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20180423v1.1PWCNetworkingandCustomerInteractionsLGDay3.docx
Professional Year Program Professional Workplace Communication
Networking and Customer Interactions
This module addresses the following elements:
Apply interpersonal networking skills
Develop an ‘elevator pitch’
Describe customer service
Define internal and external customers and clients
Apply strategies for determining customer and client needs
Manage difficult situations and complaints
Apply strategies for resolving customer complaints
Networking
Activity 3.1: Networking Bingo
Work the room and apply your networking skills to complete your Networking Bingo Sheet. The first person to complete their sheet should shout “Bingo!” to win.
Activity 3.2: Networking Homework Activity
What didn’t work so well? Why?
What went well?
What could you do differently next time?
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Q: How can we build networking into everyday conversations?
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Successful networking is about creating valuable connections.
It’s not enough to focus on what a contact can offer you.
Think about how you can assist or help others and what value you offer them.
Elevator Pitch (‘1-minute commercial’)
Why ‘elevator’ pitch?
If you were to meet a potentially important contact for the first time in an elevator, and they were to ask you “What do you do?” you’d have 15-20 seconds – the time between floors – to make a positive impression so they’d want to exchange contact information with you.
What is it? A concise self-marketing summary of 15-20 seconds.
Why do you need one? To briefly and effectively communicate your key personal information any time you meet a potential employer, client or contact.
Why so short? When you only have a few minutes of someone's time, you’ll need to make those few minutes’ memorable.
Outcome: A successful pitch is where the other person relaxes and says, "Interesting. Tell me more."
Q: Only for elevators? Where else could we use it?
Sample
Elevator Pitch – can you identify the parts in the structure?
Hi, I’m Qinyin Tan. (Exchange introductions)
I just graduated from Charles Sturt University, majoring in Web Development. I’m very interested in E-commerce website design so really enjoyed your presentation. In fact, I developed an e-commerce website for a local charity a few months ago.
I’d love to learn more about what you’re doing at BigE. Could I connect/Link In with you or might I have your card, so I could stay in touch? (IT graduate interested in web design)
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5 | PY Learner Guide | 20180423 v1.1 PWC: Networking & Customer Interactions © Performance Education 2017
Activity 3.3: Elevator Pitch Structure
Using the template below, prepare your own Elevator Pitch. Pay careful attention to the tips and useful language provided.
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Structure |
Useful Language |
Tips |
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1. Greeting and name |
Hi – Hello – Good Morning – Good Afternoon – |
Look the other person in the eye. Make a good impression with positive body language. |
Hi my name is Taranjit |
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2. Skills
Education
Experience |
I studied at – I majored in – I work for – My business is… – |
Give concise information on your qualifications and/or skills. |
I studied at IIBIT Adelaide. I majored in IT. |
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3. Strengths
Recent Achievement
Particular Interests |
I’ve just finished – I’ve worked in – I’ve been reading about – I understand that – I recently developed – I’m intersted in an internship in… – |
Elaborate on something you’ve achieved, are interested in or any other relevant topic that will make you memorable.
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I developed a website for an education institute few months ago. |
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4. Goals and Connect |
I’m keen to learn more about – Do you know how I can – I would love to hear how – I’m inspired by – I believe that – Can we stay in touch – Could I Link In with you - Might I have your card … Could we swap contact details? |
Explain your interest and motivation in connecting. Try to match your aims with what you think their needs/interests may be. Request to connect and stay in touch.
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I’m keen to learn more about the IT and gain new skills, Could we swap contact details to stay connected. |
Activity 3.4: How to introduce yourself quickly
Listen carefully to the clip. Complete the worksheet as you watch and listen.
1. First, ____________prepare_______________ what you’re going to say.
2. Then, ____________practice_______________ it in front of a mirror or in front of the camera so it comes out smoothly.
3. Be aware of your _______________________body language__________________________.
4. First, your voice. Speak_______loudl and clearl enough______________so people can understand you.
5. Enunciate more than you might usually. It might be the first time people are hearing your name, or which division of the company you’re from or what your business is. Don’t___________mumble________________, don’t rush.
6. Speak with_______________little bit more energy_____________________________ especially if it’s a large group you’re speaking with.
Elements of your body language include
7. Your________eye contact______________ .It’s important not to look down when you’re trying to introduce yourself.
8. Your facial expressions. Remember to ________smile___________________, to relax yourself and your audience and to convey sincerity and warmth.
9. Your posture. It’s important to______stand straight____________________________ because it helps you to be energised. It helps your voice as you’re inhaling more oxygen so your voice is nice and strong.
10. Be mindful of your posture as it will demonstrate ________confidence___________________ if you have a good, strong posture.
Remember your elevator pitch should be part of a natural conversation.
Asking questions and taking an interest in the person you’re meeting should create a lasting, positive impression.
Activity 3.5: Networking Event
You’re attending a professional networking event hosted by your University Alumni Association.
Your aim is to apply your small talk, positive relationship building, and networking skills in five 4 minute conversations with different individuals or small groups.
Remember to use your elevator pitch to introduce yourself and to apply the strategies you’ve learned to keep the conversation going and politely make an exit, when needed.
You may want to reference the useful language in the box below:
Useful Language
These questions would follow after some small talk, so you’ll know the person’s name.
1. So, what do you do, (name)?
2. How did you get involved in…? (Accounting, IT, Finance, Programming, etc.)
3. What do you enjoy most about what you do?
4. What part of your work is most challenging?
5. What’s your professional background?
6. How do you see the future in your/our profession?
7. What skills do you think are particularly important in your role?
8. I’m starting my career here in Australia. What advice would you give me?
9. Can I give you my business card? Could I have your business card?
10. I find what you do very interesting. Can I send you a LinkedIn request?
11. I’m very passionate about our area and I have some good ideas. Can I run them by you one day?
12. I’m looking for a XXX position, do you have any suggestions as to how I could go about finding a job in that area?
13. Considering my background, how well do you think I would fit into your company?
14. I’m very interested in your organisation. Are there any job vacancies at the moment?
15. It’s been great meeting you. We should stay in touch. Can I give you my details?
Address Customer and Client Needs
Activity 3.6: Story Time!
Ask students to share stories about their best and worst customer experiences with each other. After everyone has had a chance to contribute, the group could nominate the best (and worst!) story to share with the wider class.
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Customers need and want…
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Customers dislike and are frustrated by…
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Exceptional customer’s service requires…
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Activity 3.7: Seven Essentials for Customer Service
Listen to the video and complete the steps in the spaces below. 1. Be aware of the 3 things every customer wants
a) Your customers want to be __heared____________________________
b) Your customers want to be understood. Do this by asking _____________questions______________
c) Your customers want to be __cared for_______________. Show concerns for them and try to accommodate their request.
2. S E C
a) Smile – appear happy, be enthusiastic. We expect service with a __________simel back as greeting_________________.
b) Eye Contact – making eye contact, shows you are ready to engage with them. Use eye contact in combination with the ______smile_____________________ .
c) __________comment_________________– make small talk, pay a compliment
3. Listen to the customer – customers want to be ________listetened what they are saying.
4. Empathies with your customer when they’re having issues. Use language like ____________normal____
5. Create solutions for your clients’ issues and complaints. Get creative and do things you may not have _____through before_____
6. Clarify the situation with the client. You need to make sure the customer is ___100 % setisfy_
7. __follow up with all your customer______. You want to make sure each of your customers had a great experience with your business.
The Role of Customer Service
Your role as a team member, and that of the organiastion is to focus on meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of both your internal and external customers.
Customers interact with us using various communication channels – the telephone, email, letters, workplace documents, chat forums, social media and face-to-face.
Positive customer experiences rely on us
listening to what is being said
asking questions for clarity
offering advice and providing solutions
and fulfilling expectations.
Some customers are well informed about what they need, while others may rely on your advice and guidance. You’ll also need to be able to ask questions, record information accurately and in detail, and take follow-up action.
Identifying Customer Needs
Customer needs may relate to advice or general information about your organisation’s products and services. Dealing with internal customers may involve assistance or support to be provided, that will enable them to complete their own tasks and perform effectively in their role.
We should never assume what a customer’s needs are, nor that they know exactly what is needed or even possible.
Asking your clients/customers the right questions will help you clarify how you could meet their needs. When customers show ignorance, are indecisive or uncertain, asking questions can lead to better outcomes.
Listen carefully
to discover what their needs are. Confirm what you think your customer/client has said, by mirroring and repeating back what you have understood them to have requested.
Whether handling a complaint, assisting a customer or managing an ongoing client relationship, appropriate questioning will allow you to make informed decisions about the best action to take.
Activity 3.8: Who are our customers?
TN: Divide Ss into separate ACC and ICT groups for this activity. You may even assign specific roles to different tables to explore the various customers each would deal with, for e.g. accounts receivable, accounts payable, management accountant, tax consultant, programmer, web developer, business analyst, help desk technician, etc. You could ask Ss to contribute the different roles they’re interested in working in during their internship to improve the relevance further. Trainer to circulate in the room and help students identify different customers each role would deal with. Share answers and debrief.
Have you heard the terms ‘internal’ and ‘external’ customers? What’s the difference? Discuss. Then brainstorm a list of all the internal and external customers you’re likely to encounter during your work placement. What expectations might each group have?
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Internal vs External Customers |
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Which internal and external customers are you likely to encounter? |
What service expectations might they have of you? |
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E.g. Working in Accounts Payable dealing with Suppliers |
Prompt and accurate payment within agreed terms |
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E.g. Working in Accounts Receivable dealing with Clients |
Accurate invoices and statements of account, recognition of their valued custom, friendly and prompt answers to account queries, rewards, discounts, etc. |
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1. |
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2. |
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3. |
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4. |
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What’s the difference between a customer and a client?
Activity 3.9: Questioning Skills to Identify Customer Needs
Listen to the clip and complete the blanks below:
1. Successful people ask___better_questions______________, and as a result they get ____better_aswers_____________.
2. A closed question can be answered with ______simply yes or no____________.
3. An open question forces the person ____to_provide more_information_____.
4. A technique that starts off with asking open questions and is followed by more specific questions as you go along is called___funnel approach_____________________________.
5. Knowing how to ask the right questions is an essential communication skill____.
Question Types
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Open |
Probing |
Closed |
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A question likeley to receive a longer answer. |
Follow-up type questions to obtain more specific or in-depth information. |
Elicit a yes, no or short answer response. |
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What? Where? Why? How? When? |
Can you give me an example…? What exactly did you…? Could you tell me more… did you say that…? Tell me about… Why |
Is/Are? Do/Does? Did? Has/have? Can/Could? Will/Would? |
Quick Tip:
Make sure that you give the person you're questioning enough time to respond. They may need thinking time before answering.
Remember - skilful questioning needs to be matched by careful listening so that you understand what people really mean with their answers. Your body language and tone of voice can also play a part in the answers you get when you ask questions.
The Funnel Approach to Determining Needs
Asking a series of questions , narrowing from open, to probing, and then closed will ensure you can accurately determine your customer’s needs.
10 mins
PPT Slide 26
Activity 3.10: Mystery Shopper
In groups of 2 or 3, visit a store (not a restaurant or food venue) and engage with a customer service or sales person. Approach them and note the following:
Rate their service out of 10
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Mystery Shopper Insights and Learnings |
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Activity 3.11: Classify the Question Types
Classify the question types used in customer/client interactions on the screen:
Activity 3.11: Develop your Questioning Skills
Apply and practice your questioning skills by funneling your partner to the answers you’re looking for.
Useful Language
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Open |
What, Where, When, Why, How much, How often, How did you… etc. |
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Probing (always open) |
What seems to be…? What do you think…? How about…? Why do you think…? |
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Closed (yes/no/short answer) |
Did, Do, Does, Is E.g. Did you do…? Did you turn it off…? Is it working? Was it working? |
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Checking (closed question) |
Paraphrasing, repeating what you’ve understood or heard E.g. So I'm hearing that… Could I confirm that…? I understand… So, we’re going to… |
Don’t overlook the importance of
Paraphrasing - repeating in your own words what you think you’ve heard e.g. “What I hear you’re saying is…”
Questions for clarity – asking further questions to confirm understanding of what was communicated e.g. “Could you tell me a little more about what went wrong/you need from me?”
When customers share their story, they’re not just sharing pain points. They’re actually teaching you how to make your product, service and business better.
Kristin Smaby, “Being Human is Good Business”
Activity 3.12: Handling Customer Complaints
Sometimes despite our best efforts, customers will be dissatisfied. For those customers who do make the effort to complain, effectively resolving their issue is critical to ensuring their needs are addressed and recovering the relationship. Watch the video on how to handle a customer complaint.
Record in the spaces below the steps you could follow and any useful language or phrases to use:
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Step |
Useful Langauge or Phrases |
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1. |
Stay calm |
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2. |
Active listener |
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3. |
Repeat the concern | |
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4. |
Actively sympathies |
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5. |
Apologize |
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6. |
Find a solution |
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Useful language for addressing customer/client needs
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Listening and empathising (to confirm you’ve understood the client´s situation) · I see your point. · I understand. · I can appreciate that. · Thank you for pointing that out. · This must have been really frustrating. · I´m sorry to hear that. · I understand your situation. · I realise this must be frustrating for you. |
Clarify the information and ask for the details of the problem · Could you tell me exactly what happened? · Could you explain a bit more? · Do you mind if I just go over that again? · Could you tell me exactly which item was damaged? · May I ask if you´ve tried to use…? · I’m wondering, were you able to…? · Did you have the opportunity to try…? |
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Identifying the problem · I´m afraid (that) there is a problem with… · There appears/seems to be a mistake/mix-up with… · Unfortunately, we have a slight problem with… · It seems that one of the XXX was faulty/incorrect… |
Asking for clarification · I´m sorry, but I didn´t (quite) catch that /understand you exactly. · Could you repeat that, please? · Could you speak a bit slower/more slowly, please? · Could we go over that once more? · Can I just check that I’ve understood you…? |
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Apologising and accepting responsibility · I’m sorry for any inconvenience (this may have caused). · I’m/we’re terribly sorry about that. · Please accept my/our apologies. · It looks like an oversight on our part. · There seems to have been a misunderstanding. · It appears your order got overlooked. · I´m afraid there’s been some sort of mix-up.
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Promising and taking action* *say how and when the problem will be resolved. · I’m going to see how we can make this better for you. · I´ll take care of this at once for you. · I´m sure we can find the solution/get this sorted out. · This will be resolved by the end of today. · I’ll investigate and come back to you with… by the close of business today. · I’ll let my manager know how you feel, and let’s see if we can find a solution. · Here are some vouchers for lunch for any trouble we may have caused you. · I´d be glad to offer you…to make up for this inconvenience. |
Dealing with Unjustified Complaints
Are complaints always justified?
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Activity 3.13: Address Customer Needs Role Plays
This is an opportunity to put together all you’ve learned! Take turns to pair with different students and participate in a number of different role plays, involving different types of customers. Your role as the team member (providing customer/client service) is to:
1. Apply active listening skills
2. Demonstrate empathy
3. Display appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviour
4. Ask questions – use the funnel approach, where possible
5. Create and offer solutions
6. Follow up to confirm satisfaction
Assessment: PWC: CIQ - Customer Interactions Quiz
All students should complete the quiz on OWL within 5 days, preferably during class time.
References
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MindTools Questioning Techniques | |
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How To Introduce Yourself Quickly Video Clip | |
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Seinfeld Customer Service Example | |
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Bad Customer Service Montage | |
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Crafting an Elevator Pitch | |
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The Business Communication Handbook |
10th Edition, Judith Dwyer |
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Google Images |
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What communication skills did they use?
Did they ask you any questions?
How did they greet you?
Did they engage with you?
What did they do well?
In their position, what would you have done differently?
What did you notice about their non-verbal communication?
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9 | PY Learner Guide | 20171102 v1.0 PWC: Positive Workplace Relationships © Performance Education 2017
