COMMUNICATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICEOctober 8th 2009

Class slides and practices.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Sorry I couldn’t come to class, I have a flu. But you have some work to do:

1. Read the slides and search for any words you may not understand. Here you have a dictionary: www.wordreference.com2. Write down any questions you may have about the presentation. 3. Print and do Practice 3 and 4. I will pick it up next day. 4. If you finish, start thinking about practice 6: choose a video.

COMMUNICATION FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION: in customer service there are 2 main functions of communication:

1. DIRECT INFORMATION SERVICE. In this situation informants (senders) need the client to be communicative and capable of expressing his/her needs clearly.You can use different mediums, from words to written documents or Internet.

2. COMPLAINTS AND ENQUIRIES SERVICEIn these situations it is important to establish a verbal communication and that the data and documents of the case are registered in written language.

Someone who wants to work in a hotel has to take into account that establishing a clear, fluent and appropriate communication is fundamental to obtain good results.

Establishing the right channels in the customer service department is one of the most important tasks of the service.

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2. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION according to the sense used

• There are 3 senses implied in the communication process:

Vision

hearing

touch.

• Taste and smell can also be considered. • Also we have to consider common sense, which is the most important for customer service.

Therefore we can establish 4 types of communication:

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1. Auditory communication.

Messages are perceived through the sense of hearing. Words, music, sounds and noises take part in this type of communication.

In the hospitality sector we can establish auditory communication through different media according to activity and objectives:

Direct conversation or face to face communication

Phone conversation

Radio broadcasting, etc.

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2. Visual communication.

Messages are perceived through sight. Sign, gestures and images are very important when communicating. There are different media:

Letters

Contracts.

Labels

Slides, etc.

Complaint forms

Invoices

Leaflets 6

3. Tactile communication

Messages are perceived through the sense of touch.

Affection is conveyed through tactile sensations. Shaking hands or tapping someone’s shoulder can have positive or negative effects, so it is necessary to be very respectful in this matter and know cultural conventions.

There are different mediums:

Braille

Touching someone, etc.

Greetings at meetings and negotiations

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4. Multichannel communication

Messages are perceived through different senses at a time. There are different media through which this is possible:

Tv

Video

Computer

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3. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION according to the people involved

Human communication is the field dedicated to understanding how people communicate. It may be broadly classified as,

a) Intrapersonal Communication : people communicating among themselves (e.g. daydreaming, reading aloud)

b) Interpersonal Communication: people communicating with others.

c) Group Dynamics: communication within groups

d) Organizational Communication: Communication within an organization

e) Cross cultural communication: Communication across cultures

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An analysis:

From the illustration and the listed components of communication, it can be interpreted that communication is not just what we say. Communication may occur by means of conversations, expressions, gestures or visual sense.

But effective communication occurs only when the three important aspects of communication are in the right proportion :

1) visual (used in seeing: the visual sense)

2) audio (pertaining to, or employed in the transmission, reception, or reproduction of sound) and

3) kinesics (the study of body movements, gestures, facial expressions, etc., as a means of communication)

Therefore, in general, human communication may be defined as,

“the process in which all of the three important aspects of communication are involved in the right proportion, in order to exchange information between humans in an effective manner.”

“the process in which all of the three important aspects of communication are involved in the right proportion, in order to exchange information between humans in an effective manner.” 10

According to Dr. Steele, the precondition for lies in effective communication.

The 7 preconditions for success: (Dr. Steele, 2006)

1.Pay Attention: Always pay attention when someone communicates.

2. Mutual Needs: All Communication is based on mutual needs.

3. Circular communication – All communication is circular in nature.( e.g. Giving feedback based on actions or deeds)

4. Communication is language based: For example, in the field of technology we may have a problem where the managers do not understand technical jargon.

5. Purpose: It is necessary to know the purpose of communication in a conversation. Knowing the purpose provides a better focus.

6. One needs to be cooperative but not competitive

7. Human communication is an art and not a science.

successsuccess

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PRACTICE 4What does the picture refer to? What type of communication is it?

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PRACTICE 3

Complete the sentences:

1.A letter is a type of communication that involves the ___________ sense2.In customer service is important to have _____________ from your client. 3.When communicating we use a ____________, in our case it is English Language which is composed with the alphabet. 4.Not all _____________ is _____________, but all ___________ has ___________5.There are _____ types of communication according to the people involved: ____________________________________________________________6.The sender is the person who __________________ information.7.Encoding and decoding is __________________________________________8.An email is ______________ communication.9.A video conference is ___________________ communication. 10.Pinching someone’s arm is __________________ communication.11.Success depends on __________________________________12.In customer service there are 2 functions of communication: _______________and _____________________13. Some of the possible channels of communication are: ______________________________________________________________________________________14. The channel is the same as the __________________

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PRACTICE 6 (with qualification)

You are going to prepare a short presentation on one aspect of effective communication.a.Search the internet:

a.1. Choose a video from next page. Tell the teacher which video have you chosen.

a.2. Watch the video and take notes.a.3. Look for pictures which may support your

presentation.

b.Write the ideas in order on a piece of paper and decide how will you divide the information in different slides.

c.Write your presentation with Power Point.

VERY IMPORTANT: ASK THE TEACHER TO HELP YOU

IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS 14

1. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-talk-to-people-better-communication-skills (better communication skills) 4.22

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFA-yzmhDIU&feature=related (easy, with text. Interpersonal communication))3.03

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8VhV-1oCjA (easy, with text. Know your message, fear control in oral presentations)4.06

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ShBKooOOlE&NR=1 (with text conversation skills)6.355. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfPJuoQFjF4&feature=related (with text, what the listener wants) 7.156. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjO6TKE6Lbs&feature=related(with text, gesture)7.087. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTC6tqXDY1k&feature=related (with text, day dreaming,

telephoning, complaining, etc)6.318. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-remember-peoples-names(This gives you silly and useful tips on

how to remember people’s names ) 4.169. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-complain-successfully(This gives you information about how to

complain ) 3.1110. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-can-i-make-a-good-first-impression-2 (A body language expert gives

tips on how to make a good first impression)2.35 11. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-stop-laughing-at-an-inappropriate-time(how to avoid laughing) 2.5512. http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ulhxeWpcFok&feature=PlayList&p=4ECD7AF7340C2400&index=7(stress in a sentence and different meanings)2.25

13. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_N1Cmt_QB0&feature=related (very funny, bad language!)1.1314. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi6h8zktO1s&feature=related (body language, gestures)1.4015. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9YTxff3pHU&feature=fvw (body language)6.08

VIDEOS ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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