Activity 1

Q1 what is a customer and who are the customers for your organization?Ans.Everyone in the organization is customer .Internal customer service must be of high quality so that service to external customers reflects the internal working of the organization .This applies whether your external customers are end users /consumers or on seller.

Q2.Why is it necessary for organization to investigate, identify, assess and include the needs of clients /customers in planning processes and how can they do this?

Ans. Successful organizations are customer driven. They can spend time and effort finding out who their customers and what the needs, wants and expectations of their customers are.

The market can determine what the manufacturer producers or the retailers sells and information collected from customers provides the basis for the focus for all organization activities.

They can go directly to your customers for the information you need-for up to date information, at customer priorities likes and dislikes, purchasing intensions, value you should offer to customers. Internal and external client /customer data helps the organization discovers new opportunities verify the extent of a problem, better understand how products and services are used, prevent problems that impact the client/customer, and priorities work. Understanding customer needs helps define new market opportunities and drive innovation and revenue growth every aspect of the organization.Q3 Develop and document on behalf of an organization for which you do or might work a detailed process whereby it will be possible to investigate ,identify, assess and include the needs of customers in planning process.

Answer. Customers needs must be properly identified, assessed planned for and catered for .This means that when developing business, strategic and operational plans ,the focus must be on the client /customers and meeting client needs.

1.Identify the benefits associated with your products and determine the ways in which these will or can be made to meet customers needs.

2. The reason why customers buy are usually logical from their product from the point of view, and might on the surface not make much sense to you. Most buying dicecisions are multi caused and sometimes the decisions seem trivial.

2. Customers but when they want to, not necessarily when you want then to.Analysing customers and their purchase can sometimes allow you to determine buying patterns that you can use t o provide opportunities for sales.

Activity 2

Q1 How can quality ,time and cost requirements be balanced?

There are three factors in product development that remain in constant tension:

Cost, quality, and time. For the sake of this discussion, quality shall mean the

Number of features a product is to have, and their depth, usability, and polish.

The cost of a given project is usually computed by enumerating its features, and

The time it will take to implement them. Likewise, the number of features and

their depth of quality and usability are limited by finances and time. The amount

of time a project will take is a direct result of the feature set, and the amount of

money the company is willing to spend. Since these factors have a direct

relationship, when you attempt to adjust any one of them, the other two feel the

effect. You cant reduce the cost without sacrificing features or deadlines. You

cant increase features without incurring extra costs and time spent. You cant

reduce time to meet a market window without reducing features or increasing

costs.Decision makers have an unsavory habit of trying to own all three factors, leaving

product developers to make bricks without straw. When decision makers dictate

the cost, the feature set, and the market window, developers are left to try to

make it all fit but without any of the controlling factors under their power.

Oftentimes decision makers dont have all the information available to dictate

these three factors, but attempt to do it anyway. Developers know this, and it

leaves them in a disgruntled state. The assertion that those morons in

management dont have a clue is a common complaint. Sometimes it comes

from this issue.

Everyone likes to control the cost factor because it is the easiest one to see the

effect on bottom-line profitability. Product features and time windows are less

tangible and require work to make the connection. Product features are most

important to people closest to customers because solving their needs makesthem happy and results in good bonuses. If our product doesnt have a spinning

weasel we wont make the sale! Clearly those folks like to control the quality

factor. Time is usually the last deciding factor. Given a budget and a list of

requirements, time-to-market is usually the last factor to be explored.If our product doesnt have a spinning weasel we wont make the sale! Clearly those folks like to control the quality factor. Time is usually the last deciding factor. Given a budget and a list ofrequirements, time-to-market is usually the last factor to be explored. A fair balance is to let decision makers control two of the factors while

development controls the third. This gives development the power to resolve the equation. To be fair, everybody needs to understand and accept the powers they are giving up, and the ones they are retaining. These decisions are largely driven by the vision for the project. For instance, if the vision is to meet a critical market window or fixed event, then it may be necessary to give up features, or to

hire more people to do the work. Regardless of the scenario, giving the

development people power over one factor frees them to adjust their mode of

operation to make the project a success. http://www.stdtime.com/whitepapers/cost-quality-time-choose-two.pdfQ2 Exlplain what a CRMS is and why it is important to business success. Why is it necessary to build relationships with customers and how will a CRMS contribute toward managing quality,time and cost requirements? Customer relationship management (CRM)is a widely-implemented strategy for managing a companys interactions withcustomers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processesprincipallysales activities, but also those formarketing,customer service, andtechnical support. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.Customer relationship management describes a company-wide business strategy including customer-interface departments as well as other departments.Measuring and valuing customer relationships is critical to implementing this strategy.Customer Relationship management is the strongest and the most efficient approach in maintaining and creating relationships with customers. Customer relationship management is not only pure business but also ideate strong personal bonding within people. Development of this type of bonding drives the business to new levels of success.

Once this personal and emotional linkage is built, it is very easy for any organization to identify the actual needs of customer and help them to serve them in a better way. It is a belief that more the sophisticated strategies involved in implementing the customer relationship management, the more strong and fruitful is the business. Most of the organizations have dedicated world class tools for maintaining CRM systems into their workplace. Some of the efficient tools used in most of the renowned organization are BatchBook, Salesforce, Buzzstream, Sugar CRM etc.

Looking at some broader perspectives given as below we can easily determine why a CRM System is always important for an organization.1. A CRM system consists of a historical view and analysis of all the acquired or to be acquired customers. This helps in reduced searching and correlating customers and to foresee customer needs effectively and increase business.2. CRM contains each and every bit of details of a customer, hence it is very easy for track a customer accordingly and can be used to determine which customer can be profitable and which not.

3. In CRM system, customers are grouped according to different aspects according to the type of business they do or according to physical location and are allocated to different customer managers often called as account managers. This helps in focusing and concentrating on each and every customer separately.

4. A CRM system is not only used to deal with the existing customers but is also useful in acquiring new customers. The process first starts with identifying a customer and maintaining all the corresponding details into the CRM system which is also called an Opportunity of Business. The Sales and Field representatives then try getting business out of these customers by sophistically following up with them and converting them into a winning deal. All this is very easily and efficiently done by an integrated CRM system.

5. The strongest aspect of Customer Relationship Management is that it is very cost-effective. The advantage of decently implemented CRM system is that there is very less need of paper and manual work which requires lesser staff to manage and lesser resources to deal with. The technologies used in implementing a CRM system are also very cheap and smooth as compared to the traditional way of business.

6. All the details in CRM system is kept centralized which is available anytime on fingertips. This reduces the process time and increases productivity.

7. Efficiently dealing with all the customers and providing them what they actually need increases the customer satisfaction. This increases the chance of getting more business which ultimately enhances turnover and profit.

8. If the customer is satisfied they will always be loyal to you and will remain in business forever resulting in increasing customer base and ultimately enhancing net growth of business.

In todays commercial world, practice of dealing with existing customers and thriving business by getting more customers into loop is predominant and is mere a dilemma. Installing a CRM system can definitely improve the situation and help in challenging the new ways of marketing and business in an efficient manner. Hence in the era of business every organization should be recommended to have a full-fledged CRM system to cope up with all the business needs.

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-crm.htmActivity 3

Q1 Detail the methods and procedures that are or might be used by your organization to communicate with customers /clients in order to identify and agree on product /service specifications.

Ans Customer profiling will also provide valuable information to be used in identifying customer needs and designing products and services to meet customer specifications.

1: Beware of interrupting

Be careful about interrupting others, particularly your customers. Theyll be especially upset if, while theyre explaining a problem, you interrupt them and start offering a solution. If you feel you haveto interrupt, at least cut to the chase and tell the other person what you think his or her main idea was. That way, the other person at least can confirm or correct you, and in either case save time.

2: Listen actively

Did you ever get the feeling, when talking to someone, that you were really talking to a wall? The person may have heard you but gave no indication of it at all. Avoid doing the same thing. When communicating with others, its just as important that people beawarethat youre listening as it is that youre actually listening. For that reason, be involved with and react to what the other person is saying, either via a nod, or an I see, or a paraphrase of the other persons statements. Youll strengthen your own understanding and make a better impression.

3: Avoid negative questions

Suppose you say to a customer, You dont have Word installed? and he answers Yes. What does he mean? Yes, youre right, Word is not installed? Or yes, he DOES have Word installed?

Asking a negative question creates confusion. Its clearer if you phrase the question positively (e.g., Do you have Word installed?) or ask an open-ended question (What applications do you have installed?). If youmustuse the negative, try a question such as Am I correct that you dont have Word installed?

4: Be sensitive to differences in technical knowledge

Chances are, your customers have less technical knowledge than you do. Be careful, therefore, when explaining things to them. If you use acronyms, be sure you identify what the acronym means. The same acronym can mean different things, even in an IT context (for example, ASP can refer to application service provider or active server page). Be careful that you dont make two opposite mistakes: either talking over their head or talking down to them. Keep your eyes on customers when you talk to them and be alert to cues indicating that they dont understand. Ask them whether they understand what youre saying, if necessary.

5: Use analogies to explain technical concepts

A good way to explain a technical idea is to use an analogy. Though they have limitations, analogies are helpful in explaining an unfamiliar idea in terms of a familiar one. One of the best analogies I ever heard compared a firewall to a bank teller. When you enter a bank, you dont just go into the vault and get your money. Instead, you go to a window, where the teller verifies your identity and determines that you have enough money. The teller goes to the vault, brings it back to the window, gives it to you, and then you leave.

6: Use positive instead of negative statements

Your customers are more interested in your capabilities than in your limitations. In other words, theyre interested in what youcando, rather than what youcantdo. The way you say things to them influences how they perceive you and your department. You, as an IT department or individual, can be seen as a roadblock or you can be seen as a partner. So, for example, instead of saying, I cant help you unless you log off, consider saying, Please log off so that I can help you. Your statements often will be easier to understand as well.

Heres another reason to avoid negative statements. Have you ever experienced gaps of silence in your telephone calls, where the conversation breaks up? Usually it happens when using a cell or a VoIP telephone. If the gap occurs as youre saying not, your recipient could get the opposite message from what you intended.

7: Be careful of misinterpreted words and phrases

Sometimes we say something with innocent intent, but the other person misinterprets it. We mean to say one thing, but our pronunciation or inflection causes us to convey something else. For example, in Chinese, the sound ma said in a high level tone means mother in law. However, said in a falling and rising tone, it means horse.

Be especially careful of the word you. Overusing this word can make the person youre talking to feel defensive or threatened. Instead of saying, You need to speak louder, try saying, Im having trouble hearing. Another issue involves the dual meaning of you. Unlike other languages, English uses the same word to refer to an actual person (for example, the person youre talking to) as well as to a hypothetical person. Suppose you said to someone, You never know whats going to happen next, and meant to equate you with people in general. The other person might think youre referring to him or her specifically and take offense. A better alternative might be, Its really unpredictable here.

If someone is upset, one of the worst things to say is calm down. It might work one half of one percent of the time, but generally all it does is make things worse.

In general, think before you speak. Im not saying you always have to be polite or diplomatic. Sometimes you do need to (figuratively, of course) beat people up. However, do consider the alternatives before speaking. As the proverb goes, He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-communicate-more-effectively-with-customers-and-co-workers/207Q2 Explain what a business plan is and why it is important to have a business plan that focuses on customer service.

Ans A business plan is a statement and description of the business goals and objectives the reasons why reasons why they are believed to be attainable and outline of the strategies that will be followed to reach those long and short term.

Outputs relate directly to the organization outcomes of customers satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the only true measure of organizational success. The product /service produced by the organization must therefore meet customers needs as indentified and specified in the business plan.

Activity 4

Make a list of the steps you would take and the processes you would put in place to identify the quality and delivery standards to which teams should adhere and to manage team performance so that it consistently meets organizational quality and deliver standards .Against what criteria might you measure performance and what action would you take if performance did not meet the identified standards ?

Answer :By setting and making plants it is possible to track and to manage performance.

Goal setting gives purpose and direction to actions .Goals must be supported by pland which outline the strategies to be followed for achevemnet .They help team members follow through and achieve their targets and goals to self monitor and self mange their performance. Identifies and anticipates the needs of clients, delivers services that meet and exceed client expectations and commits to continuous improvement in planning, process and servicesAction plans.

1.Break large goals down into small achievable ,measurable steps.

2. Enable team members to clarify the actions they must take

3. Define and clarify customer services goals ,objectives and standards

4. Define sales targets

5.Identify the time frames ,millstones and deadlines for completion of various objectives.

6 Identify the personnel to be involved in achieving the goals.

7. Specify the various roles of team members8 Identify the resources needed to achieve objectives

9.Identify reporting procedures and expected outcome.

10Understands the level of service required of their role

11Follows established procedures and guidelines for customer service

12Is committed to meeting customer needs

13Keeps customer needs as primary focus and responds to client queries in a polite manner even under situations of high pressure

14Learns and understands service delivery standards and aimsActivity 5

Q1 One of your colleagues has been having difficulty providing the customer service levels that are required in your organization. You have observed this and have noted that this person is not making the number of sales they should make. what action do you think you might take?

Answer When assisting colleagues to overcome difficulty in meeting customers service standards the provision of training ,coaching and mentoring or the provision of other learning activities ,it is advisable to determine what each learners individual learning preferences are.Then I will talk to my Employee to implement more training to my colleague which will be more suitable to his current problem.

Q2A colleague has asked you to coach them in the provision of good customer service techniaues.Explain how you would go about doing this .AnswerAlways remember that when dealing with any customer, client or visitor to your workplace it is a golden opportunity to deliver or provide that person with a sense of personal satisfaction. Every successful business from local corner stores to high turnover corporate companies generally strive to satisfy and deliver what the customer wants. The secret to successfully manage this is to understand and put into practice a number of tried and true customer services techniques.

You will find that there are a massive amount of books and reading material available on customer services techniques, training courses and all sorts of spin doctor advice about service delivery and methods on what to do or not do to improve customer service.

The following key basiccustomer service techniques outlined in this article are provided to help you to deliver exceptional customer service and to assist in making your clientele feel valued and happy to want to deal with you or your business.

Engaging with your customer

One of the key principles in providing good customer relationships is to build a rapport and trust with your customer. This can be done in various ways but one of the bestcustomer service techniques successfully used these days is to engage the customer in friendly conversation by introducing yourself by name and where appropriate asking theirs. This indicates to the customer that you are interested in them and what they want. The customer has chosen your business for a reason so always be polite, ask relevant questions and be genuinely interested in what the customer has to say by listening and making eye contact if you can. By showing a genuine interest and being friendly the customer is more likely to respond in a positive manner and develop confidence with you. A customer will sense that you are not genuinely interested and it will become more difficult for you to build a rapport.

1)Find out what the customer wants

A customer will generally know what they want, some customers may be confused and others may be unsure on how or where to find something. Your primary role is to first and foremost help the customer by guiding and assisting them to get what they want. The best customer service technique is to politely converse with the customer and when the ice has broken and the customer is relaxed ask relevant questions and listen to the answers as this will help you to assist the customer in getting what they require. A satisfied customer will remember the friendly helpful service you have provided and will keep coming back and recommend you and your business to other people.

2)Be knowledgeable about the business

In many instances (and this can apply to any business or service) it is not possible to provide what your customer wants for a variety of reasons. It is therefore important to be familiar with what your business can and cant offer. To avoid a customer wasting their time looking for something your business is unable to provide it is agood customer service technique to be aware if you can of people wandering around looking confused. By approaching customers and showing you are knowledgeable about what there is to offer and what you can do for them the customer will feel valued and grateful for the service you have provided.

3)The importance of planning to improve service

When things are going well complacency can creep in customer service standards can slip. When this happens it provides an opportunity for the competition to try and go one better than your business or service by being smarter, more cost effective and quicker. To ensure this scenario does not happen many shrewd businesses use the effective customer service technique of putting in place regular training programmes to instruct and remind staff about the importance of providing exceptional customer service through communication effectiveness, customer rapport, phone etiquette and dealing with difficult customers. It is well known that investing incustomer service trainingprogrammes with the aim of improving and training staff is one of the most effective methods businesses use to consistently deliver what the customer wants.

4)Earning customer loyalty

This can be achieved through variouscustomer service techniques such as the age old offering of discounts on products and services to loyal customers (some businesses of course may have in place a loyalty card that offers discount incentives). If a customer has forgotten their loyalty card be accommodating and if not a member offer them the opportunity to join the loyalty programme. When a customer has a problem always do your best to remedy it as this will in turn lead to customer loyalty and earn you a reputation for going the extra mile to help your customers. Following up with customers after providing a service or sale (mainly big ticket items) through Email, phone or letter will also pay off in customer loyalty and in most cases adds a welcome personal touch.

5)Thanking the customer

When concluding a sale or business service ensure the customer is thanked in a genuine manner. In many cases customers are dealt with hurriedly and sent on there way as if they are on a production line. Customers like to feel valued and treated with courtesy so it is an important customer service technique to thank customers genuinely and by making sure you are grateful for their business. It is also a good idea to ask the customer if there is anything else you can do because by you taking the time to ask can sometimes result in more business turnover and customer loyalty.

http://www.goodcustomerservice.org/customer-service-techniques/ Activity 6Q1 what strategies might you follow in orders to monitor progress in achieving product and or service targets and standards in your organization?

Answer: 1.Analyse and assess sales figures and products /service turnover.

2.Keep a close eye on the internal supplier-customer chain.

3.KPIs and KRAs provide measurement criteria./

4.Observe and assess the attitudes amng cutomer service representatives.5.Hold meeting s to collect information and discuss issues.

6.Collect quantitative data to monitor performances

7.Collect and analyse qualitative data about customer service perfomnace to help determine the quality of sevice received by customers.

Q2 Draw up a plan for collecting collating and utilizing feedback from the customers with your organization deals?

Answer: 1Collect information about your organization, its products and services, from every member o f the distribution chain

1. Direct and indirect customers internal and external customers

2. Suppliers

3. Whole sellers

4. Managers5. Workers6Any other relevant stakeholderQ3 Explain what sorts of data you would expect to collect from whom you would collect it and how you think the data might contribute to your organizations success.

To access customer feedback

1. Use telephone or written survey

2. Conduct on the spot interviews

3. Talk to your customer

4. Leave customer feedback form out on services.

5 Use email

6. Record all complaints, resolutions procedures

7.Record all returns ,warranty issues and repairs

Q4 from what other stakeholders might you collect product /service quality related information and how would this information contribute to improvement processes?

Answer

Other methods are

1. Mystery shoppers

2. Benchmarking against competitors and best practice organization

3. Product testing

4. Focus gruo

5. Governmnet statistics

6. Market search

When customers make improvement suggestions fooloow up on them. Let the customer know that their ideas have come under considerable that you value their input.This will achieve

1. Improved product/service

2. Customers who feel valued and important

3. Return business

4. Word of mouth advertising customer loyalty5. Access to a wide range of improvements ideas

All information collected from stakeholders should actively contribute to product,sevice and bundle improvements.Activity7

Q Explain the link between resource acquisition and quality outputs and explain how resource management is related to quality management and to continuous improvement.

IN organizational terms, resources are the inputs that enables the business to operate and to product outputs. Input are transformed by the organizations core process into the product /service that is intended to achieve the outcome of customer satisfaction.Resource management procedures those procedures used to develop ,procure and use resource effectively to provide quality products and services-are intended to ensure continuity of quality resources and timely inputs so that operations are not interrupted or disrupted.

Activity 8

Q1 If you or your team work group identified a problem or developed a new idea with regard to improving customer service,how in what format and to whim would you present this idea.?

Answer: 1.Identify problem and issue symptoms2.Identify root causes

3. Gather data and consult with the necessary personnel

4.Analyse data

5.Develop problem solutions to be taken

6Analyse risks

7Select the solution to be implemented

8Implement the solution 9.Monitor the effects of the soulution

Q2 What are the procedures that would normally be followed to resolve problems relating to product quality and customers service that might arise

Answer

1.Product service design ,production or placement

2.Market research and information gathering processes

3.Operational plans and procedures

4,Staff traing procedures

5Resource procurement procedures

6Team structure

7Service delivery procedures

8Inputs supplies ,staff,financial input

9Processes

10Work Practice

11Product./service design

12Service delievery procedures

Where problems with work practice are identified as a casual factor the remedy might involve:

1.Traning

2. Caoching

3.Mentoring

4.Performance Conselling

5 Reassignment of individuals or teams

6.System changes /improvementsQ3How does recorded data contribute the problem solving process and to continuous improvement of products and service delivery?

Answer: Performance and operations records are also used to manage variation the degree to which products /services fit within the range of acceptable variation is acceptable if It does not adversely affect the quality of the product/service. Where variations outside the acceptable range are discovered.All Work and work practices, including customer services and methods of addressing customer needs must be subject to continuous development of improvement ideas.