Manage organizational customer service 

Student Declaration

To be filled out and submitted with assessment responses

◻   I declare that this task and any attached document related to the task is all my own work and I have not cheated or plagiarized the work or colluded with any other student(s)

◻   I understand that if I am found to have plagiarised, cheated or colluded, action will be taken against me according to the process explained to me

◻   I have correctly referenced all resources and reference texts throughout these assessment tasks.

◻   I have read and understood the assessment requirements for this unit

◻   I understand the rights to re-assessment

◻   I understand the right to appeal the decisions made in the assessment

 

 

 

Unit Title Unit Code
Student name
Student ID number
Student signature		Date
Task Number

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

——OFFICE USE ONLY—– For Trainer and Assessor to complete:   ◻   Student requested reasonable adjustment for the assessment

 

 

Marking   Completed successfully   Did the student satisfactorily:	Comments	Y	N	DNS
The student has satisfactorily completed and submitted the following:   ·         Record of standards, budget and timelines in Task 2.1A ·         Selection of three ideas with justification in Task 2.1B ·         Customer service charter and plan in Task 2.1C ·         Customer support policy in Task 2.1C ·         Record keeping policy in Task 2.1C ·         Email report to the board in Task 2.2A ·         Email to address the Yore Mine Co’ complaint in Task 2.2B ·         Observation checklist (Role-Play Task 2.2. c) ) ·         Record of the outcome of the meeting with Mary in Task 2.2C		☐	☐	☐
The student actively participate in the focus group session organised to discuss customer service standards and planning: ·         Facilitated the session effectively ·         Encouraged others to provide inputs and feedback ·         Discussed and agreed on customer service standards ·         Agreed on planning requirements ·         Took notes during the session ·         Listened actively ·         Provided expert guidance on quality customer service ·         Used questioning to gather feedback and inputs from the other participants   Feedback in comments.		☐	☐	☐
Demonstrated ability to: ·         Consult with customers to identify customer service requirements ·         Use strategies for obtaining customer feedback on the provision of product and service   This is evidenced by: ·         Record of standards, budget and timelines in Task 2.1A ·         Selection of three ideas with justification in Task 2.1B ·         Active participation in focus group session (Refer to Marking Sheet)		☐	☐	☐
Demonstrated ability to: ·         Integrate customer feedback into organisation’s business plan ·         Identify and procure resources required to address customer service requirements   This is evidenced by: ·         Customer service charter and plan in Task 2.1C ·         Customer support policy in Task 2.1C ·         Record keeping policy in Task 2.1C		☐	☐	☐
Demonstrated ability to: ·         Deliver product and service according to customer specifications within organisation’s business plan   This is evidenced by: ·         Email to address the Yore Mine Co’ complaint in Task 2.2B		☐	☐	☐
Demonstrated ability to: ·         Monitor team performance and assess against the organisation’s quality and delivery standards ·         Support colleagues to overcome difficulties in meeting customer service standards   This is evidenced by: ·         Email report to the board in Task 2.2A ·         Record of the outcome of the meeting with Mary in Task 2.2C ·         Observation checklist in Task 2.2C		☐	☐	☐
Demonstrated ability to: ·         Adapt delivery of customer product and service in consultation with relevant individuals and groups   This is evidenced by: ·         Record of standards, budget and timelines in Task 2.1A ·         Selection of three ideas with justification in Task 2.1B ·         Customer service charter and plan in Task 2.1C ·         Customer support policy in Task 2.1C ·         Record keeping policy in Task 2.1C ·         Email to address the Yore Mine Co’ complaint in Task 2.2B		☐	☐	☐
Demonstrated ability to: ·         Manage records, reports and recommendations within the organisation’s systems and processes   This is evidenced by: ·         Customer service charter and plan in Task 2.1C ·         Customer support policy in Task 2.1C ·         Record keeping policy in Task 2.1C ·         Email report to the board in Task 2.2A ·         Email to address the Yore Mine Co’ complaint in Task 2.2B ·         Record of the outcome of the meeting with Mary in Task 2.2C		☐	☐	☐
When collaborating with the group, the student has actively participated in group work with a substantial contribution that can be assessed individually for all the requirements of this task.		☐	☐	☐
Task Outcome:                 Satisfactory  ☐  Not Yet Satisfactory ☐
Student Name:
Assessor Name:   Assessor Signature:   Date:

 

 

 

 

Table of Content

 

Task 2 – Establish customer service requirements and ensure the delivery of quality products and services 7

Task 2.1 Plan to meet internal and external customer requirements. 10

Task 2.2 Ensure delivery of quality products and services. 15

Appendix 1 –Innovative Widgets Scenario. 17

Appendix 2 –Innovative Widgets Customer Service Delivery. 19

Appendix 3 –Innovative Widgets Complaints policy and procedures 22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 2 – Establish customer service requirements and ensure the delivery of quality products and services

 

Task summary and instructions
What is this assessment task about?	Innovative Widget is a business that is planning to make customer service a core competency of their organisation and wants to improve their current customer service delivery. You are a customer service manager. It is currently December, and over the last few months, you have been receiving feedback from customers that customer service is just ‘not what it used to be’. The board of Innovative Widgets has been made aware of the decrease in customer service quality and wants to know what you’re going to do to fix the problem. You will develop a customer service plan for the simulated business Innovative Widgets. You will then use scenario information (provided) to address customer service issues through: ·         monitoring customer service team performance to identify causes of customer service shortfalls ·         addressing a complex customer complaint ·         coaching an underperforming customer service employee in a role-play. To complete this task, please refer to: ·         Appendix 1 – Innovative Widgets Scenario ·         Appendix 2 – Innovative Customer service delivery ·         Appendix 3 – Innovative Widgets Complaints policy and procedures.   This task comprises of the following assessment methods: o   Product-based ☒ o   Direct observation of Role-Play ☒ o   Case Study ☒ o   Other (specify) ☐   It has been designed to evaluate your ability to/competency in:   ·         Consult with customers to identify customer service requirements ·         Integrate customer feedback into organisation’s business plan ·         Identify and procure resources required to address customer service requirements ·         Deliver product and service according to customer specifications within organisation’s business plan ·         Monitor team performance and assess against the organisation’s quality and delivery standards ·         Support colleagues to overcome difficulties in meeting customer service standards ·         Develop and use strategies for monitoring progress against product and service targets and standards ·         Develop and use strategies for obtaining customer feedback on the provision of product and service ·         Adapt delivery of customer product and service in consultation with relevant individuals and groups ·         Manage records, reports and recommendations within the organisation’s systems and processes   Your assessor will be looking for demonstrated evidence of your competency in the above.   You are required to address the following: ·         Task 2.1 Plan to meet internal and external customer requirements o   Participate in a focus group to determine customer service needs and requirements for Innovative Widgets o   Develop a customer service charter and plan o   Develop 2 policy and procedures relevant to customer service o   Peer-Review your work to ensure it meets standards ·         Task 2.2 Ensure delivery of quality products and services o   Develop a report to the board on customer service performance in the company o   Develop an email to address a customer’s complaint o   Performance manage and coach a colleague who is under-performing in the customer service team   Although the assessment requires group collaboration to simulate a work environment, the assessment submission is individual, and it will be marked as such.
What do I need to do to complete this task satisfactorily?	·         submit the completed assessment tasks, according to instructions, ·         complete the tasks with sufficient detail and present them in a professional manner, ·         use your own words and reference sources appropriately, ·         meet the word count where required, ·         use the scenario provided, ·         use the templates provided where required, ·         for your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task you must satisfactorily address all of the assessment criteria, ·         if part of this task is not satisfactorily completed you will be asked to complete further assessment to demonstrate satisfactory performance.
Specifications	You must deliver/participate in:   ·         Attend the focus group session in class to brainstorm ideas to develop the customer service charter and plan (week 2) ·         Ask two classmates to peer-review your customer service plan, the charter and the policies. Document the peer review. (week 3) ·         Participate in a Role-Play to help a colleague improve customer service skills and performance (week 4)   You must submit to GOALS   ·         Record of standards, budget and timelines ·         Selection of three ideas with justification ·         Customer service charter and plan ·         Customer support policy ·         Record keeping policy ·         Email report to the board ·         Email to address the Yore Mine Co’ complaint ·         Observation checklist (Role-Play Task 2.2. c) ) ·         Record of the outcome of the meeting with Mary
Resources and equipment	•         Computer with Internet access •         Access to Microsoft Office suites or similar software •         Learning material •         Scenario for assessment as provided •         Appendices as provided •         Relevant policies and procedures as provided •         Templates as provided
Re-submission opportunities	You will be provided feedback on your performance by the Assessor. The feedback will indicate if you have satisfactorily addressed the requirements of each part of this task. If any parts of the task are not satisfactorily completed, the assessor will explain why, and provide you written feedback along with guidance on what you must undertake to demonstrate satisfactory performance. Re-assessment attempt(s) will be arranged at a later time and date. You have the right to appeal the outcome of assessment decisions if you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly or have other appropriate grounds for an appeal. You are encouraged to consult with the assessor prior to attempting this task if you do not understand any part of this task or if you have any learning issues or needs that may hinder you when attempting any part of the assessment.

 

Complete the following activities:

 

Task 2.1 Plan to meet internal and external customer requirements

 

1. Attend the focus group session in week 2 of class

 

In week 2 of class, attend a meeting (focus group) in a simulated work environment where:

• Some students will play the role of Innovative Widget’s customers invited to attend a focus group on customer service
• Some students will play the role of customer service personnel working at Innovative Widgets
• The trainer and assessor will play the role of the CEO of Innovative Widgets

Together:

• Brainstorm and agree on five customer service standards for Innovative Widgets
• Determine and agree on how long it will take Innovative Widgets to achieve those standards
• Considering that the budget to develop and implement the customer service plan is $ 85,000, discuss and decide if the budget is adequate to implement the plan.
• Brainstorm ideas to develop a customer service charter and plan to include:
• A vision and mission statement for customer service
• A list of internal and external customers types
• An outline of customer needs (by customer type)
• An outline of product standards
• An outline of training needs for the customer service team
• A budget for the plan to consider technology, training, staffing needs and equipment needed to implement the plan
• A brand-new customer support policy and procedures
• A brand-new record keeping policy and procedures

 

If you are absent from class, you are responsible for making alternative arrangements with the trainer and assessor to perform the Role-Play.

The trainer and assessor will validate your active participation in the session and provide feedback on the Marking Sheet.

 

Standards, Budget and Timelines

 

Record the agreed five customer service standards, the agreed timelines to implement the customer service plan and the agreed budget in the table below.

 

Standards	Some of the agreed customer service standards are- 1) Transparency standard 2) Speed standards 3) Accuracy standard 4) Accessibility standards 5) Friendliness standard (Opute, 2020).
Budget	The budget which is allocated to implement the customer service plan is $85000.
Timelines	To implement the customer service plan effectively there is a need for 1-month as per the above standards.

 

 

1. Take notes about the focus group session and select three ideas that you find most effective to develop a quality customer service plan according to the agreed standards, timelines and budget.

List the ideas you liked the most and develop a short reflection on your selection (justifications). (50-100 words)

 

Some of the ideas which were found most effective are- 1) A customer journey plan can be created and goals can be set. The set goals must be identified early and they should be reasonable. 2) Customers’ issues must be always heard first and try to resolve them as soon as possible. When communicating with customers it is important to make sure that the communication channel is open. 3) After seeking feedback from the customers when their problems are heard and resolved (Opute, 2020).

 

1. Develop a customer service charter and plan for innovative widgets. Include two high-level policy and procedures as instructed.

Use the templates provided below and follow the instructions.

Template 1 –Customer Service Charter and Plan

Innovative Widgets Customer Service Charter
Create a vision and mission statement that includes reference to customer services. Welcome to Innovative Widgets! Our vision: To make sure that each Australian business is smoothly running by using quality and safe widgets.   Our mission: The mission of the innovative widget is: 1) To improve the methods of testing and manufacturing the widgets. 2) To make sure high- quality of customer service is consistently delivered internally and externally. 3) To maintain business growth in the Australian widget industry, we strive to provide high-quality products and unparalleled customer service 4) To have one of the best safety records of any kind of widget organization (Nyagadza, 2019).
Our internal customers are: 1) Customer service department employees and managers 2) Technical department employees and managers 3) Production department workers and managers.	Our internal customers require: 1) Innovative widget internal customers require to use of an effective method of communication when they are doing communication with each other. 2) The employees who are doing hard work and time achieving their goals must be rewarded. 3) Internal customers also want that employees of innovative widgets must work as one team and help each other in resolving the issues which are identified.
Our external customers are: 1) Sole traders 2) Individuals 3) Large industries or organizations 4) Small industries or organizations	Our external customers require: 1) To provide the best services to external customers, the company needs to create the best policies and procedures. 2) Customer care department employees should listen to external customers’ complaints carefully and openly communicate with them. 3) They want the organization must ensure that organization is providing the best widget quality (Nyagadza, 2019).
We’ll give you what you need … and more! We promise to deliver a widget that’s right for your needs: 1) To the customer provides good quality widgets and finds one of the best methods. 2) At the right time deliver the widgets to its customers. 3) To ensure customers are also getting the after-sales service and timely provide training to the employee to improve their skills and knowledge. 4) Before delivering the product to the customer effectively test them first (Huo, et al., 2018).
We promise to support you: 1) There is no discrimination in the after-sales service provided by innovative widget companies to their customers, regardless of whether or not they purchase a smaller quantity of widgets. 2) To promise to provide the best service to the customers at a reasonable cost. 3) We ensure to provide the customers with after-sale support (Wang, et al., 2018).
We support our people to support you! Innovative Widgets’ policies and procedures that support customer service include: 1) Always put the customer first. 2) Customers’ complaints are embraced as opportunities to impress customers. 3) Honest response is provided and fake promises are not made.

 

Customer service staff -Training needs   1) Customer service training is provided to the employees. 2) Training will be provided to the employee to resolve the customer’s complaints and issues. 3) Time management skills training will be provided to the employees. 4) Training will be provided to the employee to develop the skills of empathy.

 

Budget   Item Estimated Cost Communication skills $ 15000 Customer service training $ 15000 Training to resolve customers’ issues and complains $ 15000 Time management skills training $ 15000 Training to develop the empathy skills $ 15000 Feedback forms and surveys $ 10000 Total $

Procurement   To the employees of the manufacturing department, training will be provided to use the resources efficiently. If resources are used efficiently an organization can save resources and it will also reduce the production cost.

 

Template 2 -Customer Support policy and procedures

 

Customer support policy and procedure – collecting market research

Purpose	The purpose of the customer support policy and the procedure is to guide the employees and organization as well as to approach customer service. Its purpose is to also make sure the customer’s company is herds and resolved timely.
Scope	The policy must be followed by the innovative widget customer care department to make sure customers are getting the best services.

Customer support process/es

Write any processes that support this policy. Write processes in steps where possible, e.g. step 1: greet the customer; step 2: ask the customer what you can help them with, etc.

1. every customer must be greeted with a smile, and eye contact is made with them when communicating. It helps them to know that the other person is ready to help.
2. each request of the customers must listen to carefully. First, understand their needs and customers’ comments must never be taken personally.
3. when the customers complain are listened to make sure actions taken are addressed to their concerns and opportunity.
4. it is important to say thank you, it makes all the difference. It makes the customers feel valued and welcomed (Ambika, et al., 2020).

 

 

 

Template 3 -Recordkeeping policy and procedures

 

Purpose	To maintain the records
Scope	The policy must be followed by the innovative widget customer care department to make sure customers are getting the best services.

 

Recordkeeping process/es

Write any processes that support this policy. Write processes in steps where possible, e.g. step 1: greet the customer; step 2 ask the customer what you can help them with, etc.

1. start now
2. ten-minute rule can be used.
3. get serious
4. technology advantage must be made.

Task 2.2 Ensure delivery of quality products and services

 

Review current customer service performance at Innovative Widgets.

1. Report on current customer service performance to the board of Innovative Widges.

• Review the information about Innovative Widgets that you gathered in Assessment Task 2.1.
• Read the scenario provided in Appendix 1 of this task.
• Review the customer service call data in Appendix 2 and analyse the data to identify possible causes of customer service shortfalls.
• Write a brief email report (Template 5)to the board of Innovative Widgets to:

• summarise customer service team performance
• identify possible causes of customer service shortfalls (2-3)
• identify options to address the problem/s. (2-3)

 

The email text should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

(50-100 words)

 

Template 5 -Email

Email to the Board

To: Board@au.in

Cc:

Bcc:

Subject: customer service team performance report

Date email is sent: 12 august 2022

Attachments:

This email is sent to provide a report on the following: Performance of customer service team- While communicating with the customers, some employees are not providing the best service and do not have the proper communication skills. However, others follow the company’s customer support policy and procedure and provide the best quality service to customers according to the company’s customer support policy and procedure. Customer service shortfall possible causes- 1.    Ineffective skills in communication 2.    Time management issue Options to address the issue- 1.    Conduct training session 2.    Motivate the staff With regards

 

 

1. Address the complaint from Yore Mine Co.

Read the scenario in Appendix 2 and address the complaint from Yore Mine Co.

Follow the customer complaints policy and procedures provided in Appendix 3 of this task to draft an email (Template 5) to Yore Mine Co. to clear up the misunderstanding and address their concerns.

Ensure that your support of the customer provided is consistent with principles of customer service set out in the Innovative Widgets business plan and the customer service plan you develop in Assessment Task 2.1.

The email text should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

(50-100 words)

Template 5 -Email

Email to Yore Mine Co.

To: yoremineco.@au.in

Cc:

Bcc:

Subject: to clear misunderstandings and address the concerns

Date email is sent: 12 august 2022

Attachments:

This email is sent to apologize on the behalf of the customer care executive. Our company is committed to delivering your products within the given timeframe and as per your specifications. We promise this will be the last and only mistake we make. There will never be a repeat of this mistake and the widget will be delivered to you on time in the future. I would appreciate it if you remembered my request and didn’t cancel the widget order. Waiting for your positive response.   Thank you With regards

 

1. Performance manage and coach Mary.

Read about Mary’s performance in Appendix 2.

Schedule a time with the trainer and assessor in week 4 of the term and meet with Mary (played by a classmate).

 

Duration of the meeting: 30 minutes.

Before the meeting:

• Familiarise yourself with Mary’s case.
• Prepare 2-3 questions to ask Mary to understand her perspective.
• Prepare a coaching session to address:
• How to handle complaints focusing on techniques for dealing with different customer types according to their needs (e.g. dealing with small customers compared to dealing with significant customers such as Yore Mine Co.)
• Policy and procedures to handle customer complaints (Appendix 3)

During the meeting:

• Make Mary feel comfortable, do not be judgemental.
• Ask Mary questions to understand her perspective
• Coach Mary
• Agree with Mary on a plan to improve her performance (2-3 key actions with timelines)

 

After the meeting:

• Record the outcome of the meeting with Mary:
• Reasons for underperformance (2-3)
• Agreed actions for improvement with timelines (2-3)

Record of the outcome of the meeting with Mary:   Some of the reasons for underperformance are- 1.    When Mary was doing communication, effective methods of communication were not used with the customers and their issues were not resolved timely. 2.    Issues are not effectively listened to by Mary and the wrong method was provided to the customers.   Some of the agreed actions are- 1.    Training will be provided to enhance communication skills. 2.    Training will be provided to enhance customer complain resolution skills (Sheth, et al., 2020).

 

This is an assessable task and the trainer and assessor will evaluate your performance during the meeting using an observation checklist.

If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to make alternative arrangements with the trainer and assessor. You may only reschedule once.

 

Appendix 1 –Innovative Widgets Scenario

 

‘Innovative widgets’ is the largest producer of widget in Australia. Established in 1952, its widgets are used as components in a broad range of machinery, from domestic appliances to industrial equipment. The company is family-owned and run by the children and one grandchild of the founder, who collectively form the board of directors. Until recently, the grandchild had acted as a managing director of Innovative widgets.

Innovative widgets operate from one location. There is a store area in the warehouse (for the raw materials used to make the widgets), a machine workshop (where the widgets are produced) and dispatch and deliveries area. The office block houses the following operational departments:

• Purchasing
• Sales
• Accounts
• Human resources
• A recently established customer service team.

 

In total, Innovative Widgets employs over 50 staff. Last year Innovative Widgets produced a pre-tax profit $2,240,000 on a turnover of 16,000,000.

Innovative Widgets has a diverse customer base. Their largest customer is a major mining equipment manufacturer. This customer accounts for approximately 40% of total widget sales. The other 60% of sales are medium and small businesses and to individuals and sole traders.

The following is an excerpt from Innovative Widgets’ business plan.

Business plan excerpt

Vision statement

To keep every Australian business running smoothly using safe, quality widgets.

Mission statement

• Innovate new ways of manufacturing and testing widgets
• Deliver consistently high-quality customer service internally and externally
• Keep Australian businesses buying Australian widgets through quality products and second-to-none customer service
• Have the best safety record of any widget company.

 

Appendix 2 –Innovative Widgets Customer Service Delivery

 

You are a customer service manager. It is currently December, and over the last few months, you have been receiving feedback from customers that customer service is just ‘not what it used to be’. The board of Innovative Widgets has been made aware of the decrease in customer service quality and wants to know what you’re going to do to fix the problem.

Mary is a member of your customer service team at Innovative Widgets. Her role is to receive telephone enquiries and complaints.

You have observed the following:

• Mary has been rude to customers on several occasions. This behaviour contravenes company policy on knowing the importance of friendly service to customers of Innovative Widgets.
• Mary has recently developed a habit of letting the phone ring and then placing customers on hold. This behaviour contravenes company policy on the knowledge of the importance of prompt service to customers of Innovative Widgets.
• Yesterday Mary received a complaint from a customer:

‘I work as a buyer for the state’s largest supplier of mining equipment, Yore Mine Co. We provide a lot of business to Innovative Widgets.

I ordered 1,000 x 7mm widgets for delivery last Friday. I was promised that the delivery would arrive within three days. It’s now a week later, and they still haven’t arrived. My production manager just telephoned me to say he might fail to deliver a major order unless the widgets arrive in the next four days.

A few weeks ago, a consignment of widgets arrived from Innovative Widgets, but they were 6mm widgets rather than the 7mm I had ordered on that occasion.

I am considering going to another supplier for your widgets even though Innovative Widgets are the only Australian supplier. I could get them cheaper from China, but the saving isn’t great when you add in the extra shipping costs. I’m going to begin legal action if the widgets don’t arrive today. I might order the widgets from China from now on.’

• Mary misunderstood and thought that the customer had ordered the products yesterday and argued with him. She accused the customer of being unreasonable as Innovative Widgets is an industry leader in guaranteeing three-day delivery.

When the misunderstanding was eventually cleared up, Mary wasn’t sure how to track orders or reorder the products. She said there was nothing she could do as Innovative Widgets’ procedures didn’t seem to cover this issue.

As the customer service manager, you will need to email Yore Mine Co. to clear up the misunderstanding and address their concerns.

You will also need to demonstrate your knowledge of developing team members and coaching Mary to improve the quality of her customer service.

Use the Innovative Widgets Complaints policy and procedures document in Appendix 3 of this task to assist you.

The following is an excerpt from Innovative Widgets’ business plan.

Business plan excerpt

Vision statement

To keep every Australian business running smoothly using safe, quality widgets.

Mission statement

• Innovate new ways of manufacturing and testing widgets
• Deliver consistently high-quality customer service internally and externally
• Keep Australian businesses buying Australian widgets through quality products and second-to-none customer service
• Have the best safety record of any widget company.

Customer Service Data

Call Frequency per month

	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Number of calls	1200	1150	1320	1300	1260	1320	1380	1350	1400	1480	1560	–
Variation in number of calls from previous year	–2%	–2%	+3.5%	–1.5%	–0.5%	+4%	+4.5%	+3.5%	+7%	+10%	+12%

 

Customer service staff

Employee	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Supervisor	John	John	John	John	John	John	John	John	John	(Annual leave)	(Annual leave)	John
Customer service officer	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia	Mia
Customer service officer	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin	Nitin (quit)
Customer service officer	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas	Jonas
Customer service officer										Taya (new)	Taya	Taya
Customer service officer										Mary (new)	Mary	Mary

 

Report from HR:

• Nitin quit because he did not feel supported by the supervisor (John). Nitin was exhausted because he had to work overtime most days.
• John has an authoritarian leadership style; he is knowledgeable, but he lacks coaching and mentoring skills.
• Taya is a good customer service officer, but she was not properly inducted in the team. She finds it hard to work with her colleagues and she makes data entry errors due to lack of training on the CRM system in use.
• Jonas has been with the company for years and he could be a good supervisor, however he fears to clash with John, and he flies under the radar at work.
• The CRM system is use needs updating.
• Complaints have increase by 25% from previous years.
• The team works overtime most days to return calls. This is increasing operational costs in the customer service team.
• The team spend too much time on the phone with customers.

 

Appendix 3 –Innovative Widgets Complaints policy and procedures

 

Innovative Widgets

Complaints Policy and Procedure

Purpose	The purpose of this policy is to ensure the management of complaints is carried out consistently, fairly and transparently and in accordance with organisational requirements.
Scope	The scope of this policy covers the management of customer complaints by employees and contractors of Innovative Widgets.
Resources	Specific procedures for the implementation of this policy are available below and on the company intranet.
Responsibility	Responsibility for the implementation of this policy rests with employees and management of Innovative Widgets with responsibility for managing customer complaints.
Relevant legislation etc.	·         Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) ·         Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) ·         Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cwlth). ·         ISO 10002:2014; Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for complaints handling in organisations https://www.iso.org/standard/65712.html https://www.iso-9001-checklist.co.uk/tutorial/8.2.1-customer-satisfaction.htm ·         Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) ·         Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 (Vic). ·         Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cwlth)
Updated/authorised	10/2021 – John Doe CFO

 

To manage complaints – customer service representatives

1. Greet the customer courteously and give them your name.
2. Listen fully to what the customer is saying. Try to gather all the facts about the complaint and jot them down. Then, ask questions and summarise what they are saying.
3. Never argue with the customer.
4. Apologise for any product fault or poor service. Be sympathetic. Ask if the customer will allow us to send the faulty item to our quality department for testing.
5. When you have all the details about the complaint, ask the customer how they would like it to be resolved.
6. No product replacements are within all staff members’ authority.
7. All staff members can use their professional judgement and refund an additional 10% of the value of the faulty product up to a maximum value of $25.
8. Complaints involving damage to other property are covered by our insurance. Help the customer to complete the Claims Form and ask if the customer can obtain quotes for repairs.
9. All complaints involving injury must be referred to the Customer Service Manager. Agree a suitable time for the Customer Service Manager to call the customer.
10. Any complaint that is not covered in the above procedures must be directed to the Customer Service Manager. Agree on a time for the Customer Service Manager to call the customer.

To manage complex complaints – customer service manager

1. Once you are alerted to a complex customer complaint, gather all the available details about the customer, and the problem being addressed.
2. Before contacting the customer, decide on what actions need to be taken to address the problem:
   1. At a system level, to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future
   2. For the specific customer who has made the complaint
3. Once you have identified actions to be taken, contact the customer as soon as possible.
4. In your customer contact:
   1. summarise the facts and the problem as you understand it and make an apology for the mistakes Innovative Widgets is responsible for.
   2. Describe what Innovative Widgets is going to do at a systems level to prevent or minimise these types of mistakes for all customers in the future.
   3. Describe what Innovative widgets is going to do to solve the customer’s specific problem immediately
   4. Describe when you will follow up with the customer to see if their problem has been resolved
   5. Ask if there is anything else the customer needs to resolve the situation or repair the relationship.

 

 

Reference

Huo, B., Gu, M., & Wang, Z. (2018). Supply chain flexibility concepts, dimensions and outcomes: an organisational capability perspective. International Journal of Production Research, 56(17), 5883-5903.

Nyagadza, B. (2019). Responding to change and customer value improvement: Pragmatic advice to banks. The Marketing Review, 19(3-4), 235-252.

Opute, A. P. (2020). Teamwork and customer service. In Customer Service Management in Africa (pp. 177-190). Productivity Press.

Sheth, J., Jain, V., & Ambika, A. (2020). Repositioning the customer support services: The next frontier of competitive advantage. European Journal of Marketing.