Customer Service Portfolio Unit 2

CUSTOMER SERVICE PORTFOLIO

Valerie Alexandra Argueta López 10TH CCLL “C”

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INDEX Contents Pictionary .............................................................................................................................. 4-6 Customer Service Summary ............................................................................................. 8-13 Customer Service Documents ....................................................................................... 15-32

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PICTIONARY WORD

DEFINITION

EXAMPLE

Benchmarking

Any standard or reference by which others can be measured and judge.

we are benchmarking our performance against external criteria

Blog

A website containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc.

She regularly contributes a blog to the magazine's website.

Click Path

It is a list of all the pages viewed by a visitor, presented in the order the pages were viewed.

Click paths take call data and can match it to ad sources, keywords, and/or referring domains, in order to capture data

E-Service

Represents one prominent application of utilizing the use of information and communication technologies in different areas.

If you decide to use an e-service, the same issues you'd have with any application service providers remain.

Gatekeeper

Person who previews incoming information to determine if communication is appropriate

You are the gatekeeper for new technology inside the company.

PICTURE

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PICTIONARY WORD

DEFINITION

EXAMPLE

FAQ’s

Listed questions and answers, or supposed to be commonly asked in some contents.

This frequently asked questions ( FAQ ) will answer your questions about buying a clutch kit for your car.

O. Knowledge Base

It is a technology use store complex structure and structure information.

Online knowledge bases should be dynamic, constantly adapting.

Live Chat

Electronic conversation using an instant message service.

Live chat software has become an important tool for online businesses for communicating with customers.

Online Forum

Public service that is in market place, where people could buy a product.

If you run an online forum, it may help to hire out a few forum moderators to keep the discussions in check.

Hear

It is a physical activity by which sounds waves are sent to the brain for understanding.

As Claire walked into the main corridor, she heard voices that sounded not too far off.

PICTURE

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PICTIONARY WORD

DEFINITION

EXAMPLE

Social Networking Sites

Websites are other online technologies to communicate with people and share different information.

The data also revealed a widespread apathy to the prospect of purchasing through social networking sites.

Spamming

It is the action of At the same time, sending unsolicited spamming our email; junk email. students with emails from every club and organization on campus is not helpful either.

Web Chat

It is a system that allows users to communicate in real time using interfaces.

The web chat is an adaptation of Internet chat room technology that allows customers and service representatives to carry on two-way communication

Listen

It is a psychological process that allows us to attach meaning to what we “hear�.

It's not highbrow in an elitist way but you have to pay attention and think while listening to it.

PICTURE

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Listen TO YOUR CUSTOMERS Many of us confuse hearing and listening, but they are two very different things. The process we call HEARING is the physical activity by which sounds waves are sent to the brain for understanding. LISTENING refers to the psychological processes that allow us to attach meaning to what we “hear”.

Listening Preconditions 1. The words or other sounds used by the message source must be received by the hearer.

2. The listener must possess a set of meanings for these sounds.

What Contributes to Listening?

To improve our listening skills, we need to understand the demands place upon our listening capacities. These demands fall into the categories of the listening process: Internal Elements, Environmental Element, and Interactional Elements.

Internal E. Affecting

• Noisy Environment

Listening

• People who sepak softly

Enviormental E. Affecting Listening Noise (Environmental E. Affecting L.)

• Static- Fillled Phone

• Individual listening capaticy can be overloaded.

• Thousands of messages call for our attention.

• Sometimes we can drift off.

• Noise refers to those sounds that are irrevelant to the conversation.

• Noise can be internal (headache) and environmental (machinery).

The Use or Misuse of Gatekeepers The term gatekeeper refers to one who previews incoming information to determine if communication is appropriate. If the message appears nonessential, the gatekeeper keeps it from getting to the person.

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USE THE TELEPHONE WELL FOR GOOD Service You should always remember that people are operating blind when they are on the phone. Ironically, people who answer calls from customers are often among the lowest paid in the organization, yet they are the voice and image of the entire company to customers.

Drawbacks 1. Many people have never learned the basics of telephone courtesy and effectiveness necessary to convey a good business image. People 2. People cannot see the person they are dealing with.

Action Tips

Check Your

Contact and

Avoid

Phone Use

Compare Your

Unnecessary Call

Attitude

Company

Screening

Answer with Professionalism

Action Tips On What to Do and Say

Smile

Answer Propmplty and Be Prepared to Handle Calls

Use Courtesy Titels

Thank People for Calling

Be Sure the Conversati on is Finished Before You Hang Up

Handle the Upset Caller with Tact and Skill

Modify your Tone, Loudness and Pitch to mantain your listener's attention.

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KEY IDEAS Understanding our own attitudes toward telephone use and courtesy can help us become more effective in dealing with customers via electronic media. An ineffective telephone mannerism can lead to poor first impression and customer dissatisfaction.

Considering your phone use attitudes, contacting a company to see how they do, and avoiding unnecessary call screening are three ways to better understand and determine how customers may see you and your company.

Apply actions tips on what to do and say, prompt answering, using courtesy titles, thanking, smiling, and using tact and skill, especially with upset callers. You should also apply tips for efficient use of the phone such as taking massages, using all phone features, asking if this is a good time to talk, planning outgoing calls, and constantly improving skills.

Some companies centralize most phone call functions by creating call centers.

A call center is a department within a company or a third-party organization that handles telephone sales and services.

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USE FRIENDLY WEB SITES AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION The Internet has become the place for searching and shopping. Every day millions of people access it worldwide. We have come to assume that ALL companies have a Web presence. The cost of creating and maintaining a Web site continues to come down. The Internet is:

A perfect sales channel

An excellent

Effective post-

channel for pre-

sale customer

sale

support.

Online Knowledge Bases Low interaction communication (also known as self-service) is when customers take care of themselves using knowledge bases. Knowledge bases are databases of answers to frequently asked questions FAQs. Online knowledge bases make it possible for customers to answer their own questions.

Structured

Non-structured

Knowledge

Knowledge

• They are organized into a question-andanswer format.

• They repositories customer interaction.

are of

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- C.S PORTFOLIO Hyperlinks Hyperlinks are those words or phrases that you can click on to get to another place. Multiword searches of the FAQs are the collective wisdom regarding the product or service (dynamic, ever-changing, and self-learning).

Email Email usually increases when customers are having trouble finding answers on their own. The problem with Email is that it is one-way communication, the possibility of misunderstanding is high, and it takes time to respond to each customer (at least 24 hours.)

Live Chat and Blogs Live chat requires lie people available to the customer and this is expensive.

A variation of chat rooms is the use of BLOGS. A blog is a journal maintained by a company or individual. A blog becomes an online forum for discussions.

Social Networking Skyrockets Blogs and chat rooms have changed into social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. These link friends and associates of all ages in easy-to-use contact networks.

Disadvantages of Web-Based Service

•Poorly

managed

e-

service

systems

can

result in a reputation for bad service.

D. 1

D. 2 •Technology applications are

moving

targets—

the rate of change is extremely fast.

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WEB PAGE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION Internet has provided a new avenue for delivering customer assistance. Online knowledge bases make it possible for customers to answer their own questions. They should be dynamic, constantly adapting. The Email provides delayed answers to customers’ inquiries; customers’ emails should be acknowledged and responded within 24 hours The web chat is an adaptation of Internet chat room technology that allows customers and service representatives to carry on two-way communication. Blogs and SNSs serve similar functions. Web analytics and benchmarking provide data for constant improvement of your Web site’s effectiveness.

Web-self-service has a significant cost advantage over traditional customer service channels, such as talking to a live agent on the telephone. Therefore, some customers still prefer personal communication. E-services are not only cost effective, but they can provide additional benefits such as improved customer relationships; however, poorly managed e services can negatively affect the business image.

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BURGER SUPREME 1. What is Burger Supreme dedicated to? What do they sell? “For 20 years Burgers Supreme has served the residents of Utah County with their award winning charbroiled hamburgers, fantastic French fries and world renowned fry sauce and now you can enjoy this world class food without going to the restaurant.� (Burger Supreme) 2. How many items do they have in their menu?

They have 103 items in their menu.

3. Locate a link that mentions customer loyalty towards Burger Supreme. http://burgerssupreme.com/clientreviews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20in0WC8_1o

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Customers are apparently satisfied with the service that Burgers Supreme provides. Customers said that every time Burgers Supreme is required in an event, they work hard for giving a good presentation and a great food quality. People also said that Burgers Supreme staff is kind and helpful.

5. Would you like to go to Burgers Supreme or do you prefer going to fast food hamburger chain? Explain.

I really would like to go to Burger Supreme because they provide a good customer service; it can be noticed that customers feel comfortable and happy there. I would also go to Burgers Supreme because of the good quality of the food.

6. Using the reading answer the following: Who are the owners of BS? -Steve and Debby K. Are the actors active in the business?

-Yes, the owners of Burger Supreme are active in the business.

7. Mention examples from the extract that help us understand that customers are loyal?

-Many of the costumers ate there every day.

-Customers take friends and fellow workers to BS.

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LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMER 1. What is the difference between hearing and listening?

Hearing is the physical activity in which sound waves are sent to the brain for understanding it, and listening is the psychological process that allows people to give a meaning to what they hear.

2. Mention the three types of factor that complicate the listening process and pose potential barriers. i. Internal Elements ii. Environmental Elements iii. Interactional Elements 3. What two things can generate communication problems? i. Interrupting people during a conversation ii. Faking attention iii. Talking more than listening 4. What does CAA stand for and what does it mean?

CCA (Accouter-Attitudinal Advocacy) is a term that refers to the action of taking other person’s position. The CCA’s objective is to reduce the degree to which someone listens through his or her own biases. CAA forces people to listen until the message is completely understand.

5. Mention, describe, and explain in your own words the three Action Tips that you consider most important. a. Bite your tongue before interrupting Some people tend to interrupt others when they are in the middle of a conversation. Interrupting people can generate communication problems, that’s why is important to wait for the appropriate time to ask for something.

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However, some customers prefer employees with a serious facial expression. If employees want to improve this skill, they should practice it in front of a mirror. c. Be patient, defer disagreement Customers can’t always establish an efficient communication with employees because maybe they don’t know how to describe their problem or a certain terminology. Based on this, employees should be patient and also make sure that customers have had enough opportunity to express themselves.

6. In your own words define the following: a. Faking attention Pretending to pay attention to someone b. Listening Capacity It is the ability of handle information during a conversation c. Noise Sounds that interrupt a conversation d. Gatekeepers People who analyze the information before the main source can get it. e. Wide Asleep Listener Someone who is pretending to pay attention to the conversation while is thinking about other things f. Habit Something that is practice constantly

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ACTION TIPS FOR EFFICIENT USE OF THE PHONE Action Tip 15: When Calling Other, Ask: “Is this a Convenient Time to Talk”?

A lot of people make phone calls when the person being called is involved in something else. If the person being called is really busy, then ask if it is a good time for talking before the conversation starts. This tip also holds if some customer calls you and you don’t have time to attend the call. Be honest and tell him or her that you will arrange a callback.

Action Tip 16: Take Messages Cheerfully and Accurately Be willing to take messages for others. Make sure of always having a notepad to record key words or phrases for remembering the information. Then, be sure to pass the message to the right person. To avoid communication problems, it is important to: 1. Get the full name and correct spelling.

2. Ask for the name of the organization if appropriate.

3. Check the full telephone number, including the area code if it’s a long distance, and 4. Say “Thank you”, and tell the caller that you will give the person the message.

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- C.S PORTFOLIO Action Tip 17: Make Your Greeting Message Efficient Use an answering machine or voice mail to capture messages when you are not available. Try to keep your greeting message current, and avoid making it too long or too clever. Record your message to be brief. Recorded messages may also ask for specific information from callers, however, don’t ask for too much information. After hearing the message, assure the caller you will return the call. When you leave a message on an answering machine, you should give the following information:     

Name (Spoken and spelled crearly) Time and day of the call Brief explanation of why are you calling Phone Number and When you are available

Action Tip 18: Learn to Use Your Phone’s Features The telephone technology is always coming up with new features. Unfortunately, many business people have not learned yet how to use the features available in their telephone system.

Customer dissatisfaction with a firm’s phone call handling stems is originated from: Inability of employees to manage the features of the telephone, and  Shortcomings in treating customers with the highest degree of courtesy. 

If you really don’t know how to use your telephone’s system features such as call transfer, hold, and the like, take some time to read the user’s guide or recur to a service provider.

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- C.S PORTFOLIO Action Tip 19: Plan Your Outgoing Calls for Efficiency When placing a business call, it is necessary to plan what you will say, preferably in writing. This will help you establish an efficient and a brief call phone. You should jot down some notes that include:  

The purpose of the call A list of information you need to get or give.

Be sure to give your personal information and the reason of the call before starting the conversation.

Action Tip 20: Don’t Let The Telephone Interrupt an Important Live Conversation The main problem of many customers is when their discussion with a business person, is interrupted by a phone call.

If you are in a face-to-face conversation with someone, do not assume that the phone call is more important than the person that you are talking with. When you take the call, always excuse yourself and, when you determine the reason of the call, you inform the caller that you are involved in an important discussion with other people. The caller will be glad if you call him or her back.

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USE OF BLOGS Use of Blogs 

Use blogs as a real-time online conversation. If there's a conversation going on about your issue or organization, you need to be involved in the dialogue.

Now customers expect that companies provide a very efficient and a quicker service. Blogs are one of the quickest way to communicate with customers; use them as a real-time online conversation. Show customers that you are interested in resolving their inquiries.



Remember the 80/20 rule; 20 percent of the people in the world have great influence on how the other 80 percent think. The 20 percent are actively reading blogs.

80 percent of the people in the world are influenced by what the other 20 percent says about the company or product. This is word of mouth. The company depends on what the people said about their customer service.

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Understand that almost one-third of all U.S Internet users read online forums, so the potential for communication about customer service is high.

Internet now is a medium where almost everyone uses it to communicate.

Companies should recur to the use of a blog for providing a better quality of customer service. This also will let companies interact easier with their customers.



Reach out to bloggers who follow our issues. If possible, have conference calls with them. Engage them.

If you want to provide an efficient customer service by the use of a blog, you should establish a relationship with the bloggers in charge of shaping your company’s image. You must show the blogger that you are committed to your company.



Submit posts comments from your organization leaders on blogs. It establishes that you are willing and able to be part of the conversation.

If your company posts comments from your organization leaders on blogs, customers will know that you are really involved in the situation. You should be interested in being part of the conversation.

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WEB PAGE AND ELECTRONIC Communication The Future of the Internet 1. If, in fact, the Internet can provide many more ways that devices can communicate with each other, what are some implications for customer service?    

The use of web chats provides an efficient communication with customers.

It is used to give a quick respond to customer inquiries.

It could be used as a way of announcing any new product or service.

It may also let employees establish a better relationship with customers.

2. What kinds of new expectations might customer hold regarding online repairs, adjustments, and new features?     

Online repairs, adjustments and new features should be simple and easy to handle.

It might be attractive and creative, so it would call customer’s attention.

It should provide a quick service.

It must be updated constantly.

Employees must be committed to the company.

3. Describe how such “futuristic” online services might possibly affect an organization you work in or are familiar with. Be creative.

The use of futuristic online services could be the first step to replace employees since businesses are starting to do everything through these online services. In the future, events, conferences, or any important business situation might be done through the Internet. Since the Internet has become a multipurpose tool, many people will probably attend it to make their lives at work easier, simple and efficient. Soon, the Internet will take control of business and customer service.

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- C.S PORTFOLIO Advantages and Disadvantages ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

 Internet has provided a new avenue for delivering customer assistance  E-services can additional benefits improved relationships.

provide such as customer

 It is simple and quick.  The cost of creating maintaining a Web continues to come down.

and site

 Web chat allows customers and service representatives to carry on two-way communication.

 E-service probably never will be a 100 percent surefire strategy for handling all customer contacts.  Software life cycles are shorter, with minor product updates appearing every few months and major updates every 19 months.  The rush to migrate customer service to the Web has produces its share of failed sites and frustrated customers.  Installing and e-service is costly and highly dependent on available technology.  Poorly managed e-services can negatively affect the business image.

Personal Opinion The Internet has become one of the most important tools for the human evolution. Actually, the Internet provides an efficient communication and an easy access to certain information; and even businesses use the Internet to communicate with customers and provide them a good customer service.

Unfortunately, the human being has become dependent on it and therefore, his life is governed by it. The Internet might not allow human beings to see the reality of things around them; either establishes relationships with others. It can be concluded that the Internet is a medium that provides us many facilities, but it should be used moderately so humans will not depend on it.

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TELEPHONE TIPS A. Define the following words: o

Call Center

Place where a lot of people receive calls for giving assistance. o

Courtesy Titles

Words used for referring to a specific person depending on their education degree or age. o

Voice (pitch, loudness)

The way by someone talks to others.

B. Answer the following: 1. Compare and contrast the benefits of phone communication versus faceto-face contact with customers.

BENEFITS OF PHONE COMMUNICATION     

You can talk to other people from very large distances.

You can talk for a long period of time.

It is an easy way to buy anything.

It is easy to reach a person.

You can recur to it at any time of the day.

BENEFITS OF FACE TO FACE CONTACT    

You can notice people’s facial expression and attitudes.

You can interact better with people It is not an expensive way of communication.

There is immediate feedback.

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- C.S PORTFOLIO 2. What is call screening?

Call screening enables the receiver to manage incoming calls in the desired manner. Many call screening features are available on the phone, such as ID caller.

3. When is it appropriate to use call screening?

It is appropriate to use call screening when a person is busy in a face-to-face conversation with a customer.

4. When should call screening be avoided?

Call screening should be avoided when it is used as a way of projecting power.

5. What three elements can speakers vary in their voices to better hold listener attention? 

Pitch



Loudness and



Tone

6. ž What is a Call Center? Page 68.

Call center is a department within a company or a third-party organization that handles telephone sales and service.

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AVOID E-SERVICE PROBLEMS Web can lead to customer loyalty while it can also lead to frustration and failure problems.

Action Tip 1 - Be There and Be Quick The first rule of successful e-service is to be always there and be quick. For customers looking for assistance, an inaccessible or slow site can be extremely annoying. Instead of a customer being able to help herself online, the situation usually escalates. If a page takes no longer than few seconds to load, most visitors won´t stick around. The companies’ goal is 99.999 & uptime and rapid pageloading times.

Action Tip 2 - Make Site Navigation Simple Site navigation should be simple and obvious, with a consistent scheme for going from page to page. The customer should always have an easy way to get back to a specific page or be able to press the back button on the browser to escape. Forcing a customer to stay in a web page is counterproductive to good service.

Action Tip 3 - Respond Quickly People where once satisfied with a 24-hour response to an email, today that is too long. If staffing prohibits quick responses, automatically generated responses should indicate that the customer’s message was received and tell when he can expect a more detailed answer. The communication between staffing and customers should have the pace of a live conversation. Long pauses on the order may confuse the customer into thinking the chat has been abandoned.

Action Tip 4 - Provide Communication Alternatives Currently, the Internet is almost a synonym for high-tech, the opposite of high touch. Customers may become frustrated with the various self-serve options, the distant communication of bits and bytes, and the absence of human contact. The solution may be to provide several communication alternatives such as email, Web chat, and two-way interactive video. Some customers really need the human touch and should be given those options.

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- C.S PORTFOLIO Action Tip 5 - Pay Attention to Form and Function Web sites should be functional and visually pleasing, but they don´t need to incorporate every possible bell and whistle. Just because technology can give a Web site animation, 256 type fonts, and 16 million colors doesn’t mean that it has to be use every single thing. The most customer friendly-sites avoid unnecessary clutter, and instead keep the site simple and functional.

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BUSINESS PLAN TO GENERATE INVESTORS I. Service or Product Description Our product will be skins for Ipad, computers and cellphones made with typical Guatemalan clothing. We were inspired by Wakami, Karim Korzo and Maria Pacheco.

II. Market Opportunities We believe our product will succeed because it is original and attractive. It reflects our culture in small pieces of art and demonstrates Guatemalan people talent.

III. Unique Traits or Characteristics What will set our product from the other ones will be the colorful Guatemalan typical clothing and the variety of designs. It will surely call customer’s attention.

IV. Market Leader Wakami is a worldwide leader because their products are well sell in Europe and United States. Wakami sells successful handmade products made by Guatemalan people.

V. Target Market Our main customers will be teenagers (13-18) and young adults (from 25 to 30).

VI. Promotion and Advertising We planned to promote our product before, during and after the release of the skins. The publicity must keep going so everybody can notice the product not just by word of mouth, but advertising. Our way of advertising will be social networking, billboards and publicity in applications.

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- C.S PORTFOLIO VII. Physical Location We are considering locating our business in Oakland Mall, Miraflores, Portales and Los Proceres because they are places where people are used to go, and many of the teenagers and young adults spend their time there. We are planning to export our products outside of the country, and have some stores in the United States and Europe.

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CUSTOMER SERVICE HOMEWORK E&E Nail Polish I'm willing to make an investment in the company E&E Nail Polish. The reason why I do it is that their market opportunities are very high. This product will make easier the life of every woman; they will not have to worry about choosing the perfect nail polish color and remove it from the nail. Because the company has the ability to resolve this problem, customers will be interest in it, and therefore they will buy the product. The unique characteristics of this product are: it does not cause any damage to the nail, and can last up for 6 months. The target market is suitable to the product that this company provides. Young women, adult women and 3rd age women often recur to the use of nail polish. Their way of advertising is perfect.

Social networks are now a worldwide phenomenon used by most of the people in the world. So if E&E Nail Polish makes use of social networking to promote their product, the number of customers will increase. The E&E Nail Polish’s product is creative, original and unique.

CORNING I'm willing to make an investment in CORNING Company. The reason why I do it is that this product will completely revolutionize the life of human beings. CORNING is a futuristic product, which is looking for making human’s life easier and dynamic.

The market opportunity of this product is pretty high. CORNING will fill everyone’s expectations; anyone would like to have this product for their own; that’s why CORNING will be successful. CORNING’s target market focuses on people of all ages, so no one is restricted to use it. The unique characteristics of this product are: is practical, modern, technological, dynamic, simple and revolutionary. CORNING will soon become a worldwide phenomenon. This product will completely change the way in which human beings looked at the world.

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