Service Recovery Activity

Working with a partner, prepare a short scenario that can be used to resolve the concerns of a disappointed customer. You may use one of the scenarios below or make up one of your own.

One student will be the customer in the scenario while the other will be the customer service representative. Either using a real telephone (if available) or performing this exercise face to face, the “customer” will call your company and complain about your product or service. Your company should be prepared to handle the calls. As the customer service representative, you are responsible for resolving your disappointed customer’s problem.

The customer service representative will be evaluated on how well the customer complaint is handled. The attached Service Recovery Evaluation Form will be used to measure the customer service representative’s effectiveness. The customer and customer service representative should fill out the evaluation sheet together after the role play has been completed, so both perspectives can be openly discussed.

Service Recovery Role Play Scenarios

1. You purchased a bridle and bit, paying in full with your credit card. The order was placed four weeks ago and you still have not received word that your products are in. You call the store and request to have one half of the payment taken off your credit card until the order arrives. You will not settle for “no.” In fact, you will cancel the entire order and purchase it elsewhere if your terms are not met.

2. You have been shopping all day. After you get home you realize the electronic tags have been left on some of your clothing. You try to return the items to the nearest retailer, but they don’t have the same machine to remove the tags as the downtown store where you purchased the items. How will the CSR handle this situation?

3. While away on business, there was a plumbing leak on the second floor of your home causing extensive water damage to part of the lower level. You have called the insurance company to file a claim, but you are not in the best of moods. The claim department better take care of you quickly and professionally — or else.

4. You are the customer service professional for a dry cleaner. A customer who has been a patron for years stops by with a silk shirt that has a stain on it. According to him, the stain was not there before the most recent dry cleaning. He is upset because the garment is expensive and was to have been worn yesterday to a class reunion. How can you retain this long-time customer’s business?

Odgers, The World of Customer Service, 2e Page 1 of 3 ©2008 Thomson/South-Western 5. You are a counter clerk in a fast-food restaurant. It is lunchtime, and the restaurant is full of patrons. As you are taking an order from a customer, a second customer steps to the front of the line, interrupts the customer you are helping, and demands a replacement sandwich because the one she received is not what she ordered.

6. You are working in your office when a co-worker next to you comes over to talk. Unfortunately, this co-worker always wants to talk, and for extended periods of time. You find it very difficult to get your work done with the constant interruptions. You have been patient so far, but decide that today is the day you need to put your foot down and make your co-worker understand your socializing limits. How can you do this and still maintain a good relationship with your co- worker?

7. A customer is back in your repair shop for the fourth time in two weeks. She is upset because the problem with her lawn mower stems from a defective carburetor that has been repaired on each of the previous visits. She is beginning to raise her voice, and her frustration is evident.

Name: Date:

Yes No Didn’t Apply Opening Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening Uses Company Name Identifies self using name and department Communication, Presentation, Customer Service Satisfaction Acknowledges and takes lead of the interaction Obtains customer’s name and uses it Articulate and well-paced Uses correct grammar and refrains from slang Listens attentively, doesn’t interrupt Addresses concerns with explanation Gives accurate information Uses positive wording and phrasing Confirms customer name, address, and business Efficient in handling concerns Complaints Acknowledges complaint/expresses regret Asks questions appropriate to complaint Remains poised/calm in tense situation Uses good judgment on replacement/resolution; strives for a win/win situation Closing Develops relationship with the customer – makes the caller want to continue the business relationship Summarizes call/recaps action to be taken Offers name for further inquiries Asks if caller needs any other assistance Thanks customer for calling or extends appreciation for their patronage