Listening to your customers is an integral aspect of customer service. Image: Federico Viola
To be able to provide good customer service you need to know what the needs of your customers are.
This ability to understand is central to customer service and shows how customer service should commence with and ear rather than a mouth. Listen to your customers!So, let us have a look at customers.
Customers
Industries vary in customers and customer interaction. Some industries can be quite casual and friendly while other industries may have a more professional or even reserved level of contact. Your local hairdresser or many cafes are relaxed in the way they interact with clients.
Below is a list of customer groups. Try to relate these groups to multimedia design. So, brainstorm what these clients may be for a multimedia designer. I will post the brainstorm from class.
Clients
‘Purchasers of services’
Suppliers of goods and services
Contractors providing goods and services
Members of the general public who make contact with the organisation, such as prospective purchasers of services
Potential funding bodies
Co‑workers, peers and fellow frontline managers
Board members
Supervisors
Customer Needs
Let us look at customer needs. Customer needs can be looked at in a context. They may be related to:
Accuracy of information
Advice or general information
Complaints
Fairness/politeness
Further information
Making an appointment
Prices/value
Purchasing organisation’s products and services
Returning organisation’s products and services
Specific information.
Write down a context this may happen in, a location or point of contact (online, in a shop in person).
Please create examples of customer needs attached to each. Example: Complaints – A customer wants to be listened to , wants to reach a certain outcome and a customer would like an apology or explanation.
If you look at the diagram above you can see that customer needs can be classified further into value needs, psychological needs and performance needs.
Once you understand the customer needs of your target audience you will be able to respond to these.
Analysing Your Customers
What options do you have as a business owner or service provider to learn about the needs of your target audience? Below are some suggestions on how to receive the information:
customer feedback form
customer satisfaction surveys
quality assurance data
conducting interviews
making recommendations
obtaining management decisions
questioning and asking directly
seeking feedback to confirm understanding
summarising and paraphrasing.
A multimedia business can, as part of their quality control, make a feedback question or survey a recommended procedure for their staff. ‘Before a project is complete you need to ask the client for specific feedback.’
See my comment at the bottom of every post as another example.
Customer Service Standards
A business needs to plan to meet customer requirements. When you have a contract with a client most aspect of customer needs will be specifically stated (eg: ‘design a website that allows sales and promotion of sport equipment… due date:…).
The delivery of products and services needs to be aligned with the business plan of an organisation. You need to clarify what standard of product and service quality you want to reach.
The larger the organisation the harder it is to inform everyone of the customer service standards. A good way to set customer service standards and to make sure everyone in the organisation is well aware of it is to make it part of the culture of the business.
It helps to discuss the customer service standards at every meeting. Posters are another great way to ensure that staff know about them. See example below:
Customer service standards that work – source: WinningCareers.com.au
Assignment
Complete the questions in the attached assignment sheet and create a basic Customer Service Standard list or poster for a café in the CBD or a multimedia business that specialises in Web Design and Instructional Videos, and online resources.
Include 10 points in the poster that that business should focus on. Make it all up!
The swirls in the image are made up of numerous lines. Courtesy of: www.openprocessing.org
The calming effect of horizontal lines, image: courtesy of flickr.com, Photographer: jaikdean
Illustration by Jessie Ford, found on DzineBlog.com
Photo by mconnors on morgueFile
Grassy Rabbits
Photo by matthewbridges on morgueFile.com
Using the Reflect tool (o) to reflect the i downwards as if it has collapsed in front.
The grass layer has been turned into a clipping mask with the shape of the rabbit below.
The underlined text and insertion point at end of the word indicates that you are still in the type mode.
From ‘Henri’s Walk to Paris’ 1962 – children’s book by Saul Bass Found at: Brainpickings.org
Illustration by Gary Neill found on P.A.P.-Blog – http://garyneill.com/ http://garyneill.tumblr.com/
The Face by drfranken found on ChromoArt.de
Typographic with Colours and Photos – The use of large numbers is effective and the low opacity of the boxes works, personally, I find it looks a bit dated- found at: JuxtaPost.com
ruthworkx -http://ruthworkx.files.wordpress.com
The Glossy Reflection is transparent on top and gets whiter towards the bottom.
Constructivism Reference – by Lylah Livingston
Illustration by Jessie Ford, found on DzineBlog.com
Table of Content from Textbook – This design lends itself to an interactive use – found at: Smashing Magazine (click image for inspiring article on table of content design)
Photo by mcconnors on morgueFile
Steel Curves, Image: courtesy of flickr.com, photographer: Margeois.
Swiss travel poster from 1934 by Herbert Matter – Source: http://swisstype.wordpress.com/work/
Only practice will help you learn! Photo by BreonWarwick on morgueFile
Photo by clarita on morgueFile
Photo by Seemann on morgueFile.com
Uncle Sam Wants You, WWI Propaganda Poster for US Army recruits, Design by James Montgomery Flagg, 1916, image found at: Live Auctioneers
Multimedia Production Cycle – This image is under the Creative Common Agreement, you can use it but will need to reference this site: www.classoffederico.wordpress.com
Good Morning! Photo: wallyir, from: morgueFile.com
Photo by ariadna on morgueFile
I Want You – Emily Strange, The lovable Emily Strange came to life in 1991, designed by Nathan Carrico for Santa Cruz Skateboards. She is referred to as a counterculture icon. I would just call her a sceptic. Image found at: Kollectable Kaos
Vista Lighting Effect – Courtesy of: Tutorial9
Photo by dharder on morgueFiles.com
Work by Egon Schiele, found at Mom.org
Some of us have there most enjoyable moments in nature at the beach, Photo by rivediamoci on morgueFiles
Concept for Gallery Screnshot
Screenshot – 82 Everyone is a Marketer by Seth Godin from What’s Your Story by Joyce Hostyn
Photo Montage by SGlider12 on Webdesign.org – Click image for great Gimp tutorial
Illustration: Tavis Coburn – Illustration for for an article predicting trends in Apple’s mobile strategy. Found on: TavisCoburn.com
Study – Lines and Grace Kelly – by Federico Viola photo: courtesy of GettingCheeky.com and curved lines wallpaper: courtesy of FreeFever.com
Based on image by hotblack on morgueFile.com – F.Viola
Close-up at Fed Square, Federico Viola 2013
Examples of Output and Display for web-content. Image: live.surveyshack.com
Work by Justin Anderson
Couple found at http://frenchbydesign.blogspot.com.au
Contemporary design in style of Construcitvism by Teo Brito found at LauraGreen92 – click image for more information and link to her blog
From ‘Henri’s Walk to Paris’ 1962 – children’s book by Saul Bass Found at: Brainpickings.org
Mosaic of Sofia Coppola – by Maurizio Galimberti – www.mauriziogalimberti.it
Illustration: Jamie McKelvie – Art Brut Record
Text-based Table of Content – Very Graphic and Black and White- found at: Smashing Magazine (click image for inspiring article on table of content design)
He loves OHS! – Photo by Karpati Gabor on morgueFile
Italian movie poster found on Abduzeedo.com
This is a template for a business website found at TemplateMonster. It is interesting in the sense that it breaks up the main image as part of the navigation. The sound it comes with is annoying.
Massive Attack – The Essential Mix
Britons, Lord Kitchener Wants You! Propaganda poster design from WWI by Alfred Leere. Image: courtesy of WorldWarEra.com
Based on photo by xandert found on morgueFile
Source: morgueFile, Photo by matei
Illustration by Gary Neill found on Dzineblog.com – http://garyneill.com/ http://garyneill.tumblr.com/
Work by Jo W
What Time is it Now? by King_Bobbles
Based on photo by dhester from morgueFile.com
Illustration: Jamie McKelvie – Suburban Glamour Comic Series
Screenshot of Endless Alphabet 2, courtesy of AppsPlayground.com
Illustrator unknown – found at: Ephemera – World of Rare Books
Text and Shapes – This design lends itself to an interactive use – found at: Smashing Magazine (click image for inspiring article on table of content design)
Example of applied changes
Photo by omdur on morgueFile
Photo by frenchbyte on morgueFile
Swiss International Style – Joseph Müller-Brockmann – Beethoven – found at www.designhistory.com
Peace- Swiss International Style Reference – by Maryam Chananeh
Image Source: www.photoshopessentials.com
Vertical lines of a dark fence, image courtesy of p.ic – Photo Internet Collection – www.photoic.wordpress.com, photographer: Federico Viola
Poppies – Vector art Federico Viola based on photo by hotblack from morgueFile
Illustration by Kate Miller, found on DzineBlog.com
Finding the Right Candidate for a Job… – Photo AdamRiley from www.projectnoah.org
Colours, Numbers and Boxes – very happy and alive, personally I do not like the distortion of the word content – found at: Flickr
Custom Shapes and Custom Shape Icon
Lines and Gradients- Courtesy of: psdtuts+
Photo by DTL on morgueFiles
Study – Lines and Grace Kelly – by Federico Viola photo: courtesy of GettingCheeky.com and curved lines wallpaper: courtesy of FreeFever.com
A Beautiful Piece by Aerosol found on his Facebook
Jenga, photo courtesy of: Design-Crit.com
The concept was used on the German side as well with this ‘Auch du sollst beitreten zur Reichswehr’ [You too should join the German Army], design by Julius Engelhard, Image: courtesy of mental_floss
Colourful Table of Content – Ribbons in Primary Colours – found at: LifeBlue.com
Layers in Photoshop are like a Collage of images stuck on top of each other…
Light Streaks – Courtesy of: PhotoshopEssentials
Michael Pointing in GTA V – Courtesy of Rockstar
Found at Inc.com
Fruity Design – This is great for a menu, very appetizing thumbnails – found at: WeddingPhotography.com
Text and Shapes – This design lends itself to an interactive use – found at: Klafferty.com
Screenshot from What’s Your Story by Joyce Hostyn
Photo by clarita on www.morguefile.com
Leonardo’s St. John the Baptist, Louvre, Paris, Image: courtesy of A World History of Art – www.all-art.org
Luminescent Lines – Courtesy of: PSDLearning
Courtesy of The Art of Mass Effect Universe’, 2012
Experimental Photomontage by Robert Heinecken
Outlined text changed in size and colours dropped into the individual letters with Eyedropper tool using LMB + Alt
Photo by hotblack on morgueFile.com
Photomontage: Amir Ebrahim Photography
Based on a photo by delboysafa from morgueFile.com
‘For Great Road Trips: Switzerland’ Poster by Herbert Matter in (Swiss) International Style – Source: http://swisstype.wordpress.com/work/
Milk Poster – Swiss International Style Reference – by Annabel Stephen Salip
Illustration by Tavis Coburn found on DzineBlog.com
“Step into my office” Source: The Age, click image for link
The gentle curve of the river and the light green tones of the grass give this image a calming feel. The montains and the clouds have a less calming effect. Image: courtesy of Icon Photography School – http://www.photographyicon.com/line/