Service Orientation

Having service orientation skills means you listen to and understand the customer regardless of whether they are from within or outside your company or organisation. You anticipate their needs, giving high priority to customer satisfaction.

To most people, the contact person is the organisation. In their eyes, the organisation is only as competent, knowledgeable, courteous, and reliable as the person who represents it.

Skills and Capabilities

Service orientation skills and capabilities include:

• Presentation skills

• Negotiation skills

• Influencing skills

• Compromise

• Cooperation

• Selling skills

• Listening skills

Key Attributes

If any of the following key attributes apply to you, you have service orientation skills:

• Greet the person promptly and courteously

• Pay attention to the person

• Ask questions to determine the person's needs

• Listen carefully and empathise with the person's concerns

• Offer relevant information

• Summarise to check for understanding

• Act or agree upon a clear course of action

• Try to do better than expected

Check for Satisfaction

Ask questions to check for satisfaction

• Follow through

• Thank the individual

• Take surveys to determine people's needs

• You are courteous to citizens, clients, patients, etc.

• Do not "pass the buck"

More Information

• For more information, go to Customer Service Orientation (from the British Council)