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Unit 14 - Introducing customer service - ALL ASSIGNMENTS
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Unit 14 – Customer serviceJamal Ahmed
P1. Describe the different approaches to customer service delivery in contrasting businesses
service delivery in contrasting businesses.
Customer service is when a business aids their customers who need help or if they want to know more
about a certain aspect in the business. I currently work in Sainsburys as a trainee manager, as a trainee my
supervisor has advised me to put my training intentions towards customer service that Sainsburys would
provide for their customers. This Is because towards the end of my apprenticeship I will have a good
understanding of being a manager and have a good Sainsburys expectation of customer service.
I will compare Sainsburys with Apple, which is known for its excellent customer service.
Customer service roles:
One role of good customer service is being a supervisor. A role of a supervisor is that if a customer has any
issues, then it is important that the supervisor directs them and helps them out. The supervisor also has a
role like a manager which is important because they have a lot of responsibility, power and rather than
doing the work they are in charge of managing their colleagues and checking whether they are fulfilling
their role. For example, In Sainsburys if a customer has a question, then it is the supervisor’s duty to help
them out, such as if the customer wants to know where a certain product is in the shop e.g., the supervisor
can ask one of the colleagues, they are managing to direct the customer to the product they are looking
for. It is important that as a supervisor they need to ensure that the products are not out of date.
One role of a good customer service is being the Manager, the role of a manager is significant because they
are in charge of “Plan and allocate resources to meet objectives of C.E.O.” 1 this shows that their role as a
manager is important because they have to ensure that the business objectives are met and also ensure
that the people working in Apple are completing their allocated tasks e.g. the manager may set a ROTA for
the employees within the business to keep them busy instead if not doing anything this will also allow
them to fulfil their objective. Another important aspect of the Apple manager is that they are in control of
“Making detailed schedules and operating plans.”2 Such as setting schedules to meet marketing objectives
which will make the business successful. This is significantly important because a schedule will be
important to meet the required objectives within a set time which would make them work more efficiently
as they will be under time pressure. It is important that as a manager is ensuring that the employees are
fulfilling their tasks allocated so that they can meet their target objective.
Another role of a customer service is the checkout staff, this is when the staff at the checkout till are
required to help customers with any product knowledge. For example, some customers might want to
know about the health risks of a certain product which may have an impact on their health or allergies. The
staff at the checkout should be able to provide the answer so that the customer does not take any risks. It
is also important at the self-checkout section in Sainsburys also has customer service to aid customers who
do not know how to work the self-checkout machines. It is important that as a checkout staff they know
how the self-checkout machines work so that they will be able to provide aid to the customers who do not
know how the till works.
1
https://managementofapple.wordpress.com/role-of-managers/#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20Plan%20and%20allocate
%20resources%20to%20meet%20objectives%20of%20C.E.O.,detailed%20schedules%20and%20operating%20plans.&text=
%E2%80%93%20Plan%20and%20allocate%20resources%20to%20meet%20objectives%20of%20A.&text=%2DPlan%20and
%20allocate%20resources%20to%20meet%20objectives%20of%20B.
2
https://managementofapple.wordpress.com/role-of-managers/#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20Plan%20and%20allocate
%20resources%20to%20meet%20objectives%20of%20C.E.O.,detailed%20schedules%20and%20operating%20plans.&text=
%E2%80%93%20Plan%20and%20allocate%20resources%20to%20meet%20objectives%20of%20A.&text=%2DPlan%20and
%20allocate%20resources%20to%20meet%20objectives%20of%20B.
,Unit 14 – Customer service
Jamal Ahmed
Another role of a good customer service for Apple is technical support engineer. As a technical support
engineer, it is important that they are supporting their customers with Apples internal data and the inbuilt
software’s issues such as, Apple pay, Apple music, Apple TV, Apple maps etc. Additionally, another role of
the role of technical support engineer is that they will be required to “actively participate in the
development of the support tools and process”3 this is important for Apple so that they are consistently
updating the Apple’s support tool which is important for their consumers because when a new apple
product is released, they will need to provide solutions on how to fix issues such as resetting the Apple ID
password, managing your subscription etc. As a technical support engineer, it is important that they keep
their support app up to date because and also support their customers who are having issues with their
internal software such as resetting apple password.
Teamwork in customer service:
It is important that there is teamwork involved with customer service as it will be more efficient. For
example, in Sainsburys supervisors can be a group of people who are required to manage customer issues
and help them as soon as possible. It is important that there is good teamwork involved because it can lead
to good customer experience which could lead to them being more loyal to the business and leaving
positive feedback. Additionally, if the teamwork is negative then it would also have a negative impact
towards the customers because it would lead to unhappy customers which could lead to negative
experience and feedback. It is important when working as a team as a customer service they provide
excellent communication because it would determine how efficient and effectively the team can work with
each other which would end in a positive result.
Organisational rules and procedures:
It is important that the customer services fulfil the organisational rules and procedures as it would affect
the businesses reputation. For example, one of Sainsburys rules is “Being transparent about how we are
doing is an important part of building trust.”4 This indicates that one of Sainsburys policy is to build trust,
this shows that it is important that Sainsburys provides good customer service to their customers so they
can gain customer loyalty and build trusts with their customers. A second reason why the importance of
following Sainsburys organisational rules and procedures is because it is one of Sainsbury’s passion to aid
customers and to ensure that customers come back due to their good customer services. For example,
“Our customers value our colleagues as much as we do. After all, these are the people who are doing a
great job of creating the fantastic shopping experiences that bring them back.” This shows that if
customers are enjoying their shopping experiences due to the colleagues it shows that customers are more
likely to come back and shop again due to the fantastic policy and keeping the customers happy with their
shopping experience. For example, the staff in Sainsburys should show manners to the customers to make
them feel more welcoming which will make them come back more.
In apple it is also important that the organisational rules and procedures are met as it would also affect
customer experience and the businesses reputation. One of Apple’s organisational rules is to follow the
Apples principles of the business conduct. For example, their business conduct is “Respect, treat
customers, suppliers, employees, and others with respect and courtesy.” 5 This shows one of Apple’s
organisational rules and procedure is to be respectful towards their customers which is important for the
business as it would have an influence on their customers which would affect their customer experience
with the business. Another one of Apples organisational rules is to be show honesty. For example,
3
https://jobs.apple.com/en-gb/details/200233160/technical-support-engineer-x-2
4
https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/making-a-difference/corporate-responsibility/reports-policies-and-standards#2021
5
https://corporate.findlaw.com/contracts/operations/business-conduct-policy-apple-inc.html
,Unit 14 – Customer service
Jamal Ahmed
“Honesty. Demonstrate honesty and high ethical standards in all business dealings.” 6 This shows that
honesty is significantly important for Apple’s business as they do not want their customers to receive any
false information about the product for example, Apple may say the wrong specification for a certain
iPhone which could make the business seem untrustworthy, therefore, losing customer loyalty in the
process.
Knowledge:
Having reliable service is important in supermarkets such as Sainsburys is because if a customer is new to
the store and is not familiar with the store then they might ask one of the colleagues or staff members for
directions. It is important that they know the layout of the store so that they can guide the new customers
for example, the customer might want to know where the cheese is in the store and the employees will be
able to guide them to the aisle. Furthermore, reliable service will be important as some customers may not
know too much about the products sold, so the employees will need to provide service and also
information to fulfil customer expectation. Offering different options in Sainsburys is significant to fulfil
customer expectation because if the customers cannot find the item, they are looking for then they may be
disappointed. For example, in Sainsburys if a customer cannot find a product, they are looking for then the
customer service in the business can provide them an alternative which could be better than they initially
had.
Having reliable service is important in the Apple business because they will need to be able to provide the
right information to their customers. For example, in Apple it is important that customer services
understand the specifications of the products being sold in the business for example, the Apple staff
members might produce the wrong information about the phone spec such as the RAM inside the phone
or how much storage space it has. This is because if a customer wants to know about a specific product the
customer service will be able to provide information on the phone and the price. Additionally, in apple it is
also important to offer different options or provide alternatives. For example, a customer who has no
experience with how apple products work because they are too familiarised with other branded products
such as Samsung. It is important that the customer service in Apple can produce a simple walkthrough of
the product about the simplest aspects of the phone and why Apple is the best alternative than other
brands. Another way Apple might show how offering different options is with the use of customer budget.
For example, if a customer has a budget lesser than £1000 then the employees in Apple should provide the
best offer to the customer which will make them feel as if they have got the best offer with the budget
they had.
In Sainsburys the knowledge needed for selling the good or services as a supervisor is important as they
oversee ensuring that everyone is on task and the customers are satisfied. The knowledge needed for a
supervisor is that they need to ensure that the products sold in Sainsburys are up to date and that they are
not out of date. This is important because it will make customer disputes avoidable as customers will not
complain about out-of-date food and the business will not receive negative experience or feedback.
Additionally, another knowledge the supervisor will need in Sainsbury’s is that if the customers ask for
where a certain product is then it is important that the supervisor has the knowledge of all the aisles in
Sainsburys. This is important for meeting customers expectation as the supervisor will be able to provide
guidance for the customer and fulfil their needs.
Secondly, the knowledge needed for selling goods and services as a checkout staff is important as they are
reliable for scanning the products for the customers and also assisting new customers. For example, it is
important as a checkout staff they understand how the checkout and self-checkout machines work in
6
https://corporate.findlaw.com/contracts/operations/business-conduct-policy-apple-inc.html
, Unit 14 – Customer service
Jamal Ahmed
Sainsburys because they need to be able to provide customers with the knowledge of how to use the self-
checkout machines so that customers are going in and out efficiently instead of wasting time waiting on
the long line to make purchase at the till. It is important that they have this knowledge as a checkout staff
because it will help boost the process of purchasing products as customers will be able to make purchases
by themselves instead of waiting, this will also encourage more customers to use the self-checkout
machine which will increase sales for Sainsburys. Another knowledge needed by Sainsburys checkout staff
is that they need to efficient at understanding the aisles of the shop. This Is important because if a
customer wants to know where they can get a specific item from, they can ask the checkout staff for
quicker access and be given the solution. Another piece of knowledge the employees such as the checkout
staff should know is asking for ID. This is important because they will need to know whether the customer
is over the age of 18 to be able to purchase a certain product, e.g., cigarettes, alcohol, energy drinks.
In Apple, the knowledge needed for selling the good or services as a manager is important because their
duty is to ensure that employees are fulfilling their tasks and making sales in order to meet the business
objective. The knowledge needed for the manager of apple is that they will need to be very enthusiastic
about the products they are selling in the Apple store. This is important because they will need to be able
to advertise their products to their customers and influence them into purchasing their product in order to
make a sale. Another knowledge needed by the manager in Apple in order to be good at selling goods and
services is that they will oversee training and developing their employees. This is an important skill they
require because they can train or develop their employee’s knowledge and skill in order to be a good
salesperson for the business. The use of training of development will help employees to be more
innovative with being able to effectively negotiate with their customer and also be able to make a lot in
sales. Another example of knowledge the manager will require is that the employees will need flexible
working laptop for work they will need to use in work or at home. The technical team in Apple will need a
better laptop that has high processor built in as they will need to do more complex work since they oversee
a much-complicated part of the business such as interacting with customers from home.
Secondly, the knowledge needed for selling goods or services as an apple technical support engineer is that
they must be wary of the apple software and how to mitigate certain problems. For example, if a customer
has trouble with their Apple ID password, they can call up the technical support engineer to ask how they
can fix it, then the engineer must be able to provide a good step by step guide on how they can reset their
password. Another knowledge needed for Apple technical support engineer is that they must provide up to
date information about the Apple soft-wares and what adjustments they have improved or added for
customers to be able to be familiarised and comfortable with the adjustments made. This is important
because whenever Apple releases a new software update the technical support team will need to include
what new features have been included so the customers do not feel confused.
Selling skills:
One reason why effective selling skills is important in customer service is because it will encourage the
customers to purchase their products. For example, for Sainsburys one of the most important selling skill
they need to use is communication. It is important to have effective communication as a supervisor as it
would create a friendlier environment with the customers. This would make the supervisor a successful
customer service because they will be able to confidently speak to their customers and be able to
negotiate efficiently too. Another reason why communication is an important selling skill to have as a
supervisor because it can be beneficial when it comes to negotiating. For example, it is important that
communication is effective because it can also show confidence and if a supervisor has that skill, they will
be able to influence their customers to buy their products and encourage their employees to work more
efficiently.
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