You work for ABC Stationery, a small business that supplies office supplies to small and medium-sized businesses within the South East Queensland market. The business has eight staff members, and it has started to grow. As part of that growth, you have been asked to look at the business's customer service strategies. A new Client Management System (CMS) with an integrated document control system has been purchased in order to stop the loss of corporate knowledge, which happens when staff members leave. 

Currently, no formal customer service strategies have been put in place, and there has been no previous formal training within the organization in customer service. 

About the business:

·        Two business partners own the business. 

·        Three administration staff take sales over the phone and liaise with the bigger clients on a daily basis. One member is new, one has been with the company for one year, and the other has been with the company for eight years. 

·        The finance manager has been with the company for three years.

·        There are two sales staff that mostly work remotely. They have been with the company for two years. 

  

Employee demographics: 

·        The average age range is 25-55. 

·        There is a mix of males and females. 

·        Two of the administration team are from non-English speaking background.

As a manager, it is important that you review customer service and seek ways to make improvements. It is important to consider improving not only your own standard of customer service but also how you assist others to make improvements in their standard of customer service.

In order to identify ways to make improvements in customer service, you need to clarify and accurately assess the needs of customers. There are several ways that this can be accomplished, but they are all based on communication techniques. By ensuring that there is good communication with customers, the number of customer complaints will reduce.

Communication techniques may relate to:

·        Analysing customer satisfaction surveys

·        Analysing quality assurance data

·        Conducting interviews

·        Consultation methods, techniques, and protocols

·        Making recommendations

·        Obtaining management decisions

·        Questioning

·        Seeking feedback to confirm understanding

·        Summarising and paraphrasing

Task 1

Part A

Imagine you are a customer of ABC Stationary. Think about the type of service you would expect from the business and staff and also what kind of situations would make you unhappy with their service. With this information in mind, develop a questionnaire (minimum of ten questions) that you could use to gather information from customers on what they like about ABC Stationary's service and what they think could be done better and what kind of service could be implemented that is not currently provided. It could cover such areas as:

Customer needs may relate to:

·        Staff attitude

·        Staff knowledge

·        Complaints

·        Prices/ value for service

·        Purchasing experience

·        Return of goods experience

·        Accuracy of information provided them

·        Instore experience

·        Patient chairside experience (dental students)

·        Anything else?

Part B

Ask (at least ten) customers to complete the questionnaire. If you don't work or have the opportunity to ask customers in a retail situation, adjust the questionnaire so it suits the area in which you work. If you are not currently working you may simulate the customer responses. Simulations can include using friends and family to complete the questionnaire.

Customers may include:

·        Corporate customers

·        Individual members of the organizations

·        Individual members of the public

·        Patients

·        Internal or external

·        Other agencies