1. Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman 8-1 Chapter 8 BSBCMN208A—Deliver a service to customers BSBCMN209A—Provide information to clients BSBCMN210A—Implement improved work practices BSBCMN211A—Participate in workplace safety procedures

2. 8-2 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Contents Deliver a service to customers –Identify customer needs (BSBCMN208A/01) –Deliver customer service (BSBCMN208A/02) Provide information to clients –Establish contact (BSBCMN209A/01) –Customer enquiries (BSBCMN209A/02) Summary

3. 8-3 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Identifying customer needs (BSBCMN208A/01) Use interpersonal skills to identify needs Effective customer service depends on: –Honesty –Empathy –Delivering on promises –Taking ownership of the problem Who are your customers? InternalExternal AdministrationOther businesses ProductionGovernment PurchasingStudents SalesSuppliers AccountsClients/Customers

4. 8-4 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Identifying customer needs (BSBCMN208A/01) cont. Using interpersonal skills to identify needs Needs. A need is an essential product or service, e.g. food, shelter, power, water. All customers have needs Wants. Something that is not really necessary to your survival or happiness, e.g. French fries or a $250 massage Customer demands. A want becomes a demand when a customer is able and willing to purchase the object they desire

5. 8-5 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Identifying customer needs (BSBCMN208A/01) cont. Customer options and product marketing Marketing can be said to be providing the right goods and services to the right people at the right time, place and price (four Ps) –Product –Price –Place –Promotion All staff should understand the need to promote the organisation’s products and services, no matter how remote you appear to be from the point of sale

6. 8-6 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Identifying customer needs (BSBCMN208A/01) cont. Limitations to service Despite all the hype, all products and services are subject to limitations: –Quality vs. price –Availability –Delivery options  Home delivery or pick-up –Returned products options  Money-back guarantee or similar product exchange –Fitness for service –Customer’s perception of goods or services provided –Payment options

7. 8-7 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Deliver customer service (BSBCMN208A/02) Prompt service The importance of your customer’s first point of call is critical in establishing an ongoing business relationship. The customer reception desk should: –Greet clients and senior management –Schedule appointments and meetings –Provide communications to associates –Type correspondence –Control the flow of mail –Provide petty cash to staff –Provide a contact person for all staff, in or out of the office

8. 8-8 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Deliver customer service (BSBCMN208A/02) cont. Handling complaints ‘The customer is always right’ must be handled with discretion and tact Front-office staff need to be aware of problem- solving techniques Be able to find alternative solutions to a customer’s complaint Good customer service relies on reading both non- verbal and ‘that’s not what I meant’ verbal communications

9. 8-9 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Deliver customer service (BSBCMN208A/02) cont. Opportunities to enhance service When customers have a complaint it pays to be attentive and remember the details of the complaint. Company policy regarding complaints should be readily available for reference Writing it down is a good practice as it helps you (and often) the customer focus on the real issues, not just the perceived issue. It also helps as a record if the complaint should drag on When all else fails, know the organisation’s chain of command and refer the matter to a higher authority

10. 8-10 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Establish contact (BSBCMN209A/01) Communication policies Increasing use of technology means that it is important to: –Quickly answer any incoming call –Greet the caller professionally –Beware of your non-verbal communication –Speak clearly –Effectively listen to the caller –Make a record of the call Different communication technologies (blue-tooth, mobile or email) do not change these basic truths

11. 8-11 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Establish contact (BSBCMN209A/01) cont. Presentation to clients The client reception area should reflect the values and goals of the organisation –An untidy or unkempt working environment does little to inspire confidence in customers –Similarly the wrong dress code (casual or revealing clothes in a professional office) sends the wrong message Telephone protocols will vary but will always include: –Warmly greeting each caller –Knowing what products the company offers –An understanding of your corporate hierarchy

12. 8-12 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Establish contact (BSBCMN209A/01) cont. Effective use of interpersonal skills includes: Adopting a helpful attitude Screening calls Using professional business ethics –Not revealing personal information –Financial details should never be disclosed (unless requested and verified) –Personal calls should be kept to a minimum and must never come before a business communication All messages received should be forwarded as soon as possible to their intended recipients Allowing the caller to finish the conversation and where necessary saying goodbye and thanking them for calling

13. 8-13 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Customer enquiries (BSBCMN209A/02) Responding to enquiries When taking messages it is important to: –Record date and time of call –Caller’s name and organisation –Return telephone number –Content of message –Name of the person who took the message In addition, when dealing with difficult customers: –You are not personally responsible for the client’s anger –Always remain calm and helpful –Show empathy by understanding their point of view –Thank them for bringing this problem to your attention

14. 8-14 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Customer enquiries (BSBCMN209A/02) cont. Questioning techniques Closed questions require yes or no answers –For example, ‘Have you read the instructions?’ Open questions require the client to expand on a question –For example, ‘What was the colour of the product when it was opened?’

15. 8-15 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Customer enquiries (BSBCMN209A/02) cont. 1.Answer all calls promptly 2.Identify yourself and the organisation 3.Adopt a helpful attitude 4.Screen all calls 5.Employ business ethics 6.Transfer calls correctly 7.Establish callers’ requirements 8.Clarify points 9.Write everything down 10. Use non-verbal cues 11.Deal with difficult clients 12.Terminate the call politely 13.Reconnect disconnected calls 14.Take and distribute messages 15.Make ongoing telephone calls 16.Leave messages (answering machines, voicemail or email)

16. 8-16 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Customer enquiries (BSBCMN209A/02) cont. Client information Leaving a message –Your name and telephone number –Name of the person –A brief description of the content of your call –Reference to any documentation Email messages tend to be more formal but have the advantage of being able to attach documents.

17. 8-17 Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Office Skills: A Practical Approach 4e by Horsfall and Turner Slides prepared by David Plowman Summary How incoming calls are answered is the first opportunity customers have of judging the effectiveness of the organisation. All verbal communications with clients should be bound by the appropriate use of business ethics. Using interpersonal skills is critical in establishing a working rapport with your customers. When message-taking always write down any information which may be critical to follow up by other staff.