Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Creating a welcome, building rapport
and developing a dialogue
•
Nods and smiles when appropriate;
•
Does not let his or her mind wander but stays
focused on the speaker;
Customer service staff have an important part to play
in making visitors feel welcome while on their holiday,
business trip, journey or day out. A warm smile and
friendly greeting go a long way towards settling
people into their, often unfamiliar, surroundings. This is
particularly true after a long fl ight or when people are
visiting an area for the fi rst time.
•
Doesn't interrupt the speaker;
•
Looks for non-verbal signals from the speaker to
help understanding, e.g. that a person is becoming
stressed or angry.
Customer service staff also need to know the right
questions to ask in order to give customers the best
possible service, whether simply giving information or
completing a sale. As you will see later in this unit in
the section dealing with selling skills, it is best to ask
'open' rather than 'closed' questions when dealing
with customers (see page 156). Closed questions only
produce a 'yes' or 'no' response, e.g. 'can I help you?'
or 'would you like a brochure?' Open questions begin
with phrases such as how, when, which and why - giving
staff more of a chance to strike up a conversation with
the customer.
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication (NVC), or body language,
is all about the way we present ourselves to others
and transmit messages, either intentionally or
unintentionally. Banging the table to make a point,
making eye contact, shrugging our shoulders or
creating a particular facial expression are all examples
of non-verbal communication. Other common types of
non-verbal communication include:
A Keycamp courier welcoming guests
Customers want to be made to feel that the members
of staff helping and advising them are treating them as
individuals and have their best interests at heart. One
of the best ways of doing this is for members of staff
to actively enter into dialogue with customers, thereby
building a rapport with the individual. A good way of
putting customers at ease is to remember and use their
names when dealing with their enquiries.
•
Bodily contact - e.g. shaking somebody's hand or
patting them on the back;
•
Physical proximity - the distance we feel we need to
keep between ourselves and other people;
Ef ective listening and questioning
•
Orientation - where we place ourselves in relation
to other people, e.g. an overseas representative
will often sit at the head of the table in a welcome
meeting;
It may sound obvious, but customer service staff need
to be good listeners so that they can fully understand
customers' needs. This is particularly important when
customers are unsure about something or don't
fully understand a situation, perhaps when making a
complaint, seeking information or asking for directions
in a resort. A good listener is somebody who:
•
Posture - whether slumped in a seat, sitting upright
and straight or leaning against a wall, there is often
something about our body posture that relays a
message to those around us;
•
Gestures - e.g. giving a 'thumbs up' to show that
•
Faces the speaker and maintains eye contact;
all is well;
