Customer Service and Sales Skills
This domain tests the conversation a retail employee has with a customer: greeting, finding needs, presenting the product, handling objections, closing, and resolving complaints within policy.
Service quality
Reliability (promise kept), responsiveness (quick help), assurance (knowledge and confidence), empathy (attention to the person) and tangibles (clean store, neat staff). Greet within a short, reasonable time, make eye contact, and let the customer browse without hovering.
The sales conversation
Use open questions ("What will you use it for?") to explore and closed questions ("Shall I bill this one?") to confirm. Present benefits with Feature–Advantage–Benefit: a 750 W motor is the feature, faster kneading is the advantage, and easier daily atta preparation is the benefit.
Objections, add-ons and complaints
Listen, acknowledge, clarify, answer, confirm. Cross-sell complements (batteries with a torch); upsell a higher version. For complaints: listen fully, apologise for the experience, act within policy, thank the customer, record it, and escalate beyond your authority instead of guessing.
Worked example
A customer says the mixer grinder is "too expensive". Reasoning: do not discount at once. Clarify whether the issue is budget or perceived value. If budget, show a lower-wattage model. If value, explain that the 750 W motor handles daily kneading and carries a five-year warranty, so cost per year of use is low. Close with a confirming question.
Traps that cost marks
Arguing with a customer; promising a delivery date or refund outside store policy; ignoring a customer who says "just looking" (stay available, do not block); writing opinions rather than facts in a complaint log.
Key points
- Open questions to explore, closed to confirm
- Feature, Advantage, Benefit turns specs into customer value
- Cross-sell complements; upsell a better version
- Complaints: listen, apologise, resolve within policy, record
- Never promise beyond your authority