Customer Care

Question 1

FEATURES OF GOOD CUSTOMER CARE
What is a Mission Statement?

Answer 1

Outlines main aim and focus.
Usually, includes a general statement regarding quality and standards.

Question 2

FEATURES OF GOOD CUSTOMER CARE
What is a Vision Statement?

Answer 2

Describes where the company aspires to be upon achieveing its mission.

Question 3

THE ROLE OF THE EMPLOYEE IN PROVIDING EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER CARE
Role of Employees in Providing Effective Customer Care for External Customers:

Answer 3

Communication
* vital that customers are kept informed
* important to let them know when and if something has or hasn’t happened

Trust and Honesty
* trust is vital for good customer relations
* customers appreciate honesty even if it is bad news, lying will only result in worse outcomes later on

Question 4

THE ROLE OF THE EMPLOYEE IN PROVIDING EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER CARE
Role of Employees in Providing Effective Customer Care for Internal Customers:

Answer 4

Relationships with People at Work will Vary
* may include formal relationships with senior staff or informal ones with colleagues
* vital to adopt the correct behaviour and stay within the limits and scope of responsibilities

Question 5

METHODS OF MONITORING AND EVALUATING CUSTOMER CARE
Field Research Methods:

Answer 5

Mystery Shoppers
* poses as a customer to research the level of customer service offered by an organisation

Satisfaction Surveys
* when people answer questions, giving ratings or comments about the organisation

Loyalty Cards
* used to reward customers for their loyalty; customers present the card when purchasing from a business and receive a reward in return, e.g. Tesco Clubcard

Question 6

METHODS OF MONITORING AND EVALUATING CUSTOMER CARE
Advantages of Field Research Methods:

Answer 6

Mystery Shopper
Advantages
* can give a true picture of service
* can be used to gain information on competitors

Disadvantages
* data can be insufficent or biased
* workforce anxiety - always on edge that customers could be MSs

Satisfaction Survey
Advantages
* allows the business to gain feedback
* can be given to large numbers of people whenever they come to the business

Disadvantages
* many people will ignore the survey
* can be costly to send out and analysis results

Loyalty Cards
Advantages
* allows up to date information on consumer buying habits to be obtained
* can encourage customer loyalty as there is an incentive to make repeat purchases

Disadvantages
* expensive to set up and run
* need to provide discounts or other incentives to encourage customers to use them.

Question 7

METHODS OF MONITORING AND EVALUATING CUSTOMER CARE
Desk Research Methods:

Answer 7

Suggestion Schemes
* way of obtaining additonal comments, questions, and requests from customers or employees

Reviews on Websites
* helps the business optimise customer experience to help create a positive online footprint

Quality Management Systems
* instils a culture where quality is the responsibility of all staff

Question 8

CUSTOMER CARE
Benefits of Good Customer Care:

Answer 8

• loyal customers who will make repeat purchases
• satisfied customers who will recommend to others
• high staff morale/motivation and low staff turnover - staff will want to stay in an organisation where there are little customer complaints

Question 9

CUSTOMER CARE
Consequences of Poor Customer Care:

Answer 9

• dissatisfied customers - will not return or recommend to others
• demotivated staff and low staff morale - result in poor working relationships
• bad reputation - difficult to build back up, will lose customers and fail to attract new ones
• customers can take their business elsewhere, e.g. a competitors business