客服英语词汇.doc

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1、Glossary of TermsThe A-Z of customer service. Many words we use regularly in a customer service context also have a more general meaning. This can lead to confusion, so weve put together a glossary of customer service terms. Weve been as precise as possible so that well hopefully all be speaking the

2、 same language. Youll find each term listed by its first letter.Added ValueAdded Value is the extra, over and above the basic product or service offer that an organisation makes to its customers. This added value represents extra benefits that can truly delight the customers and keep them loyal.For

3、example; buy one get one free is an added value offer. It goes beyond the service offer and surprises and delights the customer. Lower prices may be the service offer but then a 50% reduction on price will give the shopper added value.Similarly a sudden free upgrade in a hotel room or on an aeroplan

4、e would stay in a customers memory and encourage return business.BehaviourThe way that you do things.You do things in a particular way because of how you feel what you want how other people treat you.In any customer service transaction, the behaviour of the customer and the behaviour of the service

5、deliverer is affected by the way they treat each other. Behaviour therefore affects the quality of the customer experience because the way the service deliverer behaves affects the way the customer feels about the customer serviceBody LanguageWe communicate using words but they dont usually tell the

6、 whole story. Body language is a collection of expressions on our face and gestures we make. Very often body language tells us more about what somebody is actually thinking than the words they use.When you are dealing with a customer you can learn a lot about what he or she is thinking from the body

7、 language. This also means that you need to be aware of the messages you are giving to the customer through your own expressions and gestures your own body language.Code of PracticeMany trade associations and professional bodies have a Code of Practice that guides members on how they should conduct

8、their business.Most Codes of Practice include guidance on how to deal with customers. In particular they usually cover how members should deal with complaints and customer problems.Codes of Practice do not have the same kind of authority as regulation and legislation. However, if a member always ign

9、ores a Code of Practice, the association or professional body may make it very difficult for that member to continue in business.Comparable organisationSome organisations dont have competitors in the normal commercial sense of the word. Government organisations like the Inland Revenue and the Police

10、 are good examples. But if a customer of one of those organisations is trying to rate its customer service he or she will probably compare it with an organisation that seems to be similar in what it does or how it is run.So an Inland Revenue customer may compare their service with the service they r

11、eceive from a National Insurance office and a customer of the police may compare their customer service with that provided by the fire service or the ambulance service.Competitive advantageAlthough a competitor is an organisation that offers products or services that are similar to those offered by

12、your organisation. Your organisation may have the competitive advantage because it is:- part of a large high street chain- better placed in the high street has car parking outside- a global organisation which can offer goods and services at much cheaper prices.We have witnessed the demise of the sma

13、ll butcher and greengrocer owing to the growth in high street supermakets where the smaller organisation could not compete with larger stock levels, lower prices or longer opening times.CompetitorMost organisations are not the only ones that provide particular products or services. Most customers ca

14、n choose to use the products or services of another organisation rather than yours. So a competitor is an organisation that offers products or services that are similar to those offered by your organisation. Your customer may choose to use these other organisations instead of your own. ComplaintWhen

15、 a customer feels strongly enough that his or her customer expectations have not been met, he or she may make a complaint. A complaint is when a customer brings a problem to the attention of the organisation and expects some redress, probably over and above simply supplying the original product or s

16、ervice that was the cause of the complaint.Complaints are often used by regulators as one measure of the success of the organisations customer service.Consistent serviceCustomer satisfaction is affected by customer expectations about the service they will receive. If the customer service they receiv

17、e is different from what they expected, there is always a danger that customer satisfaction will be lower than expected.So many organisations try to deliver the same customer service, time after time, so that the service customers receive matches their customer expectations and this gives customer s

18、atisfaction.This does not stop organisations from seeking continuous improvement when customer feedback tells them that there are particular changes to customer service that will increase customer satisfaction.Contingency model of an organisationA way of looking at an organisation that recognises th

19、at it is shaped and defined by many things including its people, the technology it uses, its structure and culture and what is going on in the world outside.All these are constantly changing and a change in any one of them affects all the others. So the contingency model helps us to understand how c

20、hanges drive and shape an organisation. Particularly, it helps us to understand what needs to be changed to improve the customer service that the organisation can provide.Continuous improvementMany organisations try to keep ahead of competitors by providing better customer service. If competitors al

21、so do this, organisations have to keep improving their customer service to stay ahead. So the process of continuous improvement helps organisations to make sure this happens as a matter of routine.Customer service is delivered and customer feedback is collected. The customer feedback is used to meas

22、ure customer expectations and customer satisfaction.The information from the customer feedback is used to find ways of improving the customer service and changes are made.Customer service is delivered in a new and improved way and the cycle starts again.Front line staff and support staff are both in

23、volved in continuous improvement but they must have the authority to make the changes that are needed for the improvements.ContractA contract is an agreement between two parties that can be enforced by law. A contract does not have to be in writing but it is more difficult to prove if it is not in w

24、riting.Sometimes customer service can become part of a contract, usually if there has been an agreement put in writing. It is generally recognised that if a customer or service deliverer has to use the contract to enforce the agreement, customer satisfaction has not been achieved.Costs and resources

25、Delivering customer service involves an organisation in spending money and using resources such as staff time, equipment and materials. It is important for you to understand what costs and resources are involved in delivering customer service in your organisation.It is also important to understand h

26、ow costs and resources will be affected by any proposed changes in customer service.CustomerA customer is somebody who receives customer service from a service deliverer. Generally it is easier to see a customer as a person but sometimes an organisation can be a customer. In most cases a customer or

27、 his or her organisation is paying directly or indirectly for the service that is being received.If a customer is a private individual or comes from another organisation he or she is an external customer. If a customer comes from another part of the same organisation he or she is called an internal

28、customer.Customer charterSome organisations choose to tell customers about their service offer in a statement of what they will do for the customer and call it a customer charter.Some customer charters set out what the organisation will do to compensate a customer when customer service has not been

29、delivered in line with the charter.A customer charter is a statement of intent and is generally not part of the contract that a service deliverer makes with its customer.Customer expectationsCustomer expectations are what people think should happen and how they think they should be treated when aski

30、ng for or receiving customer service.Expectations are formed by:- what people hear and see- what they read and what the organisation tells them- what happens during the customer experience- what has happened to them in other customer service experiences.Generally customer expectations rise and organ

31、isations try to match that rise through continuous improvement in customer service.Customer experienceCustomer experience is what a customer feels and remembers about the customer service that he or she has received.The customer experience of an individual customer service transaction affects the cu

32、stomer relationship and influences customer expectations for the future.When a customer is about to receive customer service his or her customer expectations are influenced by all the customer experiences that he or she has had in the past both with your organisation and with others.Customer feedbac

33、kCustomer feedback is information about customer perceptions of customer service collected by the organisation from customers or given to the organisation by customers. Customer feedback can be collected formally using questionnaires or other kinds of surveys. Informal customer feedback can be colle

34、cted from chance remarks or comments the customer has made with or without being asked.You must remember that sometimes customer feedback shows that the customer experience is not what you thought it to be.If this is the case the customer feedback must still be respected because if customers perceiv

35、e things in a particular way, that is reality for them even if you and your organisation have planned it differently.Customer informationService providers collect information about their customers that helps them to deliver effective customer service. This information may be as simple as names and a

36、ddresses and the products and services that they have chosen. Some organisations collect much more detailed information about their customers.However the information is stored the service provider must comply with data protection legislation to ensure that information about their customers remains c

37、onfidential. Customer loyaltySome customers tend to return to the same service deliverer and this is customer loyalty. Obviously customer loyalty can be built up if the customer experience of an organisation has been good. Customer loyalty is valuable to an organisation because it is generally cheap

38、er and easier to do repeat business with an existing satisfied customer than it is to find a new one.Some organisations choose to reward customer loyalty by making special customer service arrangements and offers for repeat customers.Generally customer loyalty means that if an organisation has a pro

39、blem with a customer there is a better chance of keeping that customer afterwards than there would be with a new customer.Customer preferencesEach customer is an individual and customers tend to have different likes and dislikes . Sometimes, in order to deliver consistent customer service an organis

40、ation chooses to do things in exactly the same way for every customer.Sometimes it is possible to offer a customer options so that his or her customer preferences can be taken into account in the way the customer service is delivered.Customer relationshipA customer relationship forms as the result o

41、f a number of individual customer service transactions. Good customer relationships are important to a service provider because they build customer loyalty. This is valuable to an organisation because it is generally cheaper and easier to do repeat business with an existing satisfied customer than i

42、t is to find a new one.Customer rightsOnce somebody has been recognised as a customer by law, he or she has certain legal rights. These change as the law changes but customer rights are generally increasing. The most important customer rights in the United Kingdom are granted by the Sale of Goods Ac

43、t 1979, the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and the Distance Selling Regulations 2000.Customer satisfactionCustomer satisfaction is the feeling that a customer gets when he or she is happy with the customer service that has bee

44、n provided.Some organisations try to increase customer satisfaction and talk about delighting customers or exceeding customer expectations.Most organisations try to increase the number of customers who are happy to confirm customer satisfaction when they give their customer feedback.Customer service

45、Customer service is the sum total of what an organisation does to meet customer expectations and produce customer satisfaction. Customer service generally involves service teamwork and service partnerships. Although somebody may take a leading part in delivering customer service it normally involves

46、 actions by a number of people in a team or in several different organisations.Customer service proceduresCustomer service procedures are the routines and detailed steps an organisation uses to deliver its customer service.Some organisations have formal procedures in writing and use those to train s

47、taff and to monitor service.Many more smaller organisations do not put their procedures in writing and the procedures are simply seen as the way we do things around here.Customer service systemA customer service system involves a number of customer service procedures together with the people and res

48、ources needed to make it work.Continuous improvement may involve changing a customer service system but this will require appropriate authority to make those changes.Customer service transactionA single exchange of information, product or service between a customer and a service deliverer.A customer

49、 service transaction may be face to face or at a distance by telephone, in writing or by e-mail.A series of customer service transactions build up a customer service relationship.Data protection legislationInformation about customers that is stored by a service provider must be kept confidential and must be