Richmond School of Business BSBCUS501: Customer Service Project

This document presents a comprehensive solution for the BSBCUS501 Manage Quality Customer Service project. It begins with an analysis of the Australian Consumer Law, covering its purpose, consumer guarantees, and implications for businesses, including refund policies and extended warranties. The project then delves into effective complaint handling, customer service strategies, service standards, and the importance of measuring them. It also examines public relations, product promotion methods, and the impact of customer service on public perception. The solution further addresses communication barriers, steps to provide effective customer service, and the significance of understanding customer behavior. Customer research methods, including advertising and promotion research, customer satisfaction studies, and positioning research, are also discussed. The project concludes with a detailed customer service strategy template for Ozhouse Clean, including regulations report, email communication and meeting with the management team. The document also includes a discussion on the various aspects of the customer service strategy and its implementation.

MANAGEMENT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ASSESSMENT TASK 1.................................................................................................................3
ASSESSMENT TASK 2.................................................................................................................9
ASSESSMENT TASK 3...............................................................................................................13
ASSESSMENT TASK 4...............................................................................................................15
ASSESSMENT TASK 5...............................................................................................................16
Reference list.................................................................................................................................20
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ASSESSMENT TASK 1
1. Purpose of Australian Consumer Law
The main purpose of Australian Consumer Law is to look into and increase the welfare activities
of the Australian citizens thereby flourishing fair-trading as well as competition and safeguarding
consumer rights. Moreover, it also focuses on maintaining safety related to products and goods
and labelling all of the unfair marketing activities.
The Australian Consumer Law highly indulges into marinating consumer rights as well.
According to this law, the Australians can claim for rights to repair, refund, compensation as
well as replacement regarding any damaged product. The law also allows the customer to cancel
a flawed product (Griffiths, 2015).
2. Consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law
Some of the consumer guarantees that is applied on products and services under the Australian
Consumer Law:
 Products should be of good quality
 It should be safe and undamaged
 Products must be in a good form and should look acceptable
Apart from that, the products should be matched with the descriptions mentioned in the
packaging or described by salesperson. Furthermore, the products must carry full title as well as
ownership. Under the ACL, it has also been mentioned that products must possess some spare
parts and the owner must avail some repair facilities with a specific period (accc.gov.au, 2019)
On the other hand, services need to be accompanied with proper skill and care or technical
knowledge. Moreover, it should be delivered within a specific time if there is no such agreed end
date.
3. Types of products and services
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Mostly, goods and services are covered by consumer guarantees if it has been sold within trade
and commerce section and has been bought by any customer. Stauss and Seidel (2018)
commented that a consumer is none but an individual who buys:
 any sort of goods and services that costs nearly $40,000 or an amount set by ACL
 any sort of services and goods whose price is more than $40,000 and is usually used for
personal or any household purposes
 any vehicle with the purpose of transporting goods on public roads in spite of its costing
If an individual buys a product through trade and commerce for any re-supplying purpose, or for
transformation or for repairing, then they have not been accepted as consumer under ACL. In
addition, it can be said that hired goods are also covered by and listed under consumer
guarantees.
4. No Refund sign
According to the laws and regulations of Australia, no business can have “No Refund policy”. It
is completely against the law, if any business organisations or its owner denies paying refund
under any situation (Wirtz, 2018). Under the ACL and its rules, if any company display a sign
for no refunds, then it is unlawful.
5. Legal aspects of refund or replacement
Even if it is unlawful for a business organisation to display no refund sign; however, customers
can ask for replacement or refund only for damaged or faulty products but “they are not always
entitled to one”. For example, while purchasing a product, if customers change their mindset
they might not allow the same to return any item. However, it should be added here that there are
some stores that has their own in-store policy based on which they offer refund or replacement
even if minds of customers are changed (business.gov.au, 2019).
6. Discussing the statement
Under the ACL, consumers are provided with the right to purchase an extended warranty offered
by suppliers or manufacturers that provides the consumer with longer time of coverage than that
of the warranty of manufacturers. Suppliers should force the customers and must mention that an
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extended warranty will only cover product’s damages. For example, if an individual is buying a
product that cost $6,000, it will definitely possess a one-year manufacturer warranty, at this pint
of time, the seller might asks that individual to buy an extended warranty so that even of the
product is damaged after one year, he is going to be covered for the cost of repairs
(australia.gov.au, 2019). Hence, it can be said that the individual would be provided with
services with free of charge under ACL.
7. Two benefits of effective complaint handling system
 It will help the business firms to deal with the complaints as fast, consistent and fair as
possible.
 This is also going to aid in improving the customer communication.
Steps to deal with customer complaint effectively are:
 Listening actively to the complaints of customers
 Empathizing and apologizing for the scenario created
 Offering and executing proper solutions
8. Welcoming procedures for clients
 Developing a personalised greeting
 Training the sales staffs properly so that can keep their viewpoint properly
 Maintain a proper yet clean welcoming environment
9. Service Standards and its importance
Service standard is nothing but are those standards, which defines requirements that needs to be
achieved by a service to create its fitness for any purpose. In the words of Ihlen and Fredriksson
(2018), the service might focus on proper definitions, system for measuring service quality and
its level. However, it requires to be motioned here that service standard is not only important for
consumers but for the increasing the importance of service sector.
Examples are:
 Shifting towards the customer level, positioning and tuning in completely
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 Taking proper initiatives
10. Necessity of measuring service standards
It is quite essential for an organisation to measure its service standard even if they are committed
to best customer service practices because it helps in maintaining proper business management.
Moreover, it is quite essential for an organisation to understand their customers and meet their
requirements. Hence, measuring service standard is necessary. Moreover, the challenges and
obligations the management or employees might face in this course can also be understood.
11. Concept of public relations
Public relations are nothing but the strategic management of relationships that exist on between
organisations along with its diversified customers of an organisation through the effective
implementation of communication. This is mainly done to generate mutual understanding,
identify goals and objectives of an organisations thereby serving and offering public interest
(Arcos, 2016).
12. Methods for promoting products
Promoting products are necessary in this 21st century business world in order to reach customers.
Hence, a company and its team can follow the path of advertisement, sales promotion, personal
selling and publicity as a way of promoting products (He et al. 2017). Promoting products
through social media is the trendiest and effective way of promoting products as it helps in
seeking the attraction of large customer base.
13. Impact of customer service on public relations
Proper customer service can create positive impact on public relations.
14. Overcoming verbal communication barriers
 Paying attention to non-verbal messages
 Actively listening to what the customer is saying
 Being aware of language, and content of the message
 Ensuring proper feedback can help in this manner as well (Keates, 2018)
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15. Overcoming communication barriers with customers having hearing impairment
 Speaking swiftly and clearly to the customers
 Wearing name tags by salesperson can be great help as well that will describe the job role
of the same (Kumar et al. 2016).
 Focus on minimising the extra noise when talking
 Paying attention can be of great help as well
16. Steps to provide effective customer service
 It is essential to have an idea about the products that the company is selling
 Training the staffs is immensely important so that they can deal with the customers
properly
 Showing respect towards customers is another way of excelling in customer service
 Listening to the customers
 Asking for feedbacks
17. Unhappy customer is not good for any business
Unhappy customers can turn out to be a negative character thereby ruining the business as well
as its reputation at the same time. If an unhappy customer is not satisfied with the products of
any company, the same might complain to others. This might negatively influence the
company’s productivity as well as profitability (Corones, Christensen and Howell, 2016).
18. Importance of understanding customer behaviour
It is essential for an organisation and its team to understand the customer behaviour as it helps in
understanding the need of customer and measure customer purchasing behaviour at the same
time. By conducting survey and interviews, it is possible to analyse customer behaviour.
19. Customer research methods
Three key customer research methods include:
 Advertising and promotion research
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Company can generate information related to effectiveness of advertising through customer
responses
 Customer satisfaction studies
Determining the satisfaction level of customers can be done through surveying as well as
informal methods (Jackson, 2015)
 Positioning research
Companies can understand the likeliness of a product from a customer point f view in
comparison to competitor’s through revisiting the sales figure of the company.
20. Importance of recording and monitoring complaints
To date, majority of successful business owners have supported the fact recording and
monitoring complaints is immensely important (Olkkonen and Luoma-Aho, 2015). This helps in
understanding the issues they were facing earlier and compare it current issues. Keeping track of
the same can help in understanding to the extent of which it has been possible for them to
mitigate those issues and not repeat the same in near future.
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ASSESSMENT TASK 2
1. Regulations Report
The company Ozhouse Clean needs to abide by the Australian Fair Trading laws in order to
sell products as well as maintain quality while delivering services. Under the strict rules and
regulations of ACL, they can also provide proper service delivery.
In case of Woolworths, it has been found that the company follows there year strategy within
their customer service strategies and put customers at top priority. On the other hand, it requires
to be added here that Westpac has adopted Service revolution strategy in order to foster
customer growth to a great extent and help in long run of the business.
It should be added here that the company must consider key customer needs and requirements
related to that of cleaning services. Maintaining quality services need to be focused on, as this is
the most common yet important need of any customers. Additionally, cost of services needs to be
maintained at the same time. Moreover, response time of the staffs starting from service booking
to that of completion needs to be systematic and synchronised. By doing to the above, it will be
possible for the staffs of Ozhouse Clean to build trust and meet the customer needs successfully.
2. Customer Service Strategy Template
We will  Treat customers with proper respect,
dignity and understanding
 Be transparent regarding things we
can and we cannot
As customer you will see us  Being on time and response to
customer needs immediately
 Carrying out surveys to measure
performance
We will measure our performance by  Conducting annual community
satisfaction surveys
 Bringing about improvements in the
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customer service performance
Table 1: Customer Service Strategy for Ozhouse Clean
(Source: as influenced by Scott, 2018)
3. Sending email
To
The Management team
Ozhouse Clean
Subject: Discussion on Customer Service strategy and Regulations report
Team,
I am sending you this email to seek your attention and make you aware of the Customer Service
Strategy that the company has decided to adopt and follow. Hence, a meeting has been arranged
to discuss about the same and seek your advice as well on this. The meeting will be conducted on
16th December 2019 at 4 pm sharp in the meeting room. The duration of the meeting will be
30minutes; hence, your presence will be required. Below attached are the Regulation report and
the required Customer service strategy.
Thanking You
4. Meeting with the Management team
Operation manager: This meeting has been organised to discuss about the customer service
strategy and ask for your consent over the same. However, I would like to mention that this
customer service strategy is going to be helpful for us in improving our performance and
increase the commercial cleaning aspect in which we are lagging behind.
Team member: What strategies will be followed?
OM: Strategies like responding on time measuring growth, meeting needs of customer will be
mainly followed under the Australian Fair Trading law.
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TM: Will it be possible to maintain vision, mission statement of the company?
OM: Yes, in that case, proper communication skill needs to be applied as well. Active listening
skills need to be sharpened as well.
TM: Indeed
OM: If the plans and the strategy are carried out effectively then it will definitely bore fruits.
TM: However, still some changes are required on our doings you should focus on that.
OM: Surely
5. Revising customer service strategy
We will  Treat customers with proper respect,
dignity and understanding
 Be transparent regarding things we
can and we cannot
 Provide skilled and professional
staffs’
 Responding to the customer service
calls as early as possible
Table 2: Revised Customer Service Strategy for Ozhouse Clean
(Source: as influenced by Scott, 2018)
6. Sending email
To
The Management team
Ozhouse Clean
Subject: Revised Customer Service Strategy
Team,
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As per the instructions of General Manger, I have made some changes in the Custer Service
Strategy and I request to go through the same.
Below attached is the Revised Customer Service Strategy
Thanking You
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