’ Tutor to reveal this to the learner/s and discuss how far away from their own definition it is. Tutor can then discuss which occupations they think this does not apply to. It should be concluded with the learners understanding that there is no occupation or sector that does not have customer service in its business. (Internal and external will be in the future slides and activity.)

Common words used for customers: Customer Internal/external Client What is a customer? Common words used for customers: Customer Internal/external Client Consumer Purchaser Patron Buyer Regular Service user Patient. Tutor to discuss with the learner/s before revealing these. Then discuss what internal and external customers are commonly known as. Eg other departments’ services and requirements constitute internal customers and can be labelled as any of the above but most likely to be called internal.

Customer service Worksheet 1 Worksheet 1 – Definition of customer service. Work through the Worksheet 1 and discuss it with your tutor. This can be used as knowledge evidence in your portfolio. Distribute Worksheet 1 and discuss with learners their responses. There is a tutor answer sheet available for you to use for guidance. You can expand and discuss further.

Why is customer service important to a business? In groups or with your tutor discuss this question. Tutor to discuss this with the learner/s; this can be done in groups with a scribe or one to one with single learners. Profit/revenue is only one important factor and learners should discuss reputation, repeat business, loyalty and economy.

Why is customer service importance to an organisation? Profit/revenue is only one important factor; others are: reputation repeat business loyalty economy. Tutor to use to summarise and discuss.

Effective customer service skills and behaviours Appearance Attitude Friendliness Impression Responsibility Commitment Communication Teamwork Tutor to discuss these individual skills and behaviours with the group and any others that are appropriate. This session should encourage debate, eg appropriate appearance, attitudes and tone of voice, how friendly, first impression and language. Further debate should be around experiences they have had, and where they have seen good teamwork.

Activity 1‒ Customer service scenarios Summary activity Activity 1‒ Customer service scenarios

Questions? Tutor to distribute the first activity for this learning outcome.