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CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS

TRAINING

WHO ARE THE CUSTOMERS?

He is the most important part of the business

He is our work

He is our boss

WHAT IS SERVICE?

to serve

to be in assistance of

to offer

to aid

WHO THEN ARE OUR CUSTOMERS?

Guests

ResidentsCallers

Anybody who gets inside our hotel

Why do we need to develop customer service skills?

Customer facing situations require service skills

When customer experiences go wrong, the staff need to deal with the outcomes

In order to carry out and make a reality the vision-mission of the company and its objectives

Customers regard justice as important to how their complaints are dealt with

THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE

Place the customer first with full focus on the task at hand.

Pay close attention to the customer’s gestures, tone of voice, rate of speech, determine their feelings.

Listen effectively to customers.You should pay attention to what the customer is trying to say.

Build customer’s trust.

Be consistent, reliable and prompt.

Give the customers the best options they can have...

Learn to leave stressful situations behind.

Be open-minded.

Develop a “business friendly” personality.

Speak in “layman’s” terms

YOUR ROLE AS A SERVICE PROVIDER

The success of any organization depends ongood customer service.

You are the voice of the company and the person that the customer will remember once their visit with your company is finished.

THE THREE LEGGED STOOL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

SK

ILL

STOOLS

MIN

DS

ET

MUST ACQUIRED SKILLS

COMMUNICATION SKILLSCommunication is the core of all customer relationships

CLARITY OF WORDS

CLARITY OF RESPONSES

SPOKEN LANGUAGE/ DIALECT

Effective Listening

LISTENING SKILLS

A very important element of the communication process is listening, which can be a very difficult skill to use well.

As a customer service representative,it is vital to be a good listener.

Effective Listening

Prepare yourself to listen

Concentrate on what is being said

Use summarizing statements

Take notes

Hold your tongue, don’t interrupt

Use conversation cues if the caller is getting long winded

Listen between the lines

Use questioning and restating techniques

Practice positive listening habits

Effective Listening

How can I improve my listening skills?

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Concentrating successfully can be a difficult task. Therefore,

it is important to practice this skill. You can improve your ability to concentrate by eliminating noise from

your surroundings and focusing on your customer’s problems.


DEVELOP GENUINE INTEREST

instead of turning a customer out when the information they are giving is not important to their situation, good listeners find useful materials in every message.

WAIT BEFORE RESPONDINGlet what the caller/ speaker had said sink in for a moment

before you respond.


TELEPHONE HANDLING SKILLS

TELEPHONE HANDLING SKILLS

The customer’s impression of you and your organization is influenced almost entirely by what you say and, even more so, by how you say it. Your voice reveals what you think and feel regardless of what words you use.

DIAGNOSE THE SITUATIONassess what you have heard in order to

determine what the caller wants you to do.

Speak clearly

Speak slowly and clearly. Enunciate your words and stay away from sounding monotone.

Don’t have a lazy tongue.

Elements for effective telephone handling

TONE

Tone is the overall vocal quality that communicates how you are feeling in general, as

well as how you are feeling toward the person with whom you are communicating

Voice inflection refers to the highs and lows in your voice

INFLECTION

ENERGY

The energy in your voice reflects your attitude and enthusiasm

Volume refers to how loudly or softly you speak

VOLUME

Telephone Personality & Phone Etiquette

Good Morning, HR Department, This is Martha, How may I help you?

Good Morning, Thank you for calling Sarrosa International Hotel, This is Martha, How may I help you?

Phone Etiquette

“Thank you for waiting, Madame/Sir. Unfortunately Ms. ________ is not available. Would you like to leave a message?”

When the caller leaves a message.

Get the name, phone number, and message. Take note of the time and date and repeat what the guest have said in order to clarify the message.

Nobody Answers The Telephone

On Hold Techniques

Don’t forget to include their name when thanking them for holding.

Give them an option….Hold or leave a message.

If holding, check back with them every 30 – 60 seconds. Don’t leave them wondering.

“Madame/Sir, Is it okay if I would put you on hold?”

Putting the caller on hold (Maximum of 1 minute)

Call Transferring

1. Guided Transfer – Let the caller know who they are being transferred to.

2. Description Transfer – Announcing the call to inform your staff the reason they are calling and their name.

2 Types of Transferring

COMMONLY USED CUSTOMER SERVICE PHRASEOLOGIES

WELCOMING CUSTOMER

1.1 Initiating conversation by self-introduction

“My name is Mario. I'm happy to be of service anytime”“My name is Elizabeth. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Williams”

1.2 Proper Greeting

“Good morning / afternoon / evening, Sir / Madame, Welcome to Sarrosa International Hotel/”


When opening doors for guest (approximately 6-7 feet away), greet with:


When customer is leaving the hotel after patronage:“Good-bye, Sir, Madame. Thank you for staying with us and we hope to see you again”

Extension of greeting:-“Is this your first time in Cebu/ Sarrosa Hotel?”“Have you stayed here before?”

1.3 Addressing Customers

The most impressive and professional way is to address customer by using their name. (e.g.: Mr/Ms Delos Reyes)1. “How may I assist you, Mr. Lee?”2. “Welcome back, Ms Chan”


BEING OF SERVICE

1. In general:

“ How may I assist you, Mr Thomason?"

2. Customer tasks for something and you are able to help:

“Certainly, sir/madame. Let me help you with that”

3.Inviting a customer to sit down:

“Please take a seat, Dr Chung”


1.4 Introducing facilities and service:

1. “The Grand Ballroom is on the second floor, Northwing.”

2. Recommending the hotel restaurant:

“May I recommend that you try our Citidine restaurant. It has a very good menu.”

3. Recommending scenic spots:When recommending scenic spots, kindly ask the guests where and what specific place they're interested in (ex. Beaches, shopping malls, museums,etc) before suggesting.

“What places would you like to visit, Madame/Sir? ”

“If you want to go to the beach, there are a lot of resorts you can visit in Lapu Lapu”

“Would you like to go shopping, Madame/Sir? We have SM and Ayala Malls nearby.”

“Would you like to talk to a travel agent? He/she can give you an itinerary of their travel packages.”

3. Initiating Conversations:

Whenever mingling with guests, never initiate a discussion about religion/politics/personal questions as it may offend the guest. Instead ask about something like:

“How was your stay in our hotel, Madame?”

Always end the conversation with :

“Have a great day, Madame/Sir”.


4. Other useful phrases:-

“Shall I write it down for you, Mrs Flores?”

“The information desk will be happy to help you. May I show you the way?”

“You can have drinks at the Citidine”

ANSWERING THE TELEPHONE UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

During Busy Times / Re-connecting the call- particularly when picking up the telephone after 3 rings

Call transfer- before transferring call, we should say:-

“Thank you for waiting, Cashier Desk, How may I help you?”

“Certainly, Madame/Sir. Please hold the line”

“Madame/Sir, is it okay if I would put you on hold?”

4. How may I help you?

Greetings should consist of:

1. Proper greeting of the hour…2. Company name/Department

3. Your name

1.5 Giving Directions

When giving directions, do not use your pointing finger. Instead, use directionals with an open hand.

1. “The Business Centre is next to the Front Desk Counter”

2. “The rest room is straight ahead, down this corridor”

3. “The Coffee Shop is located on the northwing lobby”


WHEN A CUSTOMER THANKS YOU

“You are welcome, Madame/Sir”

“I'm glad to be of service, Madame/Sir”

WHEN A CUSTOMER APOLOGISES TO YOU

“That's all right, Mr. Sue”

“That's quite all right, Ms Kan”

“Don't mention it, Ms Chan”

“Not at all, Mrs Tan”


WHEN ASKING A CUSTOMER TO DO SOMETHING

“Could you please sign (here), Mr. Chan?”

“May I ask you to (sign here), Mr Tam?”

“May I have (your room number), Ms Lee?”

WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

1. “I beg your pardon, Ms Suen” or

“I'm sorry Ms Suen, could you repeat that please?”

2. “Could you write it for me, please?”

3. “Could you show me (on the menu) please?”

HANDLING CUSTOMER REQUESTS & COMPLAINTS

Listen Carefully and clarify the reasons for the complaint

“ How may I assist you, Sir/ Madame?”

Sincerely apologize for the problem

“ I am very sorry about that.”

Showing empathy

“I can see your problem”

“I see.”

Showing concern

“My name is Samantha, Let me assist you”

“May I have your name and your room number, Sir / Madame?”

Suggest appropriate alternatives

a. “Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. Colmenares, would you like thousand or hundred peso bills?”

b. “Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. Espina, would you prefer having your dish reheated or changing to a new one?”

c. “Dr Chung, would you like your room cleaned right away or after you have gone out?”

Explain to the customer about the follow up action

“Mr. / Ms./ Mrs. Delos Santos, I will investigate this situation, and we will get back to you as soon as possible”

“Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. Corales, I will contact the Technical Department so they can check and fix it.”

Follow up until the complaint is solved

How to respond in the following situations?

When somebody is not in

“I'm sorry but Mr. Lee is not here / out at the moment. Can someone else help you?”

“He'll come back around four o'clock. Should I tell Mr. Lee to return a call when he returns?”

When somebody is meeting another customer“I'm sorry, Mrs. Lau is with a customer at the moment. Can she call you back?”

When somebody is in a meeting“I'm sorry, Mr. Kwok is in a meeting/ conference at the moment. Can someone else help you? Or, would you like to leave a message?”

When somebody is busy

“I'm sorry, Mr. Lee is unavailable at the moment. Can he call you back?”

When somebody is out of town

“I'm sorry, Mr. Chan is away until the end of the month. Would you like to leave a message? Or, can someone else help you?”

When somebody no longer works for the hotel

“I'm sorry, Mr. Cheng no longer works for the hotel. His replacement is Mr Celso. May I put you through?”

When the telephone is not functioning well

“I'm sorry, we seem to have a poor connection. May I call you back?”

What can I do to stay positivewhen I am having a bad day?

•Remember that you choose your feelings, and therefore, you can control your attitude

•Realize that your feelings are separate from the work that you need to do

•Call/ talk to a friend or a special someone

•Take a short break. Have a drink ,or simply go for a short walk to release stress

•Use positive language and avoid negative thoughts and actions

S – satisfactorily servingE – everyoneR – regardless ofV – value I – influenceC – community standingE – educational attainment

Wearing a smile makes you feel happier and will also brighten up the whole room.

Smiling will also make you feel more positive and have a feeling of well being.

Wearing a SMILE!

SMILE

E – Eye contact establishes credibility and confidence.

S – Smile increases the receptiveness of those around you.

M – Make the guest feel comfortable

I – Information gathering

L – Learn the other person’s name

It is important to value our service to our guest, regardless of their influence or community standing.

It is important to maintain our focus in handling guests and clients.

In instances when we handle guests and clients who are famouscelebrities or icons, remain focused on your work and never leave your post to take pictures or have something signed.

Time for questions and clarifications