Customer Service Excellence: It’s in the Details PDF

HOW-TO BOOKS H OW-TO LE BOOKS Customer Service Excellence: It’s in the Details MP Lisa Ford H OW-TO BOOKS SA H OW-TO...

HOW-TO BOOKS H OW-TO LE BOOKS Customer Service Excellence: It’s in the Details MP Lisa Ford H OW-TO BOOKS SA H OW-TO 1 This preview version of our product is protected by copyright law. Copying or distribution of this file is prohibited.  Customer Service LE Excellence: It’s in the Details MP Lisa Ford SA Coastal Training Technologies Corp. 500 Studio Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Customer Service Excellence: It’s in the Details Lisa Ford Copyright ©1997 by Coastal Training Technologies Corp. and Lisa Ford LE All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. MP Credits: Coastal Training Technologies Corp.: Arthur Bauer Todd McDonald Editor in Chief: Karen Massetti Miller Designer: Gayle O’Brien Cover Design and Illustration: Kevin Zdenek Published by Coastal Training Technologies Corp. 500 Studio Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 97-77105 Ford, Lisa SA Customer Service Excellence: It’s in the Details Printed in the United States of America 1999 ISBN 1-884926-83-5 Introduction Many companies claim that customer service is their first priority, yet few follow through on this promise. Providing exceptional customer service gives your company a competitive edge. Exceptional customer service does not come from a marketing brochure or from the company president’s speech. Exceptional LE customer service is given by each and every employee, each and every day. You are the reason your company stands apart from the competition. “Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it.” Peter Drucker Customer service means different things to different customers. For the busy executive, it may mean prompt delivery at a reasonable price. For the office manager, it may mean a reliable service plan. For the lonely retiree, it may mean conversation and helpfulness. All of us would agree we want polite, courteous service. But is that enough? MP Think of the people you have encountered who have delighted you with their exceptional customer service. One of my favorite customer service stories involves my business associates, Carla and Joe, who had driven several hours to attend a business meeting in another state. They knew they would be late arrivals, so they called three times to confirm that a hotel room would be held for them. But when they arrived at the hotel, all the rooms were gone. However, the clerk did have a suite on the concierge level available. When Carla and Joe got to the suite, they entered the living area and opened the door to the next room. To their surprise, they discovered another couple in the bedroom! Carla called the front desk, and hotel staff explained that they were sending a rollaway bed to the living area—this would be Carla and Joe’s “room.” By this time, they were tired and furious. SA Joe headed back to the front desk to straighten out the situation. On his way, he met a janitor in the elevator. The janitor could tell Joe was frustrated and took the matter into his own hands. He apologized for the service Carla and Joe had received so far and acquired the key from the front desk for another suite. He then helped Carla and Joe move their suitcases to the new suite (complete with bed). That janitor was a service superstar, not to mention Carla and Joe’s hero that late evening. Service stars have something in common—they care! In business today, a satisfied customer is your best strategy. Getting a customer is easy. Keeping a customer is difficult. Let’s find out how you can make the difference in your organization. About the Author Lisa Ford is a speaker and seminar leader with 18 years of experience presenting to businesses, associations and government. She speaks throughout the United States and internationally on the topics of customer service; customer retention; and managing, hiring and training for service excellence. Lisa is the creator of the best- selling business video series How to Give Exceptional Customer Service. She recently LE created the video Customer Service Excellence: It’s in the Details for Business Advantage Inc. Lisa’s customer service experience began when she started working part-time jobs at age 14. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, she worked for a consulting firm, and in 1983, she started her own business as an independent speaker and seminar leader. Lisa is also actively involved with the National Speakers Association and serves as a board member to the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee. MP SA  Table of Contents Chapter One Why Customer Service? 8 Who Are Your Customers? 9 LE How Customer Service Has Changed 10 What Do Your Customers Want? 12 Creating Positive Points of Contact 15 Chapter Summary 17 Self-Check: Chapter One Review 18 Chapter Two Creating a Positive Total Service Experience 20 Treating Your Customer as a Partner 21 MP Developing a Positive Attitude Communicating Effectively with Your Customers 23 25 The Cost of an Unhappy Customer 28 Chapter Summary 29 Self-Check: Chapter Two Review 30 Chapter Three Providing Service With Heart 32 Viewing Customers Positively 33 Building an Emotional Connection 35 Actively Listening to Your Customers 39 Chapter Summary 43 SA Self-Check: Chapter Three Review 44 Chapter Four Dealing With Challenging Customers 46 Why Customers Get Upset 46 Dealing With Customer Emotions 47 Chapter Summary 52 Self-Check: Chapter Four Review 54  Table of Contents Chapter Five Solving Customer Problems 56 Managing Customer Expectations 56 LE Solving Problems When They Arise 58 Dealing With the Customer Who Is Wrong 59 Delivering Bad News 62 When You Can’t Satisfy a Customer 63 Talking With the Boss 63 Chapter Summary 64 Self-Check: Chapter Five Review 65 Chapter Six Helping Customers Over the Phone 66 MP Providing One Voice for Your Customers 66 Transferring the Customer 67 Using the Hold Button 69 Chapter Summary 70 Self-Check: Chapter Six Review 71 Chapter Seven Becoming a Customer Service Star 72 What Makes a Customer Service Star? 72 Taking Initiative 76 Keeping Your Attitude Up All Day Long 76 SA Chapter Summary 79 Self-Check: Chapter Seven Review 80 Chapter Eight The Team Approach to Customer Service 82 Developing Team Strategies 83 Delivering Outer-Circle Service 84 Cross-Selling and Up-Selling 87 Taking Small Steps 88 Chapter Summary 89 Self-Check: Chapter Eight Review 90 Answers to Selected Exercises 91  Why Customer Service? Chapter One LE Why Customer Service? Chapter Objectives ▲ Describe the difference between traditional and exceptional customer service. ▲ Identify what a customer wants. MP ▲ Discuss how customers’ expectations influence their perceptions of service. ▲ Predict how positive and negative points of contact influence the customer’s perception. oday, with more and more competitors vying for your T customers’ attention, exceptional service is no longer optional—it’s essential. When we think of customer service, we traditionally think of businesses in the service sector, such as restaurants, retailers or health car providers. Today, most businesses have established customer service initiatives. Customer service is a key issue for: SA Business ◆ Retail ◆ Business to business ◆ Professional ◆ Service and support Government ◆ Local, state and federal agencies 8  Why Customer Service? Not-for-profit agencies ◆ Community service Health centers 1 LE ◆ ◆ Volunteer organizations Some people are surprised when they hear that government and not-for-profit agencies are concerned about customer service, yet it is both possible and appropriate for these organizations. The American Cancer Society competes with other charities for both fund-raising dollars and volunteers. They have an extensive training program for volunteer leaders and staff on how to creatively recruit and keep volunteers. And how do you think MP they keep volunteers? By treating them like valued customers. Who Are Your Customers? One of the first things any organization must do is identify their customers. This is not always as easy as it seems, since most organizations have two main sets of customers: ◆ Internal customers ◆ External customers Both types of customers require exceptional customer service. The internal customer is the individual or department within The internal SA your organization who uses your products or services. By customer is the enhancing your customer service skills, you develop better individual or working relationships with the people within your organization, department as in the following example: within your organization Steve is responsible for ordering forms and envelopes for the who uses your mailing services department of his company. Although products or ultimately his company’s customers are those people who services. receive a mailing, Steve’s primary customers are internal— members of the marketing department, word processors, computer programmers, and employees in his own mailing department. All his internal customers rely on Steve to purchase the products they need in a timely fashion. If Steve does not order the correct products, none of the internal departments can serve their external customers. 9  Why Customer Service? The external The external customer is the person or organization who customer is the purchases and uses your products and services. This is the person or customer we traditionally think of; the external customer is the main focus of this book. In government and not-for-profit LE organization who purchases organizations, these are the people who use your services, along and uses your with the taxpayers and donors who support you. In business-to- products and business relationships, external customers may also be people services. with whom you are in a joint venture. There is also another type of customer—one that many people find surprising. I am talking about your former customer—that person who, for one reason or another, does not do business with your organization anymore. Former customers are an important resource. They have a great MP deal of information your organization can use to provide exceptional service. They can tell you: ◆ What your organization did wrong. ◆ What your organization did right. ◆ What, and how, your organization can improve. Former Former customers have one other important characteristic— customers they are also potential future customers. Remember that, and have a great reach out to them. Discuss with your coworkers how you might deal of do so. information SA your How Customer Service Has Changed organization The nature of customer service has changed during the last 10 can use to years. In the past, we provided what I will call traditional provide customer service. If customers needed service, they went to the exceptional Customer Service Department. The unspoken message to the service. customer was, “This department is the only place you’ll get customer service in the company.” Customers hoped that a customer service employee would be able to meet their needs as competently and quickly as possible; but often encountered a clerk who recited company policies about why he or she couldn’t solve the problem. The clerk’s main objective seemed to be helping the customer understand 10 the Customer Service Department’s limitations, not service.  Why Customer Service? Today’s customers expect something more than traditional customer service. They demand exceptional customer service. They want us to exceed their expectations, demonstrate that the organization cares for them, and work immediately and 1 LE decisively on their behalf. At first glance, there may not seem to be that much of a difference between traditional and exceptional customer service. But as you read this book, you will understand that there are critical differences. You will also begin to see how you, the service professional, make the difference between merely satisfying the customer and dazzling the customer with exceptional customer service. Your competitors may easily be able to copy your products, your MP prices—even your promotions. But they can’t copy you and the service you provide. You are the key. To your customer, you’re the voice and the personality of your organization. As the person who deals with customers on a day-to-day basis, you come to signify all that your company stands for, both good and bad. The ultimate The ultimate goal of exceptional customer service is to maintain goal of and increase market share through increased customer exceptional satisfaction. This means helping more customers, selling more customer products, or providing more services. service is to maintain and As a service provider, you are an important part of this equation. increase When customers are receiving service, they don’t know the end market share SA result. They don’t know whether you’re going to say yes or no, or through whether you’re going to meet their time frame. But they do increased know and observe how the service is being delivered. It is the customer service delivery that matters! satisfaction. 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 11  Why Customer Service? Take a Moment There are several roles you play when assisting the customer. When you explain how a product or service LE works, you are a teacher. When you are trying to figure out what a customer needs, you are a detective. Think about the roles you play, and write down three roles you perform when working with customers. 1. ____________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________ MP What Do Your Customers Want? Let’s look at what the customers want—how they define exceptional customer service. First, customers want you to listen. This shows concern and respect. Customers also want you to take responsibility. They do not want to hear what you cannot do or whose fault it is. They want you to walk them through the problem and to find a solution. Customers expect you to pay attention to the details. Take notes if possible while listening to the customer. Then, paraphrasing the information, repeat back to the customer the key points. SA Make sure you have the details right, and give the customer an Customers opportunity to correct or clarify any of the information. want you to remember that Customers want to know that they’re appreciated. Do not forget they are the sincere “Thank you” and “We appreciate your business.” spending their Although you may have said it to a hundred other customers time and their that day, your current customer still needs to hear it. money with you, and that Finally, customers want you to remember that they are spending both are their time and their money with you, and that both are valuable. valuable. You’re not doing them a favor; they are doing you one. Everything you do must be seen from the customer’s perspective. After all, it is how the customer perceives you that determines what level of service you are actually providing. 12  Why Customer Service? Exceptional customer service is in the eyes of the customer. How does the customer determine whether you have provided exceptional customer service? It all depends on two things: the customer’s expectations and the customer’s perception. 1 LE Customer Expectations Customer expectations are what a customer wants before a Customer transaction. A customer forms expectations from several expectations different sources: are what a customer ◆ Advertising—Advertisements can set specific expectations wants before for your company. For many years, Domino’s Pizza a transaction. advertised that they would deliver your pizza within 30 minutes or the pizza was free. Your expectation was that you would have a pizza at your door in fewer than 30 minutes MP ◆ Previous experience—Your customers’ previous experiences with your product, services, or organization can influence their expectations about future service. If their last experience was negative, they’ll expect the same in the future and may therefore decide to take their business elsewhere. If their last experience was positive, they’ll look forward to more positive experiences when they bring you return business. ◆ Word of mouth—What your customers say about the quality of your service can build or ruin your organization’s SA reputation, as in the following example. Cindy planned meetings at several different hotels. Most hotels gave excellent or at least adequate service. But the catering director at one hotel always gave Cindy a difficult time. He reluctantly granted her requests and rarely returned her calls. Cindy became so frustrated that she began to dread every encounter at this hotel. Eventually, she pulled all her company’s business. Unfortunately for this hotel, Cindy also discouraged other meeting planners from scheduling events there. ◆ The competition—Your competition can also set expectations for your customer. If a competitor offers a product at a certain price, or offers a free service, your customers come to expect the same from you. 13  Why Customer Service? If customers Customer Perceptions get more than Customer perceptions are created during and after a transaction. they expected, A customer’s perception is based on how your service measured LE the end result up against her or his expectations. If customers get more than is exceptional they expected, the end result is exceptional customer service. customer service. However, if customers get anything less than they expected, they perceive a performance gap, and in that gap lies customer disappointment. Exceptional Customer Service = Perception - Expectations Disappointed customers will leave your organization and take MP their business elsewhere, and poor customer service is responsible for much of the disappointment experienced by customers: ◆ The Forum Corporation reports that 70% of the identifiable reasons why customers stop doing business with an organization has nothing to do with product. Customers surveyed reported that they left because they received a lack of personal attention, were treated rudely or found an employee unhelpful. ◆ Another study done by the White House Office of Consumer Affairs and Technical Assistance Research SA Program (TARP) suggests that 68% of customers who quit doing business with an organization do so because of perceived indifference on the part of employees. Once a customer becomes dissatisfied with your organization, it can be difficult to win him or her back. Research suggests that it takes 12 positive incidents to make up for one negative incident in the eyes of a customer. Replacing dissatisfied customers with new customers is also difficult. It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep a current customer. 14  Why Customer Service? Take a Moment Think about a positive customer service experience. What impressed you the most? How can you give the same type 1 LE of experience to your customer? Now think about a negative service experience. Have you ever delivered this type of service? What can you do to avoid providing negative service again? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ MP Creating Positive Points of Contact In doing business with your organization, customers have many points of contact, and they have a chance to form an impression of your organization at each point. These impressions can be good (positive or winning points of contact) or bad (negative or breaking points of contact). Examples of negative points of Customers contact include letting your phone ring five or six times before form an answering it or leaving the customer on hold for a long period impression of time. This says, “We don’t value your time.” Long lines, out- of your of-stock items, faded signs, and dirty surroundings give organization customers the impression that your organization doesn’t care at each point about them. The customer may also wonder whether you care of contact. SA about the product or service. A caring and friendly atmosphere, ownership of problems, and quick solutions all create positive points of contact. Clean, neat surroundings, whether in an office, store, or restaurant, say, “We pay attention to details.” Accurate invoices, shipping by dates promised, and returning phone calls promptly also convey a positive impression. Make sure that all of your points of contact with customers are positive ones. Give all of your customers special attention, regardless of the size of their purchases. After all, the customer who makes a small purchase today might make a large purchase tomorrow. All of your customers deserve exceptional service. 15  Why Customer Service? Take a Moment Rate your customer service. Suggested responses appear on page 91. LE 1. What type(s) of customers do you deal with? a. Internal customers b. External customers c. Both 2. How do your customers feel after dealing with you? a. Better about your organization b. Worse c. Both 3. If a customer has a problem or concern, how quickly do MP you return his or her phone call? a. By the end of the business day b. Within 24 hours c. Within 48 hours d. Within 72 hours e. Within a week f. No set time 4. The old slogan says that the customer is always right. In reality, what do you feel customers are? a. Always right b. Sometimes right c. Generally wrong d. Misguided or misinformed SA 5. When you are delivering your organization’s product or service, what is the most important thing? a. Price b. Customer Service c. Product or service effectiveness d. Repeat business e. Customer perception f. Marketing strategies 16  Why Customer Service? Chapter Summary Customer service has become a key issue for business, government, and not-for-profit agencies. Your internal customers 1 LE are the individuals or departments within your organization who use your products or services. Your external customers are the persons or organizations who purchase and use your products and services. When we provide traditional customer service, we meet customer expectations as competently and quickly as possible. When we provide exceptional customer service, we exceed customer expectations, demonstrate that the organization cares for the customer, and work immediately and decisively on the customer’s behalf. The ultimate goal of exceptional customer MP service is to maintain and increase market share through increased customer satisfaction. Customers determine that you have provided exceptional customer service based on their expectations and their perceptions. Customer expectations are what a customer wants before a transaction. Customer perceptions are based on how your service measures up against customer expectations. Customers have the chance to form impressions of your organization whenever they have a point of contact with an employee. When those points of contact are negative, customers form bad impressions; when those points of contact are positive, customers form good impressions. A caring and friendly SA atmosphere, ownership of problems, and quick solutions are all positive points of contact that work to create a good impression. 17  Why Customer Service? ✓ Self-Check: Chapter One Review Answers to the following questions appear on pages 91 and 92. LE 1. Define internal customers. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 2. Define external customers. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ MP 3. How do we provide exceptional customer service? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 4. What are customer expectations? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 5. What are customer perceptions? SA _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 6. Fill in the following equation: Exceptional Customer Service = __________ - __________ 7. Describe an example of a positive point of contact a customer can have with an organization. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 18  Why Customer Service? Notes 1 LE MP SA  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Chapter Two LE Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Chapter Objectives ▲ Define the total service experience. ▲ Treat customers as partners by putting their needs first. MP ▲ Create a positive attitude by engaging in positive self-talk. ▲ Build strong customer relationships through effective communication. s we saw in Chapter 1, every interaction you have with a A customer is a point of contact. Customers can perceive those points of contact as positive or negative. As customers have more and more contacts with your organization, they combine their perceptions of those contacts into an overall impression of your organization’s customer service. This SA impression is the customer’s total service experience. The best way to ensure that customers remain loyal to your organization is to be sure that they have a positive total service experience—and that can be a challenge. After all, the customer is the one who decides whether a point of contact with your company has been positive or negative. Creating the total service experience is like a game in which the customer makes all the rules and keeps score. Whether you and your organization win, or even get to keep playing, is completely up to the customer. As a customer service representative, your job is to provide service that will help your customers have a positive total service experience. Although there is no guarantee that a customer will 20 perceive a specific point of contact as positive, there are three  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience basic techniques that customer service professionals practice to create the best impression possible: ◆ Treat your customer as a partner. LE ◆ Maintain a positive attitude. ◆ Communicate effectively with your customer. 2 Treating Your Customer as a Partner Bob knew he needed to talk with his customer service representative about his order: It was a day late, and he needed the merchandise immediately. But he dreaded making the call. It would just be the same old runaround. He could almost hear his rep now: “I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about that. MP Here’s why...” Customers sometimes perceive customer service representatives as standing between them and the solution to their problems. This type of attitude is based on the traditional customer service model we discussed earlier in which the customer service representative focused on explaining the organization’s limitations. Providing exceptional customer service means working with your Providing customer to create a solution for his or her problem. There are exceptional several ways you can treat your customer as a partner in the customer problem-solving process. The first is to ask yourself two key service means questions: working with your customer SA ◆ What results does my customer want? to create a solution for his ◆ How can I help my customer get these results? or her problem. Keep these questions in mind as you talk to your customer. Focus on what needs to be done to meet your customer’s needs instead of explaining what the organization cannot do. A second technique that will help you treat your customer as a partner is to respond to problems quickly. On-the-spot resolution is best. When you handle a problem on the spot, customer satisfaction increases. If you need to get assistance from a supervisor, explain to the customer that you need to get additional information and will return with an answer. Give the customer a specific time you will call back with the information, 21  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Respond to and make sure you meet the deadline. The ironclad law of your customers customer feedback says to respond within 24 to 48 hours. Even within 24-48 if you don’t have a complete answer, let the customer know that progress is being made, and more importantly, that attention is LE hours. being paid. Is the responsive approach effective? Research clearly shows that if customers believe you are responsive to a problem, they will do business with your organization again 82 to 95% of the time. In fact, loyalty to you will actually increase because you were so responsive. When you value their business and show you care, customers return. A third technique for partnering with your customers is to beg for complaints. That’s right—encourage your customers to bring MP their complaints to you. If you find out what your customers think, you can make your service even better. After you have heard a customer’s concerns or suggestions on how your organization can improve its service or product, analyze the information. If you are unable to do anything about the suggestion yourself, pass the information along to the appropriate people—they will appreciate the input. If the suggestion involves something you can change, put together an action plan to make the appropriate improvements. This can be a formal written plan or just a reminder written on your calendar to follow through with a customer request. Take a Moment SA List the top five reasons you think customers buy from you rather than from the competition: 1. ____________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________ 4. ____________________________________________ 5. ____________________________________________ Once you have completed this list, ask two or three customers why they buy from you. Compare their responses 22 to the responses above.  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Developing a Positive Attitude People who give exceptional customer service have a positive, can- do attitude. A positive attitude is not necessarily something you’re LE born with. That’s good news because it means that even if your attitude is currently negative, you can create an attitude that is helpful and dedicated to being exceptional. It may sound simplistic, but the first step toward creating a positive 2 attitude is to begin thinking positive thoughts about ourselves and others. The second step is to reflect those thoughts in positive self-talk. Self-talk is something that happens inside, whether you are aware of it or not. We all talk to ourselves, and this self-talk can have a tremendous effect on your attitude. Positive self-talk can help you MP build a positive, winning attitude, while negative self-talk can do just the opposite. Unfortunately, much of our self-talk is negative. We become our own worst enemies by telling ourselves things like: Positive self- “I’ll never be any good at this.” talk can help “I look terrible today.” you build a positive, “I’m sure that person hates me.” winning attitude, while We need to change our self-talk to reflect positive thoughts and negative self- emotions. Think how much better you’d feel if you replace the talk can do just statements above with these: the opposite. SA “I’m sure I can do this with just a little practice.” “I look and feel great today.” “I’m sure that person will like me once he gets to know me.” As your positive attitude develops, you’ll find yourself wanting to improve your customer service performance. Customer service stars continually look for ways they can improve by asking themselves: “How am I doing?” “How can I improve?” “What should I be doing differently?” Their answers to these questions help them provide their customers 23 with a positive total service experience.  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Take a Moment For the next week, begin every morning by answering the following questions: LE How am I doing? ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ How can I improve? ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ MP If there were one thing I could do differently, what would it be? ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Providing exceptional customer service has a hidden beauty all its own that will help you maintain a positive attitude. You’ll feel it at the end of the day when the last customer has been served and you’re on the way out the door. You’ll be energized, more SA positive in your overall attitude, and happier. You see, exceptional customer service is not only good for business, but a far more enjoyable and satisfying way to work. When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves. William Arthur Ward 24  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Communicating Effectively With Your Customers In every point of contact with the customer, you communicate LE something—but unfortunately, it may not be the right thing. Consider the following example: Consuela had just purchased a new printer for her computer. She tried to hook up the printer to her system, but she 2 discovered that the cable that came with the printer was not the type she needed. She returned to the computer store and spoke with a clerk at the customer service counter. “Yes, we can help you,” the customer service representative said in a monotone. “Just leave the old cable here with me and go back and pick out a new one,” she added, without looking MPup from her paperwork. Consuela felt uncomfortable as she walked back to pick out a new cable. She was relieved that the store would give her the cable she needed, but the way the customer service representative spoke to her made her wonder if they really valued her business. When we think about communicating, we usually think of the words we say. But as the previous example illustrates, your body language, tone of voice, and words must match in order for your communication to be effective. Body Language People are SA more likely to Does your body language support what your words say? You believe may tell a customer that you are happy to help him or her, but if nonverbal you frown, slump, or refuse to make eye contact, the customer signals, such will not believe you. This is because people are more likely to as a frown, believe nonverbal signals, such as a frown, than words. than words. Use these simple tips to convey your concern for customers through your body language: ◆ Smile and nod your head to encourage the customer to speak. ◆ Lean slightly forward and maintain eye contact with the customer to show that you are interested in what she or he 25 has to say.  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience ◆ Avoid crossing your arms, legs, ankles or wrists when talking to a customer. Crossing them suggests that you are closed to what the customer is saying; remaining open suggests that you are interested. LE Watch your customers and Watch your customers and try to gauge their moods through try to gauge their body language. Does the mother in the checkout line look their moods tired and worn out? How can you provide service that will make through their her time with you as pleasant as possible? Something as simple as distracting her child for a moment while she pays for her body language. purchase or offering to help her carry something could turn your time with her into a positive contact point for your organization. Take a Moment MP Have a coworker say the following items while frowning: “We are committed to giving top-quality service.” “I’m glad you chose to do business with us today.” “What can I do to help you?” Now have them repeat the same messages with a smile. Listen and look at them. Are different messages communicated to the customer? Even when we are on the phone, a customer can “hear” when we are smiling. SA 26  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Tone of Voice When you speak, customers listen to the tone you use as well as your words. Are you sincere? Do you show empathy and LE concern for their needs? A positive and caring tone says, “I understand how you feel. I’d be frustrated, too, if that happened to me.” Here are some guidelines for using your voice effectively: 2 ◆ Use a steady, moderate rate of speech. Speaking too fast could suggest to the customer that you are nervous or in a hurry; speaking too slowly could signal that you’re bored. ◆ Never allow your voice to become overly loud or shrill. If a customer is yelling at you, you may be tempted to yell back, but don’t. Maintaining a moderate volume and rate of MPspeech can help calm an upset customer. The smile on ◆ Keep a smile in your voice. The smile on your face is your face is reflected in the sound of your voice. Keep smiling, even if reflected in the you’re speaking on the phone. Your customers will hear the sound of your difference. voice. Keep smiling, even ◆ Increase the energy in your voice when speaking on the if you’re phone. The telephone can rob your voice of some of its speaking on natural expressiveness and energy, so be sure to compensate. the phone. And once again, smile—your customers can hear it. The Right Words SA As you work to create a positive impression through body language and tone of voice, don’t discount the importance of the words you use. Choose positive words, even if your message is negative. When you cannot do what the customer wants, tell him or her what you will do for him rather than what you won’t do. ◆ Instead of saying, “We don’t have that in black,” say, “We have that in gray, brown, and navy.” ◆ Instead of saying, “I can’t get that for you until Friday,” say, “We’ll have that for you on Friday. I’ll call you if it comes in earlier.” 27  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience ◆ Instead of saying, “We don’t give refunds,” say, “I can offer you an exchange or credit toward a future purchase.” ◆ Instead of saying, “May I help you?” or “Can I help you?” LE say, “How can I help you?” The Cost of an Unhappy Customer How important is treating your customer like a partner, having A lost customer a positive attitude, and practicing good communication skills? is never just Remember our statistics from Chapter 1—more customers leave one sale, or an organization because of poor customer service than because even just one of dissatisfaction with a product. And a lost customer is never customer. just one sale, or even just one customer. MP When you lose a customer, that customer tells 10 to 12 others, possibly building on the story each time. The unhappy customer tells people who might have been perfectly happy with you or planning on doing business with you in the future. Now, these other customers are not so sure, and your organization’s future is not so bright. But remember, customers don’t want to be lost. They want to be delighted! And you have every opportunity to do just that. Your customers know what they want, when they want it, and how they want it—and that’s the only thing they want. Listen to them, and do your best to meet their needs. See your service through your customer’s eyes. You can be clever, SA you can be smart, you can even be right; but none of that will matter to the customer unless your ultimate goal is to understand the problem, resolve the conflict, and respond to the customer’s concern, and make him or her feel better. This is the only way to give the kind of customer service that builds a positive total service experience for your customers. It doesn’t matter whether customers are wrong or right; it matters how they feel when they hang up the phone. Patti Wysocki 28  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Chapter Summary As customers have more and more contact with your organization, they combine their perceptions of those contacts LE into an overall impression of your organization’s customer service. This impression is the customer’s total service experience. The best way to ensure that customers remain loyal to your organization is to make sure that they have a positive total service experience. Some basic techniques that customer service 2 stars use to create the best impression possible include: ◆ Treating your customer as a partner ◆ Maintaining a positive attitude Communicating effectively with your customer ◆ MP Following these guidelines will help you provide the kind of total service experience that will delight your customers and build a positive total service experience for them. SA 29  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience ✓ Self-Check: Chapter Two Review Answers to these questions appear on page 92. LE 1. What is the total service experience? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 2. Who decides if a point of contact with your organization has been positive or negative? _______________________________________________ MP _______________________________________________ 3. What two key questions will help you treat your customer as a partner? a._____________________________________________ b._____________________________________________ 4. Positive self-talk will help you create a _________________ ______________________. 5. True or false? SA Yelling at an upset customer is an effective way to get his or her attention and resolve the problem. 30  Creating a Positive Total Service Experience Notes LE 2 MP SA  Providing Service With Heart Chapter Three LE Providing Service With Heart Chapter Objectives ▲ Discuss how negative self-talk can interfere with positive customer relationships. ▲ Follow six steps for establishing an emotional connection with your customers. MP ▲ List the five steps of active listening. ruly exceptional customer service is service with heart. When T you give service with heart, you feel empathy for your customers, and your actions express your concern for them. Service with heart focuses on what the customer thinks, wants, and feels. Service with heart always puts the customer first. Providing service with heart isn’t always easy, even for service professionals. We are people, too, after all. We must deal with our moods, our emotions, and life’s little distractions. We have both good days and bad days—and all these things affect our SA attitude. It’s hard to be all smiles on the outside when you’re worked up on the inside. We can provide service with heart more consistently if we follow these three important guidelines: ◆ View all customers positively. ◆ Establish an emotional connection with your customers. ◆ Listen actively to all customer concerns. 32  Providing Service With Heart Viewing Customers Positively Roberto waited with dread as the next customer made her way to the customer service desk. The woman was frowning so LE sternly he thought her face might crack. “Oh, no,” he said to himself as she plunked down her package on the counter, “it looks like I’ve got another fight on my hands.” You can’t provide service with heart unless you maintain a positive attitude toward all of your customers. In Chapter 2, we discussed self-talk and how it can help you develop a more positive attitude. Now let’s look at how negative self-talk can have a detrimental effect on customer relationships. 3 Picture a challenging customer in your mind. If you usually work on the phone, hear his voice. If you wait on customers in Negative self- MP person, watch her come through the door. What is your internal talk interferes with your voice saying? Are you thinking, “Oh, no!” or “Not again!”? How do you think the rest of the transaction will go after that ability to negative send-off? Negative self-talk interferes with your ability develop an to develop an emotional connection with your customer. emotional connection On the other hand, how do you think your customer with your interactions would go if you engaged in positive self-talk about customer. your customers? Let’s return to our first example and see: Roberto smiled with sympathy as the next customer made her way to the customer service desk. The woman looked tired, and she was carrying what looked like a very heavy package. SA “I’ll bet it was a struggle for her to get her package down here today,” he said to himself as she plunked down her package on the counter. “How can I help make this experience a little easier for her?” Roberto’s interaction in the second example will probably go much more smoothly than the first because he is going into the situation with a desire to help his customer. Does it seem that certain members of your team always get the tough customers, the rude customer, or the “wrong” customers? Even if it appears to be true, it isn’t. If someone else had handled that customer—someone with a different attitude—things probably would have turned out differently. A poor customer service attitude creates difficult customers. Listen to your 33  Providing Service With Heart self-talk for biases and prejudices. This can also affect how you serve some of your customers. Your attitude toward your customer isn’t the only thing that can LE affect your customer contact. If some other aspect of your life is bothering you, it can affect the way you interact with your client, as in this example: Bette was chronically ill and had spent many years in and out of health care facilities. Bette observed that the nurses sometimes brought their problems to work. Although they gave polite and courteous service, they gave off what Bette referred to as “negative vibes.” What Bette was “hearing” was reflected in their tone of voice and body language. I am sure you have experienced “negative vibes” before—think MP about an experience in which a coworker or family member had a bad day. Did it destroy your good attitude to be around that person? Did you begin to wonder what you had done to upset him or her? The truth is that you probably didn’t do anything. The other person became upset long before you encountered him or her; you were just hit with the fallout. Service with heart requires an exceptional service attitude. Whether your negative thoughts are based on something that happened to you earlier that day or in negative expectations you have regarding a particular customer, replace them with these positive ones: SA “I love helping customers.” “I’m eager to help.” “Problem solving is fun.” “I like connecting with customers.” “My customer is my partner. When she succeeds, I succeed.” Attitude is the reflection of a person, and our world mirrors our attitude. Earl Nightingale 34  Providing Service With Heart Your new attitude says, “Service with heart is what I give day in and day out.” Positive self-talk and attitude influence the way we communicate. LE Take a Moment Jot down the answers to these questions after your next customer contact. Try it again two more times today. 1. How did you feel when you were dealing with your customer? 3 ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ MP 2. What was your attitude? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 3. What emotions were affecting you from other parts of your life? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 4. How did your internal dialogue affect the service SA you gave? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Building an Emotional Connection Establishing an emotional connection with your customers is a key factor in providing service with heart. Begin by giving the customer your undivided attention. Then use these six strategies to build rapport. 35  Providing Service With Heart ◆ Use the customer’s name and title. Learn your customer’s name and title (Ms. Smith or Dr. Jones) and immediately begin using it. If the customer wants to be less formal and move to a first-name basis, follow her or his lead. LE What if the customer’s name is difficult to pronounce? Begin to pronounce the name, and the customer will usually help you. Repeat the name immediately after he or she says it to help you remember it. When you know you’ll be working with the customer again, jot down a phonetic pronunciation of his or her name on an index card: Mr. Grzanich (GRAZ-in-itch) Ms. Sychra (see-CHAW-raw) MP British Airways had all their employees use customers’ names in every transaction for three months. At the end of the period, they surveyed their customers. Customer satisfaction rose 60%. Although using the customer’s name probably wasn’t the sole reason for the increase, their customers perceived British Airways as being more attentive. This made it easier to build rapport with customers. ◆ Break the ice. Think about how you connect with friends and coworkers every day. Use the same types of icebreakers with your customers. Here are some examples: Previous experience with products: “I see that you tried our new inventory management software. How do SA you like it?” Common interests: “How many rounds of golf have you played this summer?” Recent events: “Bob told me you just got back from vacation. How was the cruise?” Children and pets: “You have a five-year-old? What a wonderful age—I remember when my son Aaron was that age.” Or the old standby— The weather: “It’s really been cold in your part of the 36 country. Did that blackout affect your plant?”  Providing Service With Heart When you are serving a repeat customer and have created a If a word or previous connection, use small talk or icebreakers to ease phrase isn’t into a conversation and help you reestablish rapport. Keep to common topics that are not offensive—and not too personal. LE knowledge, don’t use it ◆ Avoid jargon. If a word or phrase isn’t common knowledge, with a or you wouldn’t use it in everyday conversation with people customer. outside your organization, don’t use it with a customer. You understand what you’re trying to say, but your words may confuse your customers, and they may be too embarrassed to ask for the meaning. If you must use an abbreviation or industry language, be ready to follow up with the definition. 3 When you use vocabulary or jargon unfamiliar to customers, you risk failing to connect. MPTake a Moment Jargon consists of words and phrases that are unique to your organization or industry, such as download, ASAP, eighty-six, and stats. By yourself or with members of your team, list all the abbreviations, words and acronyms you use in your everyday contacts with the customer that could be classified as jargon. Provide the list to current and new employees. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ SA _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ ◆ Display confidence. Customers will be more eager to work with you if they believe that you know what’s going on. Instead of saying “I don’t know,” say, “Let me get that information for you.” When we are not sure what to say, we often fill the silence with noise by saying um, uh and okay. Your customer may become distracted by this filler noise and perceive it as showing a lack of confidence. 37  Providing Service With Heart Remember that filler noise is different from the affirmations we give customers during active listening. Affirmations have a purpose—to assure the customer we are processing what Be sensitive to she or he is saying. Fillers occupy empty space but add LE your nothing meaningful to the conversation. customer’s feelings and ◆ Show empathy. When you are empathetic, you are sensitive thoughts. to your customer’s feelings and thoughts. Try to put yourself in your customer’s shoes, and solve the problem the way you would want it solved. In other words, follow the Golden Rule—treat others the way you would want to be treated. Here’s an example of what happened when one customer service professional showed empathy for her customer: One Memorial Day weekend, our neighbor Mary was MP having problems with her phone and needed to use ours. When she finished talking to the customer service representative, she was quite impressed by the service she had received. After Mary registered her complaint about the phone service, the representative said, “I apologize for your inconvenience, especially since this is your holiday weekend. I know this isn’t something you wanted to deal with.” After apologizing for the inconvenience caused by the poor telephone service, the representative began to collect the information she needed from Mary. She made an emotional connection with Mary through an empathetic statement before she began to solve Mary’s problem. SA Caution: Carefully choose your words when empathizing with a customer. Avoid blaming others or giving the customer too much information. When you share too much information, you run the risk of making the customer angrier. For instance, you customer does not need to know that 10 other customers called today with the same complaint. Instead, give a simple and sincere apology: “I’m sorry you were inconvenienced. I would have been frustrated if that happened to me.” ◆ Mirror the customer’s speaking style and body language. If your communication style is too different from your customer’s style, you will not have credibility. This invites customers to think or say, “No, you don’t understand.” 38 Matching your speaking style and body language to the customer’s will help you connect with your customer.  Providing Service With Heart If the customer is extremely friendly, show friendliness. If the customer sounds as if she is dealing with an emergency, show urgency. If the customer looks angry, show concern. Match the quality of your customers’ emotions, but never match LE their hostility or anger. Getting people to like you is only the other side of liking them. Norman Vincent Peale Actively Listening to Your Customers 3 Customers have needs beyond completing a simple business transaction—they have emotional needs as well. They need to MP feel welcome, important, valued and understood. And there is no better or easier way to show your customers respect, concern and understanding than by really listening to them. If you don’t An old saying states, “There’s a difference between listening and actively listen waiting for your turn to talk.” If you don’t actively listen to your to your customers, you may assume that you know what they want, but customers, you you could be wrong. Don’t conclude that you know what a may assume customer wants after the first few sentences. You may need to that you know ask for clarification before you fully understand the situation. what they want, but you Listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing is the physical act could be of processing sounds. Active listening means trying to find the wrong. real meaning of the words as well as the unspoken message SA behind them. In addition to the facts, you evaluate the speaker’s tone of voice, body language, emotional state, and the context of the situation. Your goal is not just to hear words, but to understand the other person and let him or her know that you understand. That’s how we let customers know we care—the essence of service with heart. Five guidelines that will help improve our active listening skills are listed on the next page. 39  Providing Service With Heart Five Steps of Active Listening 1. Be ready to listen. Have paper and a pencil handy, or have your computer cleared and ready for the next customer LE contact. 2. Be ready to take notes when appropriate. If you are on the phone, let the customer know you are taking notes. Say, “I’m concerned about this, so I’m writing it down.” When customers know you are taking notes, they are less likely to repeat themselves. This may also help them organize their thoughts. 3. Show that you are listening. If you are speaking to the customer in person, use your body language, stance, posture and eye contact to show attentive silence. When talking on MP the phone, use attentive words, like “okay” or “I understand,” to provide verbal reinforcement. This lets the customer know you are listening. Your goal is to 4. Ask questions. Your goal is to get the customer to talk to get the you. Find out what he or she really wants. If things don’t customer to work out, help the customer vent some anger and talk to you. frustration. 5. Restate the customer’s points. Don’t just repeat what the customer said—repeating is condescending and patronizing. Put the message in your own words, and don’t restate the entire idea. Instead, emphasize the main points. Restating SA also invites corrections for the customer. This way you will know when you’re on the right course. Let’s see how these guidelines work in the following case study: Gary, your customer, has just called with a complaint about his order for Neon Sprockets. Gary placed his order a week ago Case and assumed he would have his merchandise by now. He is Study very concerned and more than a little irritated. Let’s listen to Gary describe the situation: Hello, this is Gary from Top-Notch Manufacturing. I placed a big order for Neon Sprockets last Wednesday, and I haven’t heard anything from your company since. Don’t you 40 know I needed those sprockets yesterday? My  Providing Service With Heart production line is being held up because of you. Your salesman said he’d put a rush on this order. If this is your idea of a “rush,” I can’t believe you’re still in business. LE 1. First, list the information you have so far: Customer’s name: _____________________________ Customer’s company: __________________________ Product ordered: ______________________________ When product was ordered: _____________________ 3 Special instructions: ___________________________ MP 2. Next, follow through with this customer: Empathize with Gary. “I can understand why you’re concerned. I’d be frustrated, too, if my production was being held up. I’m sorry for this delay.” Match his anger with urgency. “I’ll take immediate action on this.” Check on Gary’s order with shipping. If it is going to take more than a minute to get your answer, get Gary’s phone number and tell him a specific time when you will call him back. SA Follow through. When you have the information from shipping, give Gary options—tell him what you can do for him. “Gary, your order has been filled and is ready to go out on today’s truck. However, I talked to Tom in shipping, and we can run your sprockets over to the factory immediately. If this is acceptable, we’ll have your order to you in two hours.” 41  Providing Service With Heart Note: Avoid phrases like “We’ll put a rush on this,” or “As soon as possible.” Your interpretation of “rush” may differ from your customer’s, causing confusion and misunderstandings. Instead, give the customer an exact time and date when the LE order will be delivered or when you will deal with a situation. Your total communication, including your body language, tone of voice, and choice of words, will help you deal with situations like the case study above. But as important as your responses to your customers are, don’t overlook the most important part of communication—listening. By listening attentively and making a real effort to understand your customer’s concerns, you show the respect and understanding that are important parts of providing service with heart. MP Take a Moment How well do you listen? To test yourself, tape-record your responses in customer service conversations over the course of the day. 1. At the end of the day, play back the tape, skipping the first 10 minutes (this is when you still remembered the tape was recording). 2. Notice the words you chose—were they positive or negative? 3. Did you listen more than you spoke? SA Important: Save this tape for use in a later exercise. If it is not practical for you to tape yourself, ask a coworker to monitor your actions. At the end of the day, ask the same questions. 42  Providing Service With Heart Chapter Summary Truly exceptional service is service with heart. Service with heart involves feeling empathy and concern for your customers; LE focusing on what the customer thinks, wants and feels; and always putting the customer first. You can provide service with heart more consistently if you view all customers positively. Engaging in positive self-talk with help you overcome negative attitudes and interact positively with your customers. 3 A key factor in providing service with heart is to establish an emotional connection with your customers. You can do this by: ◆ Using the customer’s name and title. ◆ MPBuilding rapport with your customers. ◆ Avoiding jargon when you speak to customers. ◆ Displaying confidence to your customers. ◆ Showing empathy for your customers. ◆ Mirroring the customer’s speech and body language. Actively listening to customers is another important part of providing service with heart. You can listen more effectively to customers by: SA ◆ Being ready to listen. ◆ Being ready to take notes when appropriate. ◆ Showing your customer that you’re listening. ◆ Asking questions. ◆ Restating the customer’s points. 43  Providing Service With Heart ✓ Self-Check: Chapter Three Review Answers to these questions appear on pages 92 and 93. LE 1. Service with heart focuses on what the customer _____________________, ______________________ and _________________________. 2. You can’t provide service with heart unless you maintain a _________________ __________________ toward your customers. MP 3. List three things you can do to build an emotional connection with your customers? a._____________________________________________ b._____________________________________________ c._____________________________________________ 4. ____________________ is the physical act of processing sounds. ___________________ __________________ means trying to find the real meaning of the words and the unspoken message behind them. SA 5. The five steps of active listening are: a._____________________________________________ b._____________________________________________ c._____________________________________________ d._____________________________________________ e._____________________________________________ 44  Providing Service With Heart Notes LE 3 MP SA  Dealing With Challenging Customers Chapter Four LE Dealing With Challenging Customers Chapter Objectives ▲ List four reasons why customers become upset. ▲ Identify your individual stress signals and use the S.T.O.P. method to remain calm. MP ▲ Establish ways to deal with the challenging, and sometimes angry, customer by using a professional and capable approach. nyone can be nice to a nice customer. Dealing effectively A with difficult customers is what separates the service professional from the mere amateur. Let’s face it, some customers are going to be challenging. They’re going to complain, get angry, and demand satisfaction on their terms. To understand why customers sometimes present these challenges, let’s take a look at the roots of customer dissatisfaction. SA Why Customers Get Upset Although there are many different reasons why customers may become dissatisfied, they generally have one thing in common: the perceived value of your product or service was less than the customer expected. Here are four shortcomings that can cause a customer to view your product or service negatively: ◆ The customer didn’t get what was promised or what was expected. To overcome this, you must raise the quality of the product, or in some cases, work to make the customer’s expectations more realistic. 46  Dealing With Challenging ◆ Someone was rude to the customer. Whether the employee knew it or not, this was the customer’s perception. ◆ Someone was indifferent to the customer. An employee LE projected a “can’t-do” attitude. ◆ No one listened to the customer. Of all four reasons, this is the most troubling. Failing to listen to a customer is a tragic waste of an opportunity for the feedback your organization needs to improve processes, products or services. Take a Moment Try to recall the last time you complained about a product or service. Did your complaint fall into one of the categories just described? If so, which one? If not, how would you MP describe the nature of your complaint? 4 _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity. Joseph Sugarman SA Dealing With Customer Emotions An angry When customers are dissatisfied, they can become difficult, customer frustrated and quick to anger. What you as a service professional doesn’t must realize is that an angry customer doesn’t respond to logic. respond to In fact, the more logical you are, the angrier the customer will logic. probably become. No matter what you say and no matter how you phrase it, you simply will not be able to penetrate the customer’s emotional barrier. Stating, “Now just calm down,” will only escalate the customer’s anger. Before you can work on the customer’s problem, you need to deal with the customer’s emotions. 47  Dealing With Challenging Customers Calming Yourself To calm an angry customer, you must stay calm yourself. To calm an Relaxation techniques can help, but this is easier said than done. LE angry Try to keep your voice open and relaxed. When you hear your customer, you voice sounding rushed or panicked, take a few deep breaths and must stay calm use positive self-talk to help you gain composure. Say, “I can yourself. handle this. I am in control.” Use the S.T.O.P. method to help you deal with stressful situations. S.T.O.P. stands for: ◆ Signal ◆ Take Control MP ◆ Opposite ◆ Practice ◆ Signal Look for your own early-warning signals of stress. Do you clench your jaws? Does your heart pound? Does tension build in your neck and shoulders? Does your temperature rise and your face flush? Any of these are signs that you are feeling anxious. If you aren’t sure what your signal is, ask your coworkers or family. Children are especially good at identifying stress signals. ◆ Take control After you have identified your early-warning signals, you can SA take control of your own mind and body. ◆ Opposite Do the opposite of your early-warning signal. If your jaw is clenched, relax your face muscles. If your pulse is racing, breathe slowly and deeply.. If you feel yourself overheating, drink something cool (not cold) or lukewarm. The act of swallowing will also help relax your throat muscles and relieve a dry mouth. ◆ Practice Practice these actions whenever you feel tense, whether at work, on the drive home during rush hour, or during a family emergency. 48  Dealing With Challenging Take a Moment What are your stress signals? What actions can you take that are opposite to those stress signals? LE _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Calming the Upset Customer Once your emotions are under control, turn your attention to calming your customer by following these steps; 1. Remain calm yourself. Do not react emotionally, no matter how upset the customer gets. MP 4 2. Let the customer vent. Actively listen and let the customer know you are listening. ◆ Don’t interrupt. Have you ever been so angry that you practiced what you were going to say? The customer is no different. The customer has a list of items to cover, and if you interrupt, she or he will just start at the beginning again. ◆ Wait until the venting finishes. You might hear a sigh or sense that the customer is winding down. Avoid saying, “Are you finished yet?” It will do nothing to improve the situation. Be patient. Although you may be tempted to give the customer a solution to the problem, he or she is SA not yet ready to hear it. 3. Deal with emotions first. You must resolve the customer’s emotions before you can begin to solve his or her problem. You must Acknowledging the customer’s emotions makes the customer resolve the feel valued and allows you to develop a partnership with the customer’s customer. This partnership is the foundation for the emotions problem-solving task you are about to begin. There are three before you can ways to acknowledge your customer’s emotions: begin to solve ◆ Restate what the customer said. By paraphrasing, you let his or her the customer know you heard and you give the customer problem. the opportunity to clarify her or his concerns. 49  Dealing With Challenging Customers ◆ Show empathy. When you show empathy, you show concern. This is not the same as agreement. Statements such as “I can understand why you feel that way,” or “I’d be upset if that happened to me,” allow you to empathize LE with the customer but do not place blame on anyone in your organization. ◆ Find agreement. When you find agreement, you clearly identify the real problem, and working in partnership, you get on the same side as the customer. The enemy is now the problem, not you. 4. Thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention. 5. Avoid emotional trigger phrase. When you use a trigger or “no” phrase, you run the risk of damaging an already fragile MP relationship. If you’ve done everything right so far in the damage-control area, the use of calming or “yes” phrases further strengthens the partnership you have developed with the customer. Use calming phrases to describe what you can do for the customer to solve his or her problem. Trigger Phrases Calming Phrases Policy Here’s what we can do... Here’s how we can handle this... (quote the policy, just don’t call it “policy”) Can’t Can SA Sorry Thank you No/I don’t know I can find out But And You should have Let’s do this (move to the future, not the past) Why didn’t you I can see why The only thing we can do The best option, I think 50  Dealing With Challenging 6. Set limits with abusive customers. In rare circumstances, you will have a customer who is loud or abusive, or cannot be calmed down. In this case, gently set limits with the abusive customer. LE ◆ If you know the customer’s name, use it. ◆ Use a sympathetic tone of voice to request the customer’s cooperation and include a help statement. Example: “Mr. Young, I really want to help you. I am finding it difficult as long as you continue to use this language. I can help you resolve this. Will you let me help you?” This type of statement clearly and respectfully communicates your desire to help if the customer will MP let you. 4 7. As a last resort, delay action or seek a second opinion. By delaying action, you give yourself and the customer a needed time-out. You also show the customer that you’re taking his cause to a higher level. This alone may have a calming effect on the customer. An angry ◆ Get back to the customer as promised. If necessary, bring customer will your manager or supervisor in on the conversation. remember that you handled a An angry customer will remember that you handled a complaint complaint with with poise and professionalism long after she or he forgets what poise and the complaint was about. At any time during this process, when professionalism SA the customer has calmed down, move to problem solving. After long after she all, solving the customer’s problem is, and always has been, your or he forgets final goal. what the complaint was about. 51  Dealing With Challenging Customers Take a Moment Listen again to the audiotape you made for the exercise on page 42, and identify any trigger words or phrases. Make a LE mark next to the following words and phrases each time they occur: Policy _________________________________________ Can’t __________________________________________ Sorry __________________________________________ I don’t know ____________________________________ But... ________________________________________ MP You should have ________________________________ Why didn’t you __________________________________ The only thing we can do __________________________ Practice substituting a calming phrase in place of any trigger phrases you currently use. Make a list of calming statements and post it next to your desk. Chapter Summary Dealing effectively with difficult customers is the mark of the SA true customer service professional. Customers who become challenging are often dissatisfied because they perceive the value of your product or service as being less than they expected. Before you can solve the customer’s problem, you must help the customer deal with his or her emotions. You can do this by following these steps: ◆ Remain calm yourself. ◆ Let the customer vent. ◆ Acknowledge the customer’s emotions. 52  Dealing With Challenging ◆ Thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention. ◆ Avoid emotional trigger phrases. LE ◆ Set limits with abusive customers. ◆ Delay action or seek a second opinion as a last resort. MP 4 SA 53  Dealing With Challenging Customers ✓ Self-Check: Chapter Four Review Answers to these questions appear on page 93. LE 1. Four shortcomings that can cause a customer to view your product or service negatively are: a._____________________________________________ b._____________________________________________ c._____________________________________________ d._____________________________________________ MP 2. True or False? Saying to a customer, “Just calm down now,” is a more effective way to handle an emotional outburst than simply allowing the customer to vent his or her feelings. 3. True or False? Before you can begin to deal with a challenging customer, you must have your own emotions under control. 4. What do the letters of the S.T.O.P. method for handling stress stand for? ______________________ SA ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ 5. Acknowledging a customer’s emotions helps a customer feel _______________________________ and allows you to ____________________ ________________________ _______________________________ with the customer. 54  Dealing With Challenging Notes LE MP 4 SA  Solving Customer Problems Chapter Five LE Solving Customer Problems Chapter Objectives ▲ Build realistic expectations for customers. ▲ Involve customers in the problem-solving process. ▲ Provide customers with alternatives when delivering bad news. MP olving problems for customers is one of the primary goals of S a customer service professional. When we think of problem solving, we generally think of solving problems after they arise—a sort of crisis management. This is the traditional view of problem solving. But to exceed customers’ expectations and provide exceptional service, you and your organization must try to anticipate problems and solve them before they start. This is proactive problem solving. You can begin your proactive approach to problem solving by following these steps: ◆ Manage customer expectations. Quickly solve problems that do arise. SA ◆ ◆ Work cooperatively with customers who are wrong. ◆ Deliver bad news effectively. Managing Customer Expectations The first step in proactive problem solving is to build realistic expectations for your customers. As we saw in Chapter 4, customers become disappointed when they do not get what they expected. These expectations may not be sound from your organization’s standpoint, but that doesn’t make them any less real to your customers. Their dissatisfaction creates the problems you have to solve. 56  Solving Customer Problems You can help customers maintain realistic expectations by Never following this simple rule: never overpromise, and never oversell. overpromise, Let customers know exactly how your product or service will and never LE perform under general conditions at the original point of sale or oversell. service. Help customers understand what they can realistically expect from your organization. As you work with your customers, try to anticipate any problems that could arise with your product or service. Tell customers about these potential problems before they arise; educate and inform them. Discuss extra costs or possible delays. Some examples of statements you might make include: “This model isn’t designed to handle extreme temperatures. MP For that, you should consider our other model.” “The special features you requested will involve some additional charges beyond our base price.”