Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to communicate effectively with and provide quality service to both internal and external customers. It requires the ability to establish rapport, determine and address customer needs and expectations and respond to complaints. Service provision could be face-to-face, via electronic means or over the telephone.
This unit applies to all floristry industry businesses including retail floristry shops, studio or online businesses and those that specialise in corporate or special events. It applies to those frontline service personnel who deal directly with customers on a daily basis and who work with some independence and under limited supervision and guidance from others. This includes retail florists, telephone sales agents, e-business sales personnel, studio florists and floral designers.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Communicate with internal and external customers. | 1.1 Communicate with customers in a polite, professional and friendly manner. 1.2 Use appropriate language and tone in both written and spoken communication. 1.3 Use appropriate non-verbal communication. 1.4 Observe and respond to non-verbal communication of customers. 1.5 Show sensitivity to cultural and social diversity. 1.6 Use active listening and questioning to facilitate effective two way communication. 1.7 Select and use medium of communication appropriate for audience and situation. |
2. Maintain personal presentation standards. | 2.1 Identify appropriate personal presentation in line with organisational policy, customer expectations, work location and activities. 2.2 Practise high standards of personal presentation and hygiene. |
3. Identify and meet customer needs | 3.1 Establish rapport with customers to promote goodwill and trust. 3.2 Identify customer needs and expectations including customers with special needs. 3.3 Meet all reasonable customer needs and requests promptly. 3.4 Provide relay services to customers and meet special requests. 3.5 Identify and act on opportunities to enhance service quality. |
4. Develop a customer relationship. | 4.1 Maintain contact with customers until orders are complete. 4.2 Develop rapport, provide empathy and special assistance to customers with special circumstances. 4.3 Promote repeat business through offer of promotional services |
5. Respond to customer complaints. | 5.1 Recognise customer dissatisfaction and take swift action to avoid escalation to a complaint. 5.2 Respond to customer complaints and seek solutions in consultation with the customer. 5.3 Resolve complaints according to level of individual responsibility and organisational policy. 5.4 Refer complex service issues to relevant staff for action. 5.5 Maintain a positive and cooperative manner at all times. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
communicate effectively and provide quality customer service to these customer types:
one walk-in customer purchasing a general product
those with special needs:
one aged customer
one customer with language or cultural needs
those with special circumstances:
one customer purchasing floristry products for a funeral
one customer purchasing floristry products for a special occasion
across those customer interactions, cover:
face-to-face communications
communications via written media
communications via the telephone
resolution of complaints.
Evidence of Knowledge
Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
principles of quality customer service and positive communication
essential features, conventions and usage of these types of communication media:
telephone
letters
appropriate:
voice tonality and volume
body language
floristry industry expectations of service personnel:
professional service standards
attitudes to work with customers
ethics of professional behaviour
personal presentation and hygiene standards
floristry industry and organisational:
types of internal and external customers; their service and communication expectations especially for customers with special service needs
customer service policies and procedures including those for complaint handling
procedures for the provision of relay services
key features of promotional services:
customer loyalty programs
discount vouchers
gift vouchers
newsletters
general characteristics of the main social and cultural groups in Australian society and key aspects of their cultural and religious protocols and preferences for service and communication
basic aspects of stresses faced by customers with special circumstances and communication techniques to manage these types of customers:
people purchasing floristry products for a funeral
people purchasing floristry products for a special occasion
techniques to identify and resolve customer dissatisfaction and complaints.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated in a floristry industry customer service environment. This can be:
an industry workplace
a simulated industry environment operated within a training organisation.
Assessment must ensure use of:
computers and email service
telephones
sample commercial documents for promotional services:
customer loyalty programs
discount vouchers
gift vouchers
newsletters
organisational policies and procedures for:
customer service
resolving customer complaints
personal presentation and hygiene
internal and external customers with whom the individual can interact; these can be:
paying customers in an industry workplace who are served by the individual during the assessment process or
people who participate in role plays or simulated activities, set up for the purpose of assessment, in a simulated industry environment operated within a training organisation
sufficient customer traffic that allows for prioritisation of tasks so that customers are served effectively in a logical sequence.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisation’s requirements for assessors, and:
hold a qualification or Statement of Attainment in Floristry which includes this unit of competency or equivalent; and
have worked as a florist in the industry for at least three years where they have applied this unit of competency or equivalent.
Foundation Skills
Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed below: | |
Skill | Description |
Reading skills to: | interpret: messages, notes, emails, letters, online communications of varying complexity detailed organisational customer service policies and procedures. |
Writing skills to: | produce clear and concise customer messages, notes, emails, letters and online communications. |
Planning and organising skills to: | deal with customer enquiries in a logical sequence so that customers are served effectively. |
Technology skills to: | operate telephone equipment and use electronic communication media. |
Sectors
Floristry
Competency Field
Sales and Operations