unit f1 communicate using customer service language · understand and explain what your...

Unit F1

Communicate using customer service language

101

What you will learn to identify customers and their

characteristics and expectations

to identify their organisation’s services and products

to know how to communicate using customer service language

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unicate using customer service language

NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Customer Service

Unit F1

It is important to identify customers and their characteristics and expectations

IntroductionDelivering great customer service is rather like building a jigsaw: all pieces need to fit together before the total picture can be seen. Understanding how the part you play – your one piece in the jigsaw – impacts upon your organisation, your colleagues and, most importantly, your customers will help you to see the whole picture and be good at customer service.

In this unit we look at who your customers are, their expectations and how you can work with colleagues to deliver great service. To do this you need to be able to communicate using language and concepts which are easy to understand.

You need to know all about the services or products your organisation offers. You must be able to understand and explain what your organisation offers. It’s more than that though; you need to understand why customer service is important to your organisation in order to fully play your part and bring your knowledge and skills into action.

When you are clear about what your organisation is willing and able to provide, you will be on your way to being able to use the right language with customers and colleagues.

So, providing good customer service starts with knowing and understanding all about how you can help your organisation deliver great customer service.

Customer service standards:

• identify customers and their characteristics and expectations

• identify your organisation’s services and products.

For the claimant to be successful they have to show three things:

1 That the defendant owed the person a duty of care

2 That the duty of care was breached

3 That the injury was caused by a breach of the duty.



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Identify customers and their characteristics and expectationsMany people think customer service is all about making customers happy by giving them what they want when they want it. However, we all know life isn’t quite that simple in the fast-moving world of customer service. Products change, services change, your customers’ expectations change; you need to react to these changes and often anticipate how to deal with your customers.

To do this, you will need the help or assistance of people you work with – your colleagues. The people your organisation does business with (suppliers) also play an important part. So, teamwork is very important.

You will need to know all about the products or services you are expected to use as well as about the rules and regulations which state what you can and cannot do. We look further at this in Unit F2.

Perhaps most importantly, you will need brilliant communication skills. You need to know how your behaviour and the behaviour of customers can make the difference between a great customer service experience and an ordinary or poor one.

Learning from situations and experiences will also help you develop; there is usually at least one experience each day which can be used to help with your personal development.

YOU are very important! You have the opportunity to have a real and lasting impact on other people, to have personal job satisfaction and to help your organisation to be successful.

What you need to know and learn:

• Which types of customer your organisation does business with

• Who’s who and who does what to provide customer service

• How customer satisfaction is affected by customer expectations

• Why good customer service is important to any organisation

To start your journey towards achieving your qualification we ask you to explore what is meant by customer service. They are, after all, words which you hear and read all the time. But, what do they actually mean? When you are a customer what do you think customer service is all about? What does customer service mean to you in your daily work?

Customers appreciate friendly service


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unicate using customer service language

NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Customer Service

Unit F1

The types of customer your organisation does business withHere is a definition of customer service from TheInstituteofCustomerService.

“Customer service is the sum total of what an organisation does to meet customer expectations and produce customer satisfaction. It usually involves service teamwork and service partnerships.”

A customer service practitioner might simply see it as “helping people”.

Who are your customers?Just as you have many different friends and colleagues, so too will there be a variety of customers for you to deal with. Good customer service depends on fully understanding the needs of your customers so that you can provide a good product or service.

A customer is someone who receives customer service from you. It’s usually easier to think of customers as living breathing people. However, sometimes your customers will be other organisations.

If a customer is an individual or works in another organisation he or she is known as an externalcustomer. If a customer comes from another part of your organisation he or she is known as an internalcustomer.

Both internal and external customers require the same great level of service from you. Your internal customers are working with you to provide an overall level of service which supports the needs of customers wherever they are. If the chain breaks down, service suffers. So, everyone where you work is responsible for service somewhere along the line.

Key terms

The Institute of Customer Service: a professional body which deals with developing customer service people and systems.

Key terms

External customer A customer who does not belong to your organisation. An individual or organisation using, or considering using, your organisation’s products or services.

Internal customer A customer who works for your organisation. An individual or department drawing on the function or service that you or your department provides to your organisation.

Portfolio Task F1.1.1; F1.1.2; f1h

Find out who some of your internal customers are. Complete this sentence:

My internal customers are

Now think about your external customers and complete this sentence

My external customers are

Thinking about customer types – who are your organisation’s customers? Complete this sentence.

My organisation’s customers are

Make a list here of any other customer types you deal with. Indicate whether they are internal or external customers.

Keep the lists for your portfolio.



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There are a wide variety of types of customers

Portfolio Task F1.1.1 F1.1.2

Discuss with a colleague specifically what your organisation does to meet the needs of these customer types.

• Elderly

• Disabled

• Under 18 age group

Discuss only those which are appropriate to your working environment. Make notes of key points from your discussion.

Using these notes, write a report which details the part you personally play in meeting these customers’ needs.

Discuss this with your assessor.

• Non-English speaking

• Adults with children

Customer types

To understand what products or services to offer, your organisation has to understand what types of customer it wishes to attract and keep loyal.

Customers may be described according to areas like age, gender and special needs. Don’t forget, your organisation will also look at how to win the business of potential customers too.

Take a look at Figure 1. Are there any other customer types you deal with?

Perhaps the obvious place to think about dealing with all of these different customer types is a supermarket. How do supermarkets manage to meet the needs of all these different people? One way would be to ensure their checkout staff are trained to recognise the needs of different customer types. For example, a mum with a baby may need help with packing. So too may a person with mobility problems. An elderly person may well want to chat as his or her shopping is dealt with. Usually men want to get out quickly! However, only by asking questions to accurately tell what a customer wants will you be able to manage expectations effectively.


unit f1 communicate using customer service language · understand and explain what your...

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