Activity 1

1 Describe the emotions you feel if someone does not listen to you.

2 List five steps you should take to help you to actively listen to find out a customer's preferences, needs and expectations.

3 Describe a time when you have used questioning to clarify what another person has wanted, needed or expected. What question/s did you ask? What response did you obtain?

Activity 2

1 Choose one product and one service which an organisation in the service industry might offer to customers. Describe how you would accurately explain the features and benefits of the products/ services you chose.

2 Why is it important to provide accurate information to customers?

3 What is the name of the Australian federal agency that governs competion and consumer protection laws? What is the name and year of your state or territory competition and consumer legislation?

Activity 3

1 Provide five examples of how you could anticipate customer preferences, needs and expectations throughout a service experience. Your answer should include reference to customers with socially and culturally diverse needs.

2 What could you do if you are not able to provide products or services to customers in a timely manner?

3 Why is it important to consider organisation standards when providing products and services?

Activity 4

1 Using examples explain the difference between upselling and cross-selling. How can each selling technique be used to provide additional products and services to customers?

2 Why is an awareness of different social and cultural backgrounds important during the sales process?

3 Choose five products and services and list some other products or services that you could offer to customers as extras or add-ons.

Activity 5

How can staff check the actioning of special requests before customer delivery and who is responsible for this?

Activity 6

What are the benefits of providing quality customer service experiences?

Activity 7

1 Explain the importance of liaising with team members.

2 What does it mean to use good communication skills to help you to liaise effectively with team members?

Activity 8

1 You work within the tourism, travel, and hospitality industries. List five situations in which it would be appropriate to share information with others to ensure efficient service and timely and smooth workflow.

2 Describe three situations in which you have been required to share information with others. What methods/ mediums did you use? How do you know that the recipient understood the information you shared?

SECTION 2: PROACTIVELY RESPOND TO DIFFICULT SERVICE SITUATIONS

Activity 9

1 List five examples of problems that could occur with products or services in the tourism, hospitality, retail, personal services and sport or recreation industry.

2 List some ways in which an employee who becomes aware of a problem might report it to management.

3 How should an employee take action to address a problem with the delivery of products/ services?

Activity 10

1 What are some reasons why service delays might occur?

2 How could hospitality, tourism and travel staff proactively respond to difficult service situations such as delays?

3 What constraints might hospitality, tourism and travel staff have on them in terms of proactively offering compensation to customers for service difficulties?

Activity 11

1 What is continuous improvement?

2 What processes might be in place for workers to provide internal feedback on service issues and suggest improvements?

3 List five techniques workers could use to help them suggest service improvements to others?

SECTION 3: RESOLVE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Activity 12

1 List five different complaints or difficult customer service situations that have/ could arise in the tourism, hospitality, retail, personal services and sport or recreation industry.

2 Why do you think it is important to build a rapport with customers especially when dealing with customer complaints? Explain your answer in detail.

3 What is the importance of using open questions when trying to clarify the cause and details of a customer's complaint?

4 Describe three questioning techniques which can be used to establish and agree on the nature, possible cause and details of a customer's complaint.

Activity 13

1 Why do you think it is important to show empathy towards customers when dealing with customer complaints? Explain your answer in detail.

2 What communication techniques can be used to assist in the management of a customer's complaint?

3 What types of body language and non-verbal communication should you use and not use whilst handling a complaint?

4 Describe why it is important to handle complaints sensitively and courteously.

5 Describe how you might deal with a customer's complaint discreetly. Why is it important to handle a complaint discreetly?

Activity 14

1 What types of organisational constraints could impact on handling customer complaints?

2 Suggest what procedures a member of staff should follow if they do not have authority to resolve a complaint to a customer's satisfaction.

3 Consider this statement:

To deliver quality customer service you must always find a solution to a complaint in line with the customer's wishes.

Do you agree? Explain.

4 Describe three decision-making tools you could use to determine possible options to resolve a complaint.

Activity 15

How can you prevent complaints from escalating?

Activity 16

1 How does feedback from customer complaints contribute toward continuous improvement?

2 Why should complaints be seen as an opportunity to provide high quality customer service?

3 How can you turn a complaint into an opportunity to provide high quality customer service?

Activity 17

1 List some ways in which you might provide feedback about complaints to a supervisor or manager to reduce the likelihood of complaints in the future.

2 Why is it necessary to reflect on and evaluate complaints and solutions implemented by managers?

SECTION 4: DEVELOP A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP

Activity 18

1 Suggest types of promotional initiatives that could be implemented in the tourism, hospitality or travel industries.

2 Provide three examples of enhanced products and services you could provide to current customers based on client information.

3 Describe why it is important to consider customer information before you implement promotional initiatives.

Activity 19

1 Describe three instances in which recording information about a customer can help you to provide them with personalised service.

2 What type of information could be recorded to allow you to provide a customer with personalised service?

3 What are the benefits of developing rapport with customers?

Written / Oral Questions

1 Identify an organisation that you consider provides quality customer service experiences. What service principles set this organisation apart from others?

2 What are the benefits of positive communication from staff members during the customer service experience?

3 What techniques can customer service staff use to anticipate customer preferences, needs and expectations throughout the service experience?

4 What is the value to a business of feedback from customers about their customer service experiences?

5 Identify a socially or culturally diverse customer and describe what their expectations of quality customer service experiences from staff in the hospitality, tourism or travel industries might be.

6 Briefly outline the conflict resolution process?

7 What are some different ways that the hospitality, travel or tourism industries promote products and services?

8 Describe a client reward system such as a loyalty program that you have encountered in the service industry.

Project 1

1 Develop a basic customer service training manual for a service organisation of your choice. The organisation should be in the tourism, hospitality, retail, personal services and sport or recreation industry.

The training manual can be presented by the method of your choice-written, computerised, PowerPoint, DVD video.

The customer service information that needs to be covered in the training manual includes but is not limited to:

1. Description of the organisation and types of products/ services offered.

2. Professional service standards expected of service industry personnel.

3. How staff should share product and service information and suggestions with colleagues and supervisors. The communication channels and mediums for communication.

4. Description of the basic target market including preferences, needs and expectations.

5. Competition and consumer legislation and how staff can offer accurate information about products and services.

6. Service steps staff can follow-greeting and offer of assistance.

7. Types of socially and culturally diverse customers they could encounter and effective communication techniques for service delivery.

8. Details of organisational goals and promotional focus.

9. Team working and liaising with other staff members.

10. Methods to handle customer complaints including individual staff responsibility, authority, organisational constraints and timing. Provide them with example complaints and solutions.

11. Communication techniques to use whilst handling complaints.

12. To whom staff should report complaints and what feedback to report.

13. How and where to record customer information.

14. List and description of promotional initiatives and how they are to be implemented.

15. How staff can provide enhanced products and services to clients and customers based on customer information.

16. Techniques for developing customer relationships.