2.1
Introduction
Prior to going into different
types of tourism and how to build a career within the industry, we need to
address one thing that will often be the most critical part of working within
travel and tourism: the importance of the correct type of customer service.
Without good customer service
there is effectively no industry and yet, thanks to the complexity of the
industry, it is not something that is that easy to understand.
2.2 The Basics of Customer Service
As we said at the beginning of
this module, customer service is a critical part of the entire industry and
failing to really come to terms with being able to provide a quality service
will make life more difficult.When it comes to understanding
the basics of good customer service you are probably sitting there thinking
that this means you need to view the customer as always being right. Although
that is not necessarily the case, it is how you handle situations that will
ultimately result in you either being good at your job or struggling to deal
with the basics.
Whenever you are faced with
dealing with a customer it is important that you act in the correct manner,
listen to them, understand what it is that they are looking for, and then act
upon that information to the best of your abilities and also the limitations
placed upon you by the company or position that you are working in.A customer
does not want to hear excuses; they do not want to hear about why things have
gone wrong. Instead, they are looking for you to assure them that you have what
they need available and that everything is going to go well from then on.
We all know that this can often
be rather difficult to achieve but that is where your skills at dealing with
customers will prove to be rather useful. It is not always possible to give
them exactly what they need as customers can, at times, be seeking the
impossible dream. However, an individual that works within the travel and
tourism industry and is good at dealing with customers will still be able to
steer them towards something of interest and something that will come close to
what they originally wanted.
To do this, you need to consider
the following points in order to even be able to deal with the absolute basics
of customer service:
Do you fully understand your
industry?
Prior to dealing with any
customers there is a need for you to fully understand your part of the
industry, including products and services. The last thing a customer is going
to want to encounter is dealing with an individual that has to constantly seek
help as that comes across as being unprofessional. If you specialise in a
particular part of the world, then make sure you know as much about it as
possible or at least know how to seek out the answers in as short a period of
time as possible.
Think about your appearance
Customer service is also about
how you come across to the customer. You must remember that you are effectively
representing your part of the industry, or the company you work for, and if you
thought that the idea that 'first impressions count' was a fallacy, then think
again. If you look professional and sound professional then you are going to
portray what you offer in a professional manner. Furthermore, it will also help
to put the customer in a better mood and have them more relaxed if they feel
that the individual before them looks the part.
Listen and be flexible
We really do need to stress the
importance of listening to what the customer is asking as that is an important
part of being able to provide the type of service that they are looking for.
For example
You need to know where a customer
wants to travel to, when they want to travel, what they are looking for and to
then tailor those needs or wants into a package or a product that is suitable.
If you do not know the answer,be
honest
This is extremely important in
that if you do not know the answer to something a customer asks you, then do
not try to just lie your way through it as that is only going to make things
worse in the long term. Instead, be honest and up front and then make sure that
you get that answer as quickly as possible. It has been shown that honesty is
the most important characteristic that people look for when dealing with
companies and their staff so do not mess this part up.
Never allow your bad mood to be
transferred to the customers
You have to be very good at
putting on a brave face at all times when you are dealing with customers
because even if you are personally in a bad mood it is not their fault and you
should not show it. This does often result in having to act your way through
things but this is all about being professional. If you are in a bad mood then
it is not because of the customer, so do not take it out on them.
There are of course a number of
different aspects of customer service that can be more specific to your part of
the industry, but this is something that you will be able to learn more about
as you build your own experience within your job. Customer service and being
able to provide it to the best of your ability is something that is an ongoing
process and you have to continually be aware of what the market wants and also
what you are able to provide at any given time.
Remember, when it comes to travel
and tourism you need to know your stuff, especially when there is so much
competition. Do your research, double check your facts, and keep that smile on
your face whenever you are dealing with a customer.
FACT
Travellers from the United Kingdom are rated
the fourth highest spenders on international travel after China, Germany and
the USA, spending $52.3 billion (£31.12 billion) on international.
Source: Thoughtshift.co.uk
2.3 Understanding the Needs and Wants of the
Customers
If you have a basic understanding
of customer service and dealing with the public then you may be able to come to
terms with the needs and wants of the customers that you have to contend with
on a daily basis.
This is something that we all do,
no matter if it is because of some marketing that has caught our eye or
something that we need to purchase in order to make some kind of progress or
solve an issue.
In short, the idea behind this
theory is that any customer that comes to you has some kind of need or a want
and they feel that you are the correct person that can help them with whichever
one it is. However, there is a need for you to correctly understand what it is
that they are looking for, simply because this is going to determine both the
type and the level of help that you are going to be able to provide at this
moment in time.
Their Needs
Let us look at the idea of their
needs within this particular industry. A customer may need a room that is
equipped for a disabled person. They may need a room on the ground floor for
health reasons. They may need to book a flight and stay in a hotel on a certain
date for personal reasons. The potential list of needs can go on and on.
However, from your perspective,
it is clear to see what you need to do in order to provide them with the
correct type of customer service. Remember, providing quality customer service
leads to a happy customer and the potential for repeat business.
Identify their need and seek
clarity.
The first step is to not only
identify their need, but to get some clarity just to make sure that you have
done things correctly and understood the situation. This will not only show the
individual that you are actually listening to them, but at the same time it
provides you with the information that you need to then solve their problem.
Explain how you can help them
When there is a need, there is
also a desire to know that the individual that they are talking to about it can
do something to make a difference. At this moment in time you need to explain
exactly how you are able to help them as this is also going to give you another
opportunity to see if you have correctly interpreted what the issue appears to
be.
Act upon it and double check
It is all fine and well saying
you understand how you can help them, but there is a need for you to then act
upon it as quickly as possible. It should also include you checking that they
are happy with the solution that you have come up with as there should still be
ample opportunity for them to change their minds, or aspects of what they need,
during this stage.
Their Wants
There is also another side of
customer service and that is understanding the wants of the customer. This is a
bit different to needs where there can often be very specific requirements, but
at the same time it does also mean that there is more scope for you to really
work with the customer when we are talking about their wants.
For example
A customer may want a room with a
sea view. They may want the best deal on a trip. They may want to know the best
sights for specific interests. It is best to see their wants as a list of
requests, but with a certain sense of fluctuation in what they will be willing
to accept although it is still in your best interest to try to provide as close
to what they want as is within your means.
As you can see, the wants could
potentially be the same as the need but it is the reason behind it that is so
important. Knowing which side your customer falls on is going to make life so
much easier for you to do your job.
In summary, being able to identify
the needs and wants of customers will provide you with key information that you
can use to create a solution that is beneficial to all parties.Remember, a need
is often more stringent than a want, which you may decide to interpret as a
desire, although as you are the representative it is going to rest on your
shoulders to do the best you can to provide what the customer is looking for.
2.4 Dealing with Issues
No matter what you try to do in
order to satisfy a customer there is always going to be that moment where
things go wrong and there are different issues that have to be addressed.
This is where customer service
can become rather difficult because there is a need for you to remain
professional at all times even when the customers themselves are guilty of
doing things that are not too pleasant. However, that is not to say that you
are there to put up with being abused as that is certainly crossing the line,
but once again it is how you deal with it that is going to prove to be the most
important part.
So, when it comes to dealing with
any issues in any part of the industry, it is important that you keep these
following points in mind:
Stay calm
The first thing is to make sure
that you do not lose your temper because that will just make matters worse.
Staying calm can diffuse a situation, especially if you continue to talk in a
normal tone without sounding as if you are trying to irritate them.
Listen
The next step is to listen
because you need to not only hear what the customer is saying but also be aware
of what they are actually saying when reading between the lines. When you
listen and go to comment, make sure that you at least partly repeat what has
been said to you as this lets the customer know that you have indeed been
paying attention.
Apologise and say what you are
going to do.
If a customer is upset in some
way then you do need to offer an apology even if that apology is saying you are
sorry that they are so upset. This is not just done to pacify the individual
but it shows empathy and people do appreciate that. However, you cannot just
say sorry and then leave it at that because even if there is nothing that you
can do, you must still advise them of this and explain the reasons why.
These three basic steps are
absolutely essential when it comes to dealing with a situation and to prevent
it from spinning out of control. This is the same approach that you would use
no matter the industry as people need to be treated in the exact same way no
matter what products or services you are selling.
2.5 How to Improve Your Own Skills for Dealing
with Customers
Finally, we have to look at the ways in which
you are able to improve your own skills to make it easier for you to go ahead
and deal with even the most difficult of customers.
In order to do this, there are
several key points that we feel we have to point out so you can take them on
board and then act accordingly.
Be aware of your current
limitations.
The first thing you need to do in
order to deal with customers is to be aware of your own limitations. If you are
not aware of what your limitations are then how can you ever hope to develop
them and to improve your skill set?
Identify faults and work on them.
It is not enough for you to
identify your limitations without doing something to improve them. Instead, you
have to be prepared to go on a voyage of self-development so that your weak
areas are vastly improved even if they are never going to be your strongest
points.
Increase your knowledge.
In order to further enhance your
skills and to be able to deal with even the most difficult of customers, you
need to be able to increase your knowledge within your particular field. By
having more information about your industry it means that it will be easier for
you to answer any questions that a customer may have.
Practise.
This may sound slightly strange
for some, but it is worth spending time rehearsing how to deal with customers
by getting somebody you trust to enact that role. The idea here is for you to
go over what to say, how to say it, how to field those questions, and also how
to calm down an individual that is perhaps quite rightly upset.
It is a sad fact that the more
you have to deal with upset customers the better you are going to get at
dealing with them. This is not to say that you have to look forward to those
moments but rather just focus on your knowledge about your industry so that you
are not so stressed when an issue does indeed come around.
MODULE SUMMARY
In this module we have focused on
something that is so important that we have felt the need to discuss it right
at the start: the importance of correct customer service within the industry.
Being aware of how to correctly
handle customers, including those that are rather upset, will certainly make
your own life a lot easier and less stressful as well. Providing adequate
customer service is no longer enough. Instead, people are looking for the
best customer service at all
times, so focusing on how to deal with situations and how to improve your own
skills will go a long way to helping you.
As we have said throughout this
module, the information we have provided here is more of a general guide to
customer service rather than being
something specific to
the tourism industry. However,
being able to come to terms with how to correctly deal with customers will
certainly mean that they not only have a better time, but your working life
will also be less stressful.
In the next module we will look at
the way in which your career could potentially develop within this industry.
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