Unit 3: Customer care and working procedures

Question 1

Situations in which Customer Care is provided

Answer 1

Providing information
Providing and passing on information
Giving advice
Dealing with problems
Dealing with dissatisfied customers

Question 2

RATER

Answer 2

Reliability - ability to perform promised service.

Assurance - knowledge and courtesy of employees & their ability to convey trust & confidence when dealing with a request.

Tangibles - physical facilities, equipments and appearance of service personnel.

Empathy - caring, individualised attention provided to the customer.

Responsiveness - willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.

Question 3

Importance of Customer Care Policy

Answer 3

The aim is to make customers feel satisfied & valued so they will want to return.
Policy makes employees understand the benefits of good customer service both for themselves & the company.

Question 4

Necessity of Teamwork

Answer 4

To improve productivity
To improve the quality of products & services
To speed the spread of ideas
To improve customer focus

Greater job satisfaction
To increase employee motivation
Improved learning of new skills

Question 5

Procedure of Handling Complaints

Answer 5

1. Listen carefully to the customer with an open mind.
2. Apologise in general terms and offer alternatives to solving the problem and aware the customer that the problem will be investigated and ensured that it wouldn’t repeat.
3. Staff shouldn’t argue with the customer as it can damage the company’s reputation. If a solution can’t be found the staff should refer to a supervisor/manager.
4. Gain approval of the solution with the customer to ensure that they are aware of what is to be followed.

Question 6

Interpersonal Skills

Answer 6

Skills used to interact or deal with others.
Dealing with others greatly influence our professional and personal lives.
Improving these skills builds confidence and enhances our relationship with customers.

Question 7

Interpersonal Skills Attitudes

Answer 7

Have a friendly, approachable and polite manner
Have a responsible & reliable manner
Be observant
Have excellent organisational & communication skills
Be confident in dealing with any customer behaviour

Question 8

Importance of personal presentation, clear speech, numeracy & literacy skills

Answer 8

Customer service involves face-to-face & direct communications.

During these moments, the quality of the overall service provision will be ultimately judged.

All staff experience daily interactions that take place with colleagues & customers.

Mainly applies to frontline staff.

The employees represent the hotel, thus, it is important to take pride in their personal appearance, dress & general grooming with cleanliness & personal hygiene.

Question 9

Requirements for formal dress codes for staff

Answer 9

Clean uniforms and freshly pressed
Ladies - skirts with flesh coloured tights
No visible tattoos or piercings
Clean & short well-cared fingernails
Limited Jewellery - wedding band for men & one pair of non-dangling earrings

Question 10

Barriers of Communication

Answer 10

Language - different accents make it difficult to understand, as they may come from different countries.

Complexity - if the message is too long or technical, it may not be fully understood.

Concentration - if the reader has their mind focused on other tasks/matters, the message may not be fully understood.

Question 11

Applications of Technology

Answer 11

Websites - allows online bookings & act as a marketing tool.

Databases - aids direct marketing

Finance Systems - helps streamline payments, accounts and stock control.

Benefits:

• increases efficiency, increases competitiveness.
• attracts more customers, as majority of them like the ease & convenience of online bookings.
• allows instant reservation/payment confirmation and 24/7 availability of service.

Question 12

Purpose of Brochures

Answer 12

It creates awareness amongst the readers which will then lead to a positive decision of buying one of the featured holiday products.

Question 13

Exchange Rates

Answer 13

Influences a tourist’s travel plans depending on the costs at the chosen destination.

Question 14

Influences a tourist’s travel plans depending on the costs at the chosen destination.

Answer 14

• Knowledge of the industry & the product
• Good Judgement
• Enthusiasm, honesty, intelligence, initiative & friendliness

Well-spoken employee will be able to attract the attention of customers and use of good grammar & vocabulary communicates professionalism.

Question 15

Range of Promotional Methods

Answer 15

Brochures - good source of basic information about a particular destination, attractions & facilities.

Promotional Leaflets - mini-brochures acting as adverts for products/services. They are designed to attract the eye and provide basic details about what is on offer. Attracts potential customers.

Advertisements - creates awareness of products/services and develops a brand image of the organisation. Allows to aim specifically at market segments.