Welcoming disabled customers: Workbook

Welcoming disabled customers: Workbook

The following questions will help you to recap on your learning from the ‘Getting started: Quick tips’ section of this guide. They should take you no longer than 30 minutes to complete.

All answers can be found within that section and you may find it useful to refer back to the section when working through the questions.

If you would like more detailed information on any of the topics covered in the questions, then please go to the ‘Finding out more’ section.

Once you have completed the questions, check your answers against the Workbook Answer Key at the end of this resource.

Question 1:

Is the following statement true or false?

The number of people living with a disability in the UK is increasing.

 True.

 False.

Question 2:

You are watching a customer who seems to be confused or a bit lost. He walks in one direction and then stops and then seems to be re-orientating himself before trying a new direction. You think he might have a disability but you don’t want to cause offence.

What should you do?

 a). Do nothing until you know for sure that the customer definitely has a disability.

 b). Ask the customer if they have a disability and need any help.

 c). Ask the customer if they need any help.

Question 3:

Is the following statement true or false?

To deliver inclusive and accessible customer service, you must provide customer service in the same way to all your customers.

 True.

 False.

Question 4:

A customer asked you where she could find something. You told her the location but you can now see her walking in the wrong direction. You also see that she has a white cane that she has folded up and so you think she might have limited sight.

What should you do?

 a). Shout out to the customer that she’s going the wrong way and tell her again where she should be going. Take her arm and take her to where she said if she doesn’t seem to hear you.

 b). Assume that the customer has changed her mind or that she has decided to go somewhere else first.

 c). Approach her to introduce yourself as the person she was just talking to and ask if she would like help. Offer your elbow or hand so you can guide her.

Question 5:

Is the following statement true or false?

You will need a sign language interpreter to communicate with any customer who is deaf or who has hearing loss.

 True.

 False.

Question 6:

You are finding it difficult to understand a customer who is speaking to you.

What should you do?

 a). Try to close down the conversation and move on to the next customer.

 b). Ask the customer to repeat what they have said. Repeat the information back to them to make sure you have understood the customer correctly.

 c). Use the information that you have to best guess what the customer is telling you as you don’t want to appear rude.

Question 7:

You spot a customer is trying to manoeuvre his wheelchair through a tight space. A queue of other customers is building up behind him causing entranceways to become blocked.

What should you do?

 a). Speak to the customer and ask if he needs any assistance.

 b). Manoeuvre the wheelchair through the space for him. You could see he was struggling and this will free up the space for other customers.

 c). Tell him that the space wasn’t designed for wheelchairs and he needs to let other customers past first and then you’ll help him get in.

Question 8:

You see a customer waiting in line to speak to you who has a facial disfigurement. You also notice other customers who are staring and making rude comments.

What should you do?

 a). Suggest to the other customers that they leave unless they can be polite. Then serve the customer, as usual, when it is his turn.

 b). Call him to the front of the queue ahead of other customers so you can serve him more quickly and allow him to exit the situation as soon as possible.

 c). Call a colleague to take the customer to an area where fewer people can see him and serve him there.

Question 9:

You are talking to a customer about an item that she is purchasing but she keeps referring to it by the wrong name. You correct her a couple of times but then she gets the price wrong and changes her mind about how she’s going to pay. This begins to worry you.

What should you do?

 a). Assume she does not have the capacity to make the decision and tell her that she needs to come back with someone else in order to complete the purchase.

 b). Ask her if she would like more time to decide and if she needs any extra information and offer to write down the key information.

 c). Tell her you have given her all the information you can and then press her to complete the purchase.

Question 10:

An electrical outage has meant that all your systems have gone down and you are having difficulty answering customer queries and delays are occurring. A customer is very distressed about this and keeps asking why things aren’t operating as advertised and refers you repeatedly to what he says he was promised.

What should you do?

 a). Tell him that you don’t know what is happening and it’s not your fault that things aren’t working as they should be.

 b). Tell him he needs to calm down and if he doesn’t you won’t talk to him any further.

 c). Explain exactly what has happened and why. Ask him what he needs ad then try to find the best solution for him.

Question 11:

Is the following statement true or false?

Dyslexia can affect numeracy and the order in which a person does things and how they manage their time.

 True.

 False.

Question 12:

Is the following statement true or false?

Customers with mental health conditions cannot make decisions for themselves.

 True.

 False.

Answers

Question 1:

Answer: True.

Most disabilities are acquired rather than present at birth. As the population ages, the number of people living with a disability in the UK is increasing each year.

Question 2:

Answer: C.

It can be tempting to do nothing for fear of giving offence. However, it can also be all too easy to make assumptions about whether or not a customer has a disability. The best thing you can do is to ask if the customer needs any help – this is just good customer service.

Question 3:

Answer: False.

Sometimes to treat people fairly you need to treat them differently and so to meet the customer’s needs you may need to do things differently. However, the standard of service should always be the same.

Question 4:

Answer: C.

It’s possible that the customer has changed her mind or decided to go somewhere else first but it’s good customer service to check that is the case. If the customer does have limited sight she might not be able to see you approach so you should introduce yourself. Always ask if a customer wants help first and then allow the customer to take your elbow or hand rather than touching them first.

Question 5:

Answer: False.

A customer’s communication needs will depend on their level of hearing loss or deafness. Customers who have profound deafness are more likely to use sign language than customers with hearing loss. Customers with hearing loss may have some residual hearing and may use a hearing aid or lip reading. Always check the customer’s communication preferences before booking an interpreter.

Question 6:

Answer: B.

It can be difficult if you can’t understand what a customer is saying to you especially if it’s because they have a disability. Try to overcome your embarrassment and fear of seeming rude and say something like “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat it?” If you’re still not sure repeat the information back to the customer and ask them if you’ve got it right. You might need to do that more than once but that’s okay. It’s better to get it right than to guess and get it wrong or not serve the customer at all.

Question 7:

Answer: A.

A customer’s wheelchair is part of their personal space. You should always ask before touching someone’s wheelchair. Most wheelchair users are experts at manoeuvring their wheelchairs, but if space is tight it can be difficult. Encourage other customers to be patient and offer alternatives if a particular route is not wheelchair accessible.

Question 8:

Answer: A.

Someone with a facial disfigurement is disabled only by the attitudes of others. All you need to do is to provide excellent customer service as you would do any customer. A customer should be able to use your services without harassment. Any customer causing harassment should be asked to leave.

Disfigurement is a legal term in the UK’s Equality Act, referring to people whose visible difference amounts to a disability and confers protection from disability discrimination. We recommend using the term ‘visible difference’ unless referring specifically to the legal protections related to disfigurement under the Equality Act. See our factsheet on visible differences for more information.

Question 9:

Answer: B.

While you shouldn’t make any assumptions about whether or not a customer has the mental capacity or ability to understand what they are doing you shouldn’t push for a sale either. If a customer is hesitant or appears confused you should try to provide the information in another way e.g. write it down or explain it verbally and then ask if they need more time to think about it. If the transaction is complex or expensive then you need to give the customer more explanation and time.

Question 10:

Answer: C.

Everyone can get frustrated by delays but some customers can find it particularly difficult if things don’t run as advertised or on time because of their disability. If a customer seems particularly upset or does not seem to understand that things are not going to go as planned try to give them as much information as possible about why this is and then explain exactly what you can and can’t do. If you can find out what it is that they need or want you will be better able to find a solution that works for them.

Question 11:

Answer: True.

Dyslexia is often associated with difficulties reading, writing and spelling, but it can also affect numeracy, the processing of information and time management.

Question 12:

Answer: False.

There are many different types of mental health condition and mental health conditions often fluctuate. A customer may be able to make a decision when they are well, but find decision making more difficult when unwell.