| NRFF Industry Certification Test Prep
NRF
Foundation
Assessment
and Certification
The
Sales & Service Skills Standards
Customer
Service Assessment—Practice Test
The NRF Foundation
The NRF
Foundation is dedicated to excellence in retailing.
It provides programs to educate, motivate, and inspire professional
and personally satisfying careers in retailing, from entry
to executive level. Through consistent training, career guidance,
and research, NRFF is working to create and retain a more
competent workforce, skilled in best practices, with a long-term
commitment to the industry. The NRF Foundation, a non-profit
501(c)3 foundation created in 1981, is the research and education
arm of the National Retail Federation.
The NRF Foundation has developed standards and an assessment
program to award National Professional Certification in Customer
Service.
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Assessment and
Certification
Customer Service Assessment
The
computer-based Customer Service Assessment
is the vehicle to certification; it is the key to documenting
an individual's achievement of knowledge and skills in the industry-identified
Customer Service Skill Standards. The 70-question Assessment
is made up of real-life customer-service situations, some presented
through video and audio, and questions presenting possible courses
of action. The Assessment is delivered via the Internet; however,
it must be proctored and other minimum specifications must be
met. Individuals earn National Professional Certification by
passing the Customer Service Assessment and applying for certification.
National Professional Certification
in Customer Service
Qualified
candidates who are at least 16 years old can take the Customer
Service Assessment to receive National Professional
Certification. A successful candidate receives a certificate
and a lapel pin, and his or her name is entered into the national
certification database (currently in development). This is an
industry credential that facilitates career mobility for employees,
jobseekers, and students, and is a means to help identify qualified
professionals for employers. Back
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The Sales & Service
Skills Standards
The NRF Foundation
has compiled the following work-function skills standards, which
are the result of more than two years research about entry-level
through first-line supervisory work in the retail, wholesale,
personal services, and real estate industries. Understanding
and mastering these skills will facilitate preparation for certification.
Additionally, the NRF Foundation has also compiled Academic
and Employability Skills as well as Occupational and Technical
Skills. For more detailed information and skills descriptions,
contact the NRF
Foundation.
Critical
Work Functions
1. Learns
about products or services
2. Assesses customer needs
3. Educates customer
4. Meets customers' needs and provides ongoing support
5. Prepares for selling
6. Gains customer commitment and closes the sale
7. Develops and implements a sales follow-up plan
Learns About Products or Services
1.1 Undergoes company-provided
training to support product or services as well as
follow-up training.
1.2 Reviews and comprehends written and multimedia material
pertaining to products or
services produced
by employee's company or trade organization.
1.3 Tests and samples products or services
1.4 Studies competitors' products or services, including
competitors' marketing materials
(ads, fliers, TV commercials,
Web pages, etc.).
Assesses Customer Needs
2.1 Addresses the customer, either
in person, by telephone, e-mail or other means.
2.2 Gathers information about customer's needs, and customer's
knowledge of products
or services.
2.3 Responds to customer's comments and questions.
2.4 Determines customer's price considerations.
Educates Customer
3.1 Explains and demonstrates
products or services and prices to customer.
3.2 Identifies alternative or additional products, services,
and/or options available.
3.3 Informs customer about service policies (returns,
warranties, guarantees, service
plans).
3.4 Solicits supervisor or co-worker support and advice
when necessary to meet
customer needs.
Meets Customer's Needs and
Provides Ongoing Support
4.1
Coordinates as needed with other services to expedite delivery
of service or product.
4.2 Contacts customer to determine if products or services
meet customer's
expectations.
4.3 If customer's expectations are not met, informs the
customer of how the company
will satisfy the customer's
needs and facilitates resolution process.
Prepares for Selling
5.1 Reviews and understands future
sales goals and how they are based on current and
past performance
5.2 Develops and implements strategy for selling products
or services
5.3 Familiarizes self with pricing strategies and policies
5.4 Identifies and prioritizes potential customers within
market target area
Gains Customer Commitment and
Closes Sale
6.1 Observes
customer for verbal or body language signs indicating that he
or she is
ready to complete
the sale
6.2 Engages in negotiation process
6.3 Closes and confirms sales with customer
6.4 Discusses specifics of the sale (delivery and/or installation
date, warranties, product
protection plan)
6.5 Handles sales transaction
Develops and Implements a
Sales Follow-Up Plan
7.1
Follows up with customer regarding suggestions for future purchase
7.2 Maintains contact with customers through correspondence,
phone calls, and casual
contacts in community
7.3 Converts returns to exchanges
7.4 Analyzes and evaluate the effectiveness of prospecting
methods, sales strategies,
and marketing/merchandising
plans, and makes any necessary adjustments. Back
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Customer Service Assessment—Practice
Test
1. An associate
has just spent 30 minutes showing a customer the features
of a
handheld computer. The customer
says, "I can get this for a lot less over the
Internet. Your prices are outrageous!"
Which of these is the associate's most
professional response to the
customer's remark?
A. Return the computer to the
case and begin to help another customer.
B. Explain the benefits of buying from the store rather
than the Internet.
C. Ask the manager to try to convince the customer to
buy in the store.
D. Thank the customer politely for coming into the store.
2. Use the
following checklist to answer this question:
Checklist to Prepare for State Inspection
- The sink for washing hands must be clean and close by.
- Employees must not have any open cuts or sores on hands.
- Equipment must be disinfected.
- Garbage must be kept in covered containers.
- All cleaning products must be properly labeled.
- The refrigerator and freezer must be at the right temperature.
The owner of a deli tells an employee
that a state health inspector will be visiting that day.
The owner asks the employee to help prepare for the inspection.
The owner writes out a list of the regulations that the
health inspector will check. To help the deli pass inspection,
the employee must make sure that
A. every workspace is warm or cool
enough.
B. employees keep their hair covered.
C. food waste is in a can with a lid.
D. the items in the display window are fresh.
3. A customer
enters a popular electronics store and begins asking the sales
associate
detailed questions about a particular
computer. The associate is unsure of the
answers to the customer's questions.
Another associate overhears the customer and
offers to help. Which of these
should the first associate do?
A. Politely refuse the help and
try to answer the customer's questions
anyway.
B. Ignore the other associate, who probably only wants
the commission on
the sale.
C. Let the other associate help the customer and look
for another customer
to help.
D. Accept the offer of help and listen to the answers
to the customer's
questions.
4. A hardware
store has this sign displayed at its entrance.
One day, an associate sees a child
bump into a shelf of industrial strength cleaners. A bottle
falls off the shelf and breaks. Its contents spill on the
floor. The child runs to a parent in the next aisle, who
doesn't seem to notice what happened. Which of these should
be the associate's FIRST response?
A. Approach the child and ask
open-ended questions.
B. Direct customers and employees away from the area.
C. Calmly clean the spill according to the directions
on one of the bottles still
on the shelf.
D. Let the parent know about the damage and tactfully
ask for payment
according to the policy.
5. A customer
approaches the service desk with a toy fire truck. She says
she bought for
her son a month ago and that the
lights on the truck do not work. Which of these
should the associate say FIRST?
A. "Are you sure that you bought
the truck at this store? Do you have your
receipt, please?"
B. "With this kind of toy, it's always best to check the
batteries first. Let me
check them for you."
C. "We've never had any complaints about this truck
before. What do you
think your son did to it?"
D. "We've had a lot of complaints about that truck. You
might want to
contact the manufacturer."
6. Use
the letter below to answer the question that follows:
999 Broad
Street
Hometown, USA 99999 July
4, 2002
XYZ Travel Club
55 Main Street
Business City, USA 55555
Dear Staff:
I am disappointed with your club’s
service. Your ads promised hotel discounts and “the
usual high-quality auto travel benefits.” When
I paid my dues, I assumed that roadside assistance would
be one of those “usual” benefits. I have
checked with three other travel clubs, and they all
provide hotel discounts AND roadside assistance. Here
is my club card. Please cancel my membership in your
club. I have joined one of the other three clubs.
Sincerely,
Jamie Doe
|
A customer service representative
at the travel club received this letter. The travel club is
a nationwide, membership organization that offers hotel discounts
to travelers who join the club. The customer canceled the
membership because the customer
A. thought the dues paid were
too high.
B. wanted a club that provided more than discounts.
C. wished to use a different club card for auto repairs.
D. expected the club to provide a greater variety of
discounts.
7. At a
large dry cleaning business, associates handle credit card payments
by swiping
cards through a card reader. A
shift supervisor asks an associate to make imprints of
cards also, so that the supervisor
can collect marketing information. No other
supervisor requests this, and
the associate begins to wonder if this could be part of a
dishonest scheme. Which of these
is the associate's best response?
A.
Discuss the suspicions with that supervisor.
B. Ignore the suspicions and follow the instructions.
C. Check with the store manager about the practice.
D. Follow the instructions only when that supervisor is
on duty.
8. A
clothing shop has this sign clearly posted on the door:
PLEASE
No
food or drink
to be brought
into
the store
THANK
YOU VERY MUCH
An associate is ringing up a customer
and sees that another customer has a small child who is eating
a dripping ice cream cone. The child is standing near a display
of silk shirts. Which of these is the associate's best response?
A. Briefly interrupt the first
customer's transaction, ask the second customer
kindly to
dispose of the ice cream, and offer to hold his selections.
B. Finish ringing up the first customer, then politely
explain to the second
customer that he cannot be served until
the ice cream is out of the store.
C. Excuse herself from the first customer briefly and
let the second customer
know that he will have to pay for
anything his child might damage.
D. Call security or the store manager to deal with the
situation, but warn
the customer and give him some time to
leave before they arrive.
9. An associate
has just begun a job at an office supply store. The associate
has not
seen any other employee use
the copy machines for personal material, but knows
that there are some benefits
that haven't been explained yet. The associate decides
to bring in tax returns to photocopy.
Which of these is the associate's best course of
action?
A. Wait until no one is around and copy the returns quickly.
B. Ask a coworker what everyone else does, and then do the
same.
C. Consult store policy or the manager about using the copier.
D. Copy the returns any time during the shift when there
are no customers.
10. Use
the glossary below to answer the question that follows:
The manager of the
shipping and receiving department of a furniture store asks
an employee to find out if a vendor in the region carries
certain discontinued items. The manager wants to know if a
A. person living
in the same part of the state has items that are no longer
available.
B. nearby company has items that are no
longer being made.
C. nearby company has a list of products
made on the same date.
D. person has called and asked for items
that the store doesn't have in
stock.
11. A store
manager asks a new associate to straighten stock on the display
shelves.
During a lunch-hour
rush, only one register is open, and the line of customers
is
growing. Some customers
put down their selections and leave the store without
buying. The associate
has been trained on the register, but hasn't handled it alone.
The manager is at
lunch and cannot be consulted. Which of these is the associate's
best course of action?
A. Continue straightening
the stock because that is the assignment the
manager gave
before leaving for lunch.
B. Apologize to customers in line and tell them that the
wait is unusual and
the manager will be back soon.
C. Open another register, since the associate knows how to
operate it even
without having done it alone.
D. Stop straightening stock and help the cashier by bagging,
finding items,
and getting the selections ready to be rung
up.
12. Use
the page from the personnel policy below to answer the question
that follows:
A cashier at the Pharmaid decides
to buy a candy bar to eat during break. According to the personnel
policy shown, how should the cashier pay for the candy?
A. Ring up the candy himself before
the break begins.
B. Use another employee's discount card to buy the candy.
C. Ask someone else to ring up the candy after the break
begins.
D. Pay for the candy after the break is over.
ANSWER KEY
FOR SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1 — B
2 — C
3 — D
4 — B
5 — B
6 — B
7 — A
8 — A
9 — C
10 — B
11 — D
12 — C
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