This document provides information about the importance of customer service. It discusses how keeping existing customers is more important than attracting new customers, as repeat customers spend more and it costs less to retain them. The "ladder of customer loyalty" shows different levels from prospects to advocates. Strategies for building loyalty include satisfying customers and maintaining relationships. Good customer service involves listening to customers, addressing complaints, being helpful and courteous. Specific dos and don'ts are provided for communicating with customers. The document also gives tips for dealing with different types of challenging customers.

1. Customer
service
•Basic concept of customer service
•Basic communication skills when
dealing with customers

2. Do you think companies spend most of
the time and energy attracting new
customers or keeping existing
customers?
Which one is more crucial to a
company, attracting new customers or
keeping existing customers? Why?

3. Statistics: Advantages of
keeping customers
Repeat customers spend 33% more
than new customers.
It costs 6 times more to acquire a
new customer than it does to keep an
existing one.
As little as a 5% increase in customer
retention can increase profits by 25%
to 95%.

4. Ladder of customer loyalty
Advocate
Supporter
Client
Customer
Prospect

5. Strategies of building
customer loyalty
Building brand loyalty
- Creating customer satisfaction
Creating and maintaining
relationships
- Customer service
-

6. I. Customer Service
Discussion: Sharing your
experience
Talk with your partner about your
most delightful or annoying
experience with customer service
as a customer.

7. Discussion:
What were the consequences of
your delightful and annoying
customer service experiences?

8. Facts about customer service
80% of business leaders believe their
companies are doing a good job in
the way they treat customers.
Only 8% of customers agree.

9. 54% to 70% of customers who
complain will do business with you
again if they feel their problem is
resolved. That figure jumps to 95% if
the customer feels the complaint has
been resolved quickly.
According to the above recent
reports, outstanding customer
service is now rated as being more
important than low prices and quality
products!
Facts about customer service

10. 1. What is customer service?
How a company deals with its
consumers before, during and after a
purchase or use of a service.
A series of activities designed to
enhance the level of customer
satisfaction – that is, the feeling that
a product or service has met the
customer expectation.
A proactive attitude that can be
summed up as: I care and I can do.

11. 2. Why it matters?
Businesses need to recognize:
The benefits of having satisfied
customers;
The costs of having dissatisfied
customers .

12. 3. Who offers it?
Who gives customer service?
Name some job roles…
Shop assistants (salespersons)
Receptionists
Bank assistants
Insurance agents
Food servers
Bus drivers
Customer service representatives

13. 3. Who offers customer
service?
Excellent customer service can
only be achieved by training all
employees, even those who do
not have direct contact with
customers.
Happy employees make for
happy customers.

14. 4. How to offer customer
service?
Discussion:
What rules for good customer
service can you summarise?

15. 4. How to offer customer
service?
Excellent customer service is the
ability of an organization to
constantly and consistently exceed
the customer's expectations.
It’s all about attitude and skills.

16. Rules for good customer service
Answer your phone
Make sure that someone is picking up the
phone when someone calls your business.
Don’t make promises unless you WILL
keep them
Listen to your customers
Let your customer talk and show him that you
are listening by making the appropriate
responses, such as suggesting how to solve the
problem .
Deal with complaints
Be helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable

17. Words & phrases that damage
customer relationship
You don’t understand.
I don’t know.
I can’t…
You don’t see my point.
Hold on (or hang on) a second.
Our policy says (or prohibits)…
That’s not my job/responsibility.
You must/should…
You’ll have to…
What you need to do is…
What’s your problem?
Why don’t you…?
I never said…
“I’ll find out for you”;
“I’ll need to check on that
and get back to you”;
“I’ll have to look that up,
when is a good time for
me to call you back?”

18. Words & phrases that build customer
relationship
Please.
Thank you.
I can/will…
How may I help?
I was wrong.
You’re right.
I understand how you feel.
May I …? / Could we try …?
Have you considered …
I’m sorry for …
It’s my/our fault.
What do you think?
Would you mind?

19. Express empathy to
customers
Use empathic phrases:
“I can see why you feel that way”
“I see what you mean”
“That must be very upsetting”
“I understand how frustrating this
must be”
“I’m sorry about this”
Always say you’re sorry

20. Role play (work in pairs)
You have bought a mobile phone and
it’s broken after only one week and
you’re very angry about products not
being made to last anymore. You
want the salesperson to do something
immediately. She is offering you a
replacement and you want a refund.

21. Appendix
How to deal with different
types of customers?

22. The talkative customer
Ask closed questions
Limit the time available for them to
interrupt (don’t have long pauses)
Provide minimal response
Smile and be pleasant, but don’t
encourage them
Wind up – thank them for coming,
walk them to the door but don’t be
rude or dismissive

23. The angry customer
Listen carefully without interrupting so
you understand the problem
Empathize in a broad way
Stay calm and remain polite
Don’t escalate the problem
Don’t take it personally, be defensive or
blame others
Propose an action plan and follow it
Seek support if you are scared, if you can’t
agree on a solution or if the customer asks
to see “whoever’s in charge”

24. The ‘know it all’ customer
Acknowledge what they say
Compliment them on their research
Be generous with praise
Don’t put them in their place no
matter how tempting
Don’t try to be smart – you can’t win!
Ask them questions and use them to
improve your knowledge

25. The indecisive customer
Find out what they really want
Ask them for the options
Reflect back to them what they’ve
said
Assume control gently and point out
the best course of action from what
they’ve told you they need
Be logical
Confirm a plan of action with them
Maybe even put it in writing

26. The suspicious customer
Establish your credibility
Ensure you know your product or
service
They will try and catch you out so
don’t guess or tell them something
you’re not sure of
Be careful what you say
Be polite
Don’t take it personally, they don’t
trust anyone!