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COMMUNICATIONIN CUSTOMER SERVICE

Communication is one of the most persuasive,

important, and complex aspects of human life.

(Littlejohn, 2002, p.3)

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SENDER --> CHANNEL--> RECEIVER

SENDER --> CHANNEL --> RECEIVER

RECEIVER

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4. MEDIUM or CHANNEL :this is the

instrument we use to establish

communication. i.e. radio, tv, internet,

etc. (vehicle)

5. NOISE, OBSTACLES, BARRIERS: something or

someone that makes communication unsuccessful or

impossible. I.e interferences when talking on the phone,

someone interrupting a conversation between twopeople, or when one of the two people involved in the

communication is thinking of something other than what

the second person is saying.

. CODE: the group ofsymbols used to transmit amessage. It is important to choose the correct code in

order to have a good communication according to the

receiver. The language is a code, if our client speaks

English we must choose the English language as a code

in order to achieve a good communication. 5

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7. ENCODING AND DECODING: (Stuart Hall) This is

the process by which a message is understood.

8.FEEDBACK: This is the response ofthe receiver

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Here the elements of communication are

a) Source: As brain

b) Sender: the transmitting device that A

uses to communicate with B (e.g. mouth,

hands, eyes, gestures etc.)

c) Message: the idea or thought conveyed by

conversation, expression etc.

d) Channel: the medium through which the

message travels (e.g. air, sound waves, light

waves etc.)

e) Receiver: The receiving device used by B

to receive the message (e.g. Bs eye, ear etc.)

f) Destination: Bs braing) Feedback: the response from B

h) Noise source: the words or actions of

person C that interrupts the

communication between person A and

person B

Model of communication

The basic elements of any general communication system includes the following:

a) Source b) Sender c) Message d) Channel e) Receiver f) Destination and g) Noise source

An Illustration:

Let us consider that person A and person B are

communicating with each other. Person C

interrupts the communication between A and B

(illustrated in figure 1)

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COMMUNICATIONFORCUSTOMER SERVICE.

INTERACTIVECOMMUNICATION: in customer service there

are 2 main functions of communication:

1. DIRECTINFORMATION SERVICE.

In this situation informants (senders) need the client to be

communicative and capable of expressing his/her needs

clearly.

You can use different mediums, from words to writtendocuments or Internet.

2. COMPLAINTS AND ENQUIRIES SERVICE

In these situations it is important to establish a verbal

communication and that the data and documents of the case

are registered in written language.

Someone who wants to work at front desk has to take into account that establishing a clear,

fluent and appropriate communication is fundamental to obtain good results.

Establishing the right channels in the customer service department is one of the most

important tasks of the service.

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1. Auditory communication.

Messages are perceived through the sense of hearing. Words, music, sounds and noises

take part in this type of communication.

Direct conversation or face to face communication

Phone conversation

Radio broadcasting, etc.

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3. Tactile communication

Messages are perceived through the sense of touch.

Affection is conveyed through tactile sensations.Shaking hands or tapping someones shoulder

can have positive or negative effects, so it is

necessary to be very respectful in this matter and

know cultural conventions.

There are different mediums:

Touching someone, etc.

Greetings at meetings and negotiations

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4. Multichannel communication

Messages are perceived through different senses at a time (or all at the same time).

There are different media through which this is possible:

Tv

Video

Computer

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CHANNELS OR MEDIUMS OF COMMUNICATION

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3. TYPES OFCOMMUNICATION according to the people involved

Human communication is the field dedicated to understanding how people communicate. It may be broadly classified

as,

a) Intrapersonal Communication : people communicating

among/within themselves (e.g. daydreaming, reading aloud)

b) Interpersonal Communication:

people communicating with others.

c) Group Dynamics:

communication within groups

d) Organizational

Communication

: Communicationwithin an organization

e) Cross cultural communication: Communication across cultures

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An analysis:

From the illustration and the listed components of communication, it can be interpreted that

communication is not just what we say. Communication may occur by means of conversations,

expressions, gestures or visual sense.

But effective communicationoccurs only when the three important aspects of

communication are in the right proportion :

1) visual (used in seeing: the visual sense)

2) audio (pertaining to, or employed inthe transmission, reception, or reproduction ofsound) and

3) kinesics (the study ofbody movements, gestures, facial expressions, etc., as ameans of communication)

Therefore, in general, human communication may be defined as,

the process in which all of the three important aspects of communication are

involved in the right proportion, in order to exchange information between humans in

an effective manner.15

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The 7 preconditions for success: (Dr. Steele, 2006)

1.Pay Attention: Always pay attention when someone communicates.

2. Mutual Needs: All Communication is based on mutual needs.

3. Circular communication All communication is circular in nature.( e.g.

Giving feedback based on actions or deeds)

4. Communication is language based: For example, in the field of technology

we may have a problem where the managers do not understand technical

jargon.

5. Purpose: It is necessary to know the purpose of communication in aconversation. Knowing the purpose provides a better focus.

6. One needs to be cooperative but not competitive

7. Human communication is an art and not a science.

successsuccess

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4. Business Communication techniques for effective communication

WHENCOMMUNICATINGWITHACUSTOMER, THESENDER HAS TO:

Think before speaking, establish a logical path.

Express yourself in a clear and correct manner taking into account the

recievers characteristics: language, cultural position, etc. In order to

choose the correct code.

Always use positive forms of expression, do not be pessimistic, beASSERTIVE.

Emit one message at a time, do not mix contents. Do not give more

information until you know the receiver has understood your last message.

Use, in each case, the right channel to establish communication.

Avoid bad vibrations, avoid noise sources that can make

communication difficult to establish.

In interpersonal communication always choose a close way of

communciation. It is better to smile and give confidence to the client

(keeping distance)

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Corresponding with

your customers is useful in:

Giving information about events we may

organize.

Sending information about campaigns.

Writing an apology.

Sending leaflets or catalogues.

Informing him/her about the results of any

procedures he/she may have asked for.

Sending forms.

Etc.

A. CORRESPONDENCE:

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B. TELEPHONING

When speaking on the telephone you should take into account:

When you call:

Make sure we have the right number noted down. You should often update

directories.

Have documents, information and arguments ready.

Pick up the phone, wait for the tone, dial the number , identify yourself and your

company and ask for the person or department you want to talk to.

Allways identify yourself and your company first.

Identify the person you are talking to.

If we dont talk to the person we wanted to, note down name and position of theperson we are speaking with.

It is useful to have a notebook for registering your calls. Some companies use forms

for this purpose.

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When you answer the phone:

Pick up the phone and identify yourselfand yourcompany, i.e Hotel

Royale, Maria Gonzalez speaking, how canI help you?

Yourtone ofvoice must be positive. The person calling us should feel

that we are glad to receive his/her call.

Ifthe person the callerwants to speak to is not available,you must note

down the message and let the callerknow that you will pass on his/her

message.

If we have to note down names and surnames,check spelling to avoid

mistakes.

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C. THEINTERVIEW

In a customer service job we will often use this technique.

If you are in a customer service position.

Say hello to the person we are assisting.

Identify him orher and identify yourself.

Listen carefully to understand the reason forthe query.

Ask for any explanations necessary to understand it fully.

Ifpossible,offer an answerinmediately, otherwise give atimelimit to offer an answer.

Note down the result ofthe interviewon a card including the

data ofthe visitor and the reason for the visit.

Say goodbye politely.

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D. PRESENTATIONS

TIPS

If you havea free choiceof topic - choose a subject you knowwell.At the end ofyour presentation,you willbe asked to answer additional questions, so it helps ifyou are knowledgeable about, and comfortable with,yoursubject area.

Think about youraudience - howyou can keep their attention? Pitch the content ofyour presentation at theappropriate level foryour audience.

Structure yourpresentationwellandstick to it - make sure there is a clear introduction, a body and aconclusion.Assessors will be lookingfor a well-structured talk,with a logical flow and a clearbeginning,middleand end.

Donot cram toomuch onto yourslides - just use bullet points and keywords. You want your audience tolisten towhat you are telling them,not just to read ahead. Liven up your slides with pictures, photos,graphs andwhere appropriate.

Donot go into toomuch detail - be clear and concise and keep to time.

At the beginning - remember to introduce yourselfand your presentation confidently at the beginning,

Donot read fromapreparedscript - glance briefly at notes or prompt cards instead.

Practice beforehand - ifyou can, and familiarize yourselfwith theAV equipment.

At theend - be sure to end your presentation confidently, rather than coming to a dead stop whenyou runoutofthings to say. Even ifyou are nervous and glad to have got it out ofthe way,make a briefand clearconclusion, summarizingwhat you have presented and then say something like: That concludes mypresentation. Thank you for listening.Are there any questions?

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Useful expressions for presentations

Parts ExpressionsIntroduction Good morning, my name is and I am going to talk about

My talk is in three parts: 1. ..., 2. , 3

There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Main body Lets start with .Now Id like to move on to

Another point is that

Also Finally

Visuals As you can see in the pictureThis graph shows you

This chart illustrates

Take a look at

Summarizing That brings me to the end of my presentation. I've talked

aboutTo summarize, I

In conclusion:

Closing Thanks a lot for your attention, are there any questions?Thank you for listening , and now if there are any questions, I

would be pleased to answer them.

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1. ELEMENTS OF

COMMUNICATION

1. Messenger(Source)2. Receiver(Destination)3. Message4. MediumorChannel5. Noise source

6. Code7. Encoding/Decoding8. Feedback

2. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

according to the sense used

Auditory

Visual

Tactile

Multichannel

3. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

according to the people involved

a) Intrapersonal

b) Interpersonal

c) Group Dynamics

d) Organizational

e)Cross cultural

COMMUNICATION

0.

INFORMATION

4. TECHNIQUES FOR

EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

a. CORRESPONDENCE

b. TELEPHONING

c. INTERVIEWS

d. PRESENTATIONS

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