This document provides guidance on identifying customer needs for the unit BSBCUS301 Deliver and monitor a service to customers. It discusses using appropriate interpersonal skills like active listening and questioning to understand customer needs. Common customer expectations are identified as service, price, and accuracy. Methods for assessing customer needs and priorities for service delivery based on organizational requirements are also covered. The document is copyrighted material from TMG College Australia and is not to be copied or distributed without permission.

1. BSBCUS301
Deliver and
monitor a
service to
customers
Learner Guide
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Table of Contents
Unit Description 5
Identify customer needs 6
Deliver a service to customers 13

5. Learner Guide [Unit Code & Title]. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be produced, published, communicated to the public or adapted without permission.
Table Of Contents
Unit Description
BSBCUS301 Deliver and monitor a service
to customers
Description
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to
identify customer needs, deliver and monitor customer service
and identify improvements in the provision of customer
service.
It applies to individuals who apply a broad range of
competencies in various work contexts. In this role, individuals
often exercise discretion and judgement using appropriate
theoretical knowledge of customer service to provide technical
advice and support to customers over short or long term
interactions.
Competency
To demonstrate your competency in this unit you will need to
provide evidence of your ability to:
Û Use communication skills to establish rapport and
build relationships with customers in accordance with
organisational requirements
Û Identify customer needs using appropriate questioning
and active listening skills
Û Provide customer service in accordance with
organisational requirements
Û Respond to and record customer feedback and action
taken according to organisational standards, policies
and procedures
Û Produce a report which identifies and recommends
ways to improve service delivery.

6. Table of Content
Learner Guide [Unit Code & Title]. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be produced, published, communicated to the public or adapted without permission.
Identify customer needs
Use appropriate interpersonal
skills
Assess customer needs
Identify limitations

7. Topic Index
Appropriate interpersonal skills may include
Û Listening actively to what the customer is
communicating
Û Providing an opportunity for the customer
to confirm their request
Û Questioning to clarify and confirm
customer needs
Û Seeking feedback from the customer to
confirm understanding of needs
Û Summarising and paraphrasing to check
understanding of customer message
Û Using appropriate body language
Customers may include
Û Corporate customers
Û Individual members of the organisation
Û Individual members of the public
Û Internal or external
Û Other agencies
Customer needs and expectations may
include
Û Accuracy of information
Û Advice or general information
Û Complaints
Û Fairness/politeness
Û Further information
Û Making an appointment
Û Prices/value
Û Purchasing organisation’s products and
services
Û Returning organisation’s products and
services
Û Specific information
Use appropriate interpersonal skills to
accurately identify and clarify customer
needs and expectations
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8. Topic Index
Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and
interact with other people, individually and in groups.
Û Interpersonal skills include not only how we communicate with others,
but also our confidence, and our ability to listen and understand, a most
important benefit in seeking information.
Û Problem solving, decision making and personal stress management are
also considered interpersonal skills.
Û People with strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in
both their professional and personal lives. They are perceived as more
calm, confident and charismatic, qualities that are often endearing or
appealing to others.
Û Being more aware of your interpersonal skills can help you improve and
develop them.
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9. Topic Index
Consultation methods, techniques and protocols
Û Consultation provides opportunities to develop
Û two-way relationships between people, teams
Û or groups.
Û Government and citizens or community
Û groups are examples of where consultation
Û is used extensively.
Û Consultation processes may run parallel with
Û other information gathering strategies. It may
Û be used as part of a strategic process using 3 or 4 techniques.
Û You may use a consultative mechanism in order to explore a wider range of
opinions to your initial information gathering.
A variety of consultation techniques are available
Û Informal discussion groups and workshops
Û Facilitated discussion groups or workshops such as focus groups
Discussion groups tend to involve relatively open-ended dialogue whereas workshops are
generally more structured activities which often combine dialogue with other strategies
such as information provision.
A planned action process is needed for these activities
Explain to those involved in the process of information gathering:
Û The background and rationale for gathering the information
Û How confidentiality will be maintained, if applicable
Û How the results will be shared, if applicable
Û How the information will be used
Communicate with your customers and find out how you can satisfy their needs better
Û Establish ways to record and interpret customer feedback.
Û Use this information when making important decisions about marketing, buying,
merchandising and selling
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10. Topic Index
Clarify customer needs and expectations
Û Your customers will have differing needs and wants.
Û Most customers have common expectations.
Û The importance of these expectations may vary, depending on the type
of product or service they require.
Common expectations can include:
Service
Û Customers expect a high level of service that they consider
is appropriate for their type of purchase.
Û For example, someone who makes a small, spontaneous
purchase may have a service expectation that is less than
someone who is buying a car or a house.
Price
Û The cost of everything we purchase is becoming
increasingly important to everyone and price is often the
top expectation on the list.
Û The temptation for a business to compete on price is often
financially dangerous.
Û Alternatives to price cutting can include ‘value adding’ and
Û ‘exceptional service’ adding value to your products or
services while making the experience more competitive.
Additional Resources
https://www.dummies.com/business/customers/10-methods-for-identifying-customer-needs/
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/planning/market-customer-research/research-
ing-customers/customer-needs
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11. Topic Index
Activity 1
Brainstorm the interpersonal skills needed for serving customers, including customers
with specific needs.
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Assess customer needs
for urgency to determine
priorities for service delivery
according to organisational
requirements and legislative
requirements
Organisational requirements may include:
Û Access and equity principles and practice
Û Anti-discrimination and related policy
Û Defined resource parameters
Û Goals, objectives, plans, systems and processes
Û Legal and organisational policies, guidelines and
requirements
Û OHS policies, procedures and programs
Û Payment and delivery options
Û Pricing and discount policies
Û Quality and continuous improvement processes
and standards
Û Quality assurance and/or procedures manuals
Û Replacement and refund policy and procedures
Û Who is responsible for products or services
Topic Index

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Topic Index
Identify limitations in
addressing customer needs
and seek appropriate
assistance from designated
individuals
Designated individuals may include:
Û Colleagues
Û Customers
Û Line management
Û Supervisor
Identify YOUR limitations when seeking
appropriate assistance from designated
individuals
Limitations will include:
Û Product knowledge
Û Technical skills
Û Level of authority
Û Types of customer
Û Unusual or out of the ordinary problems
Û Requirements of special or high importance
customers
Û Complex technical problems
Û Matters involving more than one solution or area
of service

14. Table of Content
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Deliver a service to
customers
Provide prompt service to
customers
Establish and maintain
appropriate rapport
Sensitively and courteously handle
customer
Provide assistance

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Topic Index
Provide prompt service to
customers to meet identified needs
in accordance with organisational
requirements and legislative
requirements
Provide prompt service to meet identified
needs
Û Unusual or out of the ordinary problems
Û Requirements of special or high importance
customers
Û Complex technical problems
Û Matters involving more than one solution or area
of service
Û Needs of customers who have not been happy
with some aspect of product or service
Providing good service seems easy!
Typical organisation SERVICE charter
Û A Customer service charter is an excellent
opportunity to spell out your services and
objectives in a positive and succinct way.
Û It is also a positive tool to use for staff and
contractors similar to a performance expectation
policy.
Û A charter can form part of an employee contract.
It is aimed as a positive means of stating your
organisations expectations of staff and how they treat
your customers.

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Topic Index
Overview example
Û Provide prompt, friendly, courteous and efficient
customer service
Û Provide customers with a clear, accurate and
timely information to meet identified needs
Û Provide the ability to work through an issue or
fix a problem
Û Train staff to use language that promotes good
customer service
It would encourage the use of positive service
statements such as:
Û “How can I help,”
Û “I don’t know, but I will find out,”
Û “I will keep you updated”

17. Topic Index
Establish and maintain appropriate
rapport with customers to ensure
completion of quality service delivery
Rapport:
A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups
concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well.
Maybe you experience this and don’t know what it’s called?
Û Building “rapport” with your customers will generally infer that you
need to meet face-to-face. Although many marketing ‘experts’ say that
advertising can build rapport.
Û Advertising can ‘build’ on word-of-mouth, brand recognition and
product identity which is considered the driving force behind sales, but
rapport means building a relationship.
Û Meeting a customer face-to-face, either within your organisation, at
a meeting, lunch or a casual meeting requires you to have a basic
conversation and draw upon social skills, which if successful is building
a relationship.
Conversation takes into account a whole range of personal skills including
respect, humour, knowledge, tolerance and charisma. Again, these are
personality facets of building a relationship.
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18. Topic Index
What should be considered when developing organisational policy and
procedures for customer service, including handling customer complaints
Activity 2
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19. Topic Index
Establishing rapport
Û Obviously just talking to a customer one-on-one at a single
meeting is not the definition of “rapport”!
Û First time meetings may not bring any immediate benefits
Û There is value simply in giving your time and attention to a
customer which may lead to greater “rapport”.
One of the classic published works on building customer “rapport” is
“How To Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie.
Establish and maintain appropriate rapport
Once you have developed this “rapport” or trust you need to follow
up on the “good vibrations”!
Û Your customers would likely prefer to deal with someone they
can relate to and who they feel understand their needs.
Û Sometimes the challenge is simply meeting the levels of a
relationship to complete the execution of the quality service
delivery with your new found “rapport”
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20. Topic Index
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Topic Index
Sensitively and courteously
handle customer
complaints in accordance
with organisational and
legislative requirements
Customer complaints may include:
Û Administrative errors such as incorrect invoices
or prices
Û Customer satisfaction with service quality
Û Damaged goods or goods not delivered
Û Delivery errors
Û Product not delivered on time
Û Service errors
Û Warehouse or store room errors such as
incorrect product delivered
Û Different types of severity, formality and sources
Û Straightforward customer dissatisfaction
Û Level of documentation required
Customers who complain may include:
Û Customers with routine or specific requests
Û Internal or external customers
Û People from a range of social, cultural or ethnic
backgrounds
Û People who may be unwell, drug affected or
emotionally distressed
Û People with varying physical and mental
abilities
Û Regular and new customers

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Topic Index
Sensitively and courteously handling
customer complaints includes effective
communication
Û Don’t be dismissive of your customer’s problem
Û Even if you are of the view your organisation
is not at fault, a customer with a complaint
represents a genuine opportunity for your
business to communicate with the customer
and further develop the “rapport” as discussed
earlier!
Û If you handle the complaint successfully, your
customer is likely to prove more loyal than if
nothing had gone wrong
Activity 4
Brainstorm examples of verifiable evidence that could
be used to review customer satisfaction

23. Topic Index
Provide assistance or respond to
customers with specific needs
according to organisational and
legislative requirements
Specific needs of customers may relate to:
Û Age
Û Beliefs/values
Û Culture
Û Disability
Û Gender
Û Language
Û Religious/spiritual observances
Individual differences may also include:
Û Ability
Û Expertise/experience/working
styles
Û Interests
Û Interpersonal style
Û Mental ability
Û Past experiences
Û Physical characteristics
Û Politics
Û Race
Û Religion
Û Sexual orientation
Û Thinking and learning styles
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24. Topic Index
Activity 4
Head to the consumer affairs website and identify the key provisions of relevant
legislation from that may affect aspects of business operations. https://www.consumer.
vic.gov.au/resources-and-tools/legislation/legislation-we-administer
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25. Topic Index
Respect individual differences in customers
Treat people with
courtesy, politeness,
and kindness
Encourage customers
to express opinions and
ideas
Listen to what others
have to say
Don’t speak over or
interrupt customers if
they have speaking or
language difficulty
encourage customers
to come up with
ideas and have an
opportunity to speak
their mind
Never insult people,
name call, disparage
or put down people or
their ideas
Include colleagues in
meetings, discussions,
training, and learning
events
Provide an equal
opportunity for all
customers to participate
in continuous
improvement
Encourage recognition
of ideas from all
cultures and those with
specific needs
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