Communication
Communication questions test the process model, listening, and professional etiquette in a retail setting, including handling irate customers and bridging language differences.
The process
Sender → encoding → message → channel → decoding → receiver → feedback, with noise possible at every stage. Choose the channel by urgency and the need for a record: face-to-face for service recovery, written for policy, price or delivery commitments.
The 7Cs
Clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, courteous.
Skills
- Active listening: full attention, no interrupting, paraphrase and confirm.
- Questioning: open to explore, closed to confirm, probing to clarify.
- Non-verbal: eye contact, open posture, nodding, controlled tone; a respectful greeting suits Indian retail.
- Telephone: answer within three rings, identify the store and yourself, note the query, repeat the number.
- Written: subject line, short paragraphs, no slang, state the action and deadline.
- Escalation language: 'Let me check with my supervisor', never 'That is not my department'.
Worked example
A customer shouts that a delivery is late. Poor response: 'It is not my fault, the courier is delayed.' Better: listen without interrupting, lower your voice and slow down, acknowledge - 'I understand you have been waiting since Monday' - then give one specific fact and the next step: 'The consignment is at our hub; I will call you by 4 pm today with the delivery slot.' Note the number and follow up. The anger is usually about uncertainty, not the delay itself.
Traps that cost marks
- Hearing without listening.
- Saying no before offering an alternative.
- Using jargon the customer does not know.
- Promising a callback and not making it.