Good Customer Service

This e-learning training course is aimed at people working in a wide range of settings – whether in the retail or service industries – and is intended to reinforce the importance of providing good customer service.

Learners will explore how effective two-way communication can help to increase customer loyalty and how Unique Selling Points (USPs) and Unique Service Offers (USOs) can show clients and service users that they are valued and respected.

The course also looks at the legislation in place in relation to the sales and / or provision of goods and services and the purpose of Customer Charters to ensure that customer expectations and needs are met.

The Benefits of Good Customer Service

Retail companies are always looking to see how they can increase sales and their customer base. Sucessful retail companies will tell you:

• good customer service is essential to ensure existing customers are loyal
• keeping valued customers is a lot easier than attracting new ones

So it is obvious that excellent customer service needs to be right at the top of a company’s priorities if it wants to prosper and succeed. However good customer service does not just apply to people who work in retail, it is just as important in service industries and the health and social care sectors.

Why is Good Customer Service Essential for your Business or Organisation?

People react to the kind of treatment they receive so if you treat customers badly or show a total disregard for them, they are, at best, going to complain more and, at worst, will simply not bother to complain and go elsewhere. Good customer service is an essential ingredient in retail and other sectors because if a customer feels valued, they are more likely to not just stay with you but they will also recommend you to others and the importance of ‘word of mouth’ referrals should never be underestimated by any company or organisation. However, retail companies and service organisations should not believe that this means the loss of a single customer, in fact, if a customer decides not to buy your goods or use your services because your customer service is poor, then you can be sure that they’ll also tell family and friends who will also tell their family and friends and so on. So you can see that the loss of one customer could actually lead to the loss of possible several hundred potential customers in reality.

Good Customer Service is a Morale Booster for Your Staff

It isn’t just customers who benefit from good customer service, your staff will also be far more motivated to work for a company or organisation that prides itself on excellent customer service. Staff who know that they have helped customers and have been able to resolve issues satisfactorily so that customers will continue to shop with them or use their services will gain a much deeper sense of job satisfaction.

The Main Principles of Good Customer Service

It is very important to listen to what customers have to say about your company or organisation’s customer service and to consider any improvements they suggest. By listening to complaints you can make your company or organisation aware of particular problems and take practical steps to put them right before customers decide to leave and go elsewhere.

In generally speaking, customers value the following when it comes to good customer service:

• Courteous and polite staff
• Staff who value their custom and who are prepared to listen to their complaints
• Staff who offer help and useful product or service information
• Staff who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the products they sell or the services they provide
• Staff who accept responsibility for complaints and who will apologise and rectify problems quickly
• Staff who do not apply pressure whilst making sales

Other customer service issues to be aware of

People appreciate good customer service in more indirect ways including keeping a neat and tidy environment. Remember, people tend to share their experiences in conversations with their family and friends so customer service plays a tremendous role in that experience and can have the effect of increasing or decreasing customer satisfaction and the success of your business or organisation.

Topics covered include:

• definitions of good customer service
• identifying your customers
• why an adaptable approach to customers’ needs is beneficial
• USPs, USOs and after-sales support strategies
• the importance of appropriate communication through advertising
• the purpose of a Customer Charter
• identifying customer expectations by gathering feedback
• the importance of customer loyalty
• how to respond to complaints appropriately
• improving communication skills
• the importance of the law in the sales of goods and services
• the legislation in place to  protect customers from discrimination
• codes of practice – what they are and how they should be applied.

The online materials include case studies, quizzes and activities to help reinforce learning as students work through each topic. Learners will receive access to factsheets, useful links and an online assessment to check their learning on completion of the course.

Currently there are no Q&As for this course. Be the first to ask a question.