Summary
Summary Unit 4 - Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
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P3- UNIT 4 DESTINATION LEVEL
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Amy FowlerP3
Communication skills
You can write or type communications skills over the phone, face to face, via email and fax. Staff
must ensure that good language use and goof pitch, tonne and voice pace are used to communicate
appropriately. Written or typed communication tends to be more formal and often customers prefer
to have proof of what was said
face to face
When talking face to face with a customer, employees should be ready to deal with a common issue
or question a customer may have. An employee should know and have an answer to a commonly
asked question, for example, or a solution to a common problem. This might be that the customer
wants directions to their room, there's a problem with their room, etc. Knowing the answers speeds
up the process, leaving the customer more satisfied as they did not have to wait long. An employee
should be standing at a customer's arm's length to ensure they can be heard without getting
uncomfortably close.
Telephone e.g. call centre
When talking to customers over the phone, an employee should sound happy and ready to help a
customer rather than speaking in an uninterested, bored tone, this will brand the customer with a
good impression of the company, and could help calm an angry customer down. When a customer
describes an issue to an employee, they may take notes or write down important parts to mention
to a manager or other qualified employee to hand over the problem.
building rapport
The employee should try to build a friendly relationship with the customer by asking open questions
and making small conversations while talking to a customer. This helps to improve the experience of
the customer and makes them fall as if they were treated as an individual rather than as a customer.
effective listening
An employee in a business should have good listening skills; if a customer is talking and an employee
is not listening to them, it will become apparent and the customer might get upset or angry. This
could have implications for the company's employee and public image. More importantly, the
employee cannot provide the customer with correct answers or support regarding their query or
complaint
Questioning
It is not only important to show understanding and knowledge to ask the right question but also to
avoid misconceptions. For example, in a travel agent: if a customer walks in and wants to book a
holiday, the staff should ask him / her where the holiday should be, how many people it is for and
whether any medical or emergency resources are needed to avoid costumer disappointment and for
health reasons. This will have an advantageous impact on customer loyalty
developing a dialogue
Developing dialogue essentially means having a conversation with the customers, where both are
active and involved. For example, the employees need to try to get the customers to talk to get
feedback after purchasing a product or service that can be done by questioning what can be
, Amy Fowler
improved to learn from the feedback and improve. Ask them also how friendly and polite their
holiday was, this will make the customer feel welcome and also encourage repeated business.
non-verbal communication
Excellent nonverbal communication is important because the staff can have the most polite and
friendly voice, but the customer will not be satisfied with the customer service if, for example, they
do not face the customer or keep eye contact. The staff must have an open body language which
means standing up straight, standing back on the shoulders, facing the client and being confident. A
closed body language would be the opposite, like turning their back to the customer and just sitting
up there with their feet, but we're not aiming for that. The staff must also be careful and show this
through nodding, hand gestures and facial expressions that include smiling and eye contact.
body language e.g. eye contact
Body language includes how we sit or stand, hold our hands, use eye contact, our gestures and our
facial expressions. It is really important to be aware of our body language. We can also recognise the
customers needs to and feelings.
written communication
Written communication can take place between customers and employees through business cards,
leaflets and letters but also through emails and notes from employees to employees. The staff must
be able to write formal and neatly, and should make no spelling errors. Even more important is the
accuracy and understandability of the writing. If the information is given inaccurately or unclearly,
the recipient will receive the incorrect information that might cause problems. For example, if a
customer tells a staff member at the reception that he / she is allergic to dairy products and the
receptionist writes it down for the cook but instead writes allergic to nuts. That can risk the life of a
customer.
Presentation
of self e.g. hygiene, dress, personality
An employee working in a hotel should always look smart and presentable. This includes clean
uniforms, hair tied in back, clean shoes, etc. The ways in which an employee presents themselves
can influence how the customer views the business and shape their impression of the company
Appearance; of working environment
Also, a hotel lobby should be neat and presentable when visiting a customer. If the place of work is
untidy and dirty, a customer will think less about the business and may not want to stay at the hotel.
Employees should always try to maintain a clean, professional working environment to give a good
impression of business to the customers.
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