Unit B12:     Communicating with Customers

Level: 1

Unit type: Sector (Business)

Guided learning hours: 40

Unit in brief

Learners will communicate with customers in customer service situations.

Unit introduction

All businesses need to keep their customers happy because happy customers are more likely to come back and to tell their friends about the business. If you can communicate well with customers it will help them find what they need, buy what they need and be happy when they leave the business. By communicating well, you help the business give good customer care. This in turn makes the business more successful and a better place to work.

In this unit, you will learn how to speak to customers and how you can help them to get what they want. You will build your confidence in using your communication and personal skills to approach customers. You will also learn to make decisions quickly when dealing with customers.

The skills you learn in this unit will give you confidence and will be valuable in other units. This will help you to move to different Level 2 qualifications. The transferable and sector skills you develop in this unit can enable you to progress to further learning. They will also support you in completing the core skills units in Group A of the qualification.

Learning aims

In this unit you will:

A  Communicate with customers in customer service situations

B  Solve problems when communicating with customers.

Unit summary

There are opportunities to develop functional skills in this unit:

Unit content

Knowledge and sector skills

Purpose of good customer communication

• To inform customers about products or services, to confirm information, to deal with customer requests and queries.
• Importance of customer service to a business, e.g. keep customers returning to the business.
• Importance of product and service knowledge to ensure correct information about product and services is given to customers.

Using communication skills and behaviours in customer service situations

• Using verbal communication skills such as active listening, confirming meaning, speaking clearly at an appropriate speed, tone and volume, asking customers appropriate questions, being polite, approachable and enthusiastic.
• Using non-verbal communication skills such as making eye contact, smiling, awareness of personal space, relevant body language.

Solving customer problems

• Different customer problems, including providing simple information, advice, resolving product problems, dealing with complaints, special needs customers.
• Steps in problem solving, including:
• problem identification using probing questions and active listening skills to understand the problem that needs resolving
• looking for solutions
• making and implementing decisions.
• Ensuring body language and tone of voice is not aggressive or defensive.
• Referring to a higher authority when the issue is unresolvable.

Transferable skills

• Self-management: being flexible, showing adaptability when responding to different situations and when communicating with customers, showing initiative when dealing with customers and their queries.
• Problem solving: answering questions asked by customers, dealing with issues that may arise and using initiative when communicating with customers.

Assessment criteria