Strand 3 Customer Service

Front: What is an employee’s primary responsibility regarding company policy and employer interests?

Back: Employees must follow employer directions to provide relevant policy information and always advocate for the employer’s interest.

Front: How should step-by-step instructions be delivered to a customer?

Back: They should be communicated clearly, especially when a "customer-involved solution" is required.

Front: What should an employee focus on when asking a customer meaningful questions?

Back: Finding solutions that both the customer and the employer can agree on.

Front: How is professionalism represented in terms of language and demeanor?

Back: By using customer-centered vocabulary, avoiding inappropriate language, keeping emotions in check, and providing timely, accurate responses.

Front: Define Empathy in a customer service context.

Back: The action of understanding, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another.

Front: How do you show respect to a customer through listening?

Back: Give them undivided attention, listen carefully, and acknowledge their concerns using active listening skills.

Front: What are the four key visual/behavioral elements of professionalism?

Back: Clean/well-kept attire.

Easy distinction between employee and customer. Confidence and poise.

A positive and helpful attitude.

Front: Why are verbal skills critical in customer service?

Back: They build credibility and allow the employee to effectively convey product knowledge.

Front: What are "Filler Words," and why should they be avoided?

Back: Words like "uh, um, like, and y’know." They should be limited because they make the speaker seem like they are struggling to remember facts.

Front: Define Voice Inflection.

Back: A manner of speaking where the loudness, pitch, or tone of the voice is modified.

Front: Define Denotation vs. Connotation.

Back: Denotation: The literal definition of a word. Connotation: The figurative or emotional meaning of a word.

Front: Give an example of Positive vs. Negative Body Language

Back: Positive: Standing upright, inclining the body forward.

Negative: Slouching, shoulders turned away.

Front: List the four Proxemic Distances and their ranges.

Back: Intimate: 0–2 feet (family).

Personal: 2–4 feet (friends).

Social: 4–12 feet (acquaintances/customers).

Public: 12+ feet (strangers).

Front: What is Active Listening?

Back: A communication technique requiring the listener to provide feedback, defer judgment, show they are listening through body language (nodding), and respond appropriately.

Front: What is the difference between Passive Listening and Active Listening?

Back: Passive listening is listening without responding (e.g., a lecture), whereas active listening requires interaction and feedback.

Front: Define Pseudolistening.

Back: Putting on a facade of listening; faking attention while thinking about other things.

Front: Define Selective Listening.

Back: Paying attention only to things you find interesting or have a bias toward, while ignoring the rest.

Front: Define Defensive Listening.

Back: Planning your response before the speaker finishes; becoming a "one-upper" instead of processing what is being said.

Front: Define Disruptive Listening.

Back: Constantly interrupting the speaker or using verbal/non-verbal cues to show you are not listening.

Front: What is the difference between Listening and Retaining?

Back: Listening is the act of hearing the words; Retaining is the ability to store that information so it can be recalled and delivered later.