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information and resources to help you build and retain a
high-performance company
Volume 1 |
Issue 27 | March 2009
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What's Your Customer Service IQ?
1. Conventional wisdom says
that upset customers tell eight to ten people if
they were unhappy about a company's poor
customer service. Now they can tell eight to 10
million or more because of ________________.
a. the Customer Service
Reporting System
b. the increasing population
c. the local media
d. the Internet
2. The software process a
company uses to track and organize current and
future customers is called _________________.
a. customer service reporting
b. customer relationship management
c. customer care
d. human resources universal software
3. The software process
mentioned in question 2 above is not foolproof
because some organizations __________________.
a. fail to maintain their
computer systems
b. employ too few customer service employees
c. do not take full advantage of the software
after installing
d. have outdated computers
4. Each year, the average
business loses __________ of its customers
because of poor customer service.
a. 10 to 15 percent
b. 50 percent
c. 90 percent
d. 1 percent
5. What department of any
company should carry 100 percent of the load of
good customer service?
a. the Customer Service
department
b. Human Resources
c. no matter the department, it is every
employee's responsibility to supply excellent
customer service
d. the CEO's office
6. The word(s) used to
describe the number of customers lost over a
period of time is _________.
a. slash
b. churn
c. the ones who got away
d. rollover
7. The most important thing
to do when confronted with a customer service
problem is _____________.
a. listen to the
customer's concerns
b. say you are sorry for the problem
c. correct the problem quickly
d. all of the above
8. What's the best
thing to do when confronted by an angry
customer?
a. deny everything; after all, your company is
always right
b. put the phone receiver down and walk away
while he details the problem
c. let him/her do a certain amount of venting as
long as it's not personal
d. let him bully you personally because someone
at your company deserves it
9. _________ customers are
usually more profitable to an organization.
a. Long-term
b. Wealthy
c. Older
d. Complaining
10. Complete this quote Walt
Disney made about customer service: "Do what you
do so well that they will
_____________."
a. copy it in their own
organizations
b. want to see it again and bring their friends
c. return to see you at least once a month
d. call everyone they know to report what a good
time they had
Answers: 1. d; 2. b; 3. c; 4. a; 5. c; 6.
b; 7 d; 8. c; 9. a; 10. b
Source: Various customer service experts |
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FROM
JIM SIRBASKU’S DESK
How to
Keep the Customers You Have
If anything
strikes fear in the heart of a business owner who is
proud of his company's customer service, it's the
unhappy customer telling others how displeased he is.
The old adage was that one person upset by Company X's
treatment told an average of eight to ten friends. Then
those people told even more, and before long, maybe one
hundred people knew of the bad experience at Company X.
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Now, one unhappy person can tell hundreds, thousands,
millions or more people just by typing his tale into a
blog or a broadcast e-mail and pressing send. Soon the
tale, fair or not, is on its way around the world! If
the old eight to ten figure gave you chills, the eight
to 10 million is likely to knock you off your
feet. If your company truly values great customer
service and backs it up with actions, then you have a
good foundation to survive the occasional dissatisfied
customer. Loyal customers will forgive a stumble if you
quickly put it right. But if you treat the mistake
casually or repeat it, your most solid supporters are
likely to remind you that they have choices, and take
their money elsewhere.
Given that the cost of acquiring each new customer is
ten times the cost of keeping the ones you already have,
you need to get out the polishing cloth and burnish the
skills of everyone in the organization. That's
right–everyone. The customer sees you as Company X, not
just a loose collection of departments under the same
roof. If one department errs, it's Company X's
responsibility to correct the error as quickly as
possible. That means no telephone tag, no sending the
customer from person to person, no shoulder shrugging
and no instructions to the customer that begin with,
"You will have to" or "You need to".
Because you know the actions that drive customers
away, emphasizing to employees the behaviors and
qualities that keep your loyal clientele returning is a
positive step you can take. A wise manager will observe
his employees at work and ask his customers often what
they like and how to improve. Some of these will pertain
only to certain businesses, but many customer answers
are universal, and here is a sampling from various
surveys:
- Customers want knowledgeable, helpful
staff. This means employees must know both
the product and the company well. Your goal is to
build trust and credibility in the workers as well
as the rest of what you sell. If someone likes your
brand of appliances but your service or delivery
department has a poor reputation for timeliness,
your whole company is operating at a disadvantage.
- Customers want flexibility. If
a loyal customer needs help now, not tomorrow or the
next day, what can you offer him? Do you know your
customers by name – well enough to know their
special needs, and do you listen when they have a
problem? Or do you operate by a rigid set of
one-size-fits-all rules?
- Customers want to feel they are getting
an item equal in value to the price they paid.
If you sold an expensive product that
doesn't hold up under normal conditions, your
customer will likely feel cheated. If she brings the
product back for a refund, you might have to swallow
the loss. But you will have gained a customer for
life, and probably learned an important lesson about
the product – and maybe about your vendor, depending
on what he does about the product.
- Convenience. Are you easy to
find in the phone book? If someone wants to visit
your store, is your address clearly visible from the
street? Is your parking lot cramped and always full,
or is parking always available? If customers dial
your number, will they talk to a real person? If you
use an automated phone system, is it clear and easy
to operate?
- Help when you need it.
Twenty-four hour service is only good if it's
actually 24 hours. Don't promise more than you are
willing to deliver. If you prefer not to have
someone answering the phone at ten at night and
seven in the morning, or on weekends, don't
advertise 24-hour service. Don't put phone customers
on hold for "a minute" that stretches into five,
then seven, then more. If researching the issue will
take longer than a minute or two, offer to call the
customer back the same day.
This customer wish list is deceptively simple. Just
because it makes sense does not mean every worker agrees
with it and does everything on it. Good leaders will
state specifically what they want – but that's only half
of the job. The next step is hiring people who buy into
your organization's values and training them continually
to deliver what your customers want. Monitoring customer
service behavior throughout the organization and
correcting missteps quickly are always good ideas.
The excellent customer service you offer may mean you
are soon worrying about another kind of math – so many
happy customers telling so many others about you that
you and your workers almost can't keep up with demand.
Jim Sirbasku, CEO
Profiles International
"When I left Southwest
Airlines, there was a guy there who said I was a
revolutionary in a company that didn't need a
revolution. But I think every company needs a
revolution, all the time."
– David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue
"Wise are those who
learn that the bottom line doesn't always have to be
their top priority.” – William Arthur Ward, author
"A business that makes
nothing but money is a poor business.”
– Henry Ford, American founder of Ford Motor Co.
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Put Muscle Into Customer
Service with CSP™
True or false? All employees should flex their customer
service muscles, even those who do not wear the job title.
The answer is "true," of course, but the reality is that some
workers are more inclined than others are to see customer
service as part of their job. It is also true that each
organization must clearly define what customer service means to
that organization, then strive to recruit, hire and develop
workers who match the definition.
The Customer Service Profile™ can help.
A well-rounded definition of customer service includes
several universal ingredients: attention to detail, consistent
performance, a helpful attitude that includes a smile. From
there, a company needs to define other elements that pertain
specifically to its operation. This might include everything
from the basics – how employees answer the telephones – to the
more complicated – how much freedom an employee has to solve
problems on the spot, without seeking supervisory approval.
With such a definition in place, CSP™ can aid in the
recruitment and selection of employees who match the
organization's standards. It can also shine a spotlight on the
areas where the company would benefit from coaching.
Communicating what good customer service looks likes is
easier if you hire people with the right attitudes. This is
where the CSP™ provides invaluable help by assessing the beliefs
and customer service proficiency of both current employees and
job candidates. This gives you important information you need to
hire people with the skills you desire, improve training in a
vital area and broadcast the message that every employee has a
role to play in customer service.
CSP™ measures such characteristics as tact, trust, empathy,
conformity, focus and flexibility. It also assesses skill level
in vocabulary and mathematics. It measures how each person’s
perspective on serving customers aligns with the organization’s
policies and attitudes.
With Customer Service Profile™, you receive three types of
reports:
- A Placement Report. The
Job Match Percentage section of this report tells you how
well job candidates match your standards and the degree of
alignment between a candidate’s perspective and the
company’s.
- A Coaching Report. It
reveals the areas in which individualized training/coaching
will instill the attitudes you want in all employees.
- An Individual Report.
Through heightened awareness, each employee gets the
opportunity to improve his skills.
- An Alignment Report. It
compares your company’s service perspectives with that of
other companies. It also displays the percentage of a
selected group from your company who do not agree with the
perspective held by your company.
True or false? You need to keep your best customers. True.
And Customer Service Profile™ is your answer. Call Profiles
International at (254) 751-1644 today.
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Talk 'Em Down!*
Make Customer Complaints Work for You
One day, we received a call from one of our Strategic
Business Partners who said she was about to lose her
biggest client because of a glitch in our e-mail system.
How did this happen?
The first step in fixing the problem was to gather
facts. The e-mail problem had originated when we
installed new software that was not properly configured.
The situation got worse when the client called our
office seeking technical assistance and was given
instructions that didn’t work.
We quickly called a meeting of the people involved
and soon had a temporary solution to use until we
developed a permanent solution. Our Operations Vice
President implemented the appropriate actions
immediately. We called the Strategic Business Partner
and gave her an update on the situation. Next, we
contacted the client and explained our situation,
apologized for the inconvenience, and presented the
temporary solution.
We not only saved the account, we were also
complimented for how quickly we responded to the
situation. Through quick attention to the problem and
attention to the client, we turned a potentially bad
situation into a very positive one.
We recommend you consider customer complaints in a
positive frame of mind and see them as suggestions for
improving your products and the way you do business.
No matter how good you and your people are, or how
good your products/services are, you will occasionally
encounter an angry customer. A normally reasonable,
happy customer who gets angry transforms into a
flesh-eating beast, bent on your destruction. Sometimes
they come at you foaming at the mouth and demanding
satisfaction. How do you talk ’em down?
There are two traditional ways. The first is to eat
crow immediately, accept the blame fully, beg
forgiveness, kiss up, and do everything the
customer-turned-beast asks in order to satisfy them.
You’ll likely keep the customer, but after you’ve
crawled like that more than a few times, can you look at
yourself in the mirror and smile?
Another approach is to get angry back at the
customer, slug it out (verbally, at least), exchange
blame and insults, deny all responsibility and tell the
customer where to get off. That way you needn’t worry
about repeat complaints. After all, no customers, no
complaints.
Calming angry customers and resolving complaints to
their complete satisfaction need not mean sacrificing
your self-respect. Experts have demonstrated that the
following guidelines will resolve more problems more
easily, and turn a complaint into a more positive
experience for the customer. And you will still be able
to look at yourself in the mirror and smile! |
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1. It may not be your
fault, but it’s still your problem.
Approach all angry customers with this attitude. Even if
it is your fault, don’t take the complaint personally.
Customers complain because they want you to address a
perceived shortcoming, not because they don’t like you.
Resist the temptation to fight back. Even if you win the
battle, you’ll lose the war. And the customer.
2. Listen
In order to address the customer’s problem, you’ll need
to know exactly what the problem is. As with all other
endeavors, listening is a key skill. Besides giving you
some insight into the reason for the customer’s
distress, it also helps to exorcise some of the initial
anger the customer is feeling.
3. Don’t Interrupt
Let complainants express themselves. Don’t stop them
mid-flow. Let them vent their anger; it will be easier
to reason with them afterwards.
4. Calm Your
Complainant and Clarify the Problem
When your customer has finished complaining, show some
empathy. Explain that you understand why he or she is so
upset, and you’re going to try to sort things out. Then
clarify your understanding of the problem. Ask questions
and qualify comments. This will calm your customer and
ensure that your suggested solution will address all
aspects of the perceived problem. Step into your
customer’s shoes. Look at your company, your products,
the problem and your actions from the customer’s
perspective, and then decide whether or not the
complaint is justified.
5. If it’s Your Fault,
Say So. If it’s Not, Don’t
When you fully understand the complaint, decide whether
or not your company is at fault. Don’t automatically
accept blame before you know it’s warranted. But if it
is clearly your fault, admit it early in the process.
Accept responsibility and don’t hide; don’t try to pass
the buck. Adopt a genuinely humble tone.
6. Solve the Problem
Think about how best to solve the customer’s problems.
If you need some time to come up with a response, tell
him so and commit to getting back to him on a specified
timetable. Do so. Make sure all of your responses
project a clearly concerned, but calm, manner. Stress
your eagerness to resolve the problem, and project a
calm confidence that you are the person to do it. When
you have a suggested solution, agree with the customer
about the steps you’ll take and the timeframe for
correction. Assure the customer that you’ll take
personal responsibility for seeing the resolution
through, and do so. Nothing is more important than
resolving customer complaints. Attend to them with the
utmost urgency. Research shows that it costs as much as
ten times more to recruit a new customer than to retain
one you already recruited. |
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7. Don’t Accept Abuse
Don’t accept it if a complainant steps over the line
between the reasonable right to complain and outright
personal abuse. Calmly explain that you will address
problems, but you can do so only if they speak and act
courteously and respectfully. If the complainant
continues the abuse, terminate the conversation. You
don’t need that kind of customer!
8. Pin Down Moving Targets
If you’re dealing with a problem that seems to grow
every time you implement an agreed solution, ask your
customer to put the complaint in writing so you can
better understand and address it. This will help you to
focus upon an agreed solution. Also, working things out
on paper can sometimes make a complainant recognize if
his is an unreasonable viewpoint.
9. Stop it from
Happening Again
Try to prevent angering customers in the future:
At purchase time, let your customers know it is your
policy to resolve any difficulties they might encounter
with their purchase. Then, should they call to complain,
their stress levels should be a little lower given their
confidence of receiving good support.
Keep in touch. If something’s about to happen that
might upset customers, let them know before it’s an
issue.
When a customer identifies a problem, change what you
do to minimize the chance of the problem recurring.
Customers who take the time to complain are generally
telling you they want to continue doing business with
you, but with some changes. Put a high priority on
resolving their difficulties, but don’t ever feel you
must sacrifice your own self-esteem to do so.
*From the book 40 STRATEGIES FOR WINNING IN BUSINESS
by Bud Haney and Jim Sirbasku. © S&H Publishing Co.,
5205 Lake Shore Drive, Waco, Texas 76710-1732. All
rights reserved. Contact S&H Publishing Co., (254)
751-1644, for reprint permission.
"There is only one boss: the
customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from
the chairman on down, simply by spending his money
somewhere else.” – Sam
Walton, founder of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores |
"It's a funny thing
about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the
best, you very often get it.”
– Somerset Maugham, English novelist and dramatist
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