ABDA Training Module 2: Customer Service

Disclaimer This Training Guide is meant to provide an overview of the information necessary for new and existing Depot owners on Depot Operations. All owners should read over all documents provided by the previous owner and the Alberta Bottle Depot Association (ABDA). If you ever have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to any part of the industry, please do not hesitate to contact the ABDA at (780) or at

Layout 10 comprehensive units Appendixes Formalizes Customer Service skills *Better Customer Service = more customers = more containers = more $

Unit 1: Industry Summary

Unit 2: What is outstanding Customer Service Customer Expectations T rust R esponsiveness E mpathy A ssurance T angibles

Unit 2 (cont.) Outstanding Customer Service Professionals: Optimistic Enthusiastic Positive attitude Solution oriented Competitive spirit People oriented Inquiring mind Decision-making accuracy Communication skills Knowledgeable

Unit 3: Who are your customers? Two types of customers: Internal (Depot employees) -Owners -Managers -Lead Hands -Cashiers -Customer Service Reps -Sorters

Unit 3 (cont.) External (outside of Depot) 1.Consumers 2.CSA + CSP 3.End-Use Facilities

Unit 4: What do your customers want, need or expect? Customer Expectations – Friendly Service – Good Turnaround Time (Jeffs timing project) – Accurate transactions

Unit 4 (cont.) Creating an environment – Convenient location – Easy access – Ample parking – Friendly service – Good turnaround time – Easy to understand deposit-refund process – Accurate transactions – Clean, bright, and neat surroundings – Wash facilities

Unit 4 (cont.) Operating and Service Standards – Depot Inspections Accuracy is key – Mystery Shopper Program Counting and Sorting – Depot must sort and count containers

Unit 5: Delivering outstanding Customer Service 2 techniques for analyzing your Depot 1.Service Cycle Analysis (customers perspective-p.26) 2.Process Mapping (employees perspective-p.27)

Unit 5 (cont.) Create Service Standards – What we do? – How we do it? – The way we do it…

Unit 6 (Addressing Challenging Situations) F ocus I dentify R equest S ecure T hank

Stress Reducers Breathe Smile Laugh Let it out (off stage) Take a break Relax Exercise Organize Talk positively

Unit 7: Top Ten Questions About Beverage Container Recycling 1.What is the refund on these containers? 2.Why do beer and pop containers have different refunds? 3.I paid a deposit on the milk container at the store. Why dont I get a refund? 4.Who pays the bottle depots? 5.How did you count those containers so fast? Are you sure you did not miss any?

Unit 7 (cont.) 6.What happens to containers after they are returned to the bottle depot? 7.Why should we recycle containers? 8.What are your hours of operation? 9.How do I get my own bottle depot? 10.How does the can counter work?

Unit 8: Success Stories A couple of changes can really make a difference! This bottle depot operator noticed that it took customers 45 to 60 minutes to return their containers on the busiest day of the week – Saturday. By making two changes, this operator reduced wait times to 10 minutes and increased volume 15% in just one year! What were the changes? Educating the customer how on to count containers so they could count along with staff and offering the customer both walk-in and drive through service.

Unit 8 (cont.) Working with hospitality businesses and educational institutions has paid off for this bottle depot. A few years ago, they made a decision to send a truck to collect containers from a small group of customers. Word-of-mouth promotion was very powerful and soon other similar organizations demanded the service too. In the first year, business grew at a rate of $20,000 per month – $240,000 in total!

Unit 9: Maintaining Service Edge 2 important questions 1.What are we doing? 2.How can we do it better? Answer – Do research – Analyze processes

Remaining Pages Unit 10 – Evaluation Appendix 1: Operating and Service Standards Appendix 2: Process Mapping Appendix 3: Acknowledgements Appendix 4: Customer Service Quiz Appendix 5: Industry Abbreviations