Customer Service in Leisure and Recreation Essay

The Importance of node ServiceIncreased cut-rate sales be one of the key ways to recount how well the ships company is doing. Excellent node service heart customers leave grease ones palms more and recommend more products and services other spate, which exit add to the increase in sales.While sales are very great to leisure and recreation organisations, another way to measure the success is in terms of customer numbers, which is especially true for non-profit making organisations.Customer service plays a major role in attracting stark naked customers and the main source of this is the powerful influence of word of mouth. breathing customers who are impressed by the customer service at an organisation will tell other people about it. This means that an organisation keeps its quick customers as well as gaining new ones.An effective customer service policy is that customers will view the organisation in a positive way. This means the image of the organisation will be enha nced by the standard of customer service.Having a good public image is very of the essence(p) for* Attracting new customers* Retaining existing customers* Reinforcing customer satisfaction* Securing repeat business* Gaining an edge over the competitionAn organisations public image is the mental picture that we have of the organisation. This quarter be based on our own experience, what others have told us about it or on what the organisation itself has told us about via its marketing activities such as denote and public relations.Read moreRecreational Activity ExampleTelevision programmes such as Watchdog also help us for an image in our heads, especially when they start reporting viewers complaints. This could have a very bad effect on the organisation.Good customer service bunghole also enhance the image of an organisations individual products or services. For example, customers may have a positive image of a sports centre, but also have a positive image of the individual produ cts and services such as the reservations system and changing facilities.Good customer service gives an organisation a competitive advantage. If you betray a similar product or service, you gain an edge by offering a better quality service and this gives a greater circumstances of attracting customers.A pleasant on the job(p) environment is another benefit of good customer service. If customers receive good customer service, they will respond in a friendly and appreciative manner. Customer satisfaction is extremely important in a business and this means the organisation must meet the involve and expectations of the customers.Customer loyalty is very important in a business and good customer service helps reinforce customers loyalty to the organisation with every visit they make. If customers are loyal, they are likely to return and these people are known as repeat customers. This means the customers of the past be fill out the customers of the future.If an organisation has poor customer service, they will suffer from* Decreased sales* Fewer customers* A poor public image* An absence of competitive edge* An unhappy and less efficient manpower* Dissatisfied customers* Lack of customer loyalty and repeat businessPersonal PresentationThe first impression the customer gets of face-to-face presentation is very important as it is one they will never forget. It directly influences customers satisfaction and the image they have of the organisation.Personal presentation includes appearance, personal hygiene, personality and stance.Appearance covers everything from clothes and footwear, to hair, harmonize and jewellery. The reasons for providing supply with a uniform are* It helps create a positive first impression* Staff are recognised instantly as working for a circumstantial organisation* It is easy to identify a member of staff when acustomer needs advice or assistance* It can sign the department in which a memberof staff works* It helps to create a profess ional corporate imageA lot of organisations now yield their employees with a uniform. Organisations rely on their employees judgement for deciding what is and is not acceptable in terms of appearance. Some organisations set ground rules and to a large extent, this reflects the character of the organisation and the type of customer it serves.For example, a five star hotel will be very strict with the groom code of the employees who work at the front-of-ho enjoyment. They will be required to wear a uniform and it may also include rules on footwear, hairstyling and make-up.The most important point is to make sure that dress and general appearance suit the job, the organisation and the customers expectations. On the other hand, the organisation should make sure that the uniform is comfortable, easy to maintain and manner appropriate for staff of all builds.Anyone serving customers should have excellent standards of personal hygiene. Different types of organisations will have differen t standards of personal hygiene, for example, anyone who works in the nutrition industry will be expected to wash their reach at least a dozen epochs a day.First impressions also come from the employees own personality. Again, different jobs require different personalities. A childrens sport coach will require a different personality to a personal fitness instructor because they are working with different types of people. From the personality of the employee, people can tell a lot about the organisation itself.The employees attitude towards the customer is critical. The customers feel that they want as much attention as possible when they go into a workplace and if an employees attitude is poor, they may feel overlook and not wanted.Types of CustomersCustomers have different needs depending on who they are and the circumstances. There is a difference between internal and external customers. Internal customers are members of staff or outside suppliers who contribute towards the s ervice provided for the external customers. external customers are the people who actually buy or use the organisations products and services. External customers are then categorised into individual, group, age, culture, language spoken and specific needs.Many leisure and recreation providers serve groups and the individuals who compromise them in ways that enhance and gain ground customer service.Customer age groups are classified as children and adults. Although the companies feel the age of the customers is important, they also feel it is important not to make assumptions about customers needs based solely on age.Cultural background influences peoples traditions, tastes, preferences and opinions and it will therefore influence the type of service they need and expect. It is also important not to make assumptions on the culture of the customer.Foreign visitors are an increasingly important part of the UK tourism market. People still want to feel that they can be dealt with even tide though there is a language barrier. Large organisations often employ multi-lingual staff to communicate with non-English speaking customers.Some customers have specific needs that may require special customer service in addition to that provided to meet the general needs of everybody. These include sensory disabilities, mobility problems, literacy, dietary requirements and people with young children.Dealing with CustomersAlmost everyone working in the leisure and recreation industry has to deal with customers, whether be face-to-face, on the phone or in writing. face to face communication has many advantages but only the staff use it well. For example, your presentation can help create a positive image. You can also use facial expressions and gestures to help communicate more effectively.Telephone communication is used in most leisure centres and it provides an essential part of customer service. Some organisations even use the telephone as the main method of dealing with the c ustomers.For some organisations, written communication is the main way of keeping in touch with customers. Menus, tariffs or price lists and letters are all forms of written communication, along with bills, advertisements, notice boards, tickets, e-mails and timetables.Non-verbal communication comprises all forms of communication that are spoken or written down. 80% of communication is non-verbal, so it is clearly very important in customer service. Body language is the main form of non-verbal communication and people can tell how interested the staff are just by looking at them.Selling SkillsSelling skills are an important part of customer service. Every time somebody asks for help, advice or information, it is probably a selling situation. As a member of staff, you should be helping customers a lot and to be able to do this effectively, you should have good knowledge of the products and services you are trying to sell.Customers can only buy products and services from an organisati on if they know they exist, therefore raising customer awareness is a key part of selling skillsEstablishing rapport with the customer means encouraging a conservation in which the staff and the customer are both communicating on the same level. Within this category, you must also make the customer feel they have your undivided attention without being in any case over the top.The easiest way for staff to identify the customers needs is to ask if they need any help. From the reply, the staff will be able to regulate what further questions to ask to identify the customers specific needs.Presenting the product or service to the customer in an appropriate way is important. For example, is someone wants to buy something but cannot afford it, then the staff should suggest something of a similar range but at a less expensive price.Closing the sale means actually getting the customer to buy the product or service you are offering. Some people may wish to go out-of-door and think about th e offer that has just been make and in this case, it is probably a good idea to reserve the product or service. Taking a customers payment is also included in closing a sale. This should be done cheerfully, politely, friendly and gratefully to make the customer feel that they have made the correct choice by buying this product or service from this store or centre.Customer service does not end when the customer hands over their money. This is known as after-sales service and sometimes this will be immediate such as asking the customer of they have enjoyed their visit. Sometimes, if people direct to a gym for a year, they may need help in using the service after a couple of months. This is where after-sale service comes in useful.A technique known as AIDA is used in the design of advertising and promotional material and when considering effective selling skills. A stands for attention, I stands for interest, D stands for desire and A stands for action. If you use this technique, it will result in the customer desiring the product and therefore taking action by buying it.