Before a boiler service, the homeowner says, 'My neighbour's family was poisoned by carbon monoxide last winter, and I'm scared it could happen here.' Which reply shows active listening?

'That sounds frightening. Let me show you what I check for carbon monoxide today.'

'Carbon monoxide comes from incomplete combustion, when the burner is short of air.'

'Don't worry, that hardly ever happens with a boiler that gets serviced.'

'I'll get started now, and we can talk about that once the service is done.'

In November, a G.3 cleaning a natural-draft boiler with a draft control device in a detached house must carry out Ontario's mandatory boiler safety check. The homeowner asks why he is testing the flue and tagging the boiler. Which explanation is best?

That Ontario requires this carbon monoxide check on boilers like hers, and the tag shows it passed

That it is the Annex Q check of B149.1 as amended, with a CO reading taken upstream of the draft control device

That he has to find out whether the boiler is dangerous, and nobody should use the heat until he is finished

That it is an optional extra check his company offers this season, and the tag is a reminder for the next visit

A G.3 is running new gas piping along a route his supervisor laid out. The homeowner objects that it will cross the ceiling of her newly finished rec room and wants it moved. What should he do?

Explain the planned route, note her concern, and take it to his supervisor

Stop the job, and suggest she book another contractor if she still disagrees

Move the route himself to suit her, since she owns the house and pays

Carry on with the planned route, since a supervisor's layout is final

A customer greets a G.3 at the door and asks him to take off his shoes, as is the custom in her home. His employer requires safety footwear on every job. What is the best response?

Explain the safety-footwear rule, and put clean shoe covers over his boots

Take off his safety boots and work in his socks, to respect her custom

Keep his boots on without comment, since the employer's rule has to come first

Decline the job, and ask the office to send someone who can comply

A G.3 will make several trips between his truck and a basement furnace room, through a house with light carpet and hardwood floors. When should floor protection go down?

Before the first trip in, from the entry to the work area

After the first trip, once he sees which path he is using

Only where the floor looks easily marked, such as the carpet

At the end of the job, under the old parts being carried out

TSSA G3 Module 7 Practice Questions: Customer Relations

Five free practice questions on customer relations: module 7 of the nine modules of Ontario's Gas Technician 3 (G3) certificate exam, which TSSA runs. The exam is all multiple choice; these have four options and one correct answer, as every question in our bank does. Answer each one before opening the explanation. No account, no email.

01The questions

Recall · Active listening and clarifying the customer's needs

Before a boiler service, the homeowner says, 'My neighbour's family was poisoned by carbon monoxide last winter, and I'm scared it could happen here.' Which reply shows active listening?
1. 'Carbon monoxide comes from incomplete combustion, when the burner is short of air.'
2. 'Don't worry, that hardly ever happens with a boiler that gets serviced.'
3. 'That sounds frightening. Let me show you what I check for carbon monoxide today.'
4. 'I'll get started now, and we can talk about that once the service is done.'
Show the answer

C. Correct. Active listening acknowledges the feeling behind the words before moving on. Naming the worry and then showing what will be checked tells her she was heard and gives her something concrete; asking whether her CO alarms work is a good follow-up.

Why not the others

A. The chemistry is right, but answering a fear with a technical fact skips the acknowledgement she needs. Name the concern first, then explain in plain words.

B. Reassurance that brushes the worry aside tells her she was not heard, and he cannot promise that before checking anything. Acknowledge the concern, then explain what he will check.

D. Putting the conversation off signals that her worry does not matter. Acknowledge it now and tell her what he will check.
Procedural · Explaining work, findings and safety notices plainly

In November, a G.3 cleaning a natural-draft boiler with a draft control device in a detached house must carry out Ontario's mandatory boiler safety check. The homeowner asks why he is testing the flue and tagging the boiler. Which explanation is best?
1. That Ontario requires this carbon monoxide check on boilers like hers, and the tag shows it passed
2. That it is the Annex Q check of B149.1 as amended, with a CO reading taken upstream of the draft control device
3. That he has to find out whether the boiler is dangerous, and nobody should use the heat until he is finished
4. That it is an optional extra check his company offers this season, and the tag is a reminder for the next visit
Show the answer

A. Correct. Annex Q of the Gaseous Fuels CAD (FS-279-26) has a technician entering a one- or two-family home in the heating season check a natural-draft boiler with a draft control device: a CO reading in the flue gas, a spillage check and the CO alarms, then a tag if the result is satisfactory, with an information sheet for the owner. Saying that plainly answers her without jargon or alarm.

Why not the others

B. Accurate, but code references and terms like draft control device mean little to most homeowners. Explain the purpose plainly: an Ontario-required carbon monoxide safety check, and the tag shows it passed.

C. The check is routine, required in each heating season for this type of boiler; presenting it as a suspicion of danger alarms the customer for no reason. Explain its purpose calmly.

D. It is not optional: Ontario's amendment (Annex Q, FS-279-26) makes it mandatory for this type of boiler in the heating season, and the tag records a satisfactory result. Misdescribing it misleads the customer.
Procedural · Handling complaints and reconciling differences

A G.3 is running new gas piping along a route his supervisor laid out. The homeowner objects that it will cross the ceiling of her newly finished rec room and wants it moved. What should he do?
1. Stop the job, and suggest she book another contractor if she still disagrees
2. Move the route himself to suit her, since she owns the house and pays
3. Carry on with the planned route, since a supervisor's layout is final
4. Explain the planned route, note her concern, and take it to his supervisor
Show the answer

D. Correct. A difference with the customer is reconciled by understanding her concern and finding an option that meets the code and her needs. The route is his supervisor's call: a G.3 works under the supervision of a G.1, G.2 or DA holder (O. Reg. 215/01 s. 22), so the request goes to the supervisor, who can agree a change with her.

Why not the others

A. Ending the job over a reasonable objection is not reconciling a difference. Explain the route and refer her concern to the supervisor, who can agree a change.

B. Changing the layout on his own sidesteps the supervisor responsible for the work, and a new route can change length, sizing and supports. Take her concern to the supervisor.

C. Ignoring her objection turns a solvable difference into a complaint, and routes can often be changed. Note her concern and refer it to the supervisor.
Procedural · Sensitivity to cultural differences

A customer greets a G.3 at the door and asks him to take off his shoes, as is the custom in her home. His employer requires safety footwear on every job. What is the best response?
1. Explain the safety-footwear rule, and put clean shoe covers over his boots
2. Take off his safety boots and work in his socks, to respect her custom
3. Keep his boots on without comment, since the employer's rule has to come first
4. Decline the job, and ask the office to send someone who can comply
Show the answer

A. Correct. OHSA s. 28(1)(b) requires a worker to wear the protective equipment his employer requires, so the boots stay on; explaining why, and covering them with clean shoe covers, respects the household's custom and protects the floors.

Why not the others

B. Working in socks breaks the employer's footwear rule (OHSA s. 28(1)(b)) and exposes his feet to dropped equipment and sharp edges. Respect the custom another way: explain, and use clean shoe covers.

C. The boots do stay on, but ignoring her request is disrespectful. A brief explanation and clean shoe covers meet both the safety rule and her custom.

D. Any technician sent must wear the required safety footwear, so sending someone else solves nothing. Explain the rule and use shoe covers.
Recall · Protecting floors, finishes and furnishings: pads, floor mats, coverings

A G.3 will make several trips between his truck and a basement furnace room, through a house with light carpet and hardwood floors. When should floor protection go down?
1. After the first trip, once he sees which path he is using
2. Before the first trip in, from the entry to the work area
3. Only where the floor looks easily marked, such as the carpet
4. At the end of the job, under the old parts being carried out
Show the answer

B. Correct. Runners or drop cloths laid from the entrance to the work area before any equipment comes in protect the whole path, including the first trip, when dirt and grit are most likely to be tracked in.

Why not the others

A. The first trip with tools and wet or dirty boots does as much damage as any other. Plan the path and lay protection before carrying anything in.

C. Hardwood scratches from grit and dropped tools just as carpet stains. Protect the whole path from the entry to the work area.

D. By the end of the job the floors have already taken every trip in. Protection goes down before the first trip.

02Answer key

Question	Answer	Learning outcome
Q1	C	Active listening and clarifying the customer's needs
Q2	A	Explaining work, findings and safety notices plainly
Q3	D	Handling complaints and reconciling differences
Q4	A	Sensitivity to cultural differences
Q5	B	Protecting floors, finishes and furnishings: pads, floor mats, coverings

03What module 7 covers

Working with the people whose homes a gas technician enters: professional behaviour and appearance, listening to the customer and clarifying what they need, explaining work, findings and safety notices plainly, coping with an upset customer, handling complaints and reconciling differences, sensitivity to cultural differences, and protecting floors, finishes and furnishings while materials are moved and the job is cleaned up.

TSSA names module 7 “Customer Relations”. It gives its G3 curriculum only to accredited training providers, so the three objectives below are TicketPrep's own, built from public sources such as college course outlines and Ontario's regulations, not TSSA's. TSSA does not publish the G3 question count or how many exam questions come from each module: its prep guide gives no G3 count and no per-module count, and candidates who fail get a mastery report broken down by module. The right-hand column is how many questions our bank holds on each objective, Standard and Advanced together, not a count from the exam.

Our objective	In our bank
Objective 7.1 Communicate professionally with customers	6
Objective 7.2 Deal with difficult customers, complaints and cultural differences	5
Objective 7.3 Prevent property damage	3

04What the questions turn on

Plain words, checked back

When a supervisor shuts off and tags an appliance, the customer needs the reason in short, plain words: it is off because fumes could get in, and it stays off until it is fixed. Asking the customer to say it back checks that it landed, and a family member or an interpreter can help. A condition that is not an immediate hazard is explained just as plainly: the appliance can run for now but must be fixed by the gas company's deadline.

Calm, but firm on safety

An upset customer is heard out first: letting them describe the problem fully and restating it also gives the symptoms that guide the check. Acknowledging a cold house does not mean relighting a furnace tagged as an immediate hazard, even with a signed note; the technician explains why it stays off and offers next steps. A damage complaint is photographed, noted and reported to the office that settles claims, without arguing or promising what is not the technician's to give.

Protect the house on the way out

A sooty part is bagged or wrapped where it came off and carried out over the runners, because soot stains carpet and upholstery and is hard to remove. Long lengths of pipe swing wide at every turn, so a helper takes the far end and both watch light fixtures, walls and door frames; cutting lengths outside, where practical, keeps long stock out of the house.

05The other modules

The G3 exam covers nine modules, 1 to 9. Each has its own page of free questions:

The TSSA G3 practice test page describes the full question bank. How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.