Overview For Teachers

CUSTOMER SERVICE: The ability to see the customer’s point of view; handle customer complaints correctly; interact appropriately with customers; the ability to sell the company as well as the product by demonstrating exceptional service; listen attentively and provide undivided attention; identify and anticipate needs; make customers feel important and appreciated; convey sincerity; know how to apologize; give more than expected; follow through on promises; solicit regular feedback and encourage and welcome suggestions; the ability to treat internal customers well; show appreciation; communicate regularly with customers; demonstrate the power of “yes”; provide helpful, courteous and knowledgeable service.

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PURPOSE: Upon completion of this module, the student will understand the importance of customer service and the role it plays in being successful. In addition, the objectives listed below should be met.

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OBJECTIVES:

• Ability to interact with customers appropriately and handle customer complaints

• Ability to provide helpful, courteous and knowledgeable service to others

• Ability to listen to customers and make them feel important

• Ability to treat all customers with respect

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OVERVIEW:

This module focuses on teaching students the importance of customer service skills. Students will work to improve these skills through activities and guided discussions with their class. They will discuss aspects of customer service such as handling customer complaints, the power of “yes, ” interacting appropriately with customers, etc.

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TEACHERS: WHAT ARE YOU OBSERVING?

What does Customer Service look like in the classroom or in school in general? A great way to answer this and get things going is through engagement with the students. Ask your students these questions:

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1. What does customer service and problem solving look like in school?

2. How do your service of others affect people around you? Example: teachers, classmates, teammates, family, etc.

3. What does customer service look like within your learning?

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RELEVANCY OF CUSTOMER SERVICE:

Employers believe that customer service can make or break a business. They want employees who are able to interact appropriately with customers and consistently offer them a positive experience.

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LESSON:

Product Knowledge = Good Customer Service
Time Allocation: 20  minutes
Materials/Resources: computers/ tablets/ smartphones (students - optional), whiteboard, markers, chart paper, pens/ pencils, paper

ANTICIPATORY SET IDEA:

• Ask students to share some stories about experiences they’ve had with customer service.

      o Was there ever a time when an employee wasn’t helpful with details about a specific product?

      o Have you ever asked an employee a question about a product and they seemed clueless to what you were talking about or just

         said, “I don’t know?”

      o What kind of effect do situations like that have on a company or business? o What kind of reputation does

         that create for the company or business?

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WATCH THE VIDEO:

DIRECT INSTRUCTION:

Tell students: as an employee of a company, one of the most important aspects of providing good customer service is product knowledge. It’s impossible to sell something or to educate a customer on your company’s products, services or goods without knowing them inside out and front to back. Customers respond to enthusiastic employees who are passionate about what they are selling and also knowledgeable about them as well. For example: smart restaurant managers will have the servers sample all of the items on the menu – especially any “specials” for the day – so that the server can provide detailed information to the customer.

GUIDED ACTIVITY:

• Ask the students to call out different products that they could possibly sell at different companies.

     o Example: cell phones, food, furniture, cars, clothing, etc.

• Create a master list of all these products on the whiteboard.

• Then, put students into groups of 3-4 and give each group a piece of chart paper and a marker.

• Instruct the students to choose one of the products listed on the whiteboard. For this item they are going to write down all the necessary knowledge they believe they must have about this product to be able to sell it successfully.

     o Examples: cost, where it was made, how it’s made, what makes it better than a similar product or service at a competing company,

        what warranty is offered, etc.

• When finished, have groups share what product they chose and the top 3 -5 things they should know about the product to able to sell

    it and be knowledgeable about it.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING:

 Technology Use: Create a survey, poll, or questionnaire to send to the students that will give you immediate feedback about the student’s level of understanding. You can use Survey Monkey, Google Forms, or any other survey platform you prefer.

 Non-Technology: Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down: Students will demonstrate their level of understanding by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down. Students with thumbs down will need more clarification.

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ETHICAL SCENARIO--Optional (if not using, skip  to "review and closing")

The Ethical Choice Scenarios have been developed to provide teachers with the ability to make the material applicable to real-life and relevant to the students. Within this guide, directions and prompts for the teacher will be in BLUE for ease of facilitation.

 

READ THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO OUT LOUD TO THE STUDENTS: 

LYING CUSTOMERS

You’ve been working at the Burger Fanatics restaurant in the mall for five months now and you really enjoy it. This is your first job in a restaurant and you’ve gotten really good at multi-tasking, a skill you believe will be a great asset in the future. You plan on working at Burger Fanatics until you graduate high school and possibly through college, if you decide to stay close to home. You are surprised that you don’t see more of your classmates in the restaurant, considering it’s only a few blocks away from school, but in reality you prefer not to see them at work anyway.

 

It’s the night of the Homecoming Dance and the restaurant is packed. You usually don’t work Friday nights but you aren’t interested in going to the dance and knew you’d be able to make some extra money working tonight. Your best friend shows up with a date ; they get seated in your section a nd you are so excited to see them ! As yo u start to take their order, they ask you if they can have their meal for free – since they are your best friend and all. You laugh nervously and tell them that you aren’t able to give out free meals, not even to friends and family. You continue to take their order and then give it to the cook. Not too long after that, their food is ready and you deliver it to their table. You ask them if their food looks ok and they say yes, so you leave them to eat as you assist other tables. A few minutes later, your boss calls you over to the table where your best friend is sitting. He says that they are complaining that yo u are unaccommodating and that you also got their order wrong. You know, for a fact, that they are lying – your best friend just wants to get the meal for free. You know that part of providing good customer service is handling complaints correctly, apologi zing when necessary, and making customers feel important , but you haven’t done anything wrong! Do you tell your boss that the customers are lying or do you apologize for your actions and give them the meal for free?

ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (display them to the class if necessary)

1. How many of you have already been faced with this scenario in real life?

2. What are the possible outcomes of this situation?

3. What are possible positive or negative consequences for you, depending on your decision?

GUIDED DISCUSSION: ASK STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION AND HOW THEY ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS.

NOTE 1 : To help facilitate discussion, share any personal experiences you may have encountered with this same sort of issue.

NOTE 2 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students, “ Would you want someone to put you in this situation?”

NOTE 3 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students , “ What values do you think are in tension here, why is it an ethical dilemma?”

CLOSING DISCUSSION: ASK THE STUDENTS, “ WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT HAVING GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE ?”

REVIEW AND CLOSING:

• To end the lesson, share the following quote with the class:

     o “Know your product inside and out before you start working. And relate that knowledge to the consumer’s needs.” – Bill Bernbach • Ask students to explain what this quote means in their own words. o You can have this conversation as a class or have students do a pair -share.

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CORRELATION TO OBSERVATION TOOL: The Frequency Observation Tool (FOT) has a category where students will be observed and rated on their customer service skills. This lesson will give them the opportunity to realize the importance of product knowledge when it comes to providing great customer service.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IDEAS:

-Visual: Visual learners will benefit from having the master list written on the whiteboard.

-Auditory: Auditory learners will benefit from the partner and the class discussions.

-Kinesthetic: Kinesthetic learners could benefit by writing down any important information.

-ESL: ESL students would benefit from having a partner to assist them in the writing activity in case they have questions or need clarification.

-At-risk: At -risk students will benefit from the interaction they have with their group to help keep them focused and on task.

-Advanced: Advanced learners could benefit from helping other students write down their schedules, or by assisting ESL or At -risk students who may need additional help .