SITXCCS007: Customer Service and Relationship Handling Project

This project delves into the realm of customer service and relationship handling, focusing on the case study of Black Pearl Epicure, a provider of specialty foods. The project encompasses several key areas, including the characteristics, needs, and expectations of both internal and external customers, such as Kate, the sales manager, Richard, the delivery driver, and various regular customers like Grace and Peter. It explores the products and services offered by Black Pearl, detailing the range of seafood, French delicacies, meat products, salt and spices, cheese, and vegetable oils. The project also addresses add-ons, their benefits, and effective selling strategies, such as free Wi-Fi and supplementary food items. Furthermore, it emphasizes anticipating customer needs, active listening, and customer analysis. The assignment outlines how to ensure product and service actioning before home delivery through a flowchart, and details an action plan for solving customer problems, including gift voucher and product return policies. Procedures for handling complaints and conflicts are also examined. Additionally, the project provides examples of promotional services and a customer feedback form, along with its evaluation and utilization for establishing customer rapport. The project also references the assessment brief which includes the Wholesale Price List and Customer Service policy.

Running head: CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RELATIONSHIP HANDLING
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RELATIONSHIP HANDLING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RELATIONSHIP HANDLING
Table of Contents
Assessment 1..............................................................................................................................4
Assessment 2............................................................................................................................11
Answer 1..............................................................................................................................11
Answer 2..............................................................................................................................11
Answer 3..............................................................................................................................11
Answer 4..............................................................................................................................11
Answer 5..............................................................................................................................11
Answer 6..............................................................................................................................11
Answer 7..............................................................................................................................12
Answer 8..............................................................................................................................12
Answer 9..............................................................................................................................12
Answer 10............................................................................................................................12
Answer 11............................................................................................................................12
Answer 12............................................................................................................................13
Answer 13............................................................................................................................13
Answer14.............................................................................................................................13
Answer 15............................................................................................................................13
Answer 16............................................................................................................................13
Answer 17............................................................................................................................13
Answer 18............................................................................................................................13

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Answer 19............................................................................................................................13
Answer 20............................................................................................................................14
Answer 21............................................................................................................................14
Answer 22............................................................................................................................14
Answer 23............................................................................................................................14
Answer 24............................................................................................................................14
Assessment 3............................................................................................................................15
Section 1...............................................................................................................................15
Question 1........................................................................................................................15
Question 2........................................................................................................................15
Question 3........................................................................................................................16
Question 4........................................................................................................................17
Question 5........................................................................................................................18
Question 6........................................................................................................................18
Question 7........................................................................................................................19
Question 8........................................................................................................................19
Question 9........................................................................................................................20
Question 10......................................................................................................................21
Question 11......................................................................................................................21
Question 12......................................................................................................................22
Question 13......................................................................................................................22

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Section 2...............................................................................................................................23
Question 14......................................................................................................................23
Question 15......................................................................................................................23
Question 16......................................................................................................................24
Section 3...............................................................................................................................24
Question 18......................................................................................................................24
Question 19......................................................................................................................24
Question 20......................................................................................................................25
Question 21......................................................................................................................25
Question 22......................................................................................................................25
Section 4...............................................................................................................................26
Question 23......................................................................................................................26
Question 24......................................................................................................................26
Question 25......................................................................................................................26
Question 26......................................................................................................................26
Question 27......................................................................................................................27
References................................................................................................................................28

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Assessment 1
1. Characteristics, needs and expectations of internal and external customers at
Black Pearl Epicure
Kate is a very productive employee as she has extensive knowledge about the vast
range of products offered by Black Pearl Epicure. Kate can successfully persuade the
customers in buying the products through her extensive knowledge on food. Kate could much
easily convinced the naïve customers, who would need some help while making the purchase
decision. The organization has made the right decision by appointing Kate as the sales
manager of Black Pearl Epicure. Being at the youth phase of her life, Kate enjoys socializing
by having dinner parties on the weekends. However, in her personal life also she prefers the
food items of Black Pearl Epicure. In order to satisfy and retain Kate in the organization, the
firm should address her needs. In terms of monetary motivation, the firm can increase her pay
or incentive. As part of a non-monetary motivation, the firm can provide their food items at
rebate to Kate, as she prefers eating Black Pearl food items during weekend’s dinner parties.
Richard works as a delivery driver in Black Pearl Epicure therefore he earns a
moderate amount of salary with which he needs to serve his family. Therefore, he cannot
afford to go at rich and expensive diners instead goes to the local golf club. At the age of 46,
Richard would not risk losing this job and finding another one therefore, he performs all the
duties given to him such as delivering to places, which is not under his assigned area. He
expects an adequate pay from Black Pearl, which would help him to sustain his family. The
firm should give some extra compensation to Richard whenever he provides delivery service
to other locations not under his designated area. Due to his hard work, the company should
provide food products as a gift whenever he achieves more than his specified target.
Grace is a regular customer of Black Pearl. As she is quite old, she prefers healthy
food items to the cheese and cream products. Grace does not favor the lactose due to the

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cheesy content yet as Black Pearl offers cheese free lactose, Grace purchases those. The firm
could import more fat free products for Grace and other customers like her to maintain
customer satisfaction. Grace is a business woman as well as a member of Brisbane social set
thus her busy life prevents her from visiting any store therefore the company should address
this need by operating in online mode and providing home delivery services. Having two
adult children and being a business woman makes her life hectic sometimes leading to
frustration therefore her fussy attitude should be handled effectively by the employees of
Black Pearl.
Peter is one of the oldest customer of Black Pearl and has good relations with the
owner of Black Pearl. He leads a lavish lifestyle and always prefers to buy big therefore, the
employees should take extra care of Peter and assist him during shopping.
2. Products and services offered by Black Pearl Epicure
Black Pearl provides a range of products from these five products and services are
listed below:
Black Pearl offers a wide variety of delicious and quality seafood in affordable prices.
Most of the seafood the firm provides are in pickled or caviar form. The various range of fish
and seafood caviar include Grade 1 iranian caviar, yarra valley salmon caviar, sterling royal
caviar, flying fish roe, Tasmanian smoked salmon, yarra valley trout caviar and wood-
smoked tuna.
Black Pearl provides a variety of French delicacies mostly the meat items, which
involves duck confit, foie gras, marriage freres tea, cassoulet and fresh truffles. Duck confeit,
cassoulet and foei gras is made from duck or goose meat. Along with French delicacies the
company also provides a wide range of meat products such as quail, bungalow sweet pork,
crocodile, wood pigeon, boudin noir, pheasant, jamon Serrano, guinea fowl, vension and
saucisson sec.

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Like every other wholesale store, Black Pearl also provides various salt and species
however the salt and spices of Black Pearl constitutes different cuisines such as herbies
spices, French salt, Spanish smoked paprika, chillies, spice pastes, portugese salt, Australian
smoked paprika, exotic spices range, Iranian saffron powder, Himalayan salt and curry.
Cheese is one of the sought after products of Black Pearl. The store provides unique
and premium quality cheese products, which it imports from various countries across the
globe at an affordable price to the consumers. The store offers a wide variety of cheese
products ranging from manchego, Roquefort, tallegio, pyengana, comte gruyere, parmigiano
reggiano, stilton and gorgonzola.
The store provide a range of vegetable oils imported from different countries at an
exotic price. The products include Australian extra virgin olive oils, umbria and amp, pure
citrus oils, Italian extra virgin olive oils from Tuscany, French nut oils, truffle oils and sicily.
3. Add-ons provided, their benefits if provided in package and the process to sell
them effectively
 Free Wi-Fi should be provided inside the store for the customer traffic.
 Based on the customer demand and wants the store can provide extras and add-ons on
their products such as the cheese is in high demand therefore the store can provide
any supplementary food item with cheese.
4. Anticipating customer needs
 Build a clear future vision I should build a clear vision of the future which
would be customer centered. I should be aware of the type of demands made by
the customer and who are the target customers. Thus helping in anticipating the
customer needs.
 Active listening Communication helps to anticipate customer needs and active
listening helps in effective communication. Keeping an open mind, staying alert,

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asking questions and picturing what is being communicated helps in listening
actively to the customer.
 Performing customer analysis Keeping a track of the buying habits of
customers facilitates in anticipating the customer needs. This analysis should be
performing by enquiring the experienced and senior employees about the
customers they have dealt with.
5. How to ensure that all products and services are actioned before customer home
delivery? What would this entail in your service area?
A flowchart designed for delivery service to customers will help in ensuring that all
the products are actioned before their delivery. The flowchart will determine the links
between the customer expectation, service delivery and successfully meeting with the
customer expectations. The chart will ensure the figures and maps related to the delivery of
the products and service.
6. Action plan for solving customer problems
The management should check whether the customer was properly informed about the
expiry date of the gift voucher. If it is found that fault was with the institution who issued the
gift voucher then the store is liable to extend the gift voucher by charging some fees. If the
customer is faulty then the store is not liable to make any compensation.
According to the return policy of the wholesale store, the customer is capable of a full
refund as the food items were unfit for consumption.
When the customer comes for picking up the product the employee can give the
customer an explanation that the ordered cheese was damaged while transportation or delay
in arrival of the cheese and instead of that can provide a different cheese at a rebate due to the
inconvenience.
7. Ensuring proper service provisions and reducing problems

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The complaints handling policy provides solutions for all the problems and grievances
of the customers. The store provides opportunity to every customer in making a complaint if
they are dissatisfied with the service or any employee of the store. All the employees should
be informed and made to understand the complaint handling policy and its procedures.
Maintaining anonymity of the customer making a complaint will help in receiving honest
reviews. The complaints made by the customers will be observed without any biasness, the
needs of the customers and situation during the sales will be considered during the procedure.
The staff members, against whom complaints will be lodged, will be informed and given an
opportunity for explanation and sometimes extra support will be given to them. If possible
the company policies regarding complaint handling will be changed.
8. Procedures and requirements for dealing with conflicts.
If any customer is dissatisfied with the service or product they make lodge a
complaint according to the complaint handling policy of the store. The customers can either
verbally communicate with the staff about their complain. If the staff members are unable to
solve the problem then the customer can opt for non-verbal communication mode or
customer service staff over phone. The customer can fill up the feedback form on the official
website of the store or email the authorities. First the complaints has to be recorded and
acknowledged by the complaint handling team, the team must review and investigate the
complaint to find out who is faulty. After the investigation is done the team take action on
behalf of the complaint and a record of the complaint is kept for continuous improvement
process.
9. Three examples of promotional service and its effective use
 CollaborationsForming collaborations with other brands helps to expand the
business reach and minimize the resources used for promotions. For example, forming

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partnerships with other brands involved in agro merchandising will help in boosting
the sales as well as gain unique promotional ideas.
 Sale of the returned products The returned goods are treated as a loss. However,
goods returned due to improper packaging or food items, which are close to the
expiry, can be used for resale. It is termed as garage sale where the products are sold
at a very low price and the needy consumers happily purchase them.
 Exclusive sales Everyone loves to be a part of something exclusive. The store can
host an exclusive sale and include hose customers who are loyal to their store.
10. Developing a customer feedback form
A customer feedback form helps to understand the suggestions from the customer
regarding a specific service or product. Below is the outline of a customer feedback form:
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FORM
Personal Details:
Name:
Mobile number:
Address:
Email:
Your special preferences for any product or services:
Feedback:
Was the customer service satisfactory to you?
Yes No Average
If no, please state the reason:
Was the staff courteous and respectful?
Yes No Average
If no, please state the reason:
Did you find the products you were searching for?
Yes No

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If no, please state the reason:
Please provide some suggestions regarding our product and services:
11. Explain how you will evaluate this feedback form, how you would utilise the
collected data and how this would be useful to establish ongoing customer rapport.
The data collected through the feedback form need to be decoded for improving the
product and services of the store. The staff have to go through every feedback form and
analyze the data, specially the dichotomous questions, statistically. The graph and chart
showing either the highest positive or negative results should be priority for the store. The
results of this customer feedback form will help the store in realizing their weakness and
strengths thereby enhancing the performance of the store, which would in turn increase the
customer satisfaction. Thus helping in building a customer rapport.

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Assessment 2
Answer 1
(a) People of different ages – look at the same aspects of products and services when making
their selection
(b) People on higher incomes – make different choices to those on budgets or limited
incomes
(c) People of different cultures – are drawn to similar things
(d) Clientele with young families – may look for the same holiday destination as those who
are single
Answer 2
(c) Tour group participants – often do so because this kind of travel offers a more stress-free,
cheaper and convenient travel experience, with opportunities to visit many attractions in a
short space of time.
Answer 3
(c) Which proportion of the price pays for the brand name?
Answer 4
b. Supervisors
Answer 5
b. Providing honest information
Answer 6
a. With today’s increased service expectations, it is not common practice to encourage a
service that goes above and beyond normal operations.