Managing Customer Service

In business it is very important to balance the interests of a firm with the interests of customers. If a company does not satisfy people's needs, it will lose its customers and suffer great losses.

American business has been developing for a long time, and it has established traditions of good customer service. Good companies pay special attention to the quality of goods and services they provide. Quality is more important to customers than low prices, because high-grade goods have a longer life. Usually company leadership determines a policy of customer service. But it is not enough. Managers of all departments and all employees must do everything in their power to provide quality products and services. Managing customer service is essential for business profitability. That's why the best trained professionals are in charge of it.

One of the major responsibilities of a sales manager or relationship manager is to organize good customer service. They carry out a company's policy.

The main directions of the customer service policy are:

- production and selling of high-grade goods;

- selection of skilled and experienced salespeople who like to work for a company and serve customers;

- organization of personnel training;

- organization of serving buyers;

- supervision of customer service;

- remuneration to good salespeople;

- study of customer demand;

- responding to buyers' suggestions and complaints;

- organization of goods shows and advertising campaigns.

According to D.A. Altany, a recognized authority on management, proper customer service is a recipe for success in business for the best American companies.

"The customer knows best" - it's cast in stone in most corporate mottoes. But keeping customers happy is not always easy.

Very often poor quality service is the result of poor management. That's why most companies try to improve it. Some of them have a customer-service representative. He's usually a low-to-middle-level manager in charge of a small department. He deals with customer complaints. But these measures are not always effective. Some companies do even more.

The Furniture Systems Division of Westinghouse Electric Corp., in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has solved management problems successfully. The company has been serving customers for years. At this manufacturing/sales facility there are no rude receptionists, no pushy salesmen, no bureaucrats. Customers are pleased and pampered.

Some years ago the top management introduced a customer-assurance program. Russ Nagel, general manager of Westinghouse Furniture, created the position of vice president-level customer-assurance executive. Charles Lieb was appointed to the post. He is directly responsible only to the general manager and to the customers. Employees hand their suggestions directly over to Mr. Lieb. If any issue affects the quality of the product or a customer's satisfaction, Mr. Lieb has the authority to make changes. He gives customers his home phone number. Sometimes he leaves weekend parties to arrange a shipment of parts needed to complete an installation. He often calls customers during and after an installation – just to make sure they are happy.

It was very difficult to change attitudes of employees at all levels of the organization. Sometimes the assembly process was stopped and substandard materials were scrapped to keep product quality high. New technologies were introduced.

These measures have paid off. The company has become customer-oriented thanks to good management and involvement of all the employees.

 

Exercise 10. Find in the text the equivalents of these words and word combinations.

Удовлетворять потребности людей; нести большие убытки; уделять особое внимание качеству товаров и услуг; делать все, что в их силах; главные обязанности менеджера отдела сбыта и менеджера по связям с клиентами; осуществляют политику компании; обучение персонала; вознаграждение хорошим продавцам; плохое обслуживание клиентов; представитель компании по обслуживанию клентов; производственно-торговое предприятие; непосредственно подчиняется; передавать предложения; просто убедиться, что они счастливы; увлеченность всех сотрудников работой.

 

Exercise 11. Answer the following questions in pairs.

1. What are the main directions of the customer service policy?

2. Do you agree that poor quality service is the result of poor management?

3. Who is in charge of customer service in most good companies?

4. What position was created at Westinghouse Furniture?

5. Who is Mr. Lieb responsible to?

6. What are Mr. Lieb's duties?

7. What difficulties did Mr. Lieb have to overcome?

Exercise 12. Tell the group about how to make a company customer-oriented. What would you do to make your customers happy?

 

Exercise 13. Look at the phrases which could be mottoes for a good company. Which motto would you choose? Why? Thinkof a motto of your own.

1. Treat the customer like a king.

2. Honesty is the best policy.

3. The customer knows best.

4. The customer is always right.

 

Exercise 14. Look through the list of phrases characteristic of a polite, friendly, and respectful language which may be used when customers are served.

In the Shop

1. Can I help you?

2. What can I do for you?

3. I'm at your disposal.

4. Would you like…?

5. Can I give you a piece of advice?

6. Thank you for shopping.

7. Thank you for your custom.

8. Come again.

9. You're always welcome.

10. Satisfaction Guaranteed.

At the office

1. Come in, please.

2. Come this way, please.

3. Will you sit down?

4. Make yourself comfortable.

5. We're (I'm) glad to see you.

6. How are you? - Fine, thank you. And you? - Very well, thank you.

7. Would you like a cigarette?

8. Would you like a cup of coffee?

9. Help yourself to the sandwiches.

10. May I ask you a question?

11. Could you tell me…?

12. I'd like to ask you (to do smth).

13. Thank you for waiting so patiently.

14. Here are our latest catalogues.

15. Here are the samples.

16. I'd like to invite you to lunch.

17. I hope our cooperation will be mutually beneficial.

18. I'm looking (I look) forward to seeing you soon.

 

Exercise 15. Act out the dialogues.

1. In the shop

Salesgirl: Good morning. Can I help you?

Customer: Yes, I want a dress.

Salesgirl: What colour?

Customer: Black.

Salesgirl: What size?

Customer: Size 8.

Salesgirl: Here's a nice dress. It's the latest fashion.

Customer: Yes. But this dress is too short.

Salesgirl: Here is another one.

Customer: This dress is too large. Have you got them in a smaller size?

Salesgirl: Yes. Try this dress on. The colour suits you. You're looking smart.

Customer: How much is it?

Salesgirl: £20.

Customer: I'm buying the dress. Here's the money.

Salesgirl: Thank you for shopping.

2. In the office

Adams: Good morning, Mr. Bobrov.

Bobrov: Good morning, Mr. Adams. Nice to see you again. Sit down, please. How are you?

Adams: Fine, thank you. And you?

Bobrov: Very well, thank you. Have a cigarette.

Adams: No, thank you. I don't smoke.

Bobrov: Tea? Coffee? Cola?

Adams: Cola, please. It's very hot.

Secretary: Here you are.

Adams: Thank you. Let's get down to business. I'd like to discuss the prospects for our cooperation.

Bobrov: Would you like to buy coal from our company?

Adams: Yes. We have studied your advertisement leaflets and price lists. We are ready to begin preparations for our talks.

Bobrov: Good. Mr.Adams, I invite you to dinner at my house.

Adams: Thank you for your invitation. I'll be glad to meet your family.

 

Exercise 16. Have you ever been abroad? What countries have you visited? Write about customer service in shops, cafes, hotels, offices in these countries.

 

6.3. Customer Service in Russia

Exercise 1. Focus on the topical vocabulary.

customer service ['kAstqmq'sE:vIs] обслуживание потребителей

laundry ['lLndrI] n прачечная

repair shop [rI'pFq "SPp] ремонтная мастерская

inadequate [in'xdIkwIt] a не соответствующий чему-л., не отвечающий требованиям

low-grade ["lqV'greId] a низкосортный

unattractive ["Anq'trxktIv] a непривлекательный

staple goods ['steIpl "gudz] массовые товары, основные товары

scarce [skFqs] a дефицитный, недостающий

queue [kjH] n очередь; v стоять в очереди

competition ["kPmpI'tISqn] n конкуренция, соревнование

service business ['sE:vIs 'bIznIs] предприятие сферы обслуживания

Muscovite ['mAskqvaIt] n москвич

counter ['kauntq] n прилавок, стойка (в баре)

shift [SIft] n смена

relations [rI'leISqnz] отношения

rotation [rqV'teISqn] n ротация (кадров)

guarantee ["gxrqn'tJ] n гарантия; v гарантировать

joyful atmosphere ['GOIful 'xtmqsfIq] радостная атмосфера

attentive concern [q'tentIv kqn'sE:n] внимательное отношение

fellow worker ['felqV 'wE:kq] сослуживец, товарищ по работе

superior [sjH'pIqrIq] n начальник, вышестоящий

rank-and-file workers ['rxNk qnd 'faIl] рядовые работники

strenuous ['strenjuqs] a напряженный, трудный

Exercise 2. Try to understand the meaning of the derivatives.

Custom, customer; compete, competitor, competition; travel, traveller, travelling; attract, attractive, unattractive; establish, establishment; prevail, prevailing; continue, continuous; qualify, qualification; rotate, rotation; joy, joyful; scarce, scarcity; accord, accordance, according; flexible, flexibility; fellow, fellowship; diligent, diligence; superior, superiority; fry, fried, fries.

 

 

Exercise 3. Guess what these international words mean.

Students of colleges, standards of intensity, a restaurant hall, Muscovites, to start a career, to occupy managerial positions, to demonstrate the efficiency of the personnel policy, a scheme, Soviet, a system, to organize, moral, material, training, the qualification of the personnel, constant rotation of the personnel, horizontally, vertically, a system of social guarantees, interests, a firm, concrete, finally, vision, an atmosphere, democratic, natural.

 

Exercise 4. Find synonyms and synonymic word combinations in lists A and В, С and D.

Model 1:hard – burdensome

A. Top, medium, joyful, constant, hard, continuous, kind, attentive, easy.

B. Permanent, middle, unbroken, good, simple, cheerful, caring, upper, burdensome.

Model 2: to begin to work – to start a career

С. To recall, to begin to work, to occupy a position, thanks to, to return home, to raise the qualification level.

D. To be reduced, owing to, come back to one's Motherland, to improve the skills, to recollect, to start a career, to hold a post.

 

Exercise 5. Read the following word combinations and give their Russian equivalents.

A Russian-Canadian joint venture, secondary technical schools, to learn to smile, without a break, to work according to Western standards, Muscovites aged 25-30, the top level, the medium level, to return home, foreign workers, since the Soviet times, a flexible system of payment by the hour, to organize people into teams, moral and material incentives, continuous training, to raise the qualification level of the personnel, in the first place, the kind and joyful atmosphere at the work place, the attentive concern among fellow workers, the democratic relations between the superiors and rank-and-file workers, strenuous work, to make work relatively easy.

Exercise 6. Complete the sentences with the prepositions among, at, between, by, from, in, into, of, without where necessary.

1. A friend of mine works... a restaurant... Pushkin Square. 2. There were many people... the restaurant hall. 3. Salespeople must smile... customers eight hours... a day... a break. 4. Thanks... the position held... her... McDonald's, Ann has met many people. 5. The number of Canadians working... the restaurant has dropped... 60... 8. 6. Employees are paid... the hour. 7. People are organized... teams. 8. Service people must learn to work according... Western standards... intensity and quality. 9. She has many things to do... the work place... 10. Once... home the woman felt tired. 11. The manager succeeded... improving service... the help... continuous training and raising the qualification level... the staff. 12. I was impressed... attentive concern... the employees and good relations... the superiors and rank-and-file workers.

 

Exercise 7. Complete thesentences with the proper forms of the verbs. Use the Perfect Tenses.

1. The catalogues ___ just ___ /to return/ to the secretary. 2. It ___ just ___ /to begin/ raining. 3. It ___ already ___ /to stop/ snowing. 4. The invitations ___ already ___ /to send/ today. 5. She ___ /to hold/ the position as manager for three years. 6. They ___ /to be/ happy since they got married. 7. The delegation ___ /to meet/ at the airport. 8. The customer ___ already ___/to serve/. 9. The customer ___ /to chose/ a pair of shoes. 10. I think the manager ___ /to speak/ to the salesgirl. She's so excited.