Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

SITXCRI401 Mapping and Delivery Guide
Respond to a customer in crisis

Version 1.0
Issue Date: April 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency SITXCRI401 - Respond to a customer in crisis
Description This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to identify the ramifications of a crisis on a customer and to respond with assistance and support. It requires the ability to identify and interpret information relevant to the crisis, provide customer crisis care and organise operational services to assist the customer in crisis.
Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills.
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit applies to all tourism, travel, hospitality and event sectors. It has particular application to accommodation providers, tour operators, retail travel agencies and inbound tour operators.The crisis would be significant and could involve the death, injury, illness or psychological trauma of a customer. It does not cover more operational circumstances, such as the loss of travel documents, passports and money.This unit applies to people who operate independently or with limited guidance from others. This includes senior tour coordinators, senior retail travel consultants, hotel duty managers, guides, and tour managers who are able to use significant discretion and judgement to respond to customer crises.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.
Prerequisites/co-requisites Not applicable.
Competency Field
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities 		Slides
PPT 		Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Identify and acknowledge the crisis.
  • Ascertain the scope and severity of the customer crisis.
  • Consider impacts on customer ability to continue in service participation.
  • Consider the impacts on other customers.
  • Access and interpret information relevant to the crisis.
  • Acknowledge the incident as a customer crisis and communicate details to key people.
       
Element: Provide customer crisis care.
  • Identify symptoms of customer trauma.
  • Monitor and assess the severity of customer trauma.
  • Provide sympathetic and sensitive support and reassurance to the customer.
  • Avoid pitfalls in crisis care when communicating with customers.
  • Provide recommendations to the customer.
       
Element: Organise services to assist the customer.
  • Develop an action plan to manage the crisis.
  • Promptly identify and access sources of assistance.
  • Assist the customer to access service providers.
  • Minimise disruption to other customers and maintain their services.
  • Organise operational services to assist the customer in crisis.
  • Involve key people in the management of the customer crisis and integrate their perspective.
  • Provide explicit details of progress with and final confirmations of operational services to the customer and key people.
       
Element: Evaluate and debrief customer crisis management.
  • Evaluate the crisis management process to determine the effectiveness of the response.
  • Debrief and complete all reports.
  • Provide recommendations for improvements to future crisis management practices.
  • Seek assistance to cope with any personal trauma experienced.
       


Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

identify the ramifications of a customer crisis, respond with customer crisis care and organise operational services to assist the customer

integrate knowledge of the key symptoms of trauma and communication techniques for supporting and reassuring customers.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure use of:

a real or simulated tourism, hospitality or event industry customer service environment where a customer is in crisis

customer service arrangements or itineraries

customer crisis information

current industry procedures for reporting and managing customer incidents

customers with whom the individual can interact.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

evaluation of a portfolio, prepared by the individual, incorporating documents used for the management of a customer crisis:

summary of customer crisis information

an action plan to manage the crisis

notes on the organisation of operational services to assist the customer in crisis

reports produced post crisis

direct observation, using role plays, of the individual supporting and reassuring customers

use of case studies and problemsolving exercises so the individual can identify and evaluate the impacts of different types of customer crises and provide responses

written and oral questioning to assess knowledge of:

the key symptoms of trauma

communication techniques for supporting and reassuring customers

role of key external people and organisations in managing a customer crisis

review of portfolios of evidence and thirdparty workplace reports of onthejob performance by the individual.

Guidance information for assessment

The assessor should design integrated assessment activities to holistically assess this unit with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role, for example:

SITHACS303 Provide accommodation reception services

SITTGDE401 Coordinate and operate tours

SITTGDE402 Manage extended touring programs

SITTTOP403 Operate tours in a remote area

SITTTSL306 Book supplier services.

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

communication skills to:

discuss details of a customer crisis with key internal and external people

provide sympathetic and sensitive support to the customer

critical thinking skills to evaluate the severity of crisis impacts on the customer

literacy skills to:

read and interpret reports on the customer crisis and customer forward service arrangements

research sources of assistance for the customer

write succinct action plans and accurate and complex crisis management reports

numeracy skills to calculate immediate costs of service provision to the customer

planning and organising skills to organise operational services to assist the customer while minimising disruption to other customers

problem-solving skills to identify, acknowledge and immediately respond to customer crises

self-management skills to take responsibility for managing a customer in crisis

teamwork skills to involve key staff members in the management of a customer crisis.

Required knowledge

key symptoms of trauma

sources of medical and counselling assistance

communication techniques for supporting and reassuring customers

pitfalls in crisis care communications

operational services used to manage customer service and repatriation arrangements

role of key external people and organisations in managing a customer crisis

a range of formats for and inclusions of incident reports

for the specific organisation:

the roles and responsibilities of key staff members

procedures for reporting and managing customer incidents.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Customer may include:

the affected customer

their friends and family

travelling companions.

Information relevant to the crisis may be sourced from:

discussions with:

customer

their friends and family

travelling companions

medical reports

emergency services reports

police reports

staff, contractor, supplier reports on:

accident

assault

death

injury or illness

mugging.

Customer crisis may include:

accident, e.g. involvement of a vehicle

assault, e.g. sexual assault

death

family crisis and need for repatriation

major injury or illness

mugging

any incident resulting in psychological trauma

suicide

witnessing a serious incident.

Key peoplemay include:

colleagues, including:

managers

operational staff

peers

supervisors

family members

personnel within the controlling office:

event management organisation

inbound tour operator

outbound tour wholesaler

professional conference organiser

retail travel agency

tour operator

personnel from suppliers on an extended tour

travel insurance provider personnel

travelling companions.

Trauma may involve:

behavioural disturbance:

avoidance of thoughts, feelings or conversations associated with the trauma

detachment from others

efforts to avoid activities, places or people that arouse recollections of the event

exaggerated startle response

increased smoking or alcohol consumption

irritability or outbursts of anger

markedly diminished interest or participation in significant tourism activities

response to cues that symbolise or resemble the event

cognitive ability:

difficulty in concentrating

inability to recall important aspects of the event

inability to make a decision

difficulty in falling or staying asleep

distressing recollections of the event

emotional disturbance:

anxiety and nervousness

fear

grief

guilt

helplessness

resentment

poor interpersonal reactions

physical disability

recurrent distressing dreams.

Reassurance may relate to advice about:

availability of assistance, advice and support

confidentiality of customer information

customer taking the lead to seek assistance, advice and support.

Pitfalls in crisis care may include:

making jokes

making promises that cannot be kept

treating the event flippantly

trying to motivate or force customer participation in touring activities

use of negative or unhelpful statements.

Recommendations may include:

advising the customer to:

cancel the remainder of their touring arrangements and return home

contact their travel insurance provider

rebook a replacement holiday

report incidents to the police

seek medical assistance

seek professional counselling.

To assist the customer may involve:

accompanying customers to service providers

making appointments with service providers

making contact with and seeking options and recommendations from the:

customer’s retail travel agency

local tour or ground operator

organisation’s controlling office

travel insurance provider

providing customers with phone numbers of crisis counselling services

providing explicit directions and instructions to assist customers reach the service provider

providing transport to the service provider.

Service providers may include:

airlines

consulates

counselling services

funeral directors

high commissions

hospitals

medical and allied health professionals

offices of the local inbound tour or ground operator

police.

Operational services may include:

accommodation

cancellation of forward travel and tourism services

flights and ticketing to repatriate the customer

repatriation of bodies via:

airlines

consulates

funeral directors

high commissions

travel insurance companies.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Ascertain the scope and severity of the customer crisis. 
Consider impacts on customer ability to continue in service participation. 
Consider the impacts on other customers. 
Access and interpret information relevant to the crisis. 
Acknowledge the incident as a customer crisis and communicate details to key people. 
Identify symptoms of customer trauma. 
Monitor and assess the severity of customer trauma. 
Provide sympathetic and sensitive support and reassurance to the customer. 
Avoid pitfalls in crisis care when communicating with customers. 
Provide recommendations to the customer. 
Develop an action plan to manage the crisis. 
Promptly identify and access sources of assistance. 
Assist the customer to access service providers. 
Minimise disruption to other customers and maintain their services. 
Organise operational services to assist the customer in crisis. 
Involve key people in the management of the customer crisis and integrate their perspective. 
Provide explicit details of progress with and final confirmations of operational services to the customer and key people. 
Evaluate the crisis management process to determine the effectiveness of the response. 
Debrief and complete all reports. 
Provide recommendations for improvements to future crisis management practices. 
Seek assistance to cope with any personal trauma experienced. 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

SITXCRI401 - Respond to a customer in crisis
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

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I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

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Result: Competent Not yet competent

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Assessment Record Sheet

SITXCRI401 - Respond to a customer in crisis

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

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Student signature:

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