READY FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE?

 You are working, your customer is on holidays

The tourism industry is an interesting profession from the customer service point of view because the environment and situation when meeting each other are out of everyday life. In one way it means customer service can be more relaxed and in another way it means the client´s expectations can be very high.

Each company has their own company values and a brand, which define what is promised to the customer. That includes you: you should be a part of the brand and able to deal with all persons connected to the service process. 

How do we act with..?

Customer meets many people

When

• looking for information
• making the reservation 
• arrival to destination 
• having services and experiences in the destination 
• accommodation
• transfers 
• process of leaving and arriving home
• feedback, social media

The customer should get a positive experience at every contact point! The weakest point is sometimes the most significant point in the client’s service process. 

Service design

Service design is the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service in order to improve its quality and the interaction between the service provider and its customers.

We hereby offer you a short introduction to Service Design and how the method can be applied in Customer Service.

If you are interested in learning more about Service Design you can find plenty of videos and other material on the internet. Here you have one example.

It´s also good to remember

The base for a confidential relationship with a customer is that customer service representative also informs the customer of unpleasant facts if necessary. 

By interaction, we can create a nice atmosphere at work but it is also one of the most significant parts of quality. 

Customer service should always be excellent

• it’s not enough if the employee knows some things well but fails in some other part of the service chain and spoils the whole 
• it’s not enough if some employees serve the customer well but others offer poor service 
• it’s not enough that the customer gets good service every now and then 

What good quality means for customers?

This following list is (Parasuma SERVQUAL) from more than twenty years ago. Do you think the list is still relevant or would you change something?

1. Reliability: everything goes right at once
2. Response susceptibility: employees are willing to serve, things get done quickly and on schedule 
3. Professional competence: skills and know-how of the employees 
4. Accessibility: easy to get contact, convenient opening hours, short waiting time 
5. Courtesy: manners of the contact person 
6. Communication: speak the ”same language” with the client 
7. Credibility: honesty, reliability, taking care of customer’s interests, eg. corporate reputation 
8. Safety: elimination of safety hazards, minimizing risks 
9. Understanding and knowledge of the customer: a genuine quest for understanding the customer needs 
10. Physical environment: company’s premises, the appearance of staff etc.