Unit 3

• Customer flow


  The number and pattern of customers coming into or passing through a service organization
• Studying patterns of customer flow

  • Determine useful information such as the number of customers in the system, flow patterns (arrivals, service rates, peak times), amount of time it takes to serve a customer, average customer wait times, bottlenecks, areas not visited, other aspects of customer behaviour
• Phases of customer flow

  • Initial encounter
  • Middle encounter
  • Final encounter
  • Follow-up encounter
• Need to manage transitions

  At each stage of the customer flow
• Methods to handle customer flow


  • Develop and maintain a strong service culture
  • Schedule more employees during peak periods
  • Cross train employees
  • Manage customers' perception of wait times
  • Use technology to manage customer efficiency
• Queuing system elements


  • Establish a queuing system
  • Separate lines for business class/frequent customers
  • Express lines/Separate lines for separate processes
  • Utilize adequate signage to direct customers and show average wait times
  • Priority interrupt to allow customers with urgent needs to be served first
• Service culture

  The values, beliefs and norms that are shared by a group of people in the service industry
• Telephone skills


  • Vital for efficient customer service
  • Most interactions take place over the phone
  • Without visual cues, communication is mainly dependent on listening skills, effective replies, and voice tone
• Taking phone calls


  1. Greet the caller warmly

  2. Identify the organisation

  3. Introduce yourself

  4. Offer assistance as soon as possible

  5. Clarify problems and deliver solutions immediately

  6. Show gratitude to the caller

  7. Conclude the call positively
• Following up


  Ensure client satisfaction
• Being prepared


  Have a notepad for notes
• By mastering telephone skills, customer service representatives may improve their phone conversations and deepen client connections
• Key elements of telephone skills


  • Communication
  • Active Listening
  • Empathy
  • Problem-Solving
  • Professionalism
  • Time Management
  • Product Knowledge
  • Adaptability
• Communication


  Communicate clearly and effectively, employing appropriate language, tone, and voice modulation to convey information and engage the listener
• Active Listening


  Attentively listening to the other person's needs, concerns, and questions, involving giving undivided attention, asking clarifying questions, and providing suitable responses
• Empathy


  Demonstrating empathy and understanding enables connection with the caller, acknowledging their emotions and frustrations, thus building rapport and trust
• Problem-Solving


  Identifying and addressing customer issues, involving analysing problems, offering suitable solutions, and ensuring customer satisfaction through follow-up
• Professionalism


  Maintaining a professional demeanour during calls, encompassing courtesy, proper etiquette, and positive representation of the organization
• Time Management


  Efficiently managing call duration respects both parties' time, requiring concise yet thorough information delivery
• Product Knowledge


  A good grasp of offered products or services facilitates accurate answering of queries and provision of relevant information
• Adaptability


  Being adaptable enables handling various situations and callers with different communication styles, necessitating adjustment of approach and tone to meet individual needs
• Seven steps to answer a call successfully

  1. Always smile! Your voice will sound friendlier if you answer the call with a smile on your face

  2. Answer the call with enthusiastic and professional greeting. It's important that you make a good first impression on the customer.

  3. Ask questions about anything that's not clear to you, if additional information is needed and explain why it is needed.

  4. Give answers and assistance as quickly as possible. If you cannot assist or answer a question let the customer know what will happen next.

  5. Thank the caller and ask if they need any further assistance.

  6. Conclude the call in a positive manner.

  7. Follow-up on the call to ensure that the customer is pleased with the result and make sure everything you promised was delivered. Don't make promises that you cannot keep.
• Words to use when dealing with customers


  • Please
  • Yes
  • May I
  • Thank you
  • Appreciate
  • Use customer's name
  • Would you like
• Words not to use when dealing with customers

  • Can't
  • Never
  • Don't
  • Not my Job
  • Love slang (honey, love etc)
  • Hang on for a second
  • Profanity
• Market equilibrium occurs when the quantity demanded by consumers matches the quantity supplied by producers at a specific price.