Retail Module 1 - Customer Service

Customer service
Introduction to Module 1
Re
Customer service is at the heart of all retail activity. In a highly
competitive industry, it is perceived to be the single most important
factor that influences peoples choice between one outlet and
another. Customer service has also been identified as an area within
the sector in which there are skills gaps.
This module will support learning for NVQ Unit D1 in Retail
Operations and other units related to customer service. The themes
give learners opportunities to find out more about customer service
and to develop the following communication skills:
recognising customer needs
responding to customers
using the telephone
advising customers and promoting services
dealing with complaints and returned goods.
In order to support learning in this aspect of retail, many of the
activities include audio clips, which are available on the
accompanying CD.
Module 1 Customer service
57
Retail Module 1: Customer service
Theme Page reference NOS/NVQ Literacy Numeracy Key Skills
What is customer Re 1:11:2 D.1 SLc/L1.3; SLd/L1.1; C1.2
service? SLlr/L1.5; Rt/L1.5
Recognising Re 1:31:4 D.1; C.5 SLlr/L1.3; SLc/L1.2
customer needs
Responding to Re 1:51:8 C.5 SLlr/L1.3; SLlr/L1.4;
customers SLlr/L1.6; SLlr/L1.2;
SLc/L1.1; SLd/L2.2
Speaking and Re 1:91:12 C.5 SLlr/L1.1; SLlr/L1.3;
listening to SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.3;
customers on the SLlr/L2.1; Rt/L1.5;
phone Rt/E3.4; Wt/L1.2;
Rt/L3.7; Rt/L3.9
Advising Re 1:131:16 C.3 SLlr/L1.1; SLlr/L1.4; C1.1
customers SLlr/L1.3; Rt/E3.8
Dealing with Re 1:171:18 D.3 SLlr/L2.1; SLlr/L1.1; C2.1a
complaints SLlr/L1.3; SLlr/L1.4;
SLlr/L1.5; SLlr/L1.6;
SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.2;
SLc/L1.3; SLc/L1.4
Promoting Re 1:191:20 C.12 SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.3;
services SLc/L1.4; Rt/L1.1
Dealing with Re 1:211:22 B.12 Rt/L1.1; Rt/L1.4; C1.2;
returned goods Rt/L1.5; Rt/L2.2; C2.2
SLlr/L1.1
Module 1 Customer service Re
58
1:0 Re
Skills checklist
You are dealing with people all the time in
retail, and customers and colleagues expect
you to be friendly and efficient at work.
Good customer service will make customers
come back to your shop again and again.
Customer service is not just about being
polite to people and dealing with their
enquiries. It is also about understanding
customers' needs and being prepared to put
yourself out to help them.
Good communication skills are vital in retail,
so that you can respond to a wide range of people. These
are some of the communication skills you will need in order
to be able to provide good service to your customers. Tick
all the skills you have already and then look at the checklist
again when you have used the materials.
Skills for good customer service Now Later
Understanding customers needs
Responding to customers needs
Talking to customers face to face
Giving information on the phone
Giving advice to customers
Promoting sales to customers
Dealing with problems and complaints
PAGES 1:11:2
What is customer service?
Re
Occupational setting
Customer service is at the heart of all retail
activities and yet has been identified as an area
where there are skills gaps in the sector. For
customer service to be good enough to make a
difference, it has to be uniformly excellent;
knowledge, practice and experience are needed to
achieve this. Many people who choose retail as a
career do so because they enjoy dealing with
people and this provides an excellent starting
point. To achieve excellent customer service,
employees need a good understanding of the wide
range of customer needs, a positive and consistent
approach to delivering service and an
understanding of the consequences of their
individual actions.
Customer service requires high-level speaking and
listening skills and these will need to be taught
carefully. ESOL learners in particular may need
significant support to develop a repertoire of
appropriate phrases to use with customers. All
learners will need to develop an understanding of
body language and its appropriate use. It will also
be useful for learners to consider different cultural
conventions that apply to visitors from abroad
and a range of cultural groups within the UK.
These two focus pages reflect the performance
criteria (PC) from Unit D1 and will help learners
to achieve competence in this unit. It is intended
to spark discussion about different facets of
dealing with customers, including such things as
cultural and ethical differences and equal
opportunities.
Materials
Performance criteria from Unit D1 of the
Occupational Standards from the Source material
(0:01)
Workplace guidelines, policies and procedures
relating to customer service
Relevant training video
Learning outcomes
1 To understand the principles of good customer
service through discussion (focus pages)
2 To read and interpret the PC from the
Occupational Standards (focus pages)
Introduction
Ask the group what they understand by
customer service and how they expect to be
treated as a customer. What would make them
return to a shop? What would make them go
elsewhere in future? What pleases them (e.g.
full attention of assistants)? What really annoys
them when shopping (e.g. assistants chatting
to each other when serving, being served in
wrong order)? Write ideas on the board or
flipchart.
If possible use a training video on customer
service to introduce the topic from the point of
view of the retail worker. Play clips that
highlight some of the issues around customer
service.
Who do they think is responsible for delivering
good customer service?
Focus pages
Note: the tasks for this theme are integrated
into the focus page.
Point out the information on banners at the
top of each page. Discuss.
Make sure learners have a copy of the
Performance criteria from Unit D1 of the
Occupational Standards from the Source
material. Read through these standards
together, thinking about what each means for
learners at work. Interpret any difficult
language or encourage learners to use the
product glossary. Learners will benefit from
keeping a personal notebook or section in their
folder with words that they want to remember.
The definitions for these words should be in
their own words.
Look at the cartoons and discuss the first one
as a group. Pick out any clues from the setting,
the body language or the facial expressions that
indicate what is happening. Use the cartoon to
initiate discussion about aspects of customer
service that it illustrates. Relate these to the PC
in D1. For example, is the service assistant:
59
Greeting the customer in a way that is
appropriate to his needs? (PC B)
Communicating with the customer in a way
that makes him feel valued and respected?
(PC C)
Selecting an appropriate way of
communicating with the customer that suits
his individual needs? (PC I).
Relate the whole discussion to appropriate
company guidelines and to general points
about adapting language to suit context and
audience. Include points involving equal
opportunities, etc.
Ask learners to follow the same procedure for
the other cartoons in small groups or in pairs
(i.e. relate each cartoon to the PC in Unit D1,
and company guidelines if appropriate). If
necessary, cut out the PCs so that they can be
moved around the pages, or produce a table or
list on the board that can be referred to.
Cartoons may relate to more than one
performance criteria.
Discuss as a group the points raised by each
cartoon. Encourage open discussion so that
learners become familiar with the issues raised
and comfortable with the language and style of
the performance criteria statements. Address
any concerns and raise awareness of less
obvious cultural issues.
Ask learners to go through the PCs from Unit
D1 of the Occupational Standards and identify
opportunities or situations from their
experience that would satisfy each PC.
Discuss personal examples of good and bad
practice in customer service that learners have
experienced as shoppers themselves or have
observed at work. Learners can then fill in the
scrolls on the focus pages with examples of best
and worst examples.
Curric. refs NOS/NVQ Key Skills
Rt/L1.5 D.1 C1.2
SLlr/L1.5
SLc/L1.3
SLd/L1.1
60
1:11:2 What is customer service?
What is customer service?
Re
Focus
61
1:1 Re
Customer service includes all the activities an
organisation carries out for its customers. Excellent
customer service means putting the customer first.
Examples of excellent customer service
Reasons for paying a return visit to a shop
62
1:2 Re
Focus
Examples of bad customer service
Reasons for not returning to a shop
Everybody in the store is involved with service to
the customer. The staff should be friendly, helpful
and knowledgeable about products and services.
PAGES 1:31:4
Recognising customer needs
Re
In a highly competitive market such as retail,
good customer service can be the one thing that
makes a customer return again and again. Good
customer service depends on a range of good
communication skills, in order to recognise and
respond to customers needs. This focus page is
about recognising customer needs by observing
and interpreting non-verbal signals such as body
language and behaviour. The contents reflect
performance criteria (PC) found in D1 and C5
of the Retail Occupational Standards and in
Module 1 A:ii of the Technical Certificate (How
and when to offer advice, information or assistance).
Materials
Video clip from a TV soap or fly-on-the-wall
documentary (if available)
Examples of customer feedback forms
Learning outcomes
1 To understand and use non-verbal signals to
interpret customer behaviour (focus page,
Task 1)
2 To use different strategies to clarify and
confirm understanding (focus page, Task 1)
3 To ask questions to obtain information or to
establish a customers needs (focus page,
Task 1)
Introduction
Play a video clip (from a TV soap or fly-on-
the-wall documentary) without the sound.
Discuss with learners how they know what
people are feeling even though they cant hear
what they are saying. How can they tell? What
non-verbal signals do they see? List these on
the board. Make sure the list includes different
aspects of body language and behaviour:
eye contact
facial expression
personal space
whole body posture
hand gestures
behaviour such as fiddling with things
looking around as if searching
walking pace walking with/without
purpose
actions that demonstrate anger or confusion,
as well as those that show that a person is
relaxed or comfortable.
Replay the video clip to affirm the groups
interpretation.
This activity can then be repeated in pairs with
another video clip. (It is important that the clip
shows a range of feelings but is not too
obvious.) The idea is for learners to pick up on
the subtleties of body language as well as the
more obvious clues.
It is important to realise that dyslexic learners
often interpret situations differently; you need
to anticipate and respond to this. ESOL learners
may also interpret body language differently.
Any differences of opinion should be treated
positively and valued. They help to illustrate
the importance of checking with the customer
first if they require any help.
Focus page
Point out to learners that, in many cases,
customers will ask for assistance if they need it.
In some circumstances, however, customers
may not feel confident about asking for help
but will give non-verbal signals. In this case it
is up to the customer assistant to recognise the
signals and then to find out if they can help.
Look together at the first picture. What are the
signs that this customer may need help? Ask
learners to look at the setting and clues around
the customer as well as at the customers body
language. Use the list of signs on the focus
page and the points raised in the first part of
the session.
Raise the issue of making assumptions about
people this man is elderly so therefore he
needs help; this person is in a wheelchair, etc.
What are the dangers of this and the
consequences of inappropriate questions or
actions?
63
Ask learners to find out if there are any
guidelines in their store relating to equal
opportunities or communicating with disabled
customers.
Having established that there may be a need,
discuss the next step with the learners: what
can they say to the customer to find out if they
have read the situation correctly? How can
they establish the customers needs? Learners
may come up with a range of questions here
that they could ask the customer. It is
important that the questions are open ended,
do not make assumptions and do not invite
negative responses about the organisation or
store (e.g. These bags are rubbish arent they?).
ESOL learners will need further support to
practise questions with the appropriate
intonation.
Learners have now recognised and established
the customers needs.
Ask learners to repeat in pairs the process with
the second picture using these questions:
What might be the problem here?
What are the signs that tell me this?
What can I say to the customer? (This
includes wording of questions and
intonation.)
It is essential that ESOL learners can use the
appropriate language form and intonation
pattern to approach this situation.
Discuss real work situations in which particular
offers of help might be given (such as offering
to fetch a trolley for a person who is struggling
with a full basket). Emphasise that if, in doubt,
it is best to ask the customer if help is required
rather than assuming the sort of help the
customer needs.
Task 1
Recognise customer needs by reading non-verbal
signals
SLc/L1.2
SLlr/L1.3
Explain to learners that the idea of the task is
to use non-verbal information (body language)
and the clues from the setting to recognise that
a customer may need assistance.
SLlr/L1.3 D.1
SLc/L1.2 C.5
Remind them that many situations have more
than one explanation and to think of the
alternatives.
For each graphic, ask learners to think about:
what the problem might be
what signals or clues they are using to decide
what they can say to the customer by way of
offering help.
If the learner has difficulty
Discuss each graphic with the learner and
encourage them to make judgements by asking
direct questions: What can you see in the picture?
Why do you think the man is at the bottom of the
escalator?
It is important that learners do not feel that
there is only one correct answer to these
scenarios. Encourage them to think of more
than one thing to say to the customer, as long
as it is based on their observations of the clues
available.
Extension
Give learners some examples of customer
feedback forms to go through and think about
appropriate ways to respond to the suggestions.
Theme assessment
Ask learners to find out about access in their
own workplace, such as entrances, exits, stairs,
layout, lifts, ramps, etc. They should find out
whether there are particular problem areas for
some customers.
Ask learners to find out about and discuss as a
whole group the things you should and should
not do when assisting disabled customers (they
can find information from written work
documents and observation). Ask learners to
come up with a list of Dos and donts for
assisting disabled customers.
64
1:31:4 Recognising customer needs
Re
Focus
65
1:3 Re
Some customers ask for help when they need it whereas other
customers may just give non-verbal signals that show they
need it. It is up to the customer assistant to recognise the
signals and find out if they can help.
Tip
Find out if there are any
particular procedures in
your workplace for
offering help in
different situations.
Watch for signals that show a
customer needs help, such as:
looking confused, angry or upset
wandering around
constantly picking things up and

putting them down again
sighing, frowning or muttering.

Use the signals to help you decide what
sort of help the customer might need.
Then either:
ask if the customer requires any help

or
offer particular help in a polite way.

Dont:
make assumptions
say negative things about

the products or staff.
Look at picture 2 and discuss with a partner:
What might be the problem here?
What are the signals that tell you this?
What could you say to the customer?

B
U
T
1
2
Re
Task 1
How good are you at recognising customer needs?
Look at these pictures of different customers and answer
the questions.
Task
66
1:4 Re
Tip
Look at the pictures
carefully to see the
signals being given.
a What might be the problem here?
b What are the signs that tell you this?
c What could you say to the customer?
Make requests and ask questions in unfamiliar situations.
1
2
3
SLc/L1.2; SLc/L1.3
PAGES 1:51:8
Responding to customers
Re
Dealing with a wide range of people presents a
challenge to everyone working at the front end of
the retail sector. Employees must be able to adapt
the way they respond to people, but also stay
within customer service guidelines. This focus
page is about responding to customers by
listening actively, using positive body language
and speaking appropriately to suit the situation. It
reflects some aspects of Unit C5 from the
National Occupational Standards.
Materials
Customer service video (if available)
Audio equipment
Learning outcomes
1 To understand the need to adapt responses to
different people and situations (focus page)
2 To understand how to respond appropriately to
a range of people and situations (focus page,
Tasks 13)
Introduction
Ask individual learners to list the people they
have communicated with in the last 24 hours.
As a group, discuss the categories of people
they communicate with friends, family, work
colleagues, customers, team leaders, managers,
shop assistants, bar staff, etc. Do they
communicate in the same way with all these
people? How does the type of relationship they
have with the person affect the type of
communication used? (e.g. Do they address
friends in the same way as they address
customers? Do they speak to strangers on
the phone in the same way as they speak
to their colleagues face to face?) As a group
come up with a list of words to describe
these interactions, such as chatty, friendly,
polite, formal, businesslike, respectful, matey,
loving, etc.
Elicit from the group what determines these
categories: tone and volume of voice, content
of the interaction, the words used, body
language used, etc. Write these on a board or
flipchart as prompts.
Ask the group to think particularly about
communicating with and responding to
customers. As a group, try to identify important
principles and features of this interaction. Put
ideas on the board or flipchart as a spider
graph, to show the many facets of this
interaction.
If a training video for customer service is
available, this will provide a good focus for
these discussions.
Focus page
Use the focus page to look at responding to
customers by listening and speaking.
Go through the examples of good practice for
listening. Demonstrate or ask learners to
demonstrate the difference between good and
bad body language when listening. This may
vary across cultures ESOL learners may be
able to broaden the discussion to include any
cultural differences they have noticed.
Complete a paired exercise in listening: ask one
learner from each pair to leave the room.
Explain to the remaining learners that they will
ask their partner to describe something (e.g. an
event in the past). They should demonstrate
good listening skills initially but then start to
show signs of not listening until they are
clearly demonstrating that they are not
listening or are not interested in their partners
explanation.
Ask for feedback on this activity. How does it
make you feel if someone is not listening
attentively?
Emphasise the value of repeating information
to the customer to confirm what they want.
67
Go through the tips and teaching points for
speaking to customers. Ask learners to give
examples from their own workplaces and
discuss different policies in their workplaces for
speaking to customers.
Ask learners to give examples of greetings they
use in different situations. Discuss which are
appropriate with customers and why.
ESOL learners may need further supported
work on register and intonation, including
evaluating their use.
Explain that the phrase be sincere means to
mean what you say. In other words show that
you genuinely want to help, or you are really
welcoming a customer when you say good
morning, etc.
Task 1
Understand and select appropriate ways to ask
customers if they need help
SLc/L1.1
Remind learners about using language and tone
that is appropriate to the situation and to the
customer.
Describe the scenario and play the audio clips
through once.
Discuss some of the more obvious contrasts
between the clips. Encourage learners to use
language that describes types of interaction,
such as formal, informal, familiar, insincere,
positive, etc. Put these terms on the board or a
flipchart as a reminder.
Play the clips again and allow learners to
complete the task. Give learners the
opportunity to discuss any questions that they
are unclear about. Play the clips again for
learners to confirm their answers.
1
SLlr/L1.3 C.5
SLlr/L1.4
SLlr/L1.6
SLlr/L1.2
Play each clip in turn and discuss the
appropriateness of the language and tone used.
Ask questions about language and tone for each
one. Would you speak to a customer in this way?
Why is this wrong? Is it the words that are wrong? Is
it the way it is spoken? What are the positive things
about this? Unpick at least two clips with the
learner and then encourage them to complete
others with fewer prompts.
Extension
Write out a general greeting or offer of assistance.
In pairs, learners try out different ways to say the
same sentence by changing the tone and the
emphasis on different words.
Task 2
Listen for differences in language and tone
SLc/L1.1
Remind learners of the difference between
formal and informal language, and of the
occasions when they are likely to use each type
of language.
Play the audio clips through again for learners
to pick out the most formal and the most
informal clips. As a group, discuss the language
and tone that helped learners to make their
choices.
Ask the learners how they can tell if a speaker
is being genuine about offering help this is
about tone of voice more than language. Play
the clips through again and ask learners to
complete the last two questions.
Play the clips one more time if necessary for
Encourage learners to focus on the third
question, having done the first two questions
as a whole group.
Play the audio clips again, one by one,
stopping after each and asking questions about
what the learners heard, for example, If
someone had spoken to you like that when you
were in a shop, would you think that was
appropriate? etc.
1
68
1:51:8 Responding to customers
Re
Repeat this process with question 4, asking
questions about who sounds the most polite.
ESOL learners will need practice in producing
appropriate responses with the correct
intonation.
Extension
Role-play in pairs situations in which learners
offer help to customers unprompted. Decide on
the best language and tone that gives the right
balance between formality and informality and
sounds as if you genuinely want to help.
Task 3
Understand and match appropriate responses to
different situations with customers
SLlr/L1.3
SLd/L2.2
Remind learners that their responses to
customers will vary in order to respond to their
differing needs.
Work through the first situation as a group so
that learners understand what they are being
asked to do. Use at least one of the solutions in
the boxes plus any other ideas learners have
(accepting that there may be more than one
solution).
Explain to learners that there is often more
than one solution to any one problem and
there may not be one clear answer. It is
acceptable to try more than one strategy with a
customer as long as they fall within general
customer service guidelines.
ESOL learners will need lots of practice in
saying the appropriate thing. They are likely to
understand the strategies as competent
communicators in their own language, but will
need examples of how to do this in English.
Read through another scenario and the range
of options to ensure that the reading does not
interfere with the successful completion of the
task. Discuss the options with the learner. It is
often easier to make decisions like this based
on a process of elimination eliminate the
options that are clearly not appropriate
responses.
Discuss any options that are less clear. Make
sure learners understand all the language.
Extension
Ask learners to think of another solution to
each problem in case their first choice was not
successful.
Ask learners what they may say to the
customers in scenarios 3 and 5. For example,
Would you mind ; Please could you .
Theme assessment
Ask learners to check in their workplace induction
materials or training package for their own
organisations policy for these situations, then
report back to the rest of the group. In this way,
the correct procedure can be made clear to
everyone.
Task 4
Identify positive and negative communication
skills from training notes
SLlr/L1.3
SLlr/L1.4
Some learners may be familiar with customer
service training videos and will have come
across these during their induction process. It
will be helpful to show an example briefly as
an introduction to this task.
Ask learners to look at the notes on the page
and discuss the scenario of being asked where
products are in the store. Most learners working
in retail will be familiar with this scenario and
will have been given guidelines about dealing
with the situation.
Ask learners to go through the notes and to
complete the table by identifying the positive
and negative responses made by each person.
Go through each response in turn and discuss the
merits of the reaction described in the notes. Ask
if the body language described is good and
positive. Does it demonstrate good customer
service?
Extension
In pairs, learners discuss and add to the list of
positive body language and negative body
language they have observed at work.
69
Task 5
Describe the ideal way to respond to a customer
enquiry
SLlr/L1.3
SLlr/L1.4
Ask learners to decide as a group which of the
responses to the customer enquiry was best.
Discuss further improvements that could be
made based on the extension from Task 4 or
from their own knowledge of workplace
practice.
Write down or describe to a partner any
improvements that can be made.
Encourage learners to decide for themselves what
improvements can be made, using the ideas in
the training notes as prompts. Encourage learners
to look up the customer service guidelines in their
induction or training materials if they have them.
Extension
Ask learners to find customer service guidelines in
their own induction or training materials and
check that their answer is correct.
Theme assessment
In pairs or small groups, learners create a poster
that could be used to remind people in their
workplace about responding to customers
appropriately.
70
Re
Focus
71
1:5 Re
Customers quickly make up their minds about the customer
service you provide. You need good communication skills to
respond to a wide range of people and adapt to their needs.
Listen and
show you are
listening.
Body language
should be positive,
open and reassuring.
Stop whatever else you are doing.
Concentrate on what the customer is

saying. Dont get distracted.
Look at the customer.
Confirm that you have heard.
React positively to what the customer says.

When you greet customers or
offer help:
be polite not too formal

or informal
be sincere mean what you say.

Examples
Nod.
Face the customer.
Stand on the same level as the customer.
Make eye contact.
Smile.
Arms unfolded.
Lean slightly forwards.

Remember, every situation is different.
Treat customers as individuals.
Consider each customers personal needs.
Think about positive ways to help each

customer.
Deal with things yourself as far as possible.

Speak clearly using
appropriate language
and tone of voice.
Adapt to different
customers and
situations.
Can you think
of any more?
Re
Task 1
Listen to these assistants speaking to a customer who is
searching through a rail of clothes in a store. Put a tick by
the ones who speak in an appropriate way and a cross by
the ones who do not speak in an appropriate way.
Task 2
Listen to the assistants again and answer the questions.
1 Which assistant uses the most informal language?
2 Which uses the most formal language?
3 Which one sounds least caring? Give a reason for your choice.
4 Which assistant gives the best greeting overall? Give a reason
for your choice.
SLc/L1.1
Task
72
1:6 Re
Tip
Listen carefully to
what is said and
how it is said (the
tone of voice used).
Remember!
Informal language is
used in relaxed
social situations,
such as with friends.
a c b
1
1
Use appropriate language and tone of voice.
d f e
Re
SLlr/L1.3; SLd/L2.2
Task
73
1:7 Re
Tips
You can discuss the

ideas shown in the
boxes below or think
of your own.
There is more than

one solution for some
of the situations.
Choose the one you
would do first.
a Speak clearly and
not too quickly.
b Repeat the information in
a slightly different way.
c Ask the customer to
repeat the question.
e Ask whether the
customer would
like you to repeat
anything.
f Repeat what you
think the customer
said to check that
you have understood.
g Fetch a senior staff
member to talk to the
customer instead.
h Take the
customer to a
different area.
i Ask the customer
to speak up.
j Shout or speak
very loudly.
d Tell the customer
that you will find out.
Task 3
Below are five different situations that could occur when
you are talking or listening to a customer. Discuss each of
the situations with a partner. Say what you would do in each
case to help the customer.
Speak clearly and appropriately, adapting to different situations.
1 You notice that the
customer you are about to
speak to has a hearing aid.
2 A customer wants to know
why a particular item is not
on the shelf.
3 You are trying to talk to a
customer in a noisy
department.
4 A customer looks confused
when you answer his
question.
5 A customer asks you a
question but you only hear
part of what she says.
Re
These notes were made by a trainee while watching a customer
service training video. They describe the way four trainee assistants
reacted to a customer asking for help to find an item.
Task 4
Use the information in the notes above to complete the
table of positive and negative body language and responses
shown by each trainee.
Task 5
Using your table, discuss who reacted in the most
positive way overall and how this assistant could
improve on any negative responses.
SLlr/L1.3; SLlr/L1.4
Task
74
1:8 Re
Tip
Write in your own words.
Tip
Choose the person who has
the most positive points.
1 Listening to the customer
Describe the body language used by each assistant when listening to the customer.
Rufikat Made eye contact and smiled. Nodded.
Steve Smiled at his friend over the customers shoulder now and then. Made eye contact with the
customer rest of time.
Abdul Remained standing on a kick stool, looking down at the customer.
Looked at watch twice.
Gill Leant against a pillar, arms folded. Nodded when customer finished speaking.
2 Responding to the customer
Comment on how each assistant responded to the customers question about
where the shampoo is kept.
Rufikat Pointed to the aisle that displayed the product the customer required.
Steve Took the customer to the shelf which had the product she required.
Abdul Shook his head and shrugged. Moved away.
Gill Led the customer up and down several aisles.
Trainee Positive body language/response Negative body language/response
Rufikat Made eye contact.
Steve
Abdul
Gill Didnt know where the product was.
Identify positive and negative responses from training notes.
PAGES 1:91:12
Speaking and listening to customers
on the phone
Re
In many retail settings, customer service assistants
will have to deal with telephone enquiries or take
orders on the phone. As the first point of contact
for customers, it will be vital that a good
impression is created and maintained. Many new
entrants to employment lack confidence on the
telephone and will need clear guidelines and
practice to establish these skills. This focus relates
to Units D1 and C5 of the Occupational
Standards and to the Technical Certificate in
Retail Operations L2 Module 1.
Materials
Role-play cards
Audio equipment
Map on page 1:11 as an OHT
Dummy phones for role-play if available
Learning outcomes
1 To understand the range of interactions that
they may have to deal with on the phone
(focus page)
2 To identify and use good practice guidelines to
carry out telephone conversations with
customers (focus page, Tasks 16)
Introduction
Discuss with the group the difference between
speaking to someone face to face and on the
telephone. What makes one harder or easier
than the other? The key issue here is body
language or the lack of it when on the phone.
Ask the group to think about reasons why they
may speak to a customer on the phone.
Responses to this will vary according to the
type of business they work in and their own
job role. Situations may vary from giving
product information in response to enquiries
about product availability to giving
straightforward directions or dealing with
customer complaints. These can be listed on a
board or flipchart.
Give learners role-play cards to complete a
short role-play in pairs. These should be
conducted on dummy or internal phones
where possible or back to back so that body
language is eliminated. Emphasise that as a
customer service assistant they should try to
follow good practice guidelines as much as
possible. Customers may have a freer rein to
drive the role-play into a more difficult
scenario, but should respond appropriately if
the Customer Service Assistant demonstrates
good practice when dealing with them.
Sample role-play cards
The greater the variety of role-play cards the
greater the number of different combinations
that can be played out in the group. This
You are a shop assistant answering the
phone. You work in the sports department of
a department store. You have only been
working here for a week.
You are a customer phoning to find out
whether a shop has a particular brand of
mobile phone in stock. You live quite a way
from the store and dont want to travel
unless you know they have this item in stock.
You are a shop assistant answering the
phone. The manager is away and the
shop is very busy.
You are a customer phoning to complain
about the rude treatment you received
from an assistant when you visited the
shop last week.
75
activity can also be conducted in groups of
three, with one person acting as an impartial
observer.
Some learners who are less confident or not
used to role-play (such as ESOL learners) may
prefer to act as observers for each pair in order
to give feedback about the observation in a
whole group discussion. This could help to
throw up several important issues, including
cultural differences and the sort of utterances
used in English to show you are listening.
Obtain feedback from each pair and/or observer
about the role-play and identify what works
and what doesnt work on the phone.
Having established that there will be a number
of different situations and a range of ways to
deal with these situations, ask learners if the
businesses they work for have a standard
procedure for answering the phone and for
dealing with enquiries or problems. In pairs get
learners to make a list of good practice
guidelines when dealing with customers on the
phone. Make sure they think about the
situations listed on the board.
Focus page
Establish that on the focus page, items in green
boxes are examples of good practice and those
in red boxes are examples of bad practice. Go
through these examples first, asking for
comments about why one example is better
than another. Ask learners for other good
alternatives and procedures that they are
advised to use in their own workplaces.
Note: read out the item in the bottom right-
hand corner without word spaces so that
learners realise how difficult it is to listen when
people speak very fast without pauses or
punctuation.
Note: the blank red box indicates that there is
no response to the speaker to indicate that they
are listening.
As a group go through the bulleted lists of
points for speaking and for listening on the
phone. Learners can tick off items that they
have already identified on their own lists and
add extra items to the focus page if they have
them. (Make sure learners understand what is
meant by contact details. Think of scenarios
when contact details would be required from
the customer, for example, the customers
name and address for posting information, the
name, telephone number and possibly reason
for calling back for telephone messages to be
passed on, etc.)
Discuss how you can let the customer know on
the telephone that you are listening. There may
be cultural differences so ESOL learners can
help to extend the discussion. All learners will
benefit from clear examples of the things you
should and should not say.
Leaving messages on an answer machine is also
a difficult skill for some people. It is useful to
go through these points and ask learners to
complete this task using voice recorders. Allow
individuals to listen to their own recording and
evaluate themselves. More confident learners
may be happy for their recordings to be played
aloud and discussed by the group.
With ESOL learners, take all the good
responses and support learners to practise
saying them in an appropriate way.
Task 1
Listen to a telephone conversation and identify
good practice
SLlr/L2.1
Rt/L1.5
Direct learners to the lists describing good
speaking and listening skills when using the
telephone.
Explain to learners that they will be listening to
a lengthy conversation between a customer and
a sales assistant. Initially they should listen
carefully and think about customer service and
the general impression given.
Ask learners to discuss any general issues about
the conversation. Refer them to the lists on the
focus page as issues come up. Encourage
learners to think about the good points as well
as criticisms they have.
Play the audio clip through again and ask learners
to tick items on the list if the sales assistant is
doing them correctly. Allow discussion about this
within the group or in pairs.
Listen to the audio clip to allow learners to
confirm any items they are not sure about.
2
SLlr/L1.1 C.5 BF C1.1
SLlr/L1.3
SLc/L1.1
SLc/L1.3
76
1:91:12 Speaking and listening to customers on the phone
Re
This is a substantial amount for learners to listen
to and absorb. Learners having difficulty will
benefit from having the task broken down. Play
the audio clip a bit at a time and assist the learner
to go through the list on the focus page by asking
direct questions: Does the sales assistant use an
appropriate greeting? Does she confirm the order
correctly with the customer?
Task 2
Pick out key information to complete a message
to be left on an answering machine
Rt/E3.4
Remind learners of the tips for leaving a
message on an answering machine.
Ask them to use the given information to
complete the partially completed message.
Check that learners understand the task and
know where to find the additional information
they need.
Learners may find it helpful to read the partial
message aloud to themselves in order to predict
the missing words.
Extension
In pairs, learners practise recording the message
using a tape recorder, a telephone answering
machine or mobile phone and play it back to
evaluate. Ask learners to think about speaking
clearly and giving information such as telephone
numbers slowly enough for someone to write it
down.
Task 3
Create a message to be given to an answering
machine
Wt/L1.2
Emphasise the value of preparation if learners
feel unhappy about leaving messages. This will
ensure that they include all the information in
a clear and logical way.
Explain the task and remind learners that all
the information they need is on the page. They
should use their own name.
Remind learners that it is a good idea to read
the message through to a friend or partner to
check that it is clear and contains all the
correct information.
Go through the task and ask the learner what
they think the message needs to tell Mr Singh.
Use the previous message as a model. Ask the
learner which details they need to pass on.
Construct the message using the details on the
page and the message from Task 2. Encourage
the learner to keep reading the message back to
ensure that it makes sense.
ESOL learners need further support on the
delivery of the message.
Extension
Give learners a range of scenarios relevant to their
own workplace and ask them to record suitable
messages using an answering machine or mobile
phone. Check that learners use the list of good
practice for their speaking skills.
Task 4
Give clear directions to a customer
Rt/E3.7
Rt/E3.9
Refer to the fifth point in the list of points for
speaking on the phone (Give any information
or directions clearly and in the right order.) Ask
learners if they have ever given or been given
directions. What is important about this?
Introduce the scenario on the page but remind
learners that they are giving these instructions
on the telephone, so it is very important to get
them in order and to be as clear as possible.
Project the map onto a screen if you would like
to complete this task as a group, or allow
learners to work individually. If completing as a
group, ask a member of the group to identify
the route on the map by pointing and tracking
the route as the task is completed.
Identify with the learners the starting point
using the speech-bubbles on the page.
The instructions given in the speech-bubbles
could be written onto cards or sticky notes for
the learner to sort into order (with help if
necessary). This will be a more suitable method
for dyslexic learners and for learners with a
strong kinaesthetic preference.
If learners are having difficulty reading and
understanding the map, they may need
additional support, but can be encouraged to
practise by using maps or plans of familiar places.
77
Dyslexic learners may have difficulty with
directional words and orientating themselves
and will require extra support to tackle this.
ESOL learners will benefit from work on
prepositions and prepositional phrases.
Extension
In pairs, practise giving directions using a shop
plan or local map/atlas. (Use dummy internal
telephones or learners can stand back to back.)
Encourage learners to get the route clear in
their minds before starting to give instructions.
Task 5
Listen to telephone greetings to identify different
qualities in speech and the impression each gives
SLlc/L1.1
Ask learners to reflect on the list of good
practice and their comments and discussions
during the previous tasks.
Ask them to think about how different people
sound on the phone and how they can change
the way they speak to sound more positive,
confident, interested or disinterested. Refer to
the qualities of speech such as speed of delivery,
volume, tone and emphasis and give examples
of how this can change the way you sound and
the clarity of what you say.
Play the audio clips and ask learners to listen
and comment on what they hear.
Ask learners to listen again and use the spaces
on the page to record their responses. Discuss
the answers and ask learners to give reasons or
to suggest improvements to what they have
heard.
Play the audio a final time for confirmation.
Learners may be able to identify that an audio
clip sounds wrong, but may find it difficult to
identify why the example is incorrect. Put a list
on the board of different aspects of speech that
can be used as a checklist (e.g. speed too fast,
too slow, etc.) Learners should be aware from
the example on the focus page that rapid
speech is hard to comprehend.
ESOL learners may benefit from practising the
good versions of these greetings.
Extension
Make up an alternative telephone greeting and try
it out with the group.
3
Task 6
Listen carefully to a customer to identify their
needs
SLlr/L1.1
Remind learners of the need to listen carefully
to customers and to identify their needs.
Confirm that the clip is an example of poor
communication.
Tell learners they will only be able to listen to
this clip once and must respond by identifying
the requirements of the customer.
Play the audio clip through once, asking
learners to tick off the customers requirements
on the list.
If the learner has been unable to identify all
the items on the list, ask how they would
respond to this customer. What questions do
they need to ask to ascertain exactly what is
needed?
Some learners may need to hear the audio clip
again but encourage them to listen carefully
the first time and then continue with role-play
to resolve the situation.
Extension
Continue the conversation with this customer
with a partner, confirming her needs and
giving the correct information. Conclude the
conversation correctly.
Ask learners to discuss how they could
interrupt the customer to clarify what she
wants.
Using the audio script, learners should role-
play the customer and employee, using
appropriate phrases for interruption and
continuation.
Theme assessment
In pairs, record or video a similar role-play
conversation in which a customer telephones
to ask whether certain ordered items have
arrived. (Members of the pair should take turns
at being the assistant and the customer.) Use
dummy phones to help the role-play.
Assess the recording using the checklists on the
focus page and make particular note of whether
proper confirmation of the details took place.
4
78
Speaking and listening to
customers on the phone
Re
You need to speak and listen carefully to customers on the
phone. Add to the lists any extra things you can think of.
Focus
79
1:9 Re
When you speak on the phone make sure
that you:
Introduce yourself politely
Speak plainly and clearly
Use a tone of voice that shows respect
Give the customer the information he or she

requires
Give any information or directions clearly and in

the right order
Ask questions to confirm that the customer has

understood what you have said
Offer any extra information that may be useful to

the customer
Take contact details if necessary
Say goodbye in a polite and attentive way
How may I
help you?
This is the
sports
department.
Youre er speaking
er to oops
are you still there?
Yes we have one copy of that book in stock.
Would you like me to reserve it for you?
This is a message
for Mrs Havers.
Can I put you through
to another department?
Did you say you want
to order a magazine?
Is that all OK or do you
need more information?
I see. Mmm. Yes I
understand. Go on.
Bye then.
I have no
idea who
you want.
STOP GO
If you have to leave a message on an answer
machine:
Have what you want to say ready on a notepad
Speak slowly and distinctly
Introduce yourself and your company clearly
Only mention important information
When you are listening to customers make sure

that you:
Listen carefully
Concentrate on what the customer is saying
Let the customer know you are listening
Make your comments relevant to what the

customer is saying
Say goodbye in a polite and attentive way
Say that
again.
What do
you want?
Youll get the last copy
if you get here quick.
Oh I hate these
things
ThisisJohnfromWaterfordswithamessage
forMrsHaversaboutthebikesheordered
theniceblueonewiththedrophandlebars
ifyougiveusaringyoucanpickitup
Shoes for Mrs Young
in stock until Sat.
May 12th.
Bits and Bobs
Top for DIY supplies in
Shropshire
Tel 08081-570989
Re
Task 1
1 Listen to this shop assistant talking to a customer on the
phone. As you listen, highlight all the things on the lists
on the focus page that the shop assistant does.
2 Compare your list with a partners. Discuss any ways the
shop assistant could improve her telephone technique.
Task 2
Marcia has to leave a message on a customers answer
machine. Use the information on the notepad to fill in the
missing words in her message.
Task 3
You need to leave a message about a recent order on a
customers answer machine. Use the notes on the notepad
to write a suitable message. Use your own name.
Task
80
1:10 Re
16th August
Order for spotlights placed
by Mr H Singh now in stock.
Will keep them for him for
3 working days.
2
Remember!
Be clear.
Include only
important
information.
Hello this is Marcia from Brothers in
Galway. This is a message for Mrs .
This is just to let you know that the
you ordered are now in stock. We will keep them for you until
Saturday . If you need any help, just
give us a ring on .
Goodbye and thank you.
Leave clear messages.
Brettles Brothers
Galway
Tel: 01632-776241
NEW SAMCO
SUPERSTORE
OLD SAMCO
SUPERSTORE
Church
Re
Task 4
Number these directions in the order the
assistant should tell the customer.
Rt/L3.7; Rt/L3.9
81
1:11 Re
Remember!
The customer cannot
see you and you cannot
see the customer your
voice must get across
all the information the
customer needs.
Ask questions to check
that you are giving the
information that the
customer wants.
Ask questions to check
that the customer is
following what you are
saying.
Can you tell me the
way to your new store
please? I know where
the old one was but Im
lost after that.
Certainly.
This time take the first exit
and follow the signs to the
car park on your left.
You will pass a church
on your left.
If you need any more
help, dont hesitate to
call again.
Pass the old store
keeping it on your
right.
Take the third
turning off the
roundabout.
Follow the road round
until you come to a
roundabout.
Keep going for about a quarter of a mile
until you reach a second roundabout.
You know how to get
to the old store?
Have you got all that?
Task
Give directions clearly and ask questions to check that what
you are saying is understood.
Re
Task 5
Listen to these assistants and decide how each assistant
sounds to the customer.
SLc/L1.1; SLIr/L1.1
Task
82
1:12 Re
Tip
Your tone of voice will give
the customer an impression
of you and your workplace.
Speak as you would like to
be spoken to.
3
Task 6
Listen to this customer and decide exactly what
she is asking for. Tick the things on the list.
4
1
2
3
4
5
6
MESSAGE PAD
Customer called requiring:
(please tick as appropriate)
appointment with personal shopper rainproof coat
confetti shoes
cutlery suit
handbag tights
handkerchief umbrella
hat underwear
matches wedding present
overcoat wellingtons
too fast
Speak clearly and listen carefully.
PAGES 1:131:16
Advising customers
Re
Advising customers is an important part of
customer service in many retail settings. In order
to advise customers, staff will need good listening
skills so that they can identify customer
requirements, and up-to-date product knowledge.
Materials
Audio equipment
Customer requirements cards (to be made by
teacher if required)
Baby and toddler car seats catalogue page from
the Source material (0:02)
Learning outcomes
1 To listen to customers requirements (focus
page, Tasks 16)
2 To identify sources of information to improve
product knowledge (focus page)
Introduction
Ask learners to listen while you role-play a
customer describing what they want, ensuring
that there are a number of clear requirements
and some things that the customer does not
want (e.g. Im looking for a present for my
grandson. Hes seven on Tuesday. Hes mad
about anything to do with dinosaurs. I dont
want anything that has batteries because its a
nightmare to keep replacing them. He likes
making things I dont want to spend more
than 20.)
Ask learners to jot down this customers
requirements. Collate their ideas onto a board.
Check that they have picked out all the correct
information and clearly identified this
customers needs.
Ask the group what they need in order to help
this customer. Helping the customer depends
on their own product knowledge or their
ability to find the information required quickly
so that they can advise the customer.
Ask learners in pairs to identify within their
own setting what sort of advice may be
requested by customers.
Focus page
Use the notes on the focus page as a stimulus
for further discussion.
Know your products: Ask learners to identify
the sources of information they can use to
update their own knowledge in order to
respond to customers. Compile a list of sources
on the board or flipchart. These may include:
training
product labels or leaflets
on-line information from their organisation
product update sheets
supervisors or sales people visiting the shop.
Listen carefully: Look at the example for
Customer 1. Play the accompanying audio clip
through a few times. Ask learners to identify
what the customer is asking for. What are the
key words or pieces of information that help
learners to identify this? How could they clarify
with the customer exactly what he wants?
Look at the example for Customer 2. Listen to
the audio clip. Pick out the key requirements
for this customer.
Note that the scripts of these two audio clips
are on the focus page for learners to read and
identify.
Give learners more practice at listening to key
requirements by working in pairs with either
ready-made cards for them to read to each
other or ask learners to make up their own
requirements. The other partner has to list all
the key requirements and repeat these back.
Emphasise that they must always check with
the customer that they have understood their
requirements. At the point of sale they should
also confirm with the customer that they are
happy with the choice they have made. Give
examples of what you can say to the customer,
for example Is it a strimmer you are looking
for?.
ESOL learners will need further support and
examples of things to say to check and confirm
information.
5
83
Task 1
Listen and identify customer requirements
SLlr/L1.1
Remind learners that one of the most
important aspects about advising customers is
to listen carefully and understand their
requirements. This means picking out key
information from what they say and relating
this to your own product knowledge.
Explain to learners that they will listen to a
customer and have to identify the correct
product from those shown on the page.
Play the audio clip through once and allow
discussion about the key points.
Play the clip through again to allow learners to
confirm their choice.
Help the learner to pick out the key
requirements by playing the clips as many
times as necessary. List the requirements or
features of the product needed. Work through
the pictures of products and identify the
correct product by a process of elimination.
Support learners who have reading difficulties
so that this does not become a barrier to
completing the task.
ESOL learners may need a lot of supplementary
or preparatory work on this, especially
regarding the language used for describing
objects such as you use it for ing.
Extension
In pairs learners practise listening to descriptions
of products from their own setting and identify
the product.
Task 2
Identify and confirm the key points from a
customers description
SLlr/L1.1
SLlr/L1.3
7
6
SLlr/L1.1 C.3 C1.1
SLlr/L1.4
SLlr/L1.3
Rt/E3.8
Remind learners that it is often useful to
confirm what you have understood by
repeating back the requirements to the
customer.
Explain to learners that they will listen to a
customer describing what they want. They pick
out the best summary on the page.
Play the audio clip through once and allow
discussion about the key points.
Play the clip through again to allow learners to
confirm their choice.
If learners have difficulty matching the written
summary with the information in the audio
clip, help them to list for themselves exactly
what this customer requires, before checking
the text on the page.
Allow them to listen as many times as they
need to or role-play using the audio script, to
allow for thinking time.
Encourage learners to tick off the features
described in the speech-bubbles to see which
matches most closely.
Extension
As for Task 1 but ask the listener to confirm what
they have heard.
Task 3
Listen to a customers requirements and identify
key points
SLlr/L1.1
Remind learners of the importance of listening
to customers carefully in order to identify key
requirements.
Suggest that sometimes it can be useful to list
the requirements to remind you what is
needed.
Ask learners to listen to the audio clip carefully.
Remind them that they need to pick out key
information about what this customer does and
does not need.
Allow time to talk about the scenario and make
notes. Play the audio clip again.
Remind learners that the list or notes they
make are for their own use. Accurate spelling
and grammar are therefore not critical.
Play the clip a third time if learners need to
confirm their list.
8
84
1:131:16 Advising customers
Re
Check that the learner understands the
requirements of the task. Listen to the audio
with the learner and ask direct questions to
identify exactly what the customer does or does
not want. Help the learner to jot these down.
Extension
Learners discuss with a partner any other relevant
questions they may want to ask the customer.
Task 4
Select products that fit the customer requirements
SLlr/L1.1
Check learner responses to the previous task
and discuss any issues that may arise.
Ask learners to look at the list of options to
decide what they would suggest to the
customer.
Emphasise the importance of offering a choice
to the customer and that more than one item
could be suggested.
Some learners will need to work on the
language of making suggestions and
appropriate intonation for delivery.
Go through the suggestions one at a time and
discuss the suitability of each by referring back to
the list of requirements.
Extension
Learners role-play the interaction with this
customer, making suggestions that are positive
and encourage the customer to buy.
ESOL learners will need some preparation for
this activity such as a model on tape,
brainstorming language for suggestions and
recommendations, and intonation practice.
Task 5
Listen to customer requirements and select the
correct product
SLlr/L1.1
Remind learners of the importance of listening
to customers carefully in order to identify key
requirements.
Ask learners to listen to the audio clip carefully.
Play it through once for gist.
7
Point out the tips and suggest learners note
down the main requirements they hear.
This can be done as a whole group on the
board/flipchart.
Play the audio clip again to double-check the
requirements listed.
Ask learners to find the two car seats on the
catalogue page from the Source material that fit
the requirements listed.
Check that learners understand the
requirements of the task.
Guide learners to scan the catalogue page for
one key word from the flipchart at a time.
Suggest that they underline the words they
find.
Some learners will need extra support in
recognising which two descriptions fit the
customers requirements. It might help to use a
process of elimination.
Task 6
Select products from a catalogue to meet customer
requirements
Rt/E3.8
Check that learners have selected the correct
items for Task 5.
Introduce the scenario that the items are not in
stock and that they now need to refer to the
catalogue to select an alternative car seat.
Make sure that learners each have a copy of the
catalogue page from the Source material.
Allow learners to listen to the audio clip again
and make notes on key features if they wish to.
Give time for learners to make choices and
discuss their selection.
Encourage able readers to scan through the text
for the features they are looking for.
It is important that learners have a clear idea of
what they are looking for before they begin
reading the catalogue items. A list of criteria
will help to eliminate products until they have
a selection that satisfies all or most of the
criteria.
Learners may need support to interpret the
catalogue format.
85
Some learners will need support to navigate
their way around this task. A systematic step-
by-step approach, taking one product at a time,
will help with this.
Extension
Ask learners to role-play the way in which the
assistant may describe their recommendations to
a customer.
Theme assessment
Learners find out about a product in their own
workplace. This might include:
what the product is
how much it costs
where it is situated in the store/workplace
what the special features of the product are
that could be useful for customers to know.
Learners present the information either in
written form or as a spoken explanation to
others. (This will benefit the whole group as
they will learn about different products.)
86
Advising customers
In order to advise customers, you have to listen to their
requirements and understand what they are looking for.
Re Module 1 Customer service
87
1:13 Re
5
Know your products
Listen carefully
Find out as much as you can about the
products so that you know what advice
to give.
Match products to customer requirements.
Where possible, offer customers a choice of
items or an alternative if the one they want
is not available.
If a customer cannot remember the
name of the product, focus on the key
description words the customer uses.
Check that you have understood
the customers requirements by
repeating the information.
If a customer wants help to choose a
product, listen carefully and pick out
the key requirements.
This includes focusing on anything the
customer does not want, as well as
what they do want.
Questions
What do you think customer 1 is describing?
Customer 2 wants a tumble dryer. Pick out the customers key requirements.
Check requirements
Customer 1
I need one of those thin electric things
that you use to cut round the edge of the
grass. I cant think for the life of me what
its called.
Customer 2
Im looking for a tumble dryer to fit under a
worktop. I saw a few in your catalogue but
I dont know which is best. It has to be a
cream colour not white. I need one that
takes more than 4 kg and switches itself off
automatically as Im out at work all day.
Focus
Advising customers
Re
Sometimes customers do not know exactly what they are
looking for. Sometimes they give you a lot of information.
You need to listen carefully and focus on the key words that
will help you remember their requirements.
Task 1
Listen to the customer describe what he is looking for. Circle
the item you think he wants.
SLlr/L1.1; SLlr/L1.3
Task
88
1:14 Re
6
Task 2
Listen to the customer asking about a car seat. Tick the response
that gives the best summary of the customers requirements.
7
Tips
Listen for key

description words.
Make a quick note to

help you remember
details.
Tip
Choose the one that
repeats the customers
requirements most
accurately.
Youre looking for a childs
booster car seat that
has washable covers and
costs about 60?
Youre looking for a car seat for
an 18-month-old child that has
washable covers, turns into a
booster seat and costs under 60?
Youre looking for a childs car seat and
a booster seat that have washable
covers and cost less than 60 each?
Identify key information to help customers choose products.
a
d
b
c
e
Advising customers
Re
Task 3
Listen to the customer asking for advice. Jot down her
requirements on the notepad.
Task 4
Using your notes above, tick the items that you could
suggest the customer might look at.
SLlr/L1.1
89
1:15 Re
Task
Tip
Listen for the key
requirements, including
what the customer does
and does not want.
Tip
There should be more
than one item that
matches the
requirements.
gold necklaces gold earrings
silver watches gold bracelets
mens gold watches range of brooches
womens gold dress rings silver earrings
Listen for relevant information.
8
Advising customers
Re
Where possible, you should offer customers a choice of product
to meet their requirements or an alternative if the one they
want is not available. For this reason, you will need to know or
find out about the products.
For these tasks you will be using the Baby and toddler car seats
catalogue page from the Source material.
Task 5
Listen to the customer and look at the information from the
catalogue page. Tick the two seats that fit his requirements.
Task
90
1:16 Re
7
Task 6
The two seats that fit the customers requirements are not
in stock. The customer does not want to wait for an order.
Use the catalogue information page again to find a possible
alternative seat for him.
Which seat meets all the requirements except one?
.
SLlr/L1.1; Rt/E3.8
Tip
You could list the
requirements to check
against the catalogue
descriptions.
Tips
Listen for key description

words.
Make quick notes to help

you remember details.
Match the key

requirements with the
written descriptions from
the catalogue.
1 Easy-carry car seat
2 Portable car seat
3 Deluxe car seat
4 Economy car seat
5 Comfort-care car seat
6 Two seat plus
Listen for relevant information.
Id like a car seat for an
18-month-old child ...
PAGES 1:171:18
Dealing with complaints
Re
Resolving customer service problems can be
difficult if staff are not confident in
communicating with others or do not know the
correct policies and procedures that should be
followed. Many learners will understand the
theory of communicating well but need concrete
examples of how to respond in different
circumstances. Some retail outlets will have
prescribed mechanisms in place and these should
be reflected in the teaching if they are known.
This focus reflects Unit D3 of the National
Occupational Standards.
Materials
Staff training video if available
Audio equipment
Role-play cards from the Source material (0:03)
Learning outcomes
To identify and understand effective ways to deal
with customer complaints (focus page, Task 1)
Introduction
If available, play a clip from a staff training
video to highlight some of the key issues
around dealing with complaints.
As a group discuss the issues and problems that
learners have experienced when dealing with
complaints or when trying to resolve difficult
situations at work. Key issues will include:
identifying the problem
keeping the situation under control
knowing what to do if customers are angry
or aggressive
knowing what you are able to offer the
customer
knowing when to involve your team leader
or manager.
List the issues on the board and ask learners to
discuss the solutions to these in pairs, based on
either their own experience or knowledge of
their own company guidelines and training. (If
there are a lot of issues, then these can be
divided between several pairs.)
Feed back the solutions to the group and invite
discussion. Ask the learners What if and
present them with non-routine situations.
Emphasise the fact that they must be clear in
their minds how they will behave in these
situations, so that they are not just reacting to
the customer spontaneously.
Ask learners how they will know if they have
been successful in dealing with the customer
and what the consequences could be if the
situation is not resolved satisfactorily.
Focus page
Reinforce the point that dealing with
complaints entails both understanding
company policy and being able to
communicate within these guidelines
effectively and with confidence.
Go through the dos and donts on the page
and ask learners to contribute examples and
experiences of their own that reinforce these
points. In particular:
make sure learners are given examples of
how you can express your concern, for
example by saying sorry or empathising
give examples of greetings using informal
language such as whatcha mate in order to
explain the meaning of informal language
emphasise the importance of letting the
customer finish the complaint without
interrupting
make sure learners understand how to
acknowledge other peoples anger.
Point out that a listener can use both visual
and verbal signals to show that they
understand or empathise, or that they are not
interested.
Emphasise that it is important to acknowledge
the customers feelings such as anger and
not to mirror the emotion as this can make the
situation worse.
Make sure learners understand what is meant
by open body language and negative body
language. Demonstrate or ask learners to
demonstrate strategies they have for indicating
that they are interested/not interested,
listening/not listening, etc. Also check that
learners understand the consequences of
copying aggressive body language.
9
91
Play the audio clip, ask learners to listen
carefully to the interaction. Discuss the
scenario with the group with reference to the
dos and donts listed on the focus page.
Listen again and ask learners to think about the
lists as they listen. They can mark off or
highlight any aspects of good or bad practice
that they identify. Check learners responses as
a group then listen to the clip once more,
pausing to identify any aspects missed by
learners or that you want to reinforce.
Think about ways that the assistant could have
got round the problem of the lost receipt, for
example, by checking if the customer paid by
credit card in which case the credit card
record would be available.
Task 1
Role-play a customer complaint scenario
SLlr/L1.1
SLlr/L1.3
SLlr/L1.4
SLlr/L1.5
SLlr/L1.6
SLc/L1.1
SLc/L1.2
SLc/L1.3
SLc/L1.4
Remind learners of the complaint they have
already listened to.
Introduce the idea of a role-play. Give out role-
play cards. There are examples in the Source
material but the more cards you have the
greater the range of combinations that can be
achieved. You prefer to make similar cards that
relate to a different retail setting or a range of
settings appropriate to the learners workplaces.
Support learners throughout, especially those
who are not used to role-play. In most role-play
situations there is one role that is more
straightforward because it is responsive. Offer
SLlr/L2.1 D.3 C2.1a
SLlr/L1.1
SLlr/L1.3
SLlr/L1.4
SLlr/L1.5
SLlr/L1.6
SLc/L1.1
SLc/L1.2
SLc/L1.3
SLc/L1.4
this role to less confident learners to start off
with. Check at step 3 that learners are clear
about their chosen situation.
Make sure learners understand that they should
think carefully about their role before they start
and put themselves in the situation of the
person they are playing. Ask learners to
consider as assistants whether they will try to
deal with the situation correctly or play the
bad assistant. As customers, learners can
decide to take a confused role, an aggressive
approach or to be quite straightforward and
clear.
Ask observers to use the Dos and Donts
checklists from the focus page to help them
evaluate the interaction. You may want to
make this into a checklist for learners to use
during the observation.
Allow learners time to complete the role-play
and discuss it as small groups before taking
feedback from the group.
Some learners find role-play difficult; however,
many people in retail are natural
communicators and will not have a problem
with this.
Pair learners having difficulty with a supportive
partner who can lead the role-play effectively.
It may be necessary to provide support by
intervening and talking about appropriate
responses.
Some learners will benefit from talking through
their role first so that they are clear about how
to react.
ESOL learners would benefit from evaluating
the effectiveness of the language they used so
that they know how a good or bad effect was
achieved.
Extension
Repeat this kind of role-play with a range of
different scenarios, set by you. Learners should
be prepared to analyse personal performance as
well as that of other participants.
Theme assessment
Learners should find out from their own
workplace policies and procedures how the
issues raised in the session should be dealt
with.
Learners can develop a checklist of
performance and use it to score their own
workplace performance.
92
1:171:18 Dealing with complaints
Focus
You are likely to have to deal with complaints from time to
time. Your workplace will have procedures for dealing with
specific customer complaints, but there are things that you
can do in any situation to stop it getting out of hand.
Do Dont
Look at the customer
Use open body language
Listen carefully
Stay calm
Be polite
Find out and use the customers name
Repeat the problem back to show you are

listening and understand
Express your concern
Thank the customer for bringing it to

your attention
Explain exactly what you are going to do

about it
Listen to the customer complaining to the sales assistant.
Discuss how well the assistant handles the situation.
93
1:17 Re
Turn away
Carry on or start doing something else
Use negative body language
Copy the customers body language
Argue with the customer
Shout
Be rude or sarcastic
Use informal language
Make excuses
Say you are going to do something then

not do it
Keep the customer waiting
Interrupt the customer

9
1 CUSTOMER CARD
This is the first time you have complained about
anything and you are feeling quite embarrassed about
it. You dont want to cause a scene, but you dont want
to be walked over either!
1 ASSISTANT CARD
You are having some personal problems at home and
things are very stressful. On top of this you have had a
busy day and you are feeling quite ill. The last thing
you need is a complaining customer!
2 CUSTOMER CARD
You often have to make complaints in this shop about
the goods and the service. This latest problem has
really annoyed you and you are not going to take any
more!
2 ASSISTANT CARD
The policy in your store is that the service assistant
should deal with complaints and not involve managers
unless it is essential. Can you satisfy the customer
without involving the manager?
Re
Task 1
Act it out!
Use the Role-play cards from the Source
material to act out a scene in which a
customer comes into a shop to complain.
Here is what you need to do:
1 Work in groups of three. Decide who will
be the customer, who will be the assistant
and who will observe and make notes.
2 Use the customer and assistant cards for
information about the characters. Decide
how the characters are going to behave
and the sort of things they might say.
3 Decide on the situation what is the
complaint about? You can use your
imagination or think of a situation you
have come across in real life.
4 Once you have got your idea, act it out
without rehearsing it. (This makes it more
like real life as you have to react to others
on the spot. Use your experience and
knowledge of these situations.)
5 The person who is observing should
watch the scene and note down what the
assistant is doing from the do and dont
lists on the focus page.
6 When you have finished acting out the
scene, discuss it as a group. You can use
the questions below to start you off.
SLlr/L1.1; SLlr/L1.3; SLlr/L1.4; SLlr/L1.5;
SLlr/L1.6; SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.2; SLc/L1.3 SLc/L1.4
Task
94
1:18 Re
Discussion questions
What did the assistant do correctly or

particularly well?
What would need to be changed and why?
How could this situation be improved?
Did the customer go away satisfied?

Remember!
Dealing with
complaints effectively
makes the experience
more pleasant for the
customer and for you.
Practise the speaking and listening skills you need for
dealing with complaints.
PAGES 1:191:20
Promoting services
Re
Promoting services or products is an essential part
of sales. Sales assistants who have developed these
skills are highly valued within the retail trade.
Promoting services and goods requires excellent
communication skills in order to understand
customer requirements and to communicate
product knowledge in a way that suits the
customer best. This focus relates to Units C12 and
C4 of the Occupational Standards.
Materials
Drawing paper
Customer leaflets for two different services
provided by the company
SAVECARD customer loyalty card scheme from
the Source material (0:04)
Learning outcomes
1 To give information in a clear way to help the
customer follow it (focus page, Tasks 2 and 3)
2 To give information to customers that is up-to-
date, accurate and factual (focus page, Task 1)
3 To promote services in a positive way (focus
page, Tasks 2 and 3)
Introduction
Explain that this first activity requires some
people to draw, but that the drawing only
needs to be very simple it doesnt have to be
good. Ask learners to sit back-to-back in pairs.
Give one person in each pair a simple picture
of an everyday object. This person has to
describe how to draw the object to their
partner but without using the name of the
object or giving any really obvious clues, such
as its use. The other person has to draw the
item in pencil only and is not allowed to
respond verbally in any way.
Once the task is completed, discuss with the
people doing the drawing what was difficult
about following the information they were
given. Prompt learners to consider how far
their understanding was affected by:
the amount of information given
the order the information was given in
how clearly the information was given
(regarding vocal delivery)
how accurate the information was (the
drawings might reflect this to some extent!).
Ask the people giving the information to talk
about their difficulties with passing on the
information. They might consider the difficulty
of describing the object precisely enough and
of knowing whether the other person needed
more time between each description or had not
understood something.
Ask everyone whether they mentioned things
like colour (although it was a black and white
drawing). Did this sort of information help the
drawer to picture the object better?
Summarise some key points that the activity
highlighted about passing on information.
Emphasise that it can be difficult to be clear
and accurate but that this helps other peoples
understanding. Highlight the fact that
communication is a two-way process and that
it is easier if you can see the other persons
reaction.
In small groups, give learners a customer leaflet
about a service provided by the company. Ask
them to read it and list the things that they
think are key selling points (benefits) for the
customer, for example, it might be free or save
time, etc.
Discuss their findings and make a fuller list on
the board. Talk about the importance of the
key selling points for giving the customer a
positive impression of the service. The key
thing here is how the service can benefit
customers.
Focus page
Link the introductory activities and the focus
page by giving a summary of the key points
when promoting services or products of giving
clear, accurate information to customers in a
positive way but without being pushy.
95
Talk through the points in blue boxes one by
one, getting learners to think of examples
specific to their place of work, where
appropriate. Explain any unfamiliar words and
give examples, such as jargon.
Discuss the sorts of circumstances that require
learners to adapt their language, for example,
some customers may already know quite a lot
about a service whereas others will know
nothing.
Emphasise the importance of giving facts.
Remind learners about trading standards and
consumer protection.
Write on the board the two headings Give
accurate information and Speak in a clear and
accurate way. Ask learners to decide which
bullet points in the focus page are mainly
about speaking clearly and positively and
which are about being accurate. Write these on
the board under the appropriate headings.
Note: you may prefer to give learners copies of
the focus page to cut up into individual points
that they can physically place below the two
main headings or categories.
Ask learners to think of any further details that
came out of the introductory activities. Add
these to the lists on the board.
Give groups of three learners a different
customer service leaflet. Each group is to give a
brief presentation to promote the service. The
rest of the group must evaluate this in terms of
clarity, accuracy and promotional value. A vote
can be cast to see which product has been
promoted the best.
Task 1
Find out about a service in order to answer
questions accurately
Rt/L1.1
SLc/L1.3
SLc/L1.4
This task requires the information on the
SAVECARD Customer Loyalty Card Scheme
from the Source material.
.
Because of the reading level of this task, you
could act as a trainer first to explain the
scheme before learners do the activity. This will
help learners to approach the reading with
some prior understanding.
Explain to learners that the idea of the task is to
use written information to find out about a
loyalty scheme in order to be able to answer the
sort of questions customers might ask about it.
Explain to learners that they will need to use
just the information in the leaflet to answer the
questions. They should note down their
answers for discussion afterwards. Remind
learners to put answers in their own words
where possible.
Note: this can be done in pairs as an oral
exercise instead, learners asking each other the
questions as if they are the customer asking
about the service. For example, the first
question would be What is the benefit of this
scheme for me? The assistant should answer
the questions as if speaking directly to the
customer.
Learners may have difficulty with the reading
aspect of this task and will need support to
extract the key information from the text. It
may help to use a highlighter pen.
A lot of product knowledge can be gained
through reading. Learners who are struggling
with this skill will need some additional
support to build their confidence and develop
their reading strategies. Making brief notes or
jotting down keywords may be a good memory
aid for some learners.
Learners may also have difficulty with
individual words within the text. Encourage
learners to use the product glossary and to
make a note of words they will need, together
with definitions written in their own words
that they can understand.
If you are concerned about the reading level,
this activity can be done as a whole group or in
small groups instead, with each group finding
the answer to one of the questions, then
pooling answers.
Extension
Ask learners to find out details about a similar
service (e.g. a loyalty scheme) in their own
workplace. They should make notes on the service
so that they know all about it.
96
1:191:20 Promoting services
SLc/L1.1 C.12
SLc/L1.3
SLc/L1.4
Rt/L1.1
Re
Task 2
Recognise clear and positive explanations
SLc/L1.1
SLc/L1.3
Remind learners about the points on the focus
page about giving clear information.
Explain to learners that they will listen to three
assistants once and put down their general
impression of who was the clearest. Then they
will have a chance to listen again.
Play the audio again so learners can check they
are happy with their choice.
Listen to each clip individually with the learner
and ask direct questions about the clarity and
accuracy of the information given. Ask the learner
to repeat back what they have learnt after each
clip.
Extension
Ask the learners to listen to assistant 3 again (the
one who gives the best information) and tick the
bullet points on the focus page that she does
correctly.
Task 3
Recognise what makes some explanations unclear
SLc/L1.1
SLc/L1.3
Remind learners again of the points from the
focus page about giving clear information.
Explain that they are going to listen to the
audio clips again but this time they should
concentrate on the ones they did not pick so
that they can work out why the explanations
were not clear.
Encourage learners to use their lists from the
focus page to help them decide what the other
two assistants are doing incorrectly.
Discuss this in pairs then as a whole group.
10
Listen to each clip individually with the learner
and ask direct questions about what seems clear
or unclear to them. Help the learner to identify
what aspects of the clip make it easier to
follow. Is it the words used, the order
information is given or the amount of
information?
ESOL learners will benefit from putting the
same information in words, but using the good
example from the audio material as a model to
try to achieve the same standard.
Extension
Ask learners to practise explaining the loyalty card
scheme to each other with a third person
listening to the explanations and giving feedback.
Theme assessment
Ask learners to prepare a short speech to sell the
service they researched in the task 1 extension
activity to the rest of the group. Remind learners
that the information they give must be accurate.
Learners can decide which service wins their vote.
97
1:191:20 Promoting services
Focus
98
1:19 Re
Promoting services
When you promote services such as loyalty schemes to
customers, you need to make sure you:
give accurate information
speak in a clear and positive way.

Tip
Some of them might
help you to do both of
these things.
Give accurate
information
Speak in a clear
and positive way
Know exactly what
a customer needs to
do to join schemes.
Have a good
understanding of what
the service is about
and how it works.
Dont use jargon or
complicated words
where simpler ones
will do.
Make sure you are
up-to-date with the
details of the service.
Keep information
simple by not adding
unnecessary detail. Repeat anything that
the customer has not
understood.
Smile and be polite
at all times.
Use words that
make the service
sound worthwhile.
Give information
in a logical order.
Dont mumble
or hesitate.
Adapt language to
suit each customer
and situation.
Speak confidently.
Give the facts.
Discuss whether the advice
in boxes helps you to:
give accurate information
OR
speak in a clear and
positive way.
99
1:20 Re
Promoting services
To give accurate information, you need to know about the
service or product.
Task 1
Read the information about the SAVECARD customer loyalty
card scheme from the Source material.
1 What is the benefit of the scheme for customers?
2 When do customers receive vouchers?
3 How does a new customer join the scheme?
4 If a card is lost what should the customer do?
5 Where can you find out more information about
the scheme?
6 How do customers get a card when they first join?
Task 2
Listen to these assistants explaining the loyalty card scheme
to a customer. Which assistant gives the best explanation?
Rt/L1.1; SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.3; SLc/L1.4
Tips
Read the information

carefully.
Look up any unfamiliar

words.
Put the information in

your own words.
Tip
Choose the assistant
who makes the
information easiest to
follow.
Remember!
Make information clear
and accurate.
Give details in a logical
order.
Task 3
Discuss what is wrong with the way the other two assistants
explain the scheme.
1
10
Promote services to customers in a clear, correct and positive way.
2 3
Task
100
PAGES 1:211:22
Dealing with returned goods
Customer-facing assistants in retail often have to
deal with returned goods and exchange situations.
They must follow company procedure to ensure
that they are operating within the law and also to
the benefit of both the customer and the
company they represent. Company guidelines will
be taught as part of induction training and will
also be provided in writing. Shop assistants may
need to make judgements about the action they
should take based on the information they receive
from the customer and a sound knowledge of the
company procedures. This focus reflects Unit B12
of the Occupational Standards.
Materials
Audio equipment
Refunds and exchanges policy from the Source
material (0:05)
Customer returns information from the Source
material (0:06)
Information or access to information about
legislation related to returning goods, refund or
exchange
Useful websites:
www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topic/facts/salegoodsact.htm
www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Learning outcomes
1 To understand the need to follow guidelines
and procedures to process returns (focus page,
Task 3)
2 To practise reading strategies to understand and
interpret information (focus page, Tasks 13)
Introduction
Ask learners to give reasons why customers
return goods, or to think of reasons why they
have needed to do this in the past. Discuss as a
group the way in which these returns may be
dealt with.
Ask how they know how to deal with particular
types of returns. If necessary, lead the
discussion to include reference to following
company procedures or guidelines and some
reference to the laws relating to customer
rights.
Ask learners to search for more information
about the sale and supply of goods on the
Internet or in their reference library. Most
website information will give the facts from the
consumers point of view. This gives learners
the opportunity to interpret the information
from their own viewpoint as retailers. The key
points from this research should be fed back to
the group. This may be an opportunity for
learners who are undertaking Key Skills
qualifications to give a presentation of their
findings.
Learners who have difficulty with the reading
aspect of this task may need to be supported by
emphasising different reading strategies:
skimming to find the correct source of
information, scanning to locate information
and then detailed reading to make sure they
have understood.
Focus page
Remind learners that they must comply with
legislation when deciding how to deal with
returns or exchanges. They must also know the
procedures outlined by their own organisation.
Ask learners if they know the procedures to be
followed. Have they learnt this during training?
Do they know where to find this information if
they need it? Ask learners to make sure they
can track this down in their own place of work.
In many instances, assistants will be making
routine decisions about returns: whether to
accept them, whether to give full refund or
credit notes, etc. Most retail outlets have
guidelines to be followed. Ask learners if they
have experienced situations where they found
it difficult to make up their own minds in spite
of following these procedures. Give examples if
necessary for learners to discuss. In these cases
they may need to refer the problem to another
person or look again at their own policies.
101
Having made a decision about the refund, is
there any further work to be completed? Ask
each learner to list other procedures or jobs
that must be done once an exchange or refund
is given. This may include completing a credit
note (How is this done? Manually or on a
computer?), returning the goods into stock,
returning the goods to a supplier, etc.
The fundamental issue about the returns
process is that learners must follow legal and
organisational guidelines. Different stores will
have different procedures and each learner
must familiarise themselves with these.
Task 1
Find out the purpose of a return and read to find
out what action to take
SLlr/L1.1
Rt/L1.1
Explain to learners that for practice they will be
using policies and procedures from the Source
material, rather than their own. Emphasise the
importance of reading and following their own
procedures at work.
Make sure each learner has a copy of the
Refunds and exchanges policy from the Source
material. Explain that they might need to read
the document in detail on this occasion to
work out how to deal with the return.
Play the audio clip through once for learners to
get the gist of the customers needs. Discuss
any issues with the group.
Play the audio clip again for learners to
respond to the questions.
If necessary play the audio a third time for
The answer to the final question is clear from
the text; however learners may want to discuss
other actions.
11
It is important that learners listen carefully first
to the refund scenario and are clear what is
being returned and why. Learners must then
read the guidelines with equal care and
attention to detail to decide on the action that
can be taken here. It will help some learners to
ask direct questions based on the text and the
scenario. Does the customer have a receipt? Is
the returned product in mint condition?
There are key words relating to retail that will
occur again and again, such as exchange,
redeem, receipt and debit. It is well worth
highlighting these words with learners and
encouraging them to use them as much as
possible.
Learners who have difficulty with reading text
at this level may need additional support to
improve their confidence with reading. This
may include paired reading and questioning to
encourage comprehension.
ESOL learners may have difficulty interpreting
the phrase in mint condition.
Extension
Ask learners to find out who is ultimately
responsible in their place of work for making
decisions on refunds and exchanges. They should
also find out from their own work procedures
what they should do if a customer wants money
back on an item that suffered damage after it left
the shop.
Task 2
Read and extract information from a returns
procedure
Rt/L1.1
Rt/L1.4
Rt/L1.5
Explain to learners that they will be using the
Customer returns information from the Source
material.
Remind learners to use the strategies for
finding information quickly as shown at the
top of the task page and practised in the
introduction.
Go through the first question as a group to
demonstrate locating the information using key
words (ordered, especially).
1:211:22 Dealing with returned goods
Rt/L1.1 B.12 C1.2
Rt/L1.4 C2.2
Rt/L1.5
Rt/L2.2
SLlr/L1.1
102
Learners may be overwhelmed by the quantity
of text they need to use for this task. Support
them to use scanning strategies to find the text
they need in order to answer the questions.
Emphasise that they do not need to read all of
the text.
Make sure learners can interpret words that
may be unfamiliar to them but are important
to retail, such as warranty and consumables.
Extension
Ask learners to find out the procedure in their
own place of work if a customer wants to return
an item that was ordered especially for him.
Task 3
Respond to a customers complaint regarding a
returned item
Rt/L1.1
Rt/L1.4
Rt/L1.5
SLlr/L1.1
Remind learners of the importance of following
procedures in order to process returns and not
to be influenced by customer behaviour.
Ask them to listen to the customer and make
sure they are clear about his complaint.
Direct learners to Refunds and exchanges
policy and Customer returns information in
the Source material and ask them to discuss in
pairs what they would do for this customer.
Report this back to the group and discuss any
disagreements. Refer to the guidelines in both
the Source material documents and highlight
the relevant information.
Listen to the audio clip again if necessary.
Check first that the learner understands the
scenario presented by the audio clip. Try
to relate this to a situation in their own
workplace this will make the situation more
concrete.
Some learners will need support to read the
documents and to extract the relevant
information. A highlighter pen will be
useful here.
12
Encourage learners to establish effective reading
strategies. Scanning information is good but
there is still a need to read carefully and
interpret what they have read. Some learners
may need support and practice in order to be
confident with reading at this level.
ESOL learners should also discuss how to
respond to this customer and practise doing so.
Extension
Ask learners to find out what the procedure is in
their place of work if a customer wants to return
damaged goods after a month.
Theme assessment
Ask learners to find out the following
information on exchanges:
what they should do if a customer wants to
exchange an item that has been used
the procedure in their own place of work if a
customer wants to exchange an item that
was ordered especially for them
what the procedure is in their place of work
if a customer wants to exchange goods after
a month.
1:211:22 Dealing with returned goods
Jones and Sons
REFUNDS AND EXCHANGES POLICY
1. A refund or exchange will be given for any item that is
brought back:
in mint condition
with a receipt.
2. A credit note should be issued if the customer does not
have a receipt and does not wish to exchange the item for
another product.
3. Credit notes can only be redeemed for their face value; no
change can be given.
4. You are legally obliged to give a refund if the product is
faulty, even if the customer does not have a receipt,
provided it was bought from one of our stores.
5. Whenever a customer brings back for refund an item that
was originally bought using a credit/debit card, the refund
must be made through the same card. You are not allowed
to give any part of the refund in cash or vouchers
A shop is not required by law to take
back goods if the customer changes
his or her mind about buying them.
What is the policy of your organisation
about refunds and exchanges?
Re
Focus
103
1:21 Re
The customer has legal
rights regarding
replacements and refunds.
What are they?
What are the rights of the
shop?
Is there any paperwork
to do?
When can you decide for yourself
what should be done?
When should you ask somebody else?
Who should you ask?
Re
Task 1
Listen to the customer returning a purchase.
1 What is the customer returning? Why?
Use the Refunds and exchanges policy
from the Source material.
2 Would you give the customer a refund, an
exchange or would you issue a credit note?
Task 2
Use the Customer returns information from the
Source material.
1 Can a customer return an item that was especially
ordered for him or her?
2 Name three items that must be returned unused and
sealed if a refund is required.
3 What three questions might you ask a customer who is
bringing back a mobile phone?
4 What is the minimum guarantee time on
non-consumable products?
5 Name three products that come under hygiene
regulations.
Task 3
Listen to another customer returning a purchase.
Use the Refunds and exchanges policy and Customer
returns information from the Source material to decide what
you would do in this situation. Discuss this with a partner.
SLlr/L1.1; Rt/L1.1; Rt/L1.4; Rt/L1.5
Task
104
1:22 Re
When you are looking for information in long pieces of text, make it easier for yourself by:
using the headings and subheadings to find just the part of the text that you want to read
looking for key words to find the part of the text that you need
only reading the part that has the information you need.
11
12
Listen to customers who want an exchange and use
manuals to help decide what to do.
Check it
1 The Occupational Standards say you should respond promptly and positively
to your customers questions and comments.
Which of these is a positive response to the customers question?
A No we dont. Sorry.
B Ill just check for you. Theyve been very popular.
C Id say its unlikely. They were snapped up quickly because
theyre so cheap.
D I could look but I dont hold out much hope. SLlr/L1.6; SLc/L1.1
2 Which of these would be the best way to help a customer who is having
problems pushing a faulty trolley full of shopping?
A Suggest that the customer gets a different trolley.
B Offer to try and mend the trolley.
C Ask whether the customer needs some help pushing the trolley.
D Offer to help transfer the shopping to another trolley. SLlr/L1.5
3 Which of these is an example of positive body language when talking
to customers?
A Shaking your head
B Making eye contact
C Folding your arms
D Shrugging SLlr/L1.3
4 Which of these is an example of formal language that is suitable to use
with customers?
A What can I do you for then?
B What do you want?
C Can I help you?
D Give us a shout when you want a hand. SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.2
105
Do you have these
shoes in a size
five and a half?
5 Which of these would be appropriate when answering the telephone
to a customer?
A Yes? Whos calling?
B Hello. Who do you want and why?
C Good morning. Jennie Sarah Birch speaking. Waterfords store.
The store that gives the customer more. How may I be of assistance?
D Good morning. Waterfords Store. How can I help you? SLc/L1.1; SLc/L1.2
6 Which is the correct order for these instructions?
A C, A, B, D
B B, C, A, D
C C, B, D, A
D D, A, B, C SLc/L1.4
7 What is the customer describing?
A A soothing foot cream
B Bath salts
C A pair of slippers
D A foot bath SLlr/L1.1
8 Which of these gives the clearest information to the customer?
A The red light goes out when the cooker has heated up to the
right temperature.
B When the temperature has been achieved, the luminous light on the
control panel display signals this.
C The flashing thing stops when its got there.
D You have to keep checking because it has this sort of coloured light
that flickers a bit then goes out, but only when its at say 200 degrees. SLc/L1.3
A Take the second turn off this roundabout and youll see the store
directly ahead of you.
B Then take the first right which takes you past Burnford School.
C First you need to turn left out of the car park.
D You will come to a roundabout at the end of the school road.
106
Im after one of those things.
You know, to put your feet into.
You have to put water in and it
can go bubbly. Whats it called?
9 Look at the Refunds and exchanges policy from the Source material (0:05).
Which of these statements is true?
A Customer has to provide a receipt for a faulty item to be exchanged
even if it has been bought from one of our stores.
B Customer can have a cash refund for an item bought by credit card.
C Customer cannot be given a refund in cash or vouchers for an item
purchased by credit card.
D Customer can be given change when using a credit note. Rt/L1.5
10 What does mint condition mean?
A Good as new
B Faulty
C Has a hole in it
D Within a month Rs/L1.1; Rw/L1.2
107
108
Audio
PAGE 1:6
Task 1
a Watcha. Dyou wanna hand?
b Good morning. Would you like any help?
c Hello. Are you looking for something in
particular?
d Ive been told Ive got to help you.
e Hello. Can I help you?
f Please do not hesitate to inform me if you require
any assistance.
PAGE 1:10
Task 1
Assistant: Good morning. This is Mandy speaking.
How may I help you?
Customer: Can you tell me whether I can hire some
glasses for a Christmas party?
Assistant: Certainly sir. What date would you require
them?
Customer: The party is on December 22nd.
Assistant: Ill just check in the diary. (pause) Yes that
should be fine. How many glasses do you need?
Customer: Therell be about 40 guests.
Assistant: We offer pint glasses, wine glasses and
tumblers. Which would be best for you?
Customer: Well I suppose about half the guests will
drink beer and the rest wine so Id better have 20
pint glasses and 20 wine glasses.
Assistant: Our glasses are packed in crates of 24, so
if I order you a crate of each that will give you a
few extra. Is that OK?
Customer: Fine. When can I pick them up?
Assistant: You can collect them at any time after
9 am on December the 22nd and you must
return them by 9 am on December the 23rd.
Customer: OK.
2
1
Assistant: Can I offer you any help with choosing
wine or beer for your party? Or maybe you could
take advantage of our buffet selection from the
delicatessen?
Customer: No. Ive got everything sorted thanks.
Assistant: Fine. Just give us a ring if you change
your mind. So Ill order you 24 pint glasses and
24 wine glasses to be picked up on December the
22nd. Is that right?
Customer: Yep.
Assistant: What name shall I book them in?
Customer: Adams.
Assistant: Good. So thats 24 pint glasses and
24 wine glasses to be picked up on December
the 22nd and returned on the 23rd Mr Adams.
Customer: Thats right. Thank you.
Assistant: Is there anything else I can help you with?
Customer: No thats all.
Assistant: Well see you on December the 22nd
then. Goodbye and thank you for calling.
Customer: Bye.
Task 5
1 Hello. Samco Store. This is Darren speaking. How
may I help you?
2 Hello er er Samco Store. This is er Darren er
speaking. Er How may I er help you?
3 Hello. Samco Store. This is Darren speaking. How
may I help you?
4 Hello this is Darren speaking. How may I help
you?
5 How may I help you? Oh oh I should have said
Hello this is Darren speaking from Samco Store.
6 Yep. Samco. What dyer want?
Task 6
Hello is that the clothing department? Im in such a
flurry! Would you believe that my daughter has just
told me shes getting married in a fortnights time!
Youd think shed give us more notice but thats how
the young do things these days. Anyway Im going
to need a complete outfit and Im hoping you have
got a personal shopper who can help me get
4
3
109
everything I need and make sure it all matches. My
daughter will be wearing cream so I thought maybe
lilac. What do you think? Ill need a hat of course
and shoes, a smart suit and oh yes a handbag. Its
July so I dont think Ill need a coat. Anyway if it
rains there will be an umbrella in the car. Do I need
to make an appointment with the personal shopper?
Now Ive got to think what to give them for a
present. They say they dont need anything but I
want to mark the occasion somehow. Ill get it at the
same time as the outfit.
PAGE 1:13
Advising customers
Focus page
Customer 1: I need one of those thin electric things
that you use to cut round the edges of the grass
with. I cant think for the life of me what its called.
Customer 2: Im looking for a tumble dryer to fit
under a worktop. I saw a few in your catalogue but I
dont know which is best. It has to be a cream
colour not white. I need one that takes more than 4
kg and switches itself off automatically as Im out at
work all day.
Task 1
Im looking for one of those heated things that
women use to curl their hair. My wife said you sold
them. Its not a hairdryer. Its like a brush thing that
hasnt got to be plugged in at all.
Tasks 2 and 5
Id like a car seat for an 18-month-old child. It must
have washable covers. Ive heard you can get one
that turns into a booster seat for older children,
which would be ideal, but I dont want to spend
more than 60.
Task 3
Im looking for a piece of jewellery for a female as a
birthday present but I dont want a necklace.
Trouble is, shes allergic to any metal other than gold
if its next to her skin and she doesnt wear earrings.
Have you got any suggestions?
8
7
6
5
PAGE 1:17
Focus page
Customer: I bought this jacket yesterday and theres
a flaw in the sleeve. Look.
Assistant: Sorry. Just one second. Sarina, can you tell
Marie Im back off my break? (quieter) Wheres
the pen? Ah. Right. Sorry. You were saying?
Customer: This jackets got a flaw in the sleeve.
Assistant: When did you buy it?
Customer: Yesterday.
Assistant: Can I have a look at it? Actually, this isnt
exactly a flaw.
Customer: What do you mean?
Assistant: The wool has just got a bit unravelled.
Customer: Thats what I mean. Thats a flaw.
Assistant: Well. Would you like to exchange it for
another jacket?
Customer: No. I want my money back.
Assistant: Certainly. Do you have the receipt please?
Customer: Oh gosh no, I dont. I threw it away.
Assistant: Right. Well unfortunately we cant give
refunds on damaged goods without proof of
purchase.
Customer: What?
Assistant: What I can do is give you vouchers worth
the same amount of money. You can spend them
in the store at any time.
Customer: Id prefer my money back.
Assistant: Im sorry. That sort of decisions out of my
hands.
Customer: I want to see the manager then.
Assistant: Shes out of the office this morning. Can
you call back later?
Customer: No, Im on my way home. Im not
coming in again.
Assistant: Would it be convenient for the manager
to ring you at home as soon as she comes in?
Customer: Yes. Id like to speak to her.
Assistant: Will you be in all afternoon? She might
not be back until after 4 oclock.
Customer: Fine. Ill be there up to 5 oclock.
Assistant: Can I just have your name and number,
please?
Customer: Mrs Preece. 01876 109032.
9
110
Assistant: Right. Can I just check Ive got these
details correct, Mrs Preece? You bought this jacket
yesterday but no longer have the receipt. You
would like your money back. You will be at home
this afternoon up to 5 oclock on 01876 109032.
Customer: Yes.
Assistant: Ill make sure the message is passed on to
Jane, our manager. Thank you, Mrs Preece.
PAGE 1:20
Promoting services
Task 2
Audio 1: Its a sort of card you use when you shop
to get things like points which you sort of save
up, but not quite like money. It can lead to things
like vouchers so it makes your bill less in the end.
Audio 2: Its an electronic card which is swiped
through at the EPOS when you make a
transaction and accumulates points which are
then translated into the money off voucher
scheme.
Audio 3: Its a free card that gives you one point for
every 1 you spend on your shopping. You will be
sent vouchers every 3 months, which you hand in
at the till to help you save money on your
shopping bill.
PAGE 1:22
Task 1
Hello. I bought this cardigan last week but when I
tried it on at home my friend said the colour didnt
suit me. Could I exchange it for a different colour?
Ive got the receipt.
11
10
Task 3
This is ridiculous! You buy something in good faith
and it breaks the first time you use it. I bought this
here just over a month ago as a birthday present for
my wife and its broken already. Look, this has fallen
off and this bit looks a bit dodgy. What are you
going to do about it?
12
111
Answers
PAGES 1:31:4
Focus page
Picture 2: The customer is looking confused. She
may not be able to find what she needs, may be
having problems following the information on the
labels, or may be unsure about the sizes of the
clothes. You could ask the customer if she is looking
for anything in particular, or simply let her know that
you are available if she needs any help.
Task 1
Picture 1
The problem might be that the customer needs to
go up to the next floor but cannot use the escalator.
You can tell because the customer is looking up the
escalator as if he wants to go up, but is looking
confused.
You could ask the customer first if he needs any
help. You could show or direct him to the lift if he
does want to go up to the next floor.
Picture 2
The problem seems to be that the customer cant
reach a product from the top shelf.
You can tell because the customer is stretching up
on tiptoes and looks angry/annoyed.
You could ask the customer if she would like help
reaching the product down, but be careful how you
put this, as the customer might take offence if she
thinks you are suggesting she is too short. It would
not be appropriate to make a negative comment
about the height of the shelves!
Picture 3
The problem is that the customer is trying to cope
with a pushchair and a trolley in a narrow aisle. You
can tell from the situation itself and from the
expression on the customers face, which shows she
is getting upset.
To avoid upsetting the customer any further, it
might be best to ask her if there is anything you can
do to help, rather than offering a particular type of
help.
PAGES 1:51:8
Task 1
Assistants b, c and e speak in an appropriate way.
Assistants a, d and f do not speak in an appropriate
way.
Task 2
1 Assistant a uses very informal language. This is
not at all suitable.
2 Assistant f uses formal language that sounds
mechanical, as if the assistant is saying lines they
have learnt, rather than really wanting to help.
3 Assistant d sounds the least caring because he
says that hes been ordered to help, rather than
actually wanting to.
4 Assistant b has the best approach: the language is
not too formal or informal, and the offer of help
sounds genuine but the customer has a choice.
Assistant c is polite and offers particular help to the
customer. However, the customer might just be
browsing and this approach could put the customer
off. Assistant e is also polite and the offer of help
sounds genuine, but the approach is a little abrupt.
Task 3
Solution a matches situation 1.
Solution d matches situation 2.
Solution h matches situation 3.
Solution e matches situation 4.
Solutions c and f match situation 5.
Task 4
You may have written this sort of information.
Task 5
Rufikat responded in the most positive way overall.
She could have improved her response by taking the
customer to the correct place rather than pointing
to it.
PAGES 1:91:12
Task 2
Hello this is Marcia speaking from Brettles Brothers in
Galway. This is a message for Mrs Young. This is just
to let you know that the shoes you ordered are now
in stock. We will keep them for you until Saturday
May 12th. If you need any help, just give us a ring
on 776241.
Task 3
You may have written something like this.
Hello this is ______ speaking from Bits and Bobs DIY
store. This is a message for Mr Singh.
This is to let you know that the spotlights you
ordered are now in stock. We will keep them for you
for three working days. If you need any help, just
give us a ring on 984654.
Trainee Positive body Negative body
language/response language/response
Rufikat Made eye contact Pointed to the aisle
Smiled
Nodded
Steve Made eye contact Looked at his friend
instead some of the
time.
Abdul Looked down at the
customer
Looked at his watch
Shook head
Shrugged
Moved away
Gill Nodded Leant against a pillar
Folded arms
Didnt know where
the product was
Task 4
1 You know how to get to the old store?
2 Pass the old store, keeping it on your right.
3 Follow the road round until you come to a
roundabout.
4 Take the third turning off the roundabout.
5 You will pass a church on your left.
6 Keep going for about a quarter of a mile until you
reach a second roundabout.
7 This time take the first exit and follow the signs to
the car park on your left.
8 Have you got all that?
9 If you need any further help, dont hesitate to call
again.
Task 5
1 Speaking too fast
2 Slow and hesitant
3 Mumbling hard to hear
4 Sounds bored
5 Muddled doesnt sound professional
6 Very rude
Task 6
The customer wants:
an appointment with a personal shopper
a suit
a hat
shoes
a handbag
a wedding present.
PAGES 1:131:16
Advising customers
Focus page
Customer 1 is probably describing a strimmer.
The key requirements of the tumble dryer for
customer 2 are:
fits under a worktop
cream, not white.
takes more than 4 kg
switches off automatically.
Task 1
c
112
Task 2
Youre looking for a car seat for an 18-month-old
child that has washable covers, turns into a booster
seat and costs under 60.
Task 3
jewellery for a woman
gold, as allergic to all other metals
not a necklace or earrings
Task 4
gold bracelets
womens gold dress rings
range of brooches
Task 5
3 Deluxe car seat
5 Comfort-care car seat
Task 6
Seat 2 (Portable car seat) is for the correct age, has
washable covers and can be used as a booster seat
but it costs slightly more than 60.
PAGES 1:171:18
PAGES 1:191:20
Promoting services
Task 1
1 The scheme helps customers to save money on
their shopping bill by giving them vouchers to
spend according to points they accumulate for
money spent in the store.
2 The vouchers are sent to customers every
3 months if they have earned over 150 points.
3 Customers join the scheme by filling in an
application form from the leaflet with their
personal details and posting it free in the post box
in the store.
4 The customers should call the free Helpline.
5 More information can be found by reading the
customer information leaflet or visiting the
website.
6 The card is found in the customer leaflet.
Customers detach it and sign it on the back.
Task 2
Assistant 3 gives the best description of the scheme.
She gives clear and precise information and uses
positive language to help promote the card to the
customer.
Task 3
Assistant 1 does not sound very positive. She uses
vague language and doesnt sound as if she
understands how the scheme works. Her explanation
is hard to follow.
Assistant 2 uses jargon and technical language,
which the customer is unlikely to understand.
PAGES 1:211:22
Task 1
1 The customer is returning a cardigan because the
colour doesnt suit her.
2 The customer is entitled to the exchange she
requests, provided the cardigan she is returning is
in mint condition. She would also be entitled to a
refund, as she has the receipt.
Task 2
1 No
2 Choose from: software, pre-recorded video tapes,
DVDs, CDs
3 You may have written something like:
Have you used the mobile phone?
Have you used the SIM card?
Have you got the original box, packaging and
accessories?
Have you got the receipt?
4 1 year
5 Choose from: shavers, haircare products, electric
toothbrushes, headphones.
Task 3
Offer to repair the item free of charge.
Check it
1 B 6 C
2 D 7 D
3 B 8 A
4 C 9 C
5 D 10 A
113
114

Retail Module 1 - Customer Service

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Retail Module 1 - Customer Service

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Customer service

looking confused, angry or upset

constantly picking things up and

sighing, frowning or muttering.

ask if the customer requires any help

offer particular help in a polite way.

say negative things about

What might be the problem here?

What are the signals that tell you this?

What could you say to the customer?

Stop whatever else you are doing.

Concentrate on what the customer is

Look at the customer.

Confirm that you have heard.

React positively to what the customer says.

be polite not too formal

be sincere mean what you say.

Face the customer.

Stand on the same level as the customer.

Make eye contact.

Lean slightly forwards.

Treat customers as individuals.

Consider each customers personal needs.

Think about positive ways to help each

Deal with things yourself as far as possible.

You can discuss the

There is more than

Introduce yourself politely

Speak plainly and clearly

Use a tone of voice that shows respect

Give the customer the information he or she

Give any information or directions clearly and in

Ask questions to confirm that the customer has

Offer any extra information that may be useful to

Take contact details if necessary

Say goodbye in a polite and attentive way

Have what you want to say ready on a notepad

Speak slowly and distinctly

Introduce yourself and your company clearly

Only mention important information

When you are listening to customers make sure

Concentrate on what the customer is saying

Let the customer know you are listening

Make your comments relevant to what the

Say goodbye in a polite and attentive way

Listen for key

Make a quick note to

Listen for key description

Make quick notes to help

Match the key

Look at the customer

Use open body language

Find out and use the customers name

Repeat the problem back to show you are

Express your concern

Thank the customer for bringing it to

Explain exactly what you are going to do

Carry on or start doing something else