CREATING a positive impression AMONG THE CUSTOMERS · give a good ﬁrst impression. Coming across as smart and professional, as well as being a people person and happy to help, is

CREATING A POSITIVE IMPRESSION AMONG THE

CUSTOMERS Unit 3

Customer Service Level 3

1

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 2

First impressions ........................................................................................................ 3

Visual ...................................................................................................................... 4

Vocal ....................................................................................................................... 6

Verbal ...................................................................................................................... 7

The working environment ........................................................................................ 8

Meeting and greeting............................................................................................... 8

Building a strong rapport ............................................................................................ 9

Building rapport face-to-face ................................................................................... 9

Building rapport over the phone ............................................................................ 10

Using courtesy to build customer rapport .............................................................. 10

Realistic courtesy .................................................................................................. 11

Responding appropriately ......................................................................................... 11

What organisations expect from you ..................................................................... 14

Establishing trust ...................................................................................................... 15

Ask the right questions .......................................................................................... 15

Formally agree ...................................................................................................... 15

Getting the timing right .......................................................................................... 16

Deliver on your promises ....................................................................................... 16

Unit summary ........................................................................................................... 17


2

Introduction

This unit will focus on the need for a rapport between a customer and a service

representative so that mutual understandings are in place. We will look at the way in which

you can nurture relationships with your clients from the very first meeting with the help of a

strong first impression and move on to establishing relationships over the long term.


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First impressions

Having a strong image is vital for anyone working in customer service. You need to inspire

confidence both in yourself and in the organisation that you represent so it is very important to

give a good first impression. Coming across as smart and professional, as well as being a

people person and happy to help, is the best possible way of representing your company and

building relationships with clients.

Wearing the right clothes and dressing formally is usually the best thing and this can be

important even if you are not meeting customers face- to-face. Wearing shorts to the office may

not bother some people, but others will mind and think that it is unprofessional. With this in

mind it is always best to wear formal work clothes as not everyone will be comfortable with you

dressing casually, so it is best to stay on the safe side. These standards for your appearance

may include:

f) Wearing a specific uniform or suit

f) Adhering to certain colours

f) Following guidelines for make-up, jewellery and piercings

f) Following a no smoking policy

f) Following health and safety standards (i.e. hairnets if working with food or hi-vis jackets if

working in construction)

Making a positive first impression relies on a lot of different things and getting the right first

impression can be the difference between a positive relationship and a negative one. By

following the three V’s you will be able to create a good impression to clients, colleagues and

managers:

f) Visual

f) Vocal

f) Verbal


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Visual

Looking the part is one of the main things about a first impression. Wearing the correct clothes

and dressing formally is important but you do not want to go too far. Wearing a 3 piece suit or

clothes which are overly formal can look good in certain environments but in others they will

seem unnecessary. Getting the right balance and dressing in accordance with the rest of the

workforce is the best way to show you are professional and can get the job done.

Looking tired or dishevelled is a sure-fire way to lose a customer’s trust and interest in what

you are discussing.

Visual impressions are not just about clothes. They also include your body language, eye

contact, posture and demeanour. We examined the need for good body language, standing

up straight and giving a firm handshake to people with strong eye contact in a previous

chapter and these traits are of even more importance on an initial meeting.

Having positive body language will show a customer you are happy and there to help in any

way which is required.


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Try to avoid some of the following situations which will create a poor impression of you and

cause clients to lose confidence in your abilities:

f) Looking away when a customer approaches. This will make it seem like you are not

interested and do not want to offer any assistance.

f) Yawning or looking bored. If your client thinks you don’t want to be there or would rather

be at home in bed then they will likely start to think that you do not care about what they

are saying and become much more difficult to work with.

f) Having no eye contact. This can be a sign of mistrust amongst many cultures and will

stop there being a connection between you and your client. Having strong eye contact

that is natural will create a positive impression and your customer will respond to this by

having much more faith in your abilities.

f) Fidgeting or slouching. Again, this type of attitude will quickly lose your client’s

confidence and will show a lack of care for your job.

f) Looking tense or being too sloppy. You will need to find the right balance between calm

and serious when working with customers. Being too casual will show your customers

that you do not care or have no confidence, whereas being overly tense and stiff will show

fear. You need to be confident and assertive so that a client

knows you are capable of helping without being too keen in a way that will put your

customer on edge.


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Vocal

How you sound is the next big thing that you must get right to give a quality first impression.

Using inappropriate language or speaking too quickly will give a bad impression and you

must use strong verbal communication to help your customers and answer any queries they

may have. You can improve the way that you sound by:

f) Taking your time and breathing properly. Some people get over- animated when they

talk (especially if this is a high pressure situation) and become flustered.

Remembering to breathe may sound obvious but lots of people will panic when

speaking with certain customers and you may need to stop for a second to gather

your thoughts and take a breath.

f) Ensure that your facial expressions match what you are saying. Having facial impressions

that are in sync with what you are saying will allow your message to be delivered

effectively and stop any miscommunication.

f) Vary your voice slightly. Nobody wants to talk to a service rep who speaks in a boring

tone constantly- so vary your voice and emphasise important parts so that the client does

not get lost in a sea of words which all sound the same.

f) If you have an accent that can be quite thick, try to avoid over-use of certain phrases that

can be difficult for others to understand. This does not mean that you should put on a

different voice, but avoiding regional slang or phrases will make sure that the client

understands what you are saying no matter where they are from.

f) Try to match your customer’s style in a suitable way. If the client is very friendly, loud or

tells lots of jokes then reciprocate so that you are on the same wavelength. Likewise, a

customer who is quiet and more reserved will most likely want to have a quieter and

calmer approach.


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Verbal

Looking and sounding a particular way is important but even if this is perfect it cannot hide

what you are actually saying. Using the right type of language and verbal aspects is

required so that you can represent your organisation is a professional manner.

f) Try to bring some colour into what you say even if you have to stick to a certain script.

Using boring and non-descript language will not be received well but if you speak in a

way that inspires confidence and have a strong vocabulary your client will be much

more likely to receive a good impression.

f) Avoid using lots of jargon. If you are in a sales role and start to speak about technical

issues, try to do this in a simple manner and do not use complex words that most people

have never come across. This will make clients feel alienated and will give them no

useful information at all.

f) Always look at the bright side of things. Speak about what you and the

products/services you are offering can do well, not what they cannot do. Focus on the

most positive aspects and the best-selling points so that each customer knows the

benefits of working with your organisation.

f) Ask a colleague or friend to give feedback on how you are doing in your role. It may

be that you are using words such as ‘actually’, ‘like’ or ‘you know’ over and over again

without realising. This can sound a little odd to clients and may even start to become

annoying- so attempt to tone these words down and vary your language.


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The working environment

Working with customers face-to-face is very different from doing so over the phone. Face-

to-face interaction requires many more visual elements to customer service that

conversations over the phone so you must be able to look at some other factors that can

give a good impression.

Your premises and space must be tidy and clean. A customer who comes to your company

and is faced with a dirty area where no pride is taken will associate this with how you go about

your work. Work stations need to be tidy and organised but you do not need to hide everything

away for when people come to visit. Take a quick glance of the area and remove and rubbish

or unused items which may be present, make sure you have equipment and stationary to

hand in case these are needed.

Information that is around in waiting rooms or areas where customers have regular access

should be maintained and updated regularly. Having out-dated newspapers or safety

information will make it look like you do not move with the times. Make sure everything is

up to date once a week so that everything which a client sees shows off how you work

and the quality you can provide.

If there are tools which are to be used by you or the customer make sure these are ready

when needed. This can include things like making sure computers and printers are switched

on so they are ready when required, as well as keeping a good stock of paper and pens

which might be needed by clients.

Meeting and greeting

As we have been exploring, the first impression can be a make or break time for customer

relations. It is impossible to stress just how important this time is and you must be able to

greet your clients in a professional manner and ensure that you get off on the right

impression. Little things like allowing a customer to enter a room first, having a strong

handshake and offering refreshments as necessary will create a relaxed atmosphere and

show customers you care. These touches are important whenever talking with a customer,

whether they are new or established, but on the first attempt it is even more important to get

things right.


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Building a strong rapport

After creating positive first impression to clients it is important to build on this by

establishing a good rapport between you and your customers. This comes with

prolonged use of great customer care and will be built up over a period of time.

Sometimes there will be people who you meet in life that you instantly like and become friends

with- this can be in your personal circles or at work. Other times, you may meet someone who

you don’t really have much in common with and you would not necessarily want to speak to

in your personal life. Much of this judgement is made very early on in a relationship and not

working to change any immediate assumptions will stop the relationship from ever becoming

a positive one.

We have already explored how to get a client relationship off to a good start and will now

begin to look at ways to grow this relationship to develop the best rapport possible. Allowing

the relationship to grow and offering support at all times will create trust and respect, as well

as loyalty in a customer who will continue to buy products or use services from your company.

Building rapport face-to-face

Building a rapport face-to-face allows you to use many different skills and techniques that

will help a relationship to flourish.

f) Continue to use the skills we have previously discussed such as common courtesy, eye

contact and a good posture to show the customer you are always professional and did

not just do this to lure them in.

f) Smile and give a warm handshake to returning customers and greet them with their name

if you know it.

f) Mirror the clients tone and body language without being obvious so that you can show

you are on the same wavelength.


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f) Communicate in a more friendly and personal manner than you would with a brand new

customer, but only if you feel this is allowed. If the client is much older than you are or is

quite stern then do not use their first name and try to be formal throughout. A client who

is very friendly and comes across more like a friend will usually prefer to build a less

formal relationship and get to know you a little more personally.

Building rapport over the phone

Using a strong rapport can be very useful with all customers but it is usually much harder to

develop this over the phone. Without a person to observe, facial expressions to read and

body language to match, it can be a little trickier to build relations. Try to:

f) Greet all callers warmly and use common courtesy.

f) Use some standard forms of greeting or scripts which may be required for you to use

by the company.

f) Answer phones as promptly as possible.

f) Remember that, even though you may have said the same phrases, lots of times, this is

usually the first time a client has heard it. Speak clearly and ask if you need to repeat

anything when giving detailed explanations.

f) Smile. Even though a client cannot see this, a smile will pass into your voice and make

you sound happier and friendlier- so try to smile when on the phone as much as possible.

f) Mirror the language that your customer uses and speak in a way which is clear and concise.

f) Talk at a healthy level and do not speak too quickly or too slowly.

Using courtesy to build customer rapport


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Being courteous is a combination of your attitude, how you approach situations and what you

do. It is a way of showing a customer that you care about them, your job, the service which

you are providing and that you are prepared to go a little further to help at all times.

Being courteous is not something extra which you can decide to do- it is part of the job and

you must work to be courteous at all times within a customer service role. This can be the

difference between your company and a competitor and showing clients that you care about

your work will breed confidence and more sales.

For example, a customer may call a company and have to wait for the call to be connected

at a busy time. Having someone who is then very rude and not helpful will cause a terrible

impression, but having a customer service rep who politely says ‘Sorry about your wait, how

can I help?’ and then gets straight to helping with any issues will make the waiting seem more

bearable. Small touches like this throughout your work will be the difference between your

interaction and care being quality or forgettable.

Realistic courtesy

Being courteous does have its limits. Trying too hard may annoy certain clients and being

overly false can be a little frustrating also. It is very easy for people to spot a fake ‘Thank you’

compared to a real one so make sure that you mean what you say to clients. Give strong eye

contact when working face-to-face and match what you say with your expressions and

demeanour so that a customer knows you are being genuine.

Responding appropriately


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Being able to respond to a customer and deal with any request is imperative when trying to

give the right impression. This can be with positive comments, suggestions for improvement

or complaints and, even with a disgruntled customer, you can work to make the situation

positive.

Responding appropriately to all issues will show you are able to work in a way which inspires

trust and confidence to give a good impression. While the method of this contact will differ and

the needs of each company will change, the attitude that you will need to show will be universal

for most industries.

It is not just about what you do to respond to a customer, but also about how you do it. Having

the right attitude and approach to a situation will allow you to work together with the client to

provide a good solution to their problems and not leave them waiting for help when they need

it. Try to consider the client’s feelings at all times and think how they are being treated. If a

customer has been waiting for a long time or been sent the wrong product they will be upset

and want a solution to be found as quickly as possible- so work swiftly to help them and

come to an arrangement. Try to:


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f) Listen effectively to what they are saying

f) Be polite and courteous at all times

f) Give information and be willing to help as best you can

f) Acknowledge what you have heard and come to a suitable agreement

f) Ask the right questions to get to the bottom of any disputes

f) Come to an agreement as to how any problems may be solved

Customers each have their own expectations of how a company should perform and what

they should be capable of. Things which influence these expectations will be the price for

products (if something is very cheap then people will expect it to come with poor service),

word of mouth and company reputation. What reviews and recommendations people have

heard about a company will allow them to form a judgement on the service which they

expect.


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What organisations expect from you

Companies and organisations will differ in what they expect from their customer service

representatives and this will usually vary between industries also. These expectations will

usually be outlined in your job description and could include answering calls within a certain

number of rings, dressing in a certain manner or gaining a certain number of quality

customers. One of the most common trends when it comes to customer service is the time

that people will wait for assistance, which is decreasing all the time. People will no longer wait

on hold for 15 minutes just to talk to someone and the immediacy which the internet and other

technology brings has made customers expect things to be done very quickly. Sometimes

this is not always the case and it may not be possible to get things done immediately or to

answer questions right away. However, most companies will have strict timeframes in which

issues are to be dealt with and you need to work within these to ensure you are providing

quality customer care. Some common features, which a lot of companies require, are:


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Time taken for tasks This can include a maximum number of times the phone can

ring before being answered or a length of time in which

emails must be responded to.

Acknowledgements Companies may impose timeframes for you to acknowledge

receipt of letters, emails or invoices so that clients know you

have this important information.

Legislation Companies will outline specific things that you are allowed to

do and things that you are not allowed to do. These will often

relate to laws in place.

Use of names How a customer should be referred to. This can range from

informal with the use of a first name to calling people sir or

madam

Methods of

communicating

How you should communicate different information to clients.

This can be via email, over the phone, text, internet etc.

Establishing trust

Part of giving a good impression relies on your ability to communicate effectively with clients

at all times which will ensure everyone knows what is happening and what each person is

expected to do. Sometimes you may find that issues arise because of poor communication

and the customer expecting something which was never agreed upon. Talking and sharing

your views is the best way to combat this and stop this from happening.

Ask the right questions

Make sure that you ask the right questions of your customers so that you can gauge their

knowledge of the situation and inform them of any changes. Discuss things so that you know

exactly what they require and then repeat this back to them so that you are both in agreement.

Formally agree

You should formally agree upon any quotes for goods and services that are made and put

everything in writing. This may not be necessary for standard products as all of the information

will be available on a website or in a brochure, but for tailor-made products or specialist

services you should send an email outlining exactly what has been agreed and how much it

will cost.


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Doing this will stop a client from misunderstanding what they are purchasing and will act as

a verbal agreement between the two of you. Having an outline of what is offered and the price

agreed will be very convenient for everyone further down the line.

Getting the timing right

Customers need to know that you can work to a schedule and will get back to them as quickly

as possible. By answering the phone or emails in a timely manner it will show that you are

keen to please and able to help whenever people need you to.

This may not always be possible and there may be times when you are unable to give a

definite answer to a question over the phone. If this does happen then you should politely say

you are unable to answer at the minute but will get back to them as soon as you have a

definitive answer.

Deliver on your promises

One of the best impression you can give to someone is by sticking to your promises and

delivering what is agreed. Being reliable and able to outline a job which you will do and then

complete this within a timeframe is the best way to build trust into any relationship.

Clients will quickly notice how well you work and have faith in your abilities. This will lead to

more orders and the customer also having a better relationship with you now that they know

you can work within their expectations. Valued customers can spend a lot of money and rely

on a business for a lot of

different products. These people should be treated carefully and usually the more orders

someone places, the better service they should receive. Never expect a regular client to accept

poor service simply because you know them- the exact opposite is true and the oldest and

most valued customers have shown loyalty- which should be reciprocated.


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Unit summary

In this unit we have explored ways of creating first impressions and establishing positive

relationships so that clients will have more trust in you and the company you work for. We

have looked at ways of inspiring trust and a strong relationship through a representative’s use

of various means.

You should now have a much better understanding of what is required to generate this positive

impression at the initial meeting with a client, through to building relationships over several

years.

Documents

CREATING a positive impression AMONG THE CUSTOMERS · give a good ﬁrst impression. Coming across as smart and professional, as well as being a people person and happy to help, is