customer service

Mrs. Webster's customer service study guide

Airlines

Companies that provide air travel services for passengers and cargo. They manage ticketing, scheduling, and customer support for travelers. Shifted from high touch service to less personalized services after time moved on.

Hotels

Establishments that provide lodging accommodations for travelers, often offering additional services such as dining, room service, and recreational facilities. Hotels started as small family owned businesses and evolved into chains that use customization to target specific audiances online.

Restaurants

Establishments that serve food and beverages to customers, often providing a variety of dining experiences from casual to fine dining. Restaurants evolved from local eateries to chains, utilizing technology for online reservations and delivery services.

psychology

The scientific study of the mind and behavior, examining thoughts, emotions, and actions. Psychology explores individual and group behavior, cognitive processes, and mental health.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A psychological theory that categorizes human needs into a five-tier model, often depicted as a pyramid, ranging from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.

includes:

• Physiological needs, providing basic needs like food and a place to sleep

• safety, creating a feeling of security and protection from harm

• social: often gatherings and interactions to keep guests occupied

• Ego: making customers feel superior or like celebrities

• self-actualizations: helping guests pursue personal goals and new skills

platinum rule

treat others how they want to be treated,

rule of first impressions

initial interactions create the halo effect that shapes a customer’s total judgement of a business

Rule of skills

balancing hard skills and soft skills

Non-verbal communication

ideas like

• proxemics: personal space

• eye contact and leaning forward: show interest

• object language: show messages sent by items like your phone

code-switching

the ability to change our speaking style depending on the situation

active listening

fully concentrating on the speaker, nodding, and using paraphrasing to confirm understanding.

email etiquette

keep subject under 6 words,

keep body under 25 lines

avoid all caps

internal customer

a employee who depends on another employee to do their job (waiter and chef)

impact: good internal service improves employee morale and leads to better external customer service satisfaction

imbalance ripple effect

a series of negative consequences caused by poor management

emotional labor

the effort employees make to deliver smiles and keep their emotions in check.

standardization

providing the exact same service across all business locations

synchronization

everyone completing specific steps at the same time.

jargon

specialized language used by a specific group of people that others might not understand (slang)

inflection

a change in the tone or pitch of the voice that can change a words meaning

empathy

understanding and sharing the feelings of others (you enter the feeling with them)

sympathy

you acknowledge the feeling from the outside

rapport

creating a positive friendly connection with a connection

probing question

a question used to get deeper more specific information about a customer

the golden rule

treat others how you want to be treated,

external customer

a person outside the company who buys the product

soft skills

personal skills used for interacting with others

hard skills

technical abilities

concierge

a hotel staff member who assists guests with tours, bookings and requests

sommelier

a trained wine professional

7 deadly sins

• leaving a customer hanging

• Arguing with a customer

• Looking unprofessional

• Giving incorrect data

• Arguing with a coworker

• Implying the customers needs are unimportant

• Passing the buck

Four phases of customer service

• greeting: welcoming the customer

• Pre-service: waiting period

• Service: actual reason customer came

• Post-service: the service as a customer is leaving