VUSSC/Content/Tourism/Customer Care/Overview

Module Overview

Customer Care is a core module of this course. It builds on the previous core modules. Some of the aspects of this module have already been dealt with in the Applying Effective Communication Skills module. Please do not regard this as a repetition. References have been made to such topics and their importance emphasised from different angles for better understanding.

The module comprises seven Units. The first Unit sets the base for providing a common understanding of customer service excellence. It touches briefly on quality and quality ystems. What are the rationales for service excellence? This is dealt with in Unit 2. We then move on to Unit 3 which explores the features of service that WOWS the customer. We look briefly at the planning aspects of customer service excellence in Unit 4 before considering the delivery of service excellence. This is discussed in Unit 5. Success in customer service depends upon customer communication which in turn relies heavily on effective customer relationships. Unit 6 looks at establishing and maintaining effective customer relationships. We emphasise the importance of monitoring for continuous improvement in service delivery in the last Unit.

The contents of this module have been designed so that as tour guides, you are empowered to seek out both the spoken and unspoken customer needs of your customers. We are confident that you will be able to uncover the aspects of quality that wows your customer. You can subsequently plan, organize and deliver tour guiding services by focusing on your business functions towards achieving the basic goal – shocking your customers by providing a service that exceeds their expectations. You should endeavour towards continuous improvement by monitoring the services you provide to your customers and incorporating their views/feedback.