Customer focus: customer satisfaction (new, repeat); collection and uses of customer information; uses of ICT in communication with customers; Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer service: customer service as an objective; advantages; problems; target marketing; identifying needs; customer service (pre-transaction, transaction, post-transaction); product offer, after-sales service; service quality; sales process, selling skills; sales support; sales techniques P3 – Explain how focussing on the customer, by providing good customer, is essential to retailingGeneral idea: Explain the key elements of customer service and discuss its importance. The key elements should be classified and discussed in terms of what happens before, during, and after purchase To achieve P3 in this task, your work should include the following topics: Explain into detail what customer service is and give various examples Explain such key terms asCustomer focus Customer satisfaction After sales service How retailers collect and use customer information Explain how Pre-Transaction, Transaction and Post Transaction fit into customer service. For P3, you will demonstrate how retailers relate to their customers. Customer service is highly formalised and demanding in some organisations, while others have a lower standard of service.
You should identify organisational customer service policies and how these are applied at an operational (store) level. They should show how different organisations require different levels of service, and to meet this criterion they will need to understand the industry structure.After-sales service is significant in some retail sectors and the elements of this aspect of customer service should be identified. Similarly, a range of service and quality standards should be identified through store visits. Selling skills and the sales process can be observed and experienced in a range of stores.
You may wish to include the results of appropriate customer service surveys in a sample of retailers.M3 - Explain the ways in which sales techniques and customer service have developed in selected retail organizations Overview: The retailer’s position in the market and its corporate objectives determine the type of service it offers. Luxury goods retailers offer different levels of service to discount warehouses, but both can be acceptable. You should be clear about matching service with customer expectations by referring to different market sectors and retail formats, so a good understanding of the retail industry structure is helpful.
Key terms to include in your analysis: Competitive trends should be explained with reference to market concentration, power of multiple retailers, low barriers to entry, and innovative practices, including new types of store, refits and introduction of new products and services, including online provision. You need to include customer expectations, product knowledge, convenience, efficiency, product knowledge, industry changes (short & long term implications), macro environment, and economic trends.General idea: Provide information about how sales technique and customer service has improved with your selected organisations. (For eg. Apple started by selling desktop design computers.
Over time Apple has expanded its product range and services in computing and telecommunication world). Compare Food/DIY/Clothing/Electrical retailers and consider the following- 1. The selling strategies applicable to your selected organizations 2. How these strategies meet increasing customer expectations 3.
Why these organizations continue to apply different sales strategies 4. Why these organizations keep improving their customer services and development of products.
