Personal Presentation
In the leisure and recreation industry we are at the heart of customer service delivery. The way in which we present the staff and ourselves will directly influence the customer service and the public image of your organisation.
The first impression is the initial point of contact to the customer; this gives them a rough outline of how your organisation will be. This will set the tone in which you and your customer will do their dealings in.
Appearance covers everything from a person’s shoe to the hair. This gives an insight into what a person’s job is, (i.e. a mechanic will be wearing an overall, hair can be long and messy, with dirty oily hands and a chef will be wearing an apron, hair in a net or hat, clean germ free hands).
Most people maintain a level of personal hygiene. In the leisure and recreation industry anyone dealing with customers must have excellent personal hygiene. Customers will definitely not be pleased if a waiter serves their food with dirty hands, if this were to happen the image of the company would be at steak.
The first impression you give also depends on the type of person that you are, your personality will influence the customer’s view of your organisation and a good personality means a good public image.
The attitude in which you greet your customers will be a major factor for the company’s image. If a member of staff was to be arrogant whilst talking to the customer or ignorant whilst speaking to them the customer can be offended and choose to take their custom elsewhere.
On the other hand if staff are polite and attentive this is a major plus point for the company’s overall image.
The attitude towards customers can obviously vary depending on the type of customer you are dealing with, such, as with children there is little need for the formalities of sir and madam. The acronym of ATTIUDE can be remembered if in doubt:
A attentive
T thoughtful
T tolerant
I individual
T thorough
U unflappable
D dependable
E enthusiastic
In this task I will be assessing the general atmosphere in shops that I visited.
I will be commenting on the first impression that I felt when I walked in the shop, the appearance of the staff, the hygiene and the attitude we were addressed with.
Role-play 1
Take away – Phone Conversation
Customer – Gurprit Shop – Faraz
S Good evening Ali Raj restaurant how may I help you
C I would like to place an order please
S Would you like an order for collection or delivery?
C Do you charge for deliveries
S No sir, you actually get a 10% discount for collection
C Ok can I have a delivery please?
S Where would you like it delivered sir
C Can it be delivered?
.
S What would you like please
C Can I have 3 Naan
2 Prawn Korai
1 Ch Madras
2 Chicken Birianis
.
S Is that all sir, would you like anything else
C No, can you let me know how much the bill is
S Ok will be £ . Sir
C Do you accept cheques?
S We only accept cash sir
C Ok
S Thank you
Evaluation
The whole conversation took around 7 minutes. While I was doing this role play, I realised that I missed out many factors that if I added would make this role play better, I missed the chance for suggestive selling and repeating the order, this could have given the customer ideas on what they have to buy or anything they have missed. I also forgot to take the address till the end of the conversation, this is usually taken at the beginning of the conversation.
Personally when we were performing this exercise, we were both a little hesitant, at one point I was slow at telling Gurprit the price and I did not ask her address till the end of the conversation. She was very slow in giving me her address, and she was hesitant in giving the order. This exercise was repeated twice.
Role Play 2
Hotel Lobby – Face to Face
Receptionist – Faraz Mrs G – Rosie
R This is a Fire Alarm we must evacuate the building now!!!
G I’m not going out in this weather
R I understand its cold outside Mrs G but we must leave now
G Are you blind! Can’t you see what I’m wearing?
R Here you go Mrs G here is a coat for you to wear I can provide a car for you to sit in outside but we must leave now!!!
She leaves and is not happy
Evaluation
This incident is an emergency situation. Whilst the conversation was going on the receptionist did not have the authoritative edge he should have had. The receptionist should know that the lady being stubborn would have to leave whether she wanted too or not. Either she could leave easily with the receptionist or be forced out by the fire crew.
Personally I was not able to give the orders in a stern manner, I was not assertive enough. I was extremely nervous, my body language also show signs of nervousness, my tone of voice was faint and high pitched. Rosie was not talking much she would either say she wasn’t going or she suddenly said she would go. This exercise was repeated three times.
As I have said I was not stern enough I should have known in my mind that Rosie would have had to leave, either by me saying so or the fire crew. If I had thought this through I would have been much more authoritative. The reason for my nervousness’ was purely due to the fact I do not like being confronted, but in this case the confrontation would have been disregarded, as the customer cannot refuse, this would have sorted out my high pitched and faint voice. Next time this happens I will be ready and not be so hesitant in being demanding.
Role Play 3
At a Bar – Face to Face
Bar Man – Faraz Customer = 1 – Gurprit 2 – Rosie
B How can I help you ladies?
C1 Can we get a couple of drinks please?
B What would you like madam
C1 Can I have a coke please?
B Would you like a diet of regular coke?
C1 Can I have a diet coke please
B Would you like ice in that
C1 Yes please
B And what would you like madam
C2 Can I have the same please?
B Ok that will be 2 diet cokes with ice yeah
C1+2 Yes please
B That will be £4
C1+2 (Pay)
B (gives drinks) thank you
Evaluation
The customer asked me for a coke, I than had to ask her what kind of coke and whether they wanted ice, if the customer would have asked me for a diet coke or regular coke I would have asked only if they wanted ice or not.
In this exercise I felt there was un-ease, as we did not set the tables out in the manner of a bar. If we had done this we would have been able to run smoothly.
These exercises went very well as the customer and bar man were able to communicate well with each other and the order was taken with minimal hassle. This exercise was repeated twice.
If I were to improve this scenario, I should have shown more enthusiasm towards the scene, this would have definitely made thing better for the customers to talk to me as a real bar man.
In customer service we will find different types of customers to deal with, occasionally we will have to deal with complaints. There are four types of complainants:
- Passive complainer
- Aggressive complainer
- Constructive complainer
- Professional Complainer
Passive Complainer
The passive complainer is the most common type of complainer; they will usually not lodge the complaint by fear of causing a nuisance or embarrassment. They will simply leave dissatisfied.
So for example:
‘Have you eaten all that already?’
‘No they gave it to me like that’
‘Go and ask them to fill it up, I’m sure they will’
‘No leave it, look they look as if they are really busy’
Aggressive complainer
The aggressive complainers as stated aggressive, usually angry and may have a raised voice or shouting. There can be reasons for this anger or situations that could have lead to this.
The simplest and best way to deal with this type of customer is to allow them to let off some steam and they should settle down. Also, if you suggest discussing their matter away from the other customers this can also bring matters into control, due to their not being an audience.
In cases where a customer becomes physically aggressive it is not wise to deal with it independently it is best to call for some back up from the management.
Constructive Complainer
The constructive complainer is the complainant who wants action to be taken for the future rather than immediately for themselves, they will offer advice and generally be constructive.
These types of customers are highly appreciated and occasionally rewarded with free items or discounts. This is because they neither cause a scene nor confront the staff in any way they make a passing suggestion.
Professional Complainer
The professional complainer is the type of customer who looks for faults rather than finding them. Unfortunately not all complaints are genuine and a small number of customers will make it their profession to find faults in other people’s products.
However, jumping to a conclusion is also wrong, as the complaint could be genuine. But if it were found to be false it would be better to discuss it in a separate room away from the other customers.
Mr Ijaz
J Sainsbury’s
Margate Rd
Westwood
Kent
Mr Jay Kinds
9 Mill mead Rd
Margate
Kent
5th June 2003
Dear Mr Jay Kinds
Thank you for the letter you have sent me, I would like to use this opportunity to inform you that your complaint is being dealt with and is extremely important to us. You informed us that the public toilets that we have provided were filthy and below hygienic expectations.
I have been investigating this matter in depth, and we have been monitoring this situation since your letter. The staff are now being asked to check the toilet facilities even more frequently and to clean them regardless every 2 hours.
Enclosed you will find £20.00 worth of vouchers, these can be utilised in the store for all products except alcohol and tobacco. I hope you will enjoy your custom from now on.
Yours Faithfully
Mr Ijaz
To the pool attendant
I visited your swimming pool on the 13th of June 2003 and I felt that there are several areas where attention is required before problem result in injuries.
When I arrived at the swimming pool I was aloud into the changing rooms, the changing rooms were filthy and the drains were overflowing and making the floor slippery. After getting changed I went into the swimming pool and found that the “No Running” signs that were up around the pool were broken and un-noticeable due to dirt on the signs. The pool had far too many people in it than it should have had.
I believe that all of these problems can easily resolved if a little time was spared in checking the facilities provided on a regular basis and that there should be a limit to the admittance of customers to the swimming pool area so that overcrowding can be avoided.
I hope that the areas I have highlighted in this letter can be dealt with as soon as possible.
Assessment sheet to Asses the competence of customer service, 0 is very poor and 6 is excellent. 3 is acceptable.
Improvements
I believe that both organisations need to improve to reach their optimum customer service point. Below I will show what they need to improve and how.
AMF
AMF need to arrange for some distinctive road signs for the location of this site as it is not in a highly visible location.
The managers at AMF need to revise the way in which they train their staff in customer service skills and have a reward scheme, this will provide an incentive for staff to be polite.
Bugsy’s
Bugsy’s need to check their cleaning roster to make sure that the cleaning is done on a regular basis, as this site was filthy in certain bit. This can be done at the beginning before opening or at the end after closing.
I believe that both site need to add suggestive selling to the selling strategy, this will definitely increase sales. Suggestive selling skill can be used if the organisations has bulk buy offers on the sales strategy, this will not only increase sales but can attract customers that are not currently at the their site.