Customer Service

It would seem that the topic of customer service has been beaten to death. I mean, everyone has great customer service, don’t they. You’d think so with all that advertisements asking to choose a business because they have better customer service. The problem is that I don’t think most companies, businesses, organizations or people in general really understand what good if not great customer service means.

My strong opinion is that in order to provide good customer service you must have good systems and processes in place. And, those systems and processes must be engineered to a specific business. Then, once you have your systems and processes properly engineered and in place, you must ensure that they are consistently followed. That is the big component that often gets overlooked – consistency.

Now when I talk about systems and processes I’m not just talking about the people who have direct contact with the customers, these must also include every aspect of the business. The best example of this are franchised businesses. Now I prefer to patronize the local places when I can, but these locally owned businesses could learn a lot from how the franchises operate.

Everything that is required to run the franchised business is documented; everything from how to cook the hamburger to how to assemble it and wrap it. This is all in addition to how and when to greet customers. Although there are many companies that do this reasonable well, there are many more that just don’t get it. Some of them once got it, but forgot to take a step back and look at how consumers have evolved and their systems are no longer effective.

What brings this up today? It all comes back to something as simple as take-out pizza. There’s a place here in Colorado Springs that I thought was going to a great new local business where I could get a good pizza pie. The first time I went there it was great. It was a great pizza and there were great people. The second time wasn’t as good, as there was a discrepancy in the price and how the pizza turned out. The third time there was a “problem with the oven” and they had to remake my pie. It was inconvenient but I was given the pizza for no charge. Huge gesture and it maintained my loyalty.

Over the next three weeks I ordered a pizza a week. Each time the pizza came out different. It either had too much cheese or the crust was too thick or it was too thin. It wasn’t the same way twice. I took a few weeks off in hopes that they were having a bad patch. So a few days ago I went in again. There were new faces. Not as friendly as before, and when I returned home, the pizza wasn’t that great. Again, not the same as the first time I went in.

Inconsistent is all I can say about the place now. So, will I go back? I’m not sure. There’s something to be said about a franchise pizza. It’s not the best, but at least I always know what to expect. I get the same product each and every time. And that is a big part of good customer service.

Find the most recommended locally owned and operated businesses at http://iswami.com

Recently I spent over two weeks in Japan. I spent my time in Yokohama, Tokyo, Shizuoka and Kyoto. This article was originally written while I was still overseas.

Although I had been working with Japanese people in Toronto for 8 years this was actually my first visit to their country. There are many things I could write about, but today I will focus on the politeness that is ubiquitous here.

Some of us may consider ourselves very polite, and/or very courteous in our jobs. I myself used to work in customer service so I understand how to be polite, even when handling disputes.

What I would like to discuss today is how mandatory politeness seems to be here in Japan. Even if I do not enter a shop, the clerks are still greeting the people walking by. If you do enter the shop or restaurant etc. then of course they will welcome you again. And usually it is not just one person but several. When you are paying for your food or product they are very polite in how they handle your money or credit card. Very respectful indeed and very gentle. It goes without saying that all of this is happening with a smile and with a soft tone of voice. Finally, when you leave they thank you for your business.

One of the strangest things I saw here so far was when we went through a toll booth, and both the driver and worker exchanged ‘good mornings’ and ‘thank yous’, in addition to an electronic image of a worker bowing to the driver!

I cannot say for sure how much of this society’s politeness is forced, conditioned, or genuine, but it is definitely expected, and to not act politely is a terrible social offense here.

I really like the calmness of the people and the politeness of the service industry. It certainly is better than a lot of customer service in the world, and there are a few staff workers in the past that I have dealt with that could use this kind of training. The politeness is standard here too, so you can expect it and count on it. In other countries, we seem to be thrilled to get excellent customer service or to get a happy, efficient staff worker. Here, it happens 99% of the time. I found myself smiling all the time after purchasing something.

The big question remaining is, I suppose, how do the Japanese feel about it, and how do they feel about the perceived lack of social and professional courtesy when they travel or emigrate? If you know a Japanese person in your circle, why don’t you ask them?

All the best from the land of the rising sun,

By now most people have heard Christian Bale’s meltdown from the set of a movie. Just entering “Christian Bale Rant” into Google produces more than 1,600,000 results. Clearly the actor’s outburst has gone viral and it’s not a surprise because bad news catches people’s attention.

The same can apply to your customer service. I’m sure Bale had done many kind and generous acts on the set of his films but those don’t catch our attention. It’s the bad experiences that are shared and come back to haunt the bottom line.

Act Like Your Mother is Listening: Would Bale have yelled so much had he known he was being recorded? Good customer service assumes that, “you’re always on.” That means no attitude with the customer, speaking under your breath, or sarcasm. Sure there are some jerks who deserve this kind of treatment but cost of bitting your tongue is the price you pay for a paycheck. Don’t fall for the bait. Instead, kill the customer with kindness. Your goal is to fix their problem.

Complaints Are Cries For Help: I’m guessing Bale was having a bad day when he went off on the crew member. A complaint is usually the result of a volcano that’s been pushed to the point of an eruption. With that in mind, you want to try to diffuse the situation as best as possible. Acknowledge the customer’s “pain.” This is not an admission of any wrongdoing but rather you are admitting that the customer’s situation would be frustrating and you’d like to work with them to solve the problem. Then ask the customer if that sounds good to them. This question can give them a chance to break out of their anger.

Explain the Process: When people start complaining they feel like they’ve lost control. Give them a sense of order by telling them what you can do to help resolve their problem. While it may not be enough to fix everything to their satisfaction, it can put both of you on the same side, in terms of working together to reach a solution.

While some may feel these steps are unnecessary, do you want your customers badmouthing you to everyone they know? Can your business withstand this kind of negativity at a time when the economy is facing some big challenges? Complaints are par for the course but how you handle them can set you apart from the competition.

Customer loyalty is pertinent to any business. Your customers are everything! Are you treating them in a way that they feel valued?

Many entrepreneurs believe that customer satisfaction is actually a reactive process. This is just one aspect of effective customer service. Learn the strategies and tips to keeping your customers coming in droves to your business.

Reactive customer service is taking care of customer complaints as they come up. This is how most businesses operate but like anything else I have learned in life, you want to go the opposite way of what everyone else is doing.

When increasing customer loyalty, you want to take a proactive response to customer service. Taking a proactive stance to customer service means that you are finding out what your customers dislike about your product or service before they get angry enough to express their emotions to you or your team. It’s also about finding new and innovative ways to attract new customers and keep them happy and satisfied.

3 Key Strategies for Taking a Proactive Approach:

Listening – This is one of the more simple strategies but one that is most often overlooked or not practiced. As a matter of fact, most of us do not know how to listen properly to begin with! Listening to what you’re customers are saying directly after they use your products or services will allow you to tweak your system and allow a better experience for future customers. It’s no longer acceptable to just sit back and wait for an angry customer to call. Who would want to do that anyways. Most often, by the time this upset customer is calling, they have already decided that your product or service does not work and is starting to look at your competition for a better experience. Listen for signals that your product/service is below par or not what your customers were expecting. These signals will help you to improve a process(es) in your system.
Surveys – One of the best strategies for finding out how satisfied your customers are with your product/service is to conduct surveys of new and/or existing customers. This allows you to find out from your customer what you are doing wrong as well as what you are doing right. Sometimes, what you are doing right is just as important when developing your business systems as what you are doing wrong. There are many services out there that make surveying easy. One service that is not only easy but free is http://www.surveymonkey.com/. Using online surveys will give you very important insight into how you impact your customer’s lives. Always offering better service is key to building your business empire. Tip: A great way to get customers to actually take the surveys is to offer them something for free in return.

Inventive – Becoming inventive in customer service is a really strong strategy that will always set you apart from your competition. Being inventive means offering customer service that no one else in your industry offers. This creates very loyal customers! The more appreciated you make your customers feel, the greater your value becomes to them, and the more loyal they become to you. Being inventive really takes some hard work. Any time you use your mind and thoughts to create something new, that has never been done before, it really taxes your brain. But like with anything else in life, the rewards for your hard work are huge.

Creating an environment focused on your customers from all aspects of your business will continue to attract paying customers eager to spend money with you. Your business is completely dependent on the amount of money coming in compared to the amount of money going out, and your customers have a direct impact on your cash flow (unless your business produces its own assets). Treating your customers the way you would want to be treated, and always looking for ways to go beyond their expectations, will ensure that you keep a healthy and steady flow of an increasing customer base.

Working in the field of customer service is one of the toughest jobs in the industry. Everyone knows how customers can become when they have an issue with a product that they bought, and it is up to the customer service representative to provide them with excellent troubleshooting and soft services to alleviate their concern and maintain customer loyalty.

But who trains and looks after the customer reps- a job of a Customer Service Supervisor is detailed with areas of management, coaching, training and mentoring in the field of customer service. This ensures that employees directly dealing with customers are monitored and groomed to provide the most courteous and professional solutions available. Qualifying as a supervisor for Customer service will entail an outstanding resume that outlines your skills and qualifications as a leader, manager and coach.

One of the most important aspects of creating a resume for a supervisor in customer service is to highlight your educational and work qualifications that fit you for the job. Start with your heading- it should be professional and notes any academic title you may have through a masters or doctoral degree. If you are professionally certified on technology or a specific management practice that provides a title, it would also be advantageous to note it at the beginning of your resume.

This provides potential employers with the idea of how much more qualified you are compared to other applicants. Provide a concise list of contact numbers including your mobile phone number and local if applicable as well as your email address complete with domain to allow an employer to contact you immediately upon interest in your application.

Now its time to highlight your professional qualifications that will make you stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants vying for the position- this job requires experience and skill in management, coaching and leadership so if you have had previous training and certification in the following fields, it is ideal to list them in your resume. Create a brief introduction of your professional qualifications and talk about your goals as a supervisor, provide a short explanation of how you plan to achieve this and attain a level of success in the workplace. This will showcase your leadership style as well as problem solving skills.

In a previous article, I mentioned that the definition of customer service is when customer meets service. How do you ensure this is happening in your organization? By making sure your staff understands the 5 basic steps to good customer service.

Step 1 – Acknowledge the customer. Here is where the 5 foot and 10 foot rules come into play. When the customer is 10 feet away, acknowledge the customer with non-verbal contact. Smile, make eye contact, and acknowledge that you are aware the customer has arrived at our place of business. When the customer is within 5 feet, you verbally acknowledge the customer with a greeting.

You need to greet your customers both appropriately and promptly. This does not mean shouting at them the minute they walk into your business. This so often happens in a retail setting and it can be annoying. When the customer is within 5 feet, make sure they have your full attention. Use appropriate speech in both tone and volume and address them with respect. Let them know that you are there to assist them without being pushy. Watch your verbal communication. A simply “Yes” instead of “ahuh” can go a long way toward making your customer feel respected.

Step 2 – Clarify why the customer is there. Don’t assume they know what they need and how to find it. Go beyond the usual “Can I help you?” Thank the customer for stopping by, ask them a question that would be appropriate to your business. If you are a ladies retail store, ask “Are you looking for something for a special occasion?” If your business is located in a tourist area, ask them if they are vacationing and where are they from. Brainstorm with your staff and come up with some non-standard greetings that will help your customer better qualify why they are visiting you.

Step 3 – Train your employees on how to deal with the difficult customer. That customer that has had less than a pleasant experience with your business. Teach them how to take the HEAT. Hear the customer out completely, empathize with the customer, apologize and then take action. Give your employees leeway when dealing with this type of customer. Give them clear guidelines on what they can do to resolve difficult situations.

Step 4 – Meet or exceed expectations. Is there an upgrade you can offer your customer that would provide then with additional services at a minimal charge. I recently contracted with a pool and spa company to fix a major problem with my pool. In the past, I had been purchasing my pool supplies at a local discount store. The owner of the pool company went out of her way to explain which chemicals could be purchased at the discount store and which chemicals should not be purchased there and why. She then offered to provide the chemicals to me at a discount. This went a long way to making sure that I am a satisfied customer. (I raved about the service on Facebook and she picked up additional customers.)

Step 5 – Confirm satisfaction. Don’t assume that you have met the customer’s needs. How many times have you been out to dinner and the wait staff asks if everything is ok? You probably respond “yes” even is you are not completely satisfied. What if instead they asked a more specific question such as “Is the steak rare enough for you?” or “What do you think of your side dishes? Do you need additional toppings for your baked potato?” Being more specific with your questions will elicit a more factual response from your customer.

The responsibilities of customer service representatives include handling and resolving complaints and to be of assistance to customers who require information about products and services. They also need to build a loyal relationship with the customer and the information they provide has to be accurate.

Most businesses provide customer service and service representatives are there to be a direct source for the customers needs. Excellent customer service means that the customer will feel happy knowing that the organisation is there to cater for their needs and always willing to help them resolve the problem if there is one.

Most customers would prefer to contact the customer services by telephone whether it is for a complaint or for any other general enquiry. There are also other ways such as Email, faxes or general mail, but a call centre type telephone answering line is the most quickest and easiest way for the customer to get their point across, their complaint resolved or for a quick answer to their query.

The customer service representative has to be polite and friendly and always able to be there for the customer in order for the customer to come back. This makes the business more profitable. Outstanding customer service also makes the business very competitive. The more excellent the service is, the more customers want to stay and be loyal to the business or even helps new customers join.

Customer satisfaction means that the customer is provided with great service and their expectations are met. Not all customers that are not happy complain, most customers will just tell other people about it, which is much worse as you cannot resolve their problems if you do not know about it. This then results in the business losing the customer and them and potential customers going elsewhere. So the business will need to gain trust from the customer and control it, in order for the customer to stay loyal.

The customer needs to feel that they can trust the business in order to stay committed. They need a good relationship in order for them to communicate and say how they feel, this then helps the business grow and gain customer loyalty.

The business should have a policy in which they do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. The business should continually assess the customers perceptions of the business in order to keep the customer on board and the business should always compromise with the customer in order for them to feel that there is always a solution to their problems.

Excellent customer service may be difficult but if carried out correctly, it will work out to be very profitable and the business will grow. Whether its to promote a new sale, handle a complaint, answer a query or even to take a compliment on the service the business provides, the customer service should always be excellent in order for the customer to have good thoughts about the company and tell their friends about it. This will never go wrong as long as the customer service representative is willing to go the extra mile with the customer. So always remember the representative needs to be polite, willing to go the extra mile, answer queries accurately and make the customer feel welcome. With all this in mind the business will always have its profit and cannot go far wrong.

Does your organization share the same view of customer service? Has service been defined or is it a generic term? Having an organizational philosophy around customer service is as important as having a mission and vision statement. Many times I have been a customer and have gone into a store or called a business and received nothing more than a representative being neutral in demeanour and reactive to my questions, yet believing good service had been provided. A business cannot gain a competitive advantage through mediocre transactions with customers. What does customer service mean to you? Do you want transaction or interaction experiences?

“Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.” (Tony Alessandra)

Here is our customer service definition.

Customer Service is a philosophy of being customer-focused, put into daily practice by all employees. It includes a series of defined principles:

Perception is reality.

Taking the customer perspective in every situation and asking yourself “how do they think I acted/responded, what kind of feeling are they leaving our interaction with”. It is understanding that your perceptions influence the type of interaction with the customer. For example: if you think that a customer who is having a problem or is being difficult is a nuisance, your ability to solve the problem and listen with empathy will be negatively affected and will affect the outcome of the experience.

The customer is always right.

This does not mean the customer is always right, but it means we take the attitude that the customer has a right to be served, has a right to their needs being listened to, understood and our best attempt to meet those needs.

Interaction vs. transaction.

Our behaviors and how we interact with customers need to focus on building relationships (strategic, proactive, organization-initiated) versus having a transaction with a customer (reactive, customer-driven, situational).

One size does not fit all.

Customers are unique and want to be treated as individuals, versus having a one-sized fits all approach where employees are enforcing policies. Businesses have guidelines, which support employees in making decisions and understanding workflow, but during an interaction, the customer wants to feel like their unique need is being addressed (even if the need isn’t unique at all).

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

Consistent strategies employed across an organization to ensure the customer is receiving a positive first impression are critical.

Define your story.

Customers in every business are telling a story about their experience with you once it is over. The question is what kind of story they are telling. Customer focused organizations define an experience based on what their customers want and then create processes, enable technology, train and support people to action.

Service is a process, not an event.

Being customer focused means having a system for continuous quality improvement to ensure the standard can never fall to mediocre or comfortable. By encouraging and acting on customer feedback, employee feedback and a desire to carve out a different experience versus catching up with the competition, customer focused organizations find ways to be innovative, reduce barriers, solve problems at the root, find new ways to wow, encourage complaints, change processes, etc.

Happy employees = happy customers.

Our customers will only be treated as well as our employees. Part of customer service initiatives must include strategies around hiring, retention, and motivation of our most valuable internal assets.

Activity:

Here is an activity you could use to define customer service. Place two flip charts in a room, one labelled “what to do” and one labelled “what not to do”. Ask participants to consider past personal experiences as a customer, and brainstorm behaviours illustrating what we should do if we are in the business of service, and what we should not.

Since you are in the business of customer service, using the flip chart “what to do” and adding answers to it, brainstorm a list of behaviours that answer the statement “Customer Service means…” You might have responses like: Customer Service means doing what you can for the customer, answering their question on the spot, following up on promises, asking strategic questions to understand the customer need and motive, etc.

Go back through your brainstormed list and pull out common themes. Use these to write a definition (one or two sentences) and/or series of principles. Use these to guide you in understanding the concept of what service is, related to your business.

It is not enough to just create the philosophy, employees need to buy into it and understand what it means to them (i.e., how do they implement and execute this daily)? This requires your philosophy/principles to be defined in terms of actions and behaviours.

Maintaining your customer service momentum and building upon the foundation you’ve put in place is the key component for success. If you want to get the most mileage out of your customer service efforts, consider these tips for maintaining your service momentum.

1. Redefine Your Routine Service Activities.

All of us have aspects of our jobs that are routine, mundane and down right boring. Often these activities require little thought or planning. Unfortunately, this is the place where our service momentum lags or breaks down first. Redefining the routine, mundane and mindless aspects of our job functions often reveals new opportunities for service at a level unexpected by our customers. Take a quick survey of the routines in your job that you dread, dislike or find boring. With list in hand, schedule some time to talk with the most imaginative person you know. Ask for suggestions that might breathe new life and excitement into these routines. A fresh perspective may reveal possibilities to which we have become blind.

Additionally, ask for the opportunity to spend some time each month working along side another employee in a job other than your own. This might be a subordinate, a peer, and when appropriate, a superior. The new perspective will give you a better understanding of the overall direction of your organization. You will have the chance to learn more broad-based skills and develop more collaborative working relationships. The change of pace and scenery allow you an opportunity to be infused with new insights and energy regarding how you might better serve your customers.

2. Listen, Think and Use Common Sense.

Exceptional customer service boils down to building relationships with people. The best service providers are interested in the customer’s needs and work to provide a satisfactory solution for those needs. As you are engaged with each customer, ask thoughtful, focused questions that will reveal what the customer is thinking, how the customer is feeling and what the customer wants to happen next. Once you ask a question – listen. The response the customer provides will help you formulate ways to create a common sense, tailor-made plan of service.

3. Bend the Rules, Sometimes.

Some people have been trained and conditioned to think bending rules and going against established organizational policies – for any reason – is the equivalent of heresy. Hear me clearly, I contend that “bending” rules is different than “breaking” them. An example might help here. The clothing store policy states that store hours are from 10:00am to 9:00pm. A customer purchased several garments and has requested alterations. She needs the items for a business trip tomorrow. The alterations have been completed, but your customer must leave town before the 10:00am store opening time. Question: Which will build your customer service momentum more quickly – opening early for your customer to pick up her alterations or forcing her to abide by the company policy? Gray areas like this occur in business every day. Consider these two points of caution. Evaluate which policies, rules and procedures are pliable and which are not. Those activities that would be too risky, too costly, illegal, immoral or unethical are off limits. The activities which have more room for independent decision making are the ones that, on occasion, can be bent to satisfy the needs of your customers. Finally, take a minute to think. What are the specific, long term ramifications of the action? What is the best thing that can happen if I respond to a customer this way? What is the worst thing that can happen? A moment of thought may save hours of regret.

4. Make the Last Few Seconds Count.

People remember most what they experience last. Making the last few seconds count is a great way to build on the momentum of your customer service efforts. The first step to accomplish this is to display and communicate an appreciative attitude. Tell your customer specifically what you appreciate about them, Specificity proves you know and care about what others do for you. Next, never part company without asking if there is any other way you can help your customer. Offering your assistance is the single best way to identify continuing or additional needs your customers may have. Finally, if you really want to extend the momentum of your customer service efforts, write your customers a thank you note -whenever possible. This follow up communication is rarely expected. Most service providers miss this additional chance to be top of mind with their customers. It will cause your customer to think about you just a little longer and (hopefully) more positively than your competition. Now that’s momentum!

Want your customers coming back again and again? Customer service is the best way. It beats out cost or product. When someone calls or comes in your place of business, always be sure to get their name first. Write it down along with as much information about them as possible. Call them by name while you are talking to them.

People love the sound of their own name. Look them in the eye and keep your complete attention on them. They are the most important thing you have going on at that moment. Always inject something personal; i.e, on the phone: “Where are you calling from? How is the weather there?” If they come into your place of business “That is a beautiful shirt/blouse or whatever they happen to be wearing. You can alwys find something complimentary to say about anyone. Besides clothing, you can comment on jewelry, haircut, etc.

People feel connected if you make it personal to them and make them feel special. You will get much further if you look for those things than if you give them a good price or have an excellent product. Everyone wants to feel they are important especially if they are spending their hard-earned money with you. Another great idea is to write them a note after they leave or hang up if you got their address. It doesn’t take long to do that and just thank them for their business. If they didn’t make a purchase, write and tell them you appreciate their interest and offer to help them if they ever need your services.