Reference no: EM13835014

Diploma of Management

Manage quality customer service    

Required Skills and Knowledge

Required skills

? Analytical skills to identify trends and positions of products and services

? Communication skills to:

? Coach and mentor staff and colleagues

? Monitor and advice on customer service strategies

? Literacy skills to:

? edit and proofread texts to ensure clarity of meaning and accuracy of grammar and punctuation

? prepare general information and papers according to target audience

? read and understand a variety of texts

? problem-solving skills to:

? Deal with customer enquiries or complaints

? deal with complex and non-routine difficulties

?  technology skills to select and use technology appropriate to a task

?  self-management skills to:

?  comply with policies and procedures

?  consistently evaluate and monitor own performance

?  seek learning opportunities.

Required knowledge

?  key provisions of relevant legislation from all levels of government that may affect aspects of business operations, such as:

?  anti-discrimination legislation

?  Australian consumer law 

?  ethical principles

?  codes of practice

?  privacy laws

?  financial legislation

?  occupational health and safety (OHS)

?  organisational policy and procedures for customer service including handling customer complaints

?  service standards and best practice models

?  public relations and product promotion

?  techniques for dealing with customers, including customers with specific needs

?  techniques for solving complaints including the principles and techniques involved in the management and organisation of:

?  customer behaviour

?  customer needs research

?  customer relations

?  ongoing product and/or service quality

?  problem identification and resolution

?  quality customer service delivery

?  record keeping and management methods

?  strategies for monitoring, managing and introducing ways to improve customer service relationships

?  strategies to obtain customer feedback.

Assessment Part A Develop customer service plan

Performance objective

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to plan to meet customer requirements through the development of a customer service plan.

Specifications

You must provide:

?  a customer service plan submitted on A4 paper or, if submitted electronically, in Word format.

?  a one page reflection on your development and design of a customer service plan.

Adjustment for distance-based learners:

?  no variation of the task is required

?  a follow-up interview may be required (at the discretion of the assessor)

?  documentation can be submitted electronically or posted in the mail.

Assessment description

You will develop a customer service plan for the simulated business 'Innovative Widgets'. You will gather the background information on the simulated business from your Student Workbook and any information about Innovative Widgets that you may have created in the course of completing learning activities in the Student Workbook.  

Procedure

1.  Over the duration of the course, gather information on the Innovative Widgets simulated business from course materials. 

2.  Over the duration of the course, based on the information you are provided, produce a customer service plan for Innovative Widgets. Your customer service plan should include:

a.  vision and mission statements that refer to internal and external customers

b.  product standards that include:

i.  dimensions

ii.  tolerances

iii.  pricing

iv.  material

v.  delivery

c.  policies and procedures for:

i.  gathering customer information and conducting market research to identify customer needs using the RATER model

ii.  responding to customer complaints

iii.  managing records and data.

3.  Develop a one page reflection on your plan and how the design of your plan will work to achieve quality customer service and legal compliance.

4.  Submit your customer service plan and reflection to your assessor as per the specifications below. Ensure you keep a copy of all work submitted for your records.

Your assessor will be looking for:

?  a plan that is easy to understand by employees

?  a plan and reflection that have correct spelling and grammar 

?  a plan that includes, where necessary, clear and labelled charts, tables, or diagrams

?  a plan that includes vision and mission statements, product standards and procedures that customer needs and promote quality customer service 

?  a plan that includes procedures that demonstrate knowledge of strategies for managing customer service:

?  understanding customer needs

?  understanding how to build customer relationships

?  a plan that includes procedures for record management that demonstrate understanding of internal needs to collect and store information appropriately

?  a plan that includes reference (in policies and procedures) to relevant legislation

?  a written reflection that contains reference to:

?  how procedures will work to ensure quality time and cost specifications agreed with customers

?  key provisions of legislation and mandatory standards and an explanation as to why they are relevant to aspects of your plan, particularly policies and procedures

?  best practice models and voluntary standards and codes of practice which inform your plan

?  customer service charters and the importance for public relations and product/service promotion; discuss whether a customer service charter should be developed for Innovative Widgets to explain the organisation's customer service policy to customers.

Assessment Part B Manage and develop team

Performance objective

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to ensure delivery of quality service through handling customer complaints, monitoring team performance, and intervening to develop team abilities to overcome difficulties in providing quality customer service.

Specifications

You must participate in two role-plays observed by the assessor:

1.  Handling customer complaints.

2.  Managing under-performing team member.

Your assessor will be looking for you to demonstrate:

?  ability to consult with customers to resolve complaints using active listening:

?  asking questions

?  paraphrasing/summarising

?  using verbal prompts

?  maintaining good eye contact (if appropriate)

?  application of techniques and strategies for resolving routine and non-routine complaints (complaints requiring referral) as determined by procedures (provided in Appendix 2 of this task)

?  ability to develop team members:

?  monitor team performance to recognise areas for improvement

?  improve the team members' ability to provide quality customer service to customer specifications and organisational policy and procedures on behalf of the simulated business (refer to customer needs and procedures; use the GROW coaching model)

?  assist team members to handle customer complaints.

Adjustment for distance-based learners:

The role-plays can be adjusted for distance learning. The role-plays for this task can be varied to take place using Skype conferencing (or any other video conferencing tool available to the candidate). Candidates may also choose to video the role-play and submit electronically.

Assessment description

You will perform two role-plays in the context of the Innovative Widgets simulated business. In the first role-play, you will follow procedures to handle customer complaints. In the second role-play, you will recognise areas in which you can improve the performance of a customer service team member. You will then coach the team member appropriately to improve their performance.

Procedure

1.  Read the role descriptions provided in Appendix 1. 

a.  Prepare to participate in two role-plays.

b.  In the first role-play, your assessor will participate as the customer and observe you as you role-play the customer service representative.

c.  In the second role-play, your assessor will participate as a team member as you role-play the manager of that team member.

2.  Participate in a role-play in which you follow the complaints handling procedure to resolve a customer complaint. 

3.  Participate in a second role-play, in which you identify deficiencies in a team member's performance and then coach the team member to improve customer service outcomes for your team.

Assessment Part C Monitor and improve customer service

Performance objective

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to monitor, adjust and review customer service.

Specifications

You must provide:

?  a set of KPIs for customer service team members and a plan or procedure for monitoring team members' performance

?  a questionnaire to gather customer feedback

?  a report containing recommendations for improvement of customer service.

Your assessor will be looking for:

?  KPIs that address the customer and business needs

?  a clear, logical plan for monitoring performance against the KIPs

?  a questionnaire designed to capture information related to KPIs/ gaps between service levels and customer expectations

?  A 1-2 page report containing 3-4 recommendations appropriate to problems accompanied by an explanation of recommendations demonstrating knowledge of:

?  problem identification and resolution

?  managing customer service and customer relationships

?  managing quality customer service delivery.

?  procuring appropriate technology to address customer needs

Adjustment for distance-based learners

?  No adjustments required.

Assessment description

Using the background information on Innovative Widgets from your Student Workbook and from documentation provided throughout the course, you will develop strategies to monitor progress and obtain customer feedback. You will use performance information and customer feedback provided by your assessor to review customer service strategies and produce a report with recommendations for improvement. 

Procedure

1.  Develop a set of KPIs for Innovative Widgets customer service representatives. KPIs should address the areas of customer and business requirements identified below:

a.  call/enquiry/complaint handling time

b.  following organisational procedures

c.  identifying customer issues and opportunities to increase customer satisfaction or meet customer needs

d.  assisting team members to improve customer service

e.  assisting other internal customers of customer service team

f.  customer retention

g.  sales

h.  ability to handle complaints

i.  ability to record and store customer information

j.  customer satisfaction.

2.  Develop a plan or procedure for monitoring team members' performance against KPIs.

3.  Develop a questionnaire to collect customer feedback related to KPIs and/or designed to uncover identifiable gaps between services provided (including the quality of service) and customer expectations.

4.  Arrange to meet with your manager (assessor) to receive performance data and feedback from customers. 

5.  Discuss issues and possible solutions with your manager.

6.  Analyse performance data and customer feedback to indentify systemic customer service issues and trends.

7.  Prepare a 1-2 page report containing recommendations for organisation-wide customer service improvement. The report should contain:

a.  3-4 recommendations

b.  A rationale for each recommendation based on your knowledge of:

i.  problem identification and resolution

ii.  managing customer service and customer relationships

iii.  managing quality customer service delivery

iv.  procuring appropriate technology to address customer needs.

Appendix 1: Role-play description

Role description 1

You are a customer service team member dealing with telephone complaints from customers. Use the knowledge and skills obtained from your research on this topic and the facilitator's presentation to answer calls from a customer. 

Use the policy and procedures provided in Appendix 2 of this Assessment Task.

Role description 2

You are a customer service manager. Mary is a member of your customer service team at Innovative Widgets. Her role is to receive telephone enquiries and complaints.

You have observed the following:

?  Mary has been rude to customers on several occasions. This behaviour contravenes company policy on the knowledge of the importance of friendly service to customers of Innovative Widgets.

?  Mary has recently developed a habit of letting the phone ring and then placing customers on hold. This behaviour contravenes company policy on the knowledge of the importance of prompt service to customers of Innovative Widgets.

?  Yesterday Mary received a complaint from a customer:

'I work as a buyer for the state's largest supplier of mining equipment. We provide a lot of business to Innovative Widgets. I ordered 1,000 x 7 mm widgets for delivery last Friday. I was promised that the delivery would arrive within three days. It's now a week later and they still haven't arrived. My production manager just telephoned me to say he might fail to deliver a major order unless the widgets arrive in the next four days.

A few weeks ago a consignment of widgets arrived from Innovative Widgets, but they were 6 mm widgets rather than the 7 mm I had ordered on that occasion.

I am considering going to another supplier for your widgets even though Innovative Widgets are the only Australian supplier. I could get them cheaper from China, but the saving isn't great when you add in the extra shipping costs. 

I'm going to begin legal action if the widgets don't arrive today. I might order the widgets from China from now on.'

?  Mary misunderstood and thought that the customer had ordered the products yesterday and argued with the customer. She accused the customer of being unreasonable as Innovative Widgets is an industry leader in guaranteeing three day delivery. 

When the misunderstanding was eventually cleared up, Mary wasn't sure how to track orders or reorder the products. She said there was nothing she could do as Innovative Widgets' procedures didn't seem to cover this issue. 

Demonstrate your knowledge of how to develop team members and coach Mary to improve the quality of her customer service. Use the Innovative Widgets Complaints policy and procedures document in Appendix 2 of this task to assist you.

Appendix 2: Complaints policy and procedures

Innovative Widgets 

Complaints Policy and Procedure

Purpose  The purpose of this policy is to ensure the management of complaints is carried out consistently, fairly and transparently and in accordance with organisational requirements.

Scope  The scope of this policy covers the management of customer complaints by employees and contractors of Innovative Widgets.

Resources  Specific procedures for the implementation of this policy are available below and on the company intranet.

Responsibility  Responsibility for the implementation of this policy rests with employees and management of Innovative Widgets with responsibility for managing customer complaints.

Relevant legislation etc.

?  Privacy Act 1998 (Cwlth)

?  Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic)

?  Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cwlth)

?  Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic).

Updated/authorised  10/2011 - John Doe CFO

To manage complaints

1.  Greet the customer courteously and give them your name. 

2.  Listen fully to what the customer is saying. Try to gather all the facts about the complaint and jot them down. Ask questions and summarise what they are saying.

3.  Never argue with the customer. 

4.  Apologise for any product fault or poor service. Be sympathetic. Ask if the customer will allow us to send the faulty item to our quality department for testing.

5.  When you have all the details about the complaint, ask the customer how they would like it to be resolved.

6.  No product replacements are within all staff members' authority.

7.  All staff members can use their professional judgement and refund an additional 10% of the value of the faulty product up to a maximum value of $25.

8.  Complaints involving damage to other property are covered by our insurance. Help the customer to complete the Claims Form and ask if the customer can obtain quotes for repairs. 

9.  All complaints involving injury must be referred to the Customer Service Manager. Agree a suitable time for the Customer Service Manager to call the customer. 

10.  Any complaint that is not covered in the above procedures must be directed to the Customer Service Manager. Agree a time for the Customer Service Manager to call the customer.