Deck 13: Your External and Internal Customers

Question 1

Customer complaints should be encouraged as they inspire improvements to service.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A customer complaint is a personal attack and should be tackled effectively.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A "nice" customer is someone who never complains but responds by taking his/her business elsewhere.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

One of the most accepted and effective ways of handling impossible customer requests is to quote your company policy.

Question 5

"Going the extra mile" refers to the helpful actions of some customers who provide valuable feedback and suggestions to improve the effectiveness of your service.

Question 6

A customer complaint is an opportunity to improve.

Question 7

Unlike their internal counterparts, the external customers are tied to a company more directly.

Question 8

You should take a customers' feedback personally, so that it helps your business to grow.

Question 9

Questions such as "How was the service?" and "Was everything okay?" typically generate an honest and helpful response from customers.

Question 10

In many ways, the United States is now a service economy.

Question 11

Instead of using your energy to show a difficult customer that you are right and that he or she is wrong, you should focus on getting the customer calmed down.

Question 12

An external customer is the person who provides services and products to other people in the same company.

Question 13

You can escape the self-esteem trap by taking a customer's attack personally and letting it affect your own self-esteem.

Question 14

Cash prizes for surveys that ask for customer feedback are means of encouraging customers to complain.

Question 15

When faced with an angry customer, cutting the customer off typically proves to be beneficial.

Question 16

Treating nonpaying customers well is a good business practice.

Question 17

"Sorry we don't accept credit cards. It's our company policy." This is the most effective way of delivering the news to your customers that you do not accept credit cards.

Question 18

Having quality products alone is enough for a business to succeed.

Question 19

The two simplest principles of customer service are finding out what the customer needs and doing what is necessary to satisfy those needs.

Question 20

The cost of finding a new customer is considerably lower than the cost of keeping one you already have.

Question 21

Relationship selling reduces the chances that a customer would return and buy from you again.

Question 22

Unethical customer service can result in victimized customers.

Question 23

Dream Land manufactures toys for kids. In its advertisements, it stresses on its motto to make the customers happy. In doing so, the company is trying to:

A)sell good feelings.
B)sell solutions to problems.
C)go the extra mile.
D)determine the needs of the customers.

Question 24

Bruce is a customer service representative of GoodHomes appliances. He is responsible for providing solutions to customers' problems. To provide solutions to the customers, Bruce depends on the team of technical experts in the company. From the given information, we can conclude that Bruce is a(n):

A)internal customer.
B)"nice" customer.
C)mediator.
D)broker.

Question 25

The customer service ethics of a company or organization is independent of the quality of the services its customers will receive.

Question 26

Thanking the customer for his or her patience and for bringing the problem to your attention is a positive way to end a customer interaction.

Question 27

Two of the simplest principles of customer service include:

A)Create needs in your customers; Try to satisfy those needs.
B)Sell the product first; Explain how the product benefits the customer.
C)Prepare the idea for a service; Find a customer to fit the service.
D)Find out what the customer needs; Do whatever is necessary to satisfy those needs.

Question 28

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other person's place.

Question 29

The Golden Rule of ethical customer service is: Are you treating the customer the way you would like to be treated in a similar situation?

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true of customer needs?

A)Each customer has basic human needs that are unique.
B)Every customer's needs include being treated fairly.
C)Understanding the customer as a person just like yourself makes it difficult to anticipate his or her needs.
D)If a customer does not have a thorough understanding of what his or her own needs are, you should consider revising your product and service offerings.

Question 31

Which of the following is a faulty notion regarding customer service?

A)Knowing the issues involved in a business is important to develop the skills of effective customer service.
B)Customer service is of little importance as customers exist for the benefit of businesspeople.
C)The most obvious reason for increased importance for high-quality customer service is greater competition.
D)Keeping customers happy and loyal simply makes good economic sense.

Question 32

When a customer with an injured hand had to fill out a long customer survey form, Jason, the store manager, took time out to do it for her. Jason was "going the extra mile" for the customer.

Question 33

In the context of a business environment, bad news skills refer to:

A)the skills necessary to deliver bad news to the customers but still retain their business and goodwill.
B)the ability to receive bad news without being emotional or sentimental.
C)the ability of gossipmongers to spread rumors within an organization.
D)the required skills to bluntly deliver bad news to clients without wasting time sugarcoating the news.

Question 34

The most obvious reason for increased importance for high-quality customer service is ____.

A)greater competition
B)a more diverse customer base
C)stricter government rules
D)greater cultural diversity

Question 35

One effective way of dealing with customers is to avoid any outside distractions and make them feel important.

Question 36

Ensuring that you are able to provide a service in spite of compromising on the profit margins depicts good business sense.

Question 37

Regardless of company decisions, a loyal customer should be given the flexibility of going against the decisions if needed.

Question 38

If a customer does not have a thorough understanding of what his or her own needs are:

A)you should focus on providing quality products.
B)you should consider revising your product and service offerings.
C)you should probe to find out the needs behind their surface statements.
D)you should try to satisfy the customer's material needs and not the basic human needs.

Question 39

If a customer simply wants to be noticed and is not interested in buying your products, you should:

A)sternly ask the customer to stop wasting your time.
B)treat the customer as you would treat a paying customer.
C)politely request the customer to come when he or she actually wants to purchase your products.
D)discourage the customer from visiting again.

Question 40

An internal customer is best described as a person who:

A)buys good feelings and solutions to his or her problems.
B)depends on the other people in the company to provide the services and products for the external customer.
C)is a long-standing external customer, considered a part of the organization owing to his or her loyalty.
D)never complains, but responds to bad service by taking his or her business elsewhere.

Question 41

When a company gives customers free products or services as a way of showing appreciation for their relationship with them, it is referred to as:

A)going the extra mile.
B)providing employee assistance programs.
C)practicing conditional positive regard.
D)compensating for a weakness.

Question 42

Which of the following is the best way to deal with a customer complaint?

A)You should take it as an opportunity to learn about the problems of your products and improve.
B)You should ignore it as all customers cannot be equally satisfied.
C)You should cover up the complaint as these instances have a negative effect on the company.
D)You should blame the person responsible for the complaint.

Question 43

Which of the following questions is an effective self-check when deciding on an ethical approach to a situation?

A)"Would I want all of my procedures to be made public knowledge?"
B)"Would I want to continue with this customer?"
C)"Would this customer be pleased with my suggestions?"
D)"Would my actions lead to a solution to the issue?"

Question 44

When dealing with an unreasonable, angry, or overly demanding customer, you should:

A)remain silent about the problem.
B)remain focused on the issue.
C)express your anger about the issue.
D)walk away from the scene.

Question 45

When delivering bad news to a customer, you should typically:

A)use an aggressive tone of voice.
B)avoid apologizing when the news is related to company policies.
C)use a polite tone of voice.
D)dwell on long apologies.

Question 46

When customers perceive that you are willing to listen to their problems and that you are encouraging their response, they are most likely to:

A)respond honestly and openly.
B)become suspicious and hold back their responses.
C)take this as a sign of weakness and take advantage of your courtesy.
D)demand compensation for their suggestions and feedback.

Question 47

An emphasis on careful listening to customer complaints is important because:

A)it is typically an attempt to spoil the company's name.
B)it is a personal attack against your business.
C)it helps in retaining the "nice" customers.
D)it sends the signal that yours is a customer-focused business.

Question 48

Which of the following practices should be avoided when delivering bad news to a customer?

A)Dealing with why the problem exists
B)Being overly apologetic about the situation
C)Using a polite tone of voice
D)Talking about what can be done to solve the problem

Question 49

Which of the following is the most important factor in the customer complaint process?

A)Correcting the problems customers are complaining about.
B)Rewarding the customers who complain with gifts.
C)Making a database of all the customer complaints.
D)Encouraging more customers to register their complaints.

Question 50

Which of the following is true of a customer complaint?

A)It is a personal attack against the owner of a business.
B)It means that the relationship with the customer is broken permanently.
C)It is an opportunity for a business to improve.
D)It is typically an attempt to spoil the company's name.

Question 51

Which of the following questions is the Golden Rule for ethical customer service?

A)"Is this customer a valuable resource to be considered with utmost importance?"
B)"Would you want to continue with this customer?"
C)"Are you treating the customer the way you would like to be treated in a similar situation?"
D)"Is there an easier, non-controversial manner to resolve the customer's problem?"

Question 52

The self-esteem trap is best described as:

A)the circumstance that arises when a customer with a low self-esteem fails to express his or her needs clearly.
B)the circumstance that comes from taking a customer's attack personally and letting it affect your own self-esteem.
C)the condition in which a person with a high self-esteem looks down upon people with low-self-esteems.
D)the subconscious activity that compares your self-image against your image of others.

Question 53

Uranus, a retail store, provides supervised child care for its customers. This is an example of:

A)providing an employee assistance program.
B)providing intrinsic motivators.
C)practicing conditional positive regard.
D)going the extra mile.

Question 54

The best way to deal with an unreasonable, angry, or overly demanding customer is to:

A)allow the customer's outbursts to negatively influence your thoughts.
B)express your anger openly rather than bottling it up and feeling miserable.
C)let the customer fall into the self-esteem trap.
D)avoid the self-esteem trap.

Question 55

Which of the following practices is effective when delivering bad news to a customer?

A)You should avoid apologizing when the news is related to company policies.
B)You should close your message with a positive statement.
C)You should provide long apologies to alleviate customer's discontent.
D)You should use a stern and aggressive tone of voice.

Question 56

Which of the following is the best way of soliciting complaints?

A)How is our new cafe?
B)What are the factors that impress you the most at our cafe?
C)Suggest one thing that we can do to improve your experience at our cafe.
D)Name three unique things you noticed at our new cafe.

Question 57

Why should a firm encourage customer complaints?

A)Customer complaints a firm receives have little impact on its positive image.
B)Complaints are a means of ensuring work for the customer service department.
C)Complaining customers can be segmented and treated as a separate group to be handled differently.
D)Customer complaints inspire improvements to service that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Question 58

Which of the following strategies should be followed when dealing with customers?

A)You should take customers' complaints personally.
B)To succeed with customers, you must avoid bolstering their self-esteem.
C)You should be cautious when accepting feedback and suggestions from customers as most often these turn out to be personal attacks.
D)You should respect your customers and give them the highest-quality service but should never let them run your business.

Question 59

A "nice" customer is best described as a person who:

A)does not complain, but responds to bad service by taking his or her business elsewhere.
B)is a long-standing customer and stays loyal in spite of bad service.
C)regularly provides feedback after using a product.
D)is a regular customer, helping a business to serve better.

Question 60

Why is a "nice" customer often considered detrimental to a business?

A)They have many complains about the products of a business.
B)They do not provide honest feedback.
C)They are difficult to satisfy.
D)They have an aggressive temperament.

Question 61

When giving a customer bad news, one has to maintain a _____ tone of voice.

Question 62

A(n) _____ trap is the circumstance that comes from taking a customer's attack personally and letting it affect how you feel about yourself.

Question 63

Good service, which always includes good ____, is the main reason for repeat business.

Question 64

According to the American Management Association, 65 percent of a typical company's business comes from repeat business by _____ customers.

Question 65

A complaint should not be viewed as a personal attack but as a(n) ____.

Question 66

An emphasis on careful listening to complaints sends the signal to consumers that yours is a(n) _____ business.

Question 67

_____ primarily involves forming meaningful relationships with your customers, which makes them much more likely to return and buy from you again.

Question 68

A company can ensure the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in its delivery of customer service by promoting its desired values, ____, and making sure frontline workers follow the rules.

Question 69

According to Michael LeBoeuf, what are the two things that customers buy?

Question 70

Businesses can go the _____ by offering customers free services to ensure goodwill.

Question 71

A(n) _____ is the person who depends on the other people in the company to provide the services and products for the external customer.

Question 72

When dealing with difficult customers, you should avoid the _____ trap.

Question 73

According to Michael LeBoeuf, customers buy only two things: _____ and solutions.

Question 74

According to Bill Gates, adopting a(n) _____ attitude toward customers rather than a defensive position makes customer complaints the most important part of improving quality of a business process.

Question 75

Explain why the importance of high-quality customer service has increased.

Question 76

Finding out what the customer needs, and doing whatever is necessary to satisfy that need are the _____ of customer service.

Question 77

Callie is greatly affected by the abusive comments of an aggressive customer. This incident lowers her confidence. Callie has failed to avoid the _____ trap.

Question 78

To succeed with customers, you must learn to bolster their ____.

Question 79

Reggie is a customer who never complains when the waiters of a restaurant are sloppy; he simply makes it a point to visit another restaurant if he continues to face the same issue with a particular restaurant. Reggie best exemplifies a(n) "_____" customer

Question 80

The customer who never complains, but responds to bad service by taking his or her business elsewhere is called a "_____" customer.