UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 What is Customer Service?
1.3 Importance of Customer Service
1.4 Types of Customer Service
1.5 Why is Improving Customer Experience Important?
1.6 Qualities of Customer Service
1.7 Parameters that Helps in Good Customers Service
1.8 Barriers to Customer Service
1.9 Single and Double Bagger
1.10 Good or Bad Customer Service
1.11 Selling and Customer Service
1.12 Effective Customer Service
1.13 Let Us Sum Up
1.14 Terminal Questions

1.0 OBJECTIVES

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

• Explain the meaning of customer service
• Identify your role in providing superior customer service
• Describe the importance of customer service
• Correlate selling and customer service
• Explain the importance of customer service
• Discuss the parameters of customer service
• Identify the Barriers to customer service; and
• Distinguish between good and bad customer service

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Customer Service is also known as “Client Servicing, Consumer service or customer service
“is becoming a vital business need of a need of any organisation. From small customer
service departments to large call centres, the importance of developing a valued relationship
with customers is essential in supporting long-term business growth & profitability plus
sustenance of the business. The best product in the world is just going to stay on shelves and
gather dust if you do not support it with customer service that makes your product ‘better’
than the identical product offered by the competitor. Good customer service is the life blood
of any retailer. Customer service is a big differentiator for any retailer or any business. The
condition is only one that your product should also be of a good quality.

When we talk about customer service, we are also talking of Normal Customer Service and
Great Customer Service. Great customer service means giving customers what they want.
That is easy to say, not so easy to figure out, and occasionally difficult to do! Great Customer
Service requires satisfaction of the customer; satisfaction with the services provided and
satisfaction with the way we provide them.

Customer service is meeting the needs and expectations of the customer as defined by the
customer. “Meeting the needs and expectations of the customer” means you know what
your customers want and what they expect, and you provide that to them on a consistent
basis. And to know what your customers want; you have got to ask them! Realizing the
importance of customer service, the ‘Journal of Retailing’ -an international journal on
retailing came out with a special issue in 2007 entitled competing Through Service’.
According to the journal it came out with the special issue because those firms that leverage
service can build strong relationships with customers that will generate barriers to
competition, increase customer loyalty and make marketing activities more efficient.

As obvious as that may sound, many companies established customer service initiatives
without ever talking to their customers. “As defined by the customer” is a very important
point to get because it says that if the customer does not perceive you as offering good
customer service, then you are not. The customer is the judge here. No matter how good
your internal records claim you are, the customer is the only voice worth listening to. So, in
order to have an effective customer service initiative, you must know what your customers
want, provide it to them consistently, and ask them how you are doing. This means customer
feedback is extremely important. In this unit, you will learn What is Customer Service,
Importance of Customer Service, types of customer service, why improving customer
experience is important? qualities of customer service, parameters that helps in good
customers service, barriers to customer service, single and double bagger, good or bad
customer service, selling and customer service, and effective customer service.

1.2 WHAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE?

Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer
satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.
Providing Customer Service means creating a positive and memorable experience for every
customer. Customers are satisfied when the service are met or exceeds their expectations.
Customers are dissatisfied when they feel the service falls below their expectations.
Customer service hence could mean:
• Taking care of customers’ needs
• Going beyond what is expected
• Adding value and integrity to every customer interaction
• Being at best with every customer
• Lalonde and Zinszer define customer service are those activities that occur at the
interface between the customer and the corporation which enhance or facilitate the
sale and use of the corporation’s products or services”.

Let us look at the figure 1.1 which shows various factors influencing the customer service

Figure. 1.1: Shows various factors influencing the customer service

Sources: Courtesy -tidio.com

According to Zeithaml and Bitner, “customer service is the service provided in support of a
company’s core product. Customer service most often includes answering questions, taking
orders, dealing with billing issue, handling complaints, and perhaps scheduling maintenance
or repairs”.

Customer service can occur onsite (as when a retail employee helps a customer find a
desired item or answer a question), or can occur over the phone or via internet. Many
companies operate customer service call centres, often staffed around the clock. Typically,
there is no charge for customer service. Quality customer service is essential to building
customer relationship.

Customer service that gives retailers their robust sales figures is more complex than the
superficial “How may I help you” of yesteryear. Today, retailers must respond to the
customer demands on many levels, from making the store an inviting destination to
restocking shelves regularly and stocking the right mix of products. At the same time,
training for customer service representatives on store floors has become much more
important as well as rigorous. World class customer service providers believe that customer
service is not a department but a philosophy – a way of life- that should be practiced by all
employees at every level of the organization. It is the people of the organization who set the
customer service apart from the competition. It involves a thousand, concrete, minute
actions performed by everyone in an organization to keep the customer happy.

Some Hard Facts About the Customers

 • 32% of consumers say they are likely to engage with in-store experiential moments.
• 95% of consumers expect retailers to have COVID safety protocols in place for in-
store shopping.
• In the last year, 47% of consumers were more likely to purchase from a brand due to
its local presence.
• 81% consumers prefer to shop in stores to discover new products and more than
50% say in-store browsing is a way to disconnect from the digital world.
• More than one-third of consumers in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand say a sense
of community is a top motivator to visit local shops.
• 34% of consumers are likely to engage with appointment shopping in 2022.

Activity 1:

As a customer, identify a positive and a negative customer service experience you had over
the past month. List out your reasons for:

a) Outstanding Customer Service

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b) Unsatisfactory Customer Service

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1.3 IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service is the critical factor for success in business. Your customer service must be
better than your competitors if your business is to attract and retain customers. Remember
that the greatest profits result from customer retention, loyalty and repurchase rather than
new customer acquisitions.
Much of customer service comes down to common sense. Give customers what they want
and make sure they are happy. If you just manage complaints, offer refunds, or smile at
customers, you are only providing a small part of excellent customer service. Customer
service also means going out of your way for the customer, doing everything possible to
satisfy the customer, and making decisions that benefit the customer. Let us discuss the
importance of customer service one-by-one in detail.
1. Helps Retain Customers: If a retail has customer friendly exchange or return policy that
makes the returns quick and simple, the retail is more likely to retain customers and build a
loyal customer base that appreciates retailer no-hassle return policy. Customers who
experience good quality customer service with a retail, they are more likely to return, and
the more loyal customers you have, the more your company can grow to its full potential.
2. Excellent Product Management: Is also one of the derivatives of excellent customer
services. That does not mean that you should give away the store to the customer. However,
you must know when and how often the customer is right. When customers try to take
advantage of you, or become disruptive or abusive, they are not right. While they may not
always be right, they are always the customers. That is the only point you must remember.
3. Boosts Employee Retention: Retailer who treats customer well may enjoy great employee
retention because employees would like to work with the company who treat their
customers well. When the employees see that retailer is focused on delivering exceptional
customer service, they will be more likely to become advocates for the business and stay
with the company for long. They are also far more likely to remain with the company and be
fully engaged in their work.
4. Proactively Addresses Customer Issues: A good customer service is always capable of
addressing the customers issues proactively. When a retailer reaches to the customer before
a problem may arise is called proactive customer service. For example, Now, a day every
retailer maintains their CRM where they capture the customers information. The retailer is
aware of their customer taste and preferences, location, age etc. All these factures help the
retailer to service the customer proactively and resolve their issue in no time.
5. Boost Customer Lifetime Value: Customer lifetime value (CLV) consists of the total
amount of revenue a retailer can expect to receive from a single customer over the life time.
By increasing the CLV, retailer can significantly increase company’s revenue without
spending more on marketing. An increasing CLV means that your customers are spending
more money each time they order or they are buying more often.
Customer service plays a significant role to increase CLV. A customer who has a positive
shopping experience, would obviously likely to buy more repeatedly from the retailer. It is
also easier to market new products to existing customers. Return customers are more likely
to trust the products and services your customer service team is recommending because
they have already had a great experience with your company many times in the past.
6. Gives Retailer a Competitive Advantage: Every retailer sells similar product in their
category of business. Like shoppers stop, lifestyle, Central etc. it is the exceptional customer
service which can make the retailer stand out in the competition. Great customer service
does more than just win over new customers and retain loyal ones. It also sets the retailer
apart from the competition. By offering best-in-class customer service, retail is attaching
values to your company’s brand, strengthening your reputation in the market place, and
showing by example that you care about the people who purchase your product or service.
7. Give Reference: When a customer experiences a quality customer service feels motivated
to refer it to his or her family, friends, colleagues, relatives etc. Positive word-of-mouth
referrals is direct outcome of previous experience. The customers may even post to their
social network about the friendly and helpful customer service received by them from you.
This word-of mouth gives a sense of confidence among the close contacts of the existing
customers. Word-of-mouth advertising is often a company’s best and least expensive form of
advertising.
8. Customer Service Pays: Companies may have to spend substantial budget in training
programmes for staff, and there may be other costs involved in revamping or revising the
service delivery systems within the organization. Still, in the long run, customer service
always pays off, and the way it pays off the most is in long-term customer retention.
While improved customer service continues to be a major focus for retailers, the path to
achieving it can vary from one retailer to another. Some retailers simply collect and maintain
customer contact information to use as part of mass- marketing campaigns. Others track
their customers purchase histories to better understand customers buying habits and tailor
specific marketing messages to select group of customers. Still others implement unique,
value-added services to create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience that will separate them
from their competitors. Regardless, the recognition of customers as the reason retailers are
in business, and the related emphasis on keeping customers satisfied, continues to be the
focus among successful retailers today.
Some Quotes on Customer Service
‘The goal as a company is to have a customer service that is not just the but Legendary.’
- Sam Walton
‘Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game wins the game,
service wins the game’ - Tony Alessand

‘You will never have a product or price advantage again. They can be easily duplicated, but a
strong customer service culture cannot be copied’ - Jerry Fritz

‘It starts with respect. If you respect the customer as a human being, and truly honour their
rights to be treated fairly and honestly, everything else is much easier’ -Unknown
‘The best way to sell is to make it convenient to buy’ - Unknown
‘Although your customers will not love you if you give bad service, your competitors will’
-Kate
Zabriskie
‘If we do not take care of our customers, someone else will’ - Unknown

1.4 TYPES OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

There are different types of customer service. Let us discuss them in detail.

Good Service Best Service

Average Service Exception service
Poor Service No feedback on quality by customers
1) Good Customer Service Vs. Best Customer Service
In a good customer service, there is still a scope for improvement in the service delivered
but if we talk about best customer service is the final level of satisfaction the customers
receive in terms of service. Doing a trouser alteration within the promised time with a
desired quality of alteration could be an example of a good customer service. And doing the
home delivery of the same altered trouser could be an example of best customer service

2) Average Customer Service Vs. Exceptional

A service is called an average customer service when the expectation of the customer is met
by the retailer to some extent and not fully. And still there is some gap which must be
improved upon. Exceptional customer service is the one which is something unexpected to
the customer that is the service delivered beyond the expectation of the customer. Let us
say a customer wants to return a product purchased before 16 days back and the retailer
politely refuses to exchange the same since the customer exceeds the exchange time which
is 15 days as per the company policy. Though the product is in a saleable condition with the
price-tag intact along with the customer has the bill for the same in an example of an
average customer service. In another scenario a customer comes to exchange a private
brand formal shirts after one year of purchase with no price tag and a cash memo. The
retailer on an exceptional basis exchanges the product is a good example of an exceptional
customer service.

3) Poor Customer Service and No Customer Feedback on Quality of Service

When a retailer is failed to meet the expectation of the customer is a poor customer service
and there may be an event where in the customer does not want to share his/her
experience with the retailer is a case of “no feedback of the customer on service quality”

Types of Customer Services

Figure. 1.2: Shows various types of customer services

Sources: tidio.com
Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. It also means bringing customer
loyalty for your retail brand or store.
Salesperson’s Role in Customer Service
As a salesperson what is my role. Am I important? Let us look at the following questions.

• Does the customer know the Store Manager?

• Does the customer know the Floor Manager?
• Does the customer know the Category Head?

In that case:

• Who is the only person the customer interacts with?

• Who is the person who can influence whether the customer likes the store or not?
• Who can ensure whether the customer will come back or not?

It is “YOU” as a salesperson who is directly in contact with the customer.

• I am the face of the organization.

• I am the face of the store.
• I am the face of the product/brand.

Good and Bad Customer Service

Good and Bad customer service leaves following impact on the customers:

Good Customer Service

• Leaves a memory of you and the store

• Meets and exceeds customer expectations
• Creates loyal and returning customers
• Gains more customers
• Leads to profits
• Positive publicity
• Positive image
• Ensures repeat purchase from the customers
• Long run sustainability
• Offers competitive advantage

Bad Customer Service

• Leaves a negative memory of you and the store

• Does not even meet the basic customer expectations
• Creates indifferent and non-returning customers
• Loses customers
• Leads to loss
• Negative publicity
• Negative image
• May leads to legal complication
• Poor or low conversion for the store
• Hurdle to the smooth store functioning
• Causes inconvenience to the customer

If as the service provider, you do not feel good about your work, how will you make a
customer feel good? If you think you are not special, how will you make somebody” else feel
special…“

"Remember excellent service is a win-win experien”e!"

1.5 WHY IS IMPROVING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT?

Every day we have experiences that come from interacting with people and companies. We
go to the coffee shop, fill up our fuel or gas tanks, call our bank to transfer funds, and so on.
Our experiences leave us with both physical and emotional impressions. The physical
impressions come from what happened during the experience. Emotional impressions come
from feeling good or bad about the people and the services we come across. This is called
“customer experience”.
Customer Experience plays a large part in the customer’s overall loyalty. Loyalty is important
in building long term commitment. People remember the experience they have had-
especially the very good ones and the very bad ones – and these experiences are shared
with friends and colleagues. Companies who focus on customer loyalty have a distinct
advantage over companies that do not.
Improved Customer experience leads to profits, loyalty and creates new demand from new
customers. Let us discuss these in detail below.

1. Increase Profits of the Company: Research has demonstrated that an improved customer
experience correlates to increased revenue. A recent survey showed that 86% of
consumers would be willing to pay extra for a better customer experience. Furthermore,
businesses prioritizing customer experience have seen their profits grow by an average of
80%. The fact is that customers now demand more than just a good quality product or
service - they expect an engaging and consistent brand experience throughout their journey.
Companies must go beyond providing quality products and services to ensure customer
satisfaction and drive business growth. High-quality customer experience should be a
priority for any organization looking to scale its revenue. It's no surprise that more and more
businesses are investing heavily in developing strategies that focus on creating an
exceptional CX. With the right approach, companies can ensure they deliver a consistent
and memorable experience that keeps customers happy, engaged, and loyal. In the end, this
will result in higher earnings and a considerable competitive edge in the market.

2. Increase loyalty: Providing the best customer experience is how you can gain loyal
customers. Product quality, value for money, product consistency, customer service,
shopping experience, selection/product assortment, and pricing are all factors that inspire
loyalty. Retailers must continually improve the customer experiences to preserve long-term
and sustained consumer loyalty. They need to get the fundamentals right, like optimizing
inventory and offering contactless payment options, and layer on services that offer
convenience and flexibility.

1.6 QUALITIES OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

Let us now discuss qualities of customer service:

1. Emotionally Intelligent: A customer service become great customer service when the
service team know what to do when things go wrong. The key is to ensure that the service
team are equipped with the right amount of emotional intelligence to address issues when
they do occur. Service team member attend number of customers in a day and each
interaction take place at a different emotional wavelength and frequency. Those who have
exceptional emotional intelligence can easily adjust to the various emotional states of the
customer, updating their responses accordingly. Displaying empathy at the right time,
quickly providing support and solutions, and actively listening will ensure customers are
receiving a great customer service regardless of the situation.

2. Timely: An ordinary customer service become excellent customer service when the
service is provided on time that is quickly and faster and the most complete answer to
customers’ questions. No customer would like to spent time unnecessarily in shopping,
therefore retailer is expected to deliver the service within the stipulated time. Today’s
customers are very busy due their lifestyle. Delay in service may lead to unhappy customers
which is not all good for any business.

3.Empathetic: An effective customer service team always have empathy with the
customers. In the current climate, many customers are turning to voice to help them on
more complex issues. It is important that the critical conversations should be dealt with
empathy by the salesperson to every customer’s individual situation. To help build natural
empathy by the salesperson should following few basic things such as use active listening
and ask respectful questions to understand the full extent of this issue, show
acknowledgement of how the customer feels and demonstrate understanding, reassure the
customer that you will help them to resolve the issue. This first point is especially important,
as active listening unlocks great, empathetic customer service. Equipping employees with
professional-grade audio solutions, with crystal-clear audio and active noise-cancelling
means they can focus solely on the customer and provide high levels of care and service.

4. Attentive: It is quite evident that in the retail industry most of the customer issues
happen due to lack of attention while addressing the customer issues. listening and being
attentive to the customer enables the salesperson to ask the right questions to resolve the
query quickly and faster. Consequently, asking relevant questions will help salesperson build
trust by providing the customer space to talk. One should not interrupt or speak in between
when the customer is talking, even if the salesperson what they are about to say.

5. Full of Alternatives: There is an intense competition among the retailers in the industry
which give rise to the customers’ expectation. Customers know their worth to the retailers.
Therefore, the customers expect there should be multiple channels for communication from
the retailers. A retail before implementation of multiple channels should ask the following
questions to him or her. Is the channel attractive to digital natives? From which devices can
the channel be accessed? How can we keep records of customer conversations? How much
time will a conversation take up? What are the staffing considerations? A multiple
communication channels makes an ordinary customer service to an excellent customer
service.

6. Ownership: Is the inseparable characteristic of an excellent customer service. No

customers service department can think of providing good customer service without taking
the ownership. Often, the best customer service experiences combine empathy with
ownership. When a salesperson or service team member says: “I’m so sorry to hear what
you’re going through, let me get that fixed for you,” or: “let’s find a solution together,” that
goes much further than empathy alone. When customer service includes both of those
characteristics, customers feel heard and supported, which can do more than driving
customer satisfaction.

7. Personalized Customer Service: An increased awareness of customers service as a

concept among the customers. Increase the expectation of the customers and expect
personalization in customer service. They encourage when they are heard with patient by
the customer service team. They do not want to be a part of a herd of customers. This is
possible for the retail only when he has strong customer data. Organizations need to
understand where a customer is on their journey, how they feel and what they need. Do
you want to give customers the personalized care they crave? Leveraging data is the surest
way. While personalization attracts customers and builds loyalty, it should also be
complemented with automation that provides customers with the access, convenience and
autonomy that are the hallmarks of great customer service. Virtual assistants and other self-
service options should empower customers to handle certain tasks by themselves in a
secure, intuitive manner.
8. Inspiring: A company that offers great customer service provides a human touch where
their staff work with pride and inspire customer to trust them. It is not always about getting
it right first time but acknowledging that mistakes do happen and apologizing for them.
Great customer service is about feeling valued as a customer, not because of something
extraordinary, but because of how they handle customers’ everyday query. People always
talk about great customer service where a query or complaint has been resolved and the
company has gone the extra mile in doing so. But it is in-fact, where a company treats
customers in similar fashion all the time.

1.7 PARAMETERS THAT HELP IN GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE

There are various parameters that influence the customer service. Let us discuss them in
detail.
• Attentive Listening: The salesperson must focus on what the customer is explaining and
not what is convenient for him to understand. So, listen to the customer need in detail
and try to provide the solution which a customer is seeking from. Please remember
there is a difference in listening and hearing. Hearing is passive in nature but listening is
active in nature one must be very active while listening to the customer. An employee
who is actively listening to the customer can quickly understand the root cause of the
problem and helps him to resolve the issue faster.

• Positive Attitude: Maintaining an optimistic attitude helps in effective customer service.

Salesperson should be able to create a vibrant and positive atmosphere around him. He
should look positive with eye contact and his speech. A positive attitude of an employee
indicates the customer that the person attending them is interested to do so. This
makes the customer comfortable and resultantly the customer end-up buying more
from you. A person carrying a negative attitude may irritate the customer and may give
rise to the customer issue.

• Clarity in Communication: Effective and clear communication involves: using simple

language; avoiding technical terms; speaking customers language. In a retail store
customer comes from diverse cultural background. Some of them may or may not be
good in English be good. Retail stores operating In Tier 3 and 4 cities receive customers
have huge regional influence in the language. These customers find it difficult to
understand English as a language. But its due to their purchasing power and change in
lifestyle visit organised retail formats. For their purchase needs, therefore an employee
should always take of care of this and interact with customer in the language they are
comfortable with. This provides clarity in communication to the employee during the
customer interaction.

Giving Feeling of Confidence to the Customers: The salesperson should understand the
product well and get all the facts right to be able to give confidence to the customer
that he has knowledge and knows what he is talking about. A confident salesperson can
 win the trust and confidence of the customer quite easily as compared to the under-
confident or a new salesperson. The confident salesperson ease-out service encounter
and make the customer comfortable with his level of knowledge. This salesperson can
easily get to the need of the customer without take too long and quicky suggest the
option will suit the customer’s need.
• Make Customer Feel Important: While interacting, he should be totally engaged with
the customer and his attention should not be diverted on anything else. When a
salesperson attends the customer with greet, smile and eye contact. The customer feel,
very special and important about their selves. They feel worth coming to that retail
store again and again.

• Ability to Sooth Ruffled Feathers: The salesperson should have the ability to handle
conflicts, if any, in the interaction. This is possible when he has complete knowledge of
products, he or she is responsible to sell. The ability to handle conflicting situation can
be developed with through training of the employees. The failure in service may lead to
customer issue and there may be many reasons for service failure. The customer service
requires human intervention and human are bound to make mistake. But we can not
take it granted rather the retail should have strong service recovery mechanism. So that
the problem can be fixed quick and fast. Before the customer is lost forever.

• Customer Convenience: Customer convenience is a vital factor which makes an ordinary

customer service into a good customer service in retail. Factors like, easy and fast check
outs, enough trial-rooms, neat and clean washroom facilities, mama’s room, kids play
zone, wheel chairs, elevators and escalators inside the store, clean drinking water, sitting
arrangements, Air condition, parking space etc. cause great convenience to the
shopping experience of customers. Please remember one thing that customer may get
the products you are selling in other retail stores as well. The only difference between
you and you competitors are the quality of service you offer to you customers. This
helps you to take a competitive edge. The above discussed factors cause great comfort
to the customer visiting you retail store and make their shopping experience a
memorable one.

• Grooming Standard of Employees: A pleasant appearance of a salesperson may grab

the attention of a customer quite easily and the customer would like to receive the
service from such a person and feel happy. This will further add values in the good
customer service.

1.8 BARRIERS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

There are various barriers which influence adversely good customer service. Let us discuss
those barriers in detail.
Unhelpful Attitude: Customers service is a part of the salesperson's job and not an
extension. The salesperson should understand that customer service is more important
than selling the product. He/she should have the attitude to help customers as much as
possible and this must reflect in the attitude and behaviour. A disinterested body
language or attitude discourage the customer to buy from the salesperson, whatever
may be the level of knowledge and skills. The retail customers always expect a good
 behaviour for the salesperson. The possible outcome of a right attitude will obviously be
more sales than ever.

• Laziness: Trying to avoid the customer through laziness is not going to help the
interaction. This is a very common scenario in retail, the customer is roaming in the
section and the staffs are busy chit-chatting. And are least bother about attending
customers. Laziness is a physical condition present in lots of floor staff in retail.

Example: Mohan is a floor staff look after men’s formal section but he was very lazy and
always resistant to attend customers dedicatedly. Many customers complained about
him and his lethargic attitude towards customers to his manager. This increases the
number of customer complaint and badly impacting their customer service of the store

• Poor Communication Skills: Not having good communication skills makes the customer
confused and does not help in decision making for the customer. A salesperson with
good communication skills may convince and convert the customer for the purchase. A
salesperson has good communication skills can convey the message quite clear and
improve the communication process between the customers and the salesperson. A
poor communication skill may create communication gap between the customer and
salesperson and can simultaneously impact the sale.

• Poor Time Management: Customer does not like to wait too long to be served. Having
poor time management results in customer waiting unnecessarily for long time, which
results in losing of a customer. The provide an excellent customer service the retail
should be excellent in time management. Specially during the rush hour when the
customer entry is high, the staffs are supposed to do multi-tasking. And the effective
multi-tasking requires good time management skill.

• Lack of knowledge: Customer expects you to have good knowledge of the product you
are selling. A salesperson is a face of a company and it is immaterial for a customer
whether a person standing on the floor is a new or experienced one. So, the customer
expects the person available in the section to be perfect one who can help them in their
shopping. If the customer does not get the answers to his questions, he may be unable
to decide of buying the product which can result in you losing a customer. A sales
person with high product knowledge can convey the right information regarding
product.

• Demotivation: A demotivated employee will resist or try to avoid to attend the

customer and offer service. Demotivation comes with lots of factors may be personal or
professional. Which resists the interest level of the employee to provide a good service.
Generally, in retail the main reason for the demotivation of the employees is ill
treatment from their supervisor. If the manager treats the team well, the team can
provide excellent customer service.

• Lack of Training: A fresher to a retail company finds it very difficult to properly attend
and meet the customers expectation due to lack of product knowledge and selling skills
and creates a barrier to good customers’ service. This happen mostly when the staffs
are hired during the end of season sale. During end of season sale there is extra
pressure on all. Therefore, it is bit challenging for the store as well for the Hr. to provide
training to the new joinee.
"Removing these barriers is important. All you must be aware of your mistakes and learn
from them"

1.9 SINGLE AND DOUBLE BAGGER

In order to be committed, you need to be able to see the purpose of what you are doing.
Make sure you keep developing and maintaining a positive attitude towards your job.

Let us look at several different attitudes to life as expressed in the attitudes people have
towards their job, and the commitment they put into it.
Single and Double Bagger: - A person putting customers shopping into bags in a
supermarket is called "Bagger" In many supermarkets a bagger can be found working behind
the cashier. They take the customers groceries from the cash counter and put them into
bags.
To become a "Bagger" requires little or no education. The job may not offer many
possibilities for development - at first sight. However, like all other jobs it can be carried out
in different ways, with differing results, dependent on the bagger's attitude to life.
You can have different attitudes to your job. You can be a "Single Bagger" or a "Double
Bagger"
Single Baggers: Single baggers are people who limit their own development and the
development of others.
Single baggers have a negative attitude towards their work, their colleagues, and their
surroundings. They lack commitment and have made up their minds not to consider their
working hours to be a rewarding and worthwhile part of life.
Single baggers use only one bag- hence the name and do not care whether this one bag will
be secured. The groceries are stuffed into the bag randomly, grapes and potato chips first,
and perhaps a bottle of tomato ketchup on top.
This "Tricky" operation is done without much trouble and toil. Often accompanied by sighs,
moaning, and groaning and any other clear signals of displeasure. Single baggers feel the
victims of circumstances and complain about the miserable pay, the lack of breaks, appalling
draught from the door and the poor prospects for the future. Their body language clearly
reveals their lack of commitment. Their eyes dimmed long ago, they have a drooping mouth,
their body stopping, they move in slow motion.
If their colleague at the checkout says. "Hurry up! Cannot you see we have a long queue" -
the single bagger gives his colleague a blank look, shrugs his shoulders and says with a
gesture of despair "Well, what do you expect - I've only got two hands!" That what makes
single baggers so special. They only have two hands - therefore there is not much they can
do with their lives!
Double Baggers: Double baggers are people who develop themselves and help other
develop too,
Like single baggers, double baggers also have two hands- but they put both to good use.
Double baggers have a positive attitude to life, and deeply committed to their work and their
personal life. They generally strive to get the best out of life.
Double baggers make the bag secure with an extra bag- hence the name. They sort and pack
the groceries efficiently and safely. And they still have time and energy to give a smile and a
friendly remark to customers. They may even find the time to see the customers to the car
park and help them load the groceries, saying "Thank you for shopping with us. Hope to see
you again soon". Double baggers take responsibility for their own lives. They realize that
total commitment to their work brings its reward. They meet happier customers; they get
attention and recognition from colleagues and managers. In this way double baggers boost
their own morale and their sense of well-being and feel more optimistic about the future.
Double baggers have a positive attitude to life, are deeply committed, feel responsible for
their achievements. They have neither the time for nor the inclination to negative criticism
or complaint. They spend their time creating positive results and good relationships.
The double bagger attitude prevents many conflicts between people at home and at work
and instead, contributes to solving most problems.
Single baggers and double baggers are found everywhere in society - not only in
supermarkets-they are also found in the home, in public and private organizations. There are
single bagger and double bagger sales staff, lawyers, waiters, managing directors,
secretaries, guests, course participants, customers, parents, spouses, etc.
Single baggers can be prisoners of their own attitudes. They have come to a standstill. They
have not got the strength to move on. When late, which is often, a single bagger blames the
weather, the traffic, the lack of spaces in the car park, and everybody else.
You can have the best product, a sound marketing plan, and an ideal location. But if your
customer-contact employees do not deliver on the promise, nothing else matters.
An Excellent Customer Service from you Should be:

• Making customers feel special, giving them the impression that they are your priority
number one.
Example: Let us say an expecting mother visits your store for mother-care or baby care
product. One female staff promptly approaches the customer and offers a chair in the
section to sit and shop. This gesture gives the customer a great sense of importance.

• Giving every customer a memorable experience, ensuring they will be pleased to return
to you next time.
Example: Let us say a couple comes for shopping and your team leader comes with the
flower buke and wish the couple for their anniversary will leave a lasting impression in
their mind and the customer may remember this for their entire life.

• Treating every customer with respect.

Example: Every customer who is entering into your store must be given due respect
right by the security staff standing on the customer entry till the check-out point with a
warmth welcome along with great, smile and eye contact.

• Exceeding customer expectations, giving them something extra in terms of value to

remember you.
 Example: A customer wants to buy something and it is at the midnight as her son is
leaving to abroad for higher studies. Since they are running short of time so your store is
at the proximity of their residence. On their request you open the store for them on an
exceptional basis after taking the approval from the concerned authorities. This will
exceed the customer’s expectation.

1.10 GOOD OR BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE

There is a difference between good and bad customer service. Let us discuss this in detail.

Good Customer Service Bad Customer Service

Attending each customer, answering all the Not able to answer the queries of
queries in detail is a called a good customers on product, pricing, and
customers service comparison etc. This can be addressed with
proper training on customers sales process
and product knowledge understanding.
Display as per planogram of the store Planogram adherence issues. Products not
means customer is finding it easy to get displayed as per planogram program of the
the products they wish to check before season will always lead to chaotic situation
buying. of the floor.
Team helping each other on floor with Team is working in silos. Their objective is
internal team understanding is a good to work individually and deliver more. Yes,
teamwork. Customers always admire the it is good but in long run team effort will
teamwork. only pay off.
Check outs are super easy for customers. Nonsmiling cashiers, emotionless approach,
Cashiers are friendly. Having good product do not discuss much with the customers
knowledge, smiling and helpful with good about their experience. Billing speed is low,
speed in billing. Que’s are long. It is not a good customer
service.
Cleaned store on hygiene and maintained Uncleaned Store, hygiene issues customers
is always admired as customers find it safe generally avoid visiting such stores.
to shop.
 Right and optimum staff ratio of staff on Low staff count always makes customer
floor gives confidence to customers to confusion as in queries they do not get the
shop with ease. answers properly, retail store end up losing
on sales.
Fill rates in the store if 90% it is a good Any store with less than 70% fill rate
customer service considering as those shops where customer
will miss some products to buy which he
intends to buy.
If retail store processes are in place No processes or too many processes both
customer generally do not face any issues are confusing for customers. As in both the
of buying and checkouts. case speed in serving customers gets
impacted.

1.11 SELLING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

Effective and efficient selling depends, to a large extent, on good customer care. Customers
who know they are being treated well will be willing to continue as customer and so will buy
again and again, provided they are given the opportunity. Selling is the leading edge of
customer care -until someone becomes a customer you cannot provide high-quality after-
sales service. At the same time, high-quality customer care encourages people to buy,
Customer care, therefore, is the bedrock of efficient selling. No one person in an
organisation is wholly responsible for either selling or for delivering customer service. There
is a customer care loop in which sellers, service providers and customers operate. By serving
and selling well, each person creates 'windows of opportunity’ to generate more sales and
deliver more service.
Good customer care is the basis of increased sales. Regular customers use their experience
of staff actions and attitudes as part of their decision to buy (or not to buy). Customers also
need the opportunity to buy products presented to them in a professional and customer-
friendly way. Customers, therefore, buy more than the products or services on offer they
also buy (or reject) staff attitudes and service levels. Staff must be aware of this and of their
own attitudes if they are to contribute to increased sales.
"Some customers expect a lot from salespeople, some expect very little, and some don't
know what to expect"
Frequently, customers expect salespeople merely to be suppliers of products rather than
resources with solutions that can save time, make them money, increase productivity. and
retain customers. Salespeople who have developed the skills to open a customer's mind to a
new set of expectations are often the most successful.
Following are the points to keep in mind for Effective Selling via Good Customer Service.

1) Ownership
 The Mantra for good customer service is "Ownership". This means:

• Own Your Store

Take pride, be a great team player, be knowledgeable about things you sell so that you
can answer queries such as 'How does it work? or "What does it do? It means whenever a
salesperson attends a customer should do it with the ownership responsibility and should
feel as if salesperson is the owner of the store.

• Own Your Space

Keep it clean, organized, and well stocked, the sales person must keep the section or the
store clean as like we keep our house clean and neatly arranged.

• Own Your Appearance

Be clean, be presentable, wear clean well ironed uniforms, smell good, here we are
talking about the grooming standard of the salesperson. A salesperson should be well
groomed.

• Own Your Behaviour

Welcome customers with great, smile, and eye-contact extend help and support, provide
information, answer queries, and solve problems, maintain positive body language.
Customers are more likely to ask you for help if you have already shown yourself to be
friendly and approachable.

• Own Your Customers

Go the extra mile to make the customer happy, be proactive, and take responsibility for
their needs, providing quality product and service. If a customer asks for something that
is out of stock or discontinued, offer an appropriate alternative. i.e., put yourself into the
shoes of a customer while you are serving one

2) Promises
Good salespeople give customers a reason to return to the store. And that is important
because no retailer sells anything that customers cannot get from another retailer.

Following is a list of customer-service promises that each employee can use:

• "I promise to treat customers the way I would like to be treated."

Explanation: A salesperson is also buys lots of stuffs and expects to be equally treated as
like another customer with due respect in the same way a salesperson should also treat
all customers with due respect.
• "My most important job is to make sure the customer comes back."
Explanation: A salesperson should take all efforts to make the customer happy and
satisfied. If a customer is happy and satisfied will become loyal to the retail store.
• "I understand how much customers hate waiting in line to check out, and how much they
hate being ignored."
Explanation: The customers check-out should easy and quick there should be enough
people to make the check-out process quicker and faster.
• "I promise not to make personal phone calls when I am working."
Explanation: A salesperson should never make a personal call during the shift timings.
The calls can be made during the break times or before after the shift.
• "I promise to smile when I answer the phone, and to not put customers on hold forever."
Explanation: A salesperson should never sound harsh and rude while attending customers
call, whatever may be the situation.
• "I promise to say 'Thank you' to all customers."
Explanation: A salesperson should always close the sale or end the telephonic
conversation with "Thanks giving”
• "I understand that I am empowered to solve customer problems."
Explanation: In a retail company every salesperson is given freehand to resolve the
customers issues

1.12 EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

There are many ways to deliver effective customer services effectively and consistently

• Know Your Product - As a customer service associate or agent, you must have
complete knowledge if the product sold by you or managed by you. You should
product detail like brand name, quality, alternative products and above all pricing of
these products. Every product has a utility to customers. Clarity in understanding of
utility is a key.
 • Maintain a Positive Attitude- Attitude is everything, if attitude is positive even a
normal agent can do extraordinary work on ground. Customers also like the most
positive person. Also, while talking, writing any email one should be polite and be able
to transmit his message also with clarity. Performance is not everything ultimately
attitude supersedes the performance if someone has great attitude.

• Creative Way of Problem Solving: - Simple refusing to customers on complex problem

is not a solution. An agent must think creatively, he must ensure that in the window of
5 to 10 minutes of customer interaction. He should show positive attitude in solving
customer problem and proactively take it up with senior authorities in case he has no
solution to give at that moment. This way agents can create loyalty and avoid
customers to churn.

• Respond Quickly: Any need of customer whether on sales side or complaint side must
be addressed quickly. We have seen that even a loyal customer becomes disloyal when
we do not respond customers on time. Whatever is the news whether in favour of
customer or not. One must communicate with politeness, firmness so that customer
understand whether resolution will come or not. Being honest is a best step forward
on quick customer communication and customer will always appreciate.

• Personalization in Services: While delivering customer service or selling

personalization scores extra as now customers see you as his side. He is more
comfortable discussing other details as he trusts you. Hence it makes more sense to
bring personal touch in the service one provides.
• Provide Help when Customer Requires It: 80% of the customers do not ask for help.
They generally figure out on their own. They will go to the agent when they find
difficulty on solving that issue. Hence it makes sense to serve customers who want
help, unnecessarily asking for help will create more confusion then.

• Uninterrupted Support to Customers: Customers are above sales and profits. They
need your constant support. You should provide exemplary support to them whether
as customer service agent or sales agent.

• Actively Listening: Customers always want to be heard, listening with patience is a key
then solving the issues may yield results also. The active listening skill is a key here.

• Keep Your Word: If something is communicated by you as an agent. Keep your word.
Call back the customer with the required information. He will be happier at least you
called him. Sometimes you may not be able to provide solution, it is fine but
communicating back always help. He will always respect you for that communication.

1.13 LET US SUM UP

 Customer service is the service provided in support of a company's core products. Good
customer service is the lifeblood of any retailer. It generates barriers to competition,
increases customer loyalty and makes the company's activities more efficient. Customer
service has a lot to do with employee attitude as it is you as a salesperson who is directly in
contact with the customer and for him you are the face of the store. You must have the
attitude of a 'double bagger. The Parameters that help in good customer service include:
active listening, positive attitude, clarity in communication, giving a feeling of confidence to
the customer and making them feel important. Effective selling via good customer service
involves ownership by the salesperson in terms of owning the store, space, appearance,
behaviour, and customer. The importance of customer service is: 1. Helps Retain Customers,
2. Excellent Product Management, 3. Boosts Employee Retention, 4. Proactively Addresses
Customer Issues, 5. Boost Customer Lifetime Value, 6. Gives Retailer a Competitive
Advantage, 7. Give Reference, 8. Customer Service Pays. A good customer service is based
on some parameters are: Attentive Listening, Positive Attitude, Clarity in Communication,
Giving Feeling of Confidence to the Customers, Make Customer Feel Important, Ability to
Sooth Ruffled Feathers, Customer Convenience, Grooming Standard of Employees etc. After
studying parameters for good customer service now it the time focus on barriers to
customer service are: Unhelpful Attitude, Laziness, Poor Communication Skills, Poor Time
Management, Lack of knowledge, Demotivation, Lack of Training. Then we discussed on
single and double bagger, Single Baggers: Single baggers are people who limit their own
development and the development of others. Double Baggers: Double baggers are people
who develop themselves and help other develop too. Customer Experience plays a large part
in the customer's overall loyalty. Loyalty is important in building long term commitment.
People remember the experience they have had-especially the very good ones and the very
bad ones - and these experiences are shared with friends and colleagues. Companies who
focus on customer loyalty have a distinct advantage over companies that do not. Customer
retention leads to profits, loyalty and creates new demand from new customers. Now let
us recall about the difference between selling and customer service. Effective and efficient
selling depends, to a large extent, on good customer care. Customers who know they are
being treated well will be willing to continue as customer and so will buy again and again,
provided they are given the opportunity. Selling is the leading edge of customer care -until
someone becomes a customer you cannot provide high-quality after-sales service. Now
what is called effective customer service? Know Your Product, maintain a Positive Attitude,
Creative Way of Problem Solving, Respond Quickly, Personalization in Services, Provide Help
when Customer Requires It, Uninterrupted Support to Customers, Actively Listening, Keep
Your Word etc.

1.14 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1) What do you understand by customer service?

2) Explain the role of salesperson in providing customer service.

3) What do you understand by the terms 'single bagger' and 'double bagger'? Explain with
examples. How do they contribute to the organization?

4) Discuss the importance of customer service for a retailing organization.

5) Describe the key points to be considered by you for effective selling via Customer Service?
Give suitable example.

REFERENCES Gerson F Richard, Beyond Customer Service: Keeping Customers for Life, Los
Alto Calif: Crisp Publications, 1992.
Woods A. John and Zernke Ron Best Practice in Customer Service, New York, American
Management Association, 1999.
Ratner Dave, Much Ado About Customer Service, www.DaveRatner.com.

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