Customer Service and Communication
Service standards on the floor
Quality is judged on reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles. Practically: acknowledge a customer within about 30 seconds, ask open questions ("What will you use it for?"), recommend, confirm, close and thank. Never leave a customer searching - walk them to the shelf.
Communication rules
Use the 7 Cs: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, courteous. Face the customer, keep open posture, maintain comfortable eye contact, nod, and avoid jargon. Paraphrase to confirm: "So you need a 5 kg pack that fits a small kitchen - is that right?"
Upselling means a higher-value version of the same product; cross-selling means a related product (batteries with a toy). Both must follow the customer's need, never pressure.
Complaint handling - LAST
Listen without interrupting; Apologise for the experience (not necessarily the fault); Solve within your authority or escalate; Thank the customer. Do it away from other shoppers.
Worked example
A customer returns a sealed pack three days after purchase, receipt in hand, saying the size is wrong. Reasoning: check the store return window and terms, check the seal and the receipt, check the batch is not a restricted category. If all clear, process exchange or refund through POS and record the return so stock and accounts match. If it falls outside policy, apologise, explain, and escalate to the manager rather than arguing at the counter.
Traps that cost marks
- Arguing with a customer in public.
- Blaming the supplier or the company instead of owning the solution.
- Promising a delivery date or discount you cannot authorise.
- Ignoring a waiting customer while chatting with a colleague.
- Using technical product jargon instead of benefits in plain language.