Lesson 2 LO2
Customer Service Skills
Skills needed for customer service
Lesson duration is: 20 minItems in this lesson
Customer Service Skills
Skills needed for customer service
Learning Objective
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to identify and describe various skills used for:
good customers service.
Selling skills
How to establish a rapport
How to establish needs
Selecting products to meet requirements
overcoming objections
closing the sale
sales methods
Understand the LO2 assignment Know the assignment
What Skills do you think are needed to ensure great customer service
Introduction to Customer service skills
Listening skills
Identifying behaviours
Questioning
Establishing and responding to customer needs
Assertiveness
Recording information
Conflict management
Introduction to Customer service skills
Listening skills
How good are you at listening?
Do you interrupt?
Do you look away?
Think about something else?
Active Listening
Demonstrating through words and actions that you understand what is being said to you. For example, you can make approapiate responses like wow or oh dear or ask questions.
Body language that demonstrates active listening includes nodding, maintaining eye contact smiling and nodding or looking concerned as appropiate.
Task
Lets try it
Split into 2/3
Talk about something that interests you.
Each speaker should talk on their topic twice.
the listener first time should practice active listening so nodding, smiling, eye contact.
The second time demonstrate that you are not listening so look away, tap a pencil, yawn.
What impact does active listening have on the speaker?
What impacts does it have on the speaker when it is clear that he or she is not being listened to.
Identifying behaviour
Identifying a persons behaviour could help you in many customer service situations. You need to be aware when customer is becoming stressed, anxious or angry. Some people maybe too shy and need maybe words of encouragement.
Questioning
Asking the right Questions is important in customer service skills.
Whatever your future role in travel you will be asking questions of colleague and customers. In some situations the type of question you may use is as important as words used. This is especially important when dealing with difficult question's or selling/dealing.
Questioning
Many travel and tourism organisation's require all their staff to answer the phone the same way in most situations you will need to be asking open questions, for example when establishing a customer needs. in some cases reflective questions could be useful. like when dealing with complaints.
Establishing and responding to customers needs.
As we have learnt in order to establish excellent customers service you must meet customers needs. however first you need to establish these needs. you may think asking open questions will establish customer needs however, customers will not always tell you maybe because they don't think its important or they are embarrassed.
Some times these needs will not be identified until later in the booking process. this is why it is so important to ask the right questions.
Assertiveness
Assertiveness means standing up for yourself while also considering others needs.
However, for most people this does not come naturally to them many people would be considered Passive.
Some people may be on the opposite side and they would be considered aggressive.
Recording information
Recording information is an important aspect of providing customer service. you will need to record information in the following situations.
Talking enquires for a holiday
Dealing with a complaint
Taking payment
Booking excursions
Telephone messages
Dealing with problems
Examples of documents we may use ??
Eg: Invoice or reports
Conflict Management
All such problems will stretch your skills. You will need to listen, question and be assertive. You will also need to deal with the conflict effectively and be aware of your own limits.
Sales
Selling is just one of many customers service situations that you may be involved in when working in the travel and tourism industry.
For the travel industry sales, are a fundamental activity as the number of sales determines profit levels and the ultimate success of the organisation.
Selling skills can be learnt remember Sales = Commission.
e.g.
Cabin crew get commission on Drinks and duty free sales.
Resorts representatives earn commission for all the excursions they sell.
Selling Skills
Establishing a rapport
The first stage of sales is to establish a rapport with the customer.
The customer must feel relaxed positive and under no pressure to buy.
thy must trust the salesperson and be confident in their ability to find the right product to meet the customers NEEDS.
As a Sales person you will also establish rapport by:
First impressions
Your apperance
offering customers a seat
making eye contact
positive body language
not being distracted by other people or the telephone.
The environment you are selling from is also important and needs to be??
Establish needs
Once rapport is established, you will need to establish the customers' needs. this can be the most difficult part. Customers may not know what they want however, through careful questioning we can help work this out. customers may have underlying needs that they may not tell you about.
First ask questions to get factual information eg. how many people, where, and how long. Also accommodation they may have an idea or need guidance and Destination.
Some people may not have any idea and want you to decided for them. Careful questioning will be needed for this.
You will need to ask open questions. like who, what, why, when, which or where. Customers may want a certain type of holiday.
You will also need to be practicing active listening to maintain the rapport.
Selecting the products to meet requirements
Now we should know the customers needs, you must find a holiday to match them!
if they are easy needs. great a quick search on the system.
If they have less clear needs it is your product knowledge that may determine if you can meets their needs.
As a travel agent its your job to know different destinations and suitable hotels for different customer types.
Remember you can also sell up e.g. so give them the 4* hotel rather than the 3*.
When presenting the holiday ensure you tell them 3/4 things that are most important to the client and describe how they match their needs.
Overcoming objections
You will also have to overcome objections like if the may not agree with the holiday you have found.
If this happens start the questioning again and get a clearer picture.
It may be that the customer just needs more reassurance.
Closing the sale
One you have overcome any objections we need to look for buying signals like:
nodding at the partner
looking for in their bag for the credit card
asking to reconfirm the price
checking flight details again.
NEVER rush the customer.
Some csutomers will book some will need time.
Sales Methods
Selling takes place on the phone, face-to-face, internet. We can also communicate sales through emails and written communication.
Recap
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to identify and describe various skills used for:
good customers service.
Selling skills
How to establish a rapport
How to establish needs
Selecting products to meet requirements
overcoming objections
closing the sale
sales methods
Understand the LO2 assignment Know the assignment
