Customer Care
6 Credits (ECTS)
Customer Care
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Module Description
Understanding the importance of providing excellent customer service at the local council level is crucial for fostering a thriving and loyal community.
Customer service offers the first opportunity to create a positive, long-lasting impression. This module aims to provide students with an in-depth examination of customer care principles, understanding different customer types, and recognizing their needs and expectations. Additionally, students will learn tools and strategies to handle customer complaints effectively and deliver exceptional customer care.
By mastering these skills, students will be prepared to enhance community satisfaction and loyalty through superior customer service practices in local councils.
Entry Requirements
Candidates who apply for this course must possess the following:
- a qualification at MQF Level 4 (one A-level or equivalent in any subject);
AND
- a pass in English Language and Mathematics at MQF Level 3 (O-level or equivalent).
Peference will be given to prospective applicants having a year of work experience related to the study programme.
Target Audience
This course is targeted at:
- Professionals within the public sector aspiring for professional and academic advancement in public management and governance;
- Mid-career break professionals looking for opportunities to return to or change their career;
- Other individuals who would find this programme suitable for their academic and professional path.
Module / Unit Instructions
The proposed structure comprises a blended approach promoting the building of a community of practice via peer-to-peer learning. The structure uses primarily two dimensions of teaching-learning modes:
- Face to Face sessions
Face-to-face sessions include lectures, tutorials, discussions, presentations and workshop activities promoting peer-to-peer learning.
- Online Learning Activities
Online learning activities incorporate tutorials and asynchronous discussions. These may consist of active interaction, participation and contributions in fora discussions, sharing resources and self-reflection exercises. Learners also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.
How you’ll be assessed
The course comprises:
- Evening classes for part-time courses.
- Classes held throughout the day for full-time courses.
- Guided learning, presentations, comprising synchronous online discussions, tutorials and/or videos.
- Self-study hours comprising research, reading and assignment work.
Assessment
Assessment is carried out via two mandatory components:
- Modular Assessment
- Summative Assessment
The programme includes different forms of assessment which allow for and promote students’ critical engagement. The formative and summative assessment tasks may include an in-class assignment and/or a home-based written assignment using diverse assessment tools which may take the form of online and in-class discussions, examinations, case studies, reports, proposals, essays, and presentations, etc., as applicable to the diverse modules.
Learning Outcomes
Competences:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Appreciate the significance of customers and the impact of losing them.
- Examine customers’ needs and use this insight in providing customer care service at a level of superior quality.
- Examine how to capture feedback from customers and how this feedback can enhance customer care.
- Solve customers’ concerns and deal adequately with various customer personalities during stressful situations.
- Manage customers’ experience to facilitate satisfaction.
- Identify cultural differences and apply Hofstede’s framework to understand and serve customers more effectively.
Knowledge:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have been exposed to the following:
- Introducing Customer Care Principles.
- Knowing and Understanding the Customers and their Needs.
- Importance of Communication to Serve Customers.
- Handling Customer Complaints and the Way Forward.
- Staffing and Training for Service.
Skills:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills:
- Develop strategies to solve and monitor customer service problems and complaints by discovering and anticipating customers’ needs and working in teams.
- Use information gathering techniques to tackle customer requests / complaints.
- Examine the importance of product/service knowledge and ‘staffing for service’ to create to organisational success and positive customer experience.
Judgment Skills and Critical Abilities:
The learner will be able to:
- Identify and comply with relevant codes of practice related to customer care.
Module-Specific Communication Skills:
The learner will be able to:
- Identify appropriate skills and techniques to communicate effectively with people from different cultures.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences:
The learner will be able to:
- Navigate through the online learning platform to benefit from assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials etc.