CUSTOMER: Any Person Who Purchases Goods Or Services from Another; Any Person Who Patronizes
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BUILDING POSITIVE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
Instructor:
Department of Continuing Education Seniah
BUILDING POSITIVE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or copied without permission
Betty C. Haines Published By Seniah Associates 2836 Mourning Dove Circle Bullhead City, AZ 86442 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Course Overview ……………………………….…….. Page 2
Course Description & Learning Outcomes ………. Page 3
Course Content ..….………….……………………..… Page 4
MODULE 1: Introduction ………………………..… Page 5
MODULE 2: Identify the Customer …….………… Page 6
MODULE 3: Managing Your Behavior ……….….. Page 13
MODULE 4: Managing Customer Behavior …..…. Page 22
MODULE 5: Owning Customer Satisfaction …..… Page 28
MODULE 6: Customer Delight ……………..……… Page 36
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 1 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on practical tools used to professionally and successfully satisfy customers and build long-term customer relationships.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon successful completion of this course, the participant should be able to:
Overcome barriers to customer satisfaction Understand the value of a positive attitude Define targets for superior customer service Manage different types of customer behavior Apply practical steps to customer satisfaction problems Use cooperation techniques Use customer feedback to build motivation
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 2 Course Content
This four-hour workshop consists of lecture, discussion, and practical exercises.
MODULE 1: Introduction
Pre-course Quiz
MODULE 2: Identifying Customers
What is a Customer? What is Service? What is Satisfaction? What is Delight? Group Exercise
MODULE 3: Managing Your Behavior
Manage Your Time Manage Your Attitude Manage Your Professionalism Complain Effectively Controlling Emotional Hot Buttons Get Cooperation
MODULE 4: Managing Customer Behavior
Identify The Problem Focus on The Issue Deal with Difficult People Group Exercise Match Your Response To The Behavior
MODULE 5: Owning Customer Satisfaction
Problem Solving Techniques Group Exercise Delivering Bad News To The Customer Group Exercise Getting Bad News to the Top
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 3 MODULE 6: Customer Delight
The Myth The Reality Do It Right The First Time Fixing Problems Individual Exercise Points to Ponder
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 4 Module 1: Introduction
People talk about really great service. People talk about really bad service. People don’t talk about adequate service.
Satisfaction isn't enough
Satisfied customers may slip off to the competition at any time. In today’s fast paced world, any company desiring long term success can no longer settle for customer satisfaction as the ultimate goal. They must move beyond customer satisfaction to Customer Delight.
With Customer Delight, as with Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction, there are multiple theories regarding just what it is and how to achieve it. Not any one of these theories is the magic one that guarantees success to all who follow it; none-the-less, this course provides information about tried and trusted methods that will greatly enhance your chances of providing Customer Delight on a continuing basis.
Knowing who your customers are, what they want, and applying good solid customer service and satisfaction skills is a good foundation upon which to build Customer Delight.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 5 PRE-COURSE QUIZ
Allow 10 to 15 minutes for participants to answer the questions below.
1) What is my product or service?
2) What makes that product/service unique?
3) Who are my Customers?
4) What do people say when I tell them where I work?
5) What do I want them to say?
6) What do I say about my company/co-workers when I am away from work and speaking socially?
7) What would I like to be able to truthfully say about my company/co-workers when I am away from work and speaking socially?
8) What can I do to improve my company image?
Discuss the responses.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 6 Module 2: Identifying the Customer
There is no escaping the fact that without customers, no company will remain in business for long; hence, it is vital to define a customer. Additionally, it is unlikely that any company can consistently build positive customer relationships without some basic knowledge of customer service, customer satisfaction and customer delight.
Most business are reluctant to admit this, but it is a fact; on rare occasions, a business may encounter a person who behaves in such an abusive, dishonest, and/or hostile manner that the business doesn’t want or can’t afford to have that person as a customer. Ideally, top-level managers define what, in their eyes, constitutes conduct that makes a person unwelcome and communicate this to all employees. In any case, should you encounter an abusive, dishonest, and/or hostile person make your manager aware of the situation immediately. This gives them a chance to resolve the current situation and to determine if this specific customer has crossed the line and is no longer welcome.
What is a Customer?
The dictionary defines customer as “any person who purchases goods or services from another; any person who patronizes an establishment; any person with whom one has business dealings”.
To help its Customer Service Technicians remain focused on the customer, a major computer company displays the following message directly below the clock on the office wall.
A CUSTOMER:
is the most important person in our business is not dependent on us - we are dependent on the customer is not an interruption of our work - the customer is the purpose for our work does us a favor by doing business with us - we are not doing the customer a favor by serving him/her is not a statistic, rather is a human being with feelings and emotions like our own brings us her/his needs - it is our job to satisfy those needs deserves the most courteous and attentive treatment we can give makes it possible for our employer to pay our salaries
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 7 is the life-blood of our company
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 8 Internal and External Customers - What’s the difference?
While it is often appropriate to use a more informal communication style with fellow employees; nonetheless, when you are providing service or support to them, it is important to remember that they are customers and treat them as such. Hence, the difference between an internal and an external customer is:
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! A CUSTOMER IS A CUSTOMER, PERIOD.
Identify Your Customer
To help identify your customer, ask yourself the following questions:
Is your boss, your customer? Are co-workers your customers? Is anyone who enters your place of employment (in person - by phone - fax - e-mail - U.S. Mail - etc.), even those with whom you do not directly serve, your customer?
Once you identify your customer, you need to be able to define service, satisfaction and delight. How else will you know when you are providing it?
What is Service?
The dictionary defines service as “an act of helpful activity; the supplying or supplier of utilities, commodities, or other facilities that meet public need; work done or duties performed for another or others, such as professional service or repair service; employment in any duties or work for another person, organization or government, etc “.
In business, the company defines CUSTOMER SERVICE. Each company determines what it will provide the customer and how it will provide it.
What is Satisfaction?
The dictionary defines satisfaction as “the state of being satisfied; a cause or means of fulfillment, contentment or gratification; confident acceptance of something as satisfactory, dependable, true, etc”.
In business, the customer defines CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. Only the customer can determine when they are satisfied with the product or service they receive; a few customers will accept poor service and continue to do business with the company that provides it; most, however, will not.
What is Delight?
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 9 The dictionary describes delight as “a high degree of pleasure, enjoyment or rapture; to give joy or pleasure; to highly please; to be highly satisfied, pleased or happy”.
In business, the customer defines CUSTOMER DELIGHT. The customer knows when they experience a *“WOW” factor.
CUSTOMER DELIGHT is the “WOW” factor of your company.
In a recent article, Michael Johnson, of Quality Club International, explains the ‘WOW’ factor in the following manner. “When you create WOW you have planted a very special peg in the memory of the customer that is easy to recall. It creates the probability that the customer will talk about this experience with family, friends, associates, and perhaps, even strangers. This creates free advertising that no amount of money can buy.”
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 10 Group Exercise: Divide class into groups of three (3) to five (5) people. Each group is a department within a large company. Within your group, determine what product or service your department provides. Answer the questions below and present findings to the class.
1. How will you determine who your customers are?
2. How will you interact with your inside customers?
3. How will you interact with your outside customers?
4. What level of service will you offer each customer? Why?
5. Can your department enhance your company’s ability to build positive customer relationships? If so how? If not Why?
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 11 MODULE 3: Managing Your Behavior
Companies hire for skills and fire for behaviors --- what are you doing to identify the behaviors needed to build positive customer relationships?
Have you ever pondered what makes one business or organization successful, another one just mediocre, and yet another one fails altogether?
The responsibility for business success or failure begins with YOU! You have to make a conscious decision not to accept, from yourself, anything other than the best possible thoughts and actions --- and ANYTHING is possible when you honestly try. Hold yourself accountable for achieving results; start small; take it one task at a time until you are holding yourself accountable for every task that you perform. One small success results in trying harder, thus leading to more small successes until, eventually, you are performing each task in a successfully and satisfying or delighting your customers.
Manage Your Time
A valuable time saving tool that managers can give to their employees is a well written and up to date Process and Procedures Manual. This manual should include procedures that specify the standard method of dealing with recurring situations and office activities; and processes serve as a road map of the steps to be taken in order to meet standards. The most effective Process & Procedure Manual will serve as a guide that encourages employees to use their professional, not as a rulebook that discourages such action.
Asking, “What I can do for you?” or “How can I help you?” in a courteous manner at the beginning of your customer contact - either in person or on the phone - encourages the customer to identify their need faster.
An unorganized work area hampers your ability to provide accurate and efficient service to your customers and wastes your energy. Turn your work area into a tool rather than a tyrant by arranging your work area so that you can find what you need, when you need it, without wasting time searching.
Remove clutter. A few mementos and family photos are fine - but avoid having your work area look as though your photo album exploded there. According to Priority Management Systems, in Seattle Washington, the average worker wastes 3 hours a week just searching for things
Keep tools and resources up to date, properly filed and neatly arranged in order of use; place the ones you refer to most often closest to the area where you use them; i.e. your telephone, PC, cash-register, etc.
Create a “to do” tray or basket. Record the date you will do each “to do” item on one calendar. Keeping multiple calendars is a time waster; you have to record each entry
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 12 two or more times or risk missing important meetings or deadlines.
Have an ample supply of pens, pencils, message pads, etc. within easy reach at all times.
Applying the problem solving, questioning/probing, and customer interaction skills that you learn in this course will save time.
Putting a SMILE in your voice, when you answer or make a phone call, is a time saver. Sound like a crazy idea? Well, it’s not. The physical act of smiling relaxes your vocal cords; relaxed vocal cords allow you to put more energy in your voice. As you add more energy to your voice, your calls will get shorter. People like to listen to a warm, energetic voice; hence, they give the speaker their full attention. When you have a person’s full attention, they respond faster and more accurately to your questions and you accomplish what you want in less time.
Many business professionals consider how the telephone is answered to be ‘a small detail’. This, often overlooked, ’small detail’ can be either a wonderful public relations tool for a company or its worst nightmare. In most cases business executives aren’t even aware that their company may be losing customers, that they have been expensively acquired, because of poor telephone skills. Typically, front line people - receptionists - telephone operators - customer service reps - interact with more customers than the CEO or any upper level manager does; hence, they have a large role in building positive customer relationships.
Major Time Wasters
A recent Woman’s Own Magazine article identified five major time wasters.
Spreading yourself too thin by trying to do too many things at once. Suggested fix: Set priorities and get the most important things done first.
Failure to delegate. Suggested fix: Convince yourself that it is not necessary for you to do everything yourself.
Can’t say “No” to any request. Suggested Fix: First, decide what you must do; second decide what you want to do; say “No” to all the rest.
Being a slave to the phone. Suggested fix: If using the phone is not the major portion of your job, let calls go to voice mail when you need a block of time to do other chores and schedule a “telephone hour” to return all calls. When using the telephone or PBX console is the major part of your job, using it effectively will reduce stress and save time.
Article I. Procrastinating. Suggested fix: Get unpleasant duties done first - if they are important; then reward yourself with a short break and move on to more pleasant task.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 13
Manage Your Attitude
“The mind is everything; what you think you become.” - Guatama Buddha
The Value of a Positive Attitude
A major objective of building positive customer relationships is to develop and maintain rapport with the customers while responding to their specific needs. A key factor in meeting this objective is attitude.
Facts about attitude:
Your attitude toward customers influences your behavior. Your attitude determines the level of your job satisfaction. Your attitude affects all with whom you come into contact. Your attitude is reflected by your tone of voice, the manner in which you sit or stand, your facial expression, and other nonverbal gestures.
Your attitude is not fixed. The attitude you CHOOSE to display is up to you.
It is not always easy to be positive; some work situations can negatively influence your attitude; your workload may be heavy and produce stress; some customers and co-workers can be demanding and unpleasant to work with.
You have probably started some days feeling fine and, as the day progressed, your feeling of well being began to slip away. By the end of the day, you were glad it was over.
Remember, you always have some control, even on difficult days. Your control begins when you decide that YOU are responsible for the attitude that you display. When you choose to be positive, you have taken the first step in adjusting your attitude.
Here are some things you can do to help establish and maintain a positive attitude:
Start each day with thoughts about the positive aspects of your job. When negative thoughts occur, take a deep breath and intentionally focus on something pleasant. This will help restore your positive attitude.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 14 Whenever possible, avoid people and situations that are predictably negative. Share your good attitude. Attitudes are contagious.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 15 Manage Your Professionalism
Work problems? - Take It Professionally - Not Personally
Think Like a Paid Professional
Approach people professionally, not personally. The secret to solving most ‘people problems’ is to separate personal feelings from professional ones. When problems and frustrations arise, mentally focus on the following.
“I am being paid to do this job. I am a professional. Those with whom I deal don’t have to like me; I don’t have to like them. Each time I handle a difficult situation professionally; I learn something and become better at my job.”
Signs of Taking Things Personally
You may be taking things personally, if you feel:
Guilty Like your concentration was interrupted Like it hurt a relationship As though it dampened teamwork The desire to retaliate or “pay back”
You may be taking things personally, when you Say:
“How can you soar with eagles when you are cooped up with turkeys?” “You don’t know the bunch that I work with.” “Do you know what he/she said to me?” “They didn’t even….” “I don’t have to put up with…..” “No one appreciates me.” “I don’t get paid enough to take things professionally.”
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 16 Complain Effectively
Avoid the temptation to complain indirectly. There is no sense of closure when you tell the wrong person, thus you are left with the urge to tell someone else and/or to repeat your complaint repeatedly. To complain effectively:
Be direct. Complain directly to the person who is causing the problem and/or who has the ability to solve it.
Deliver your complaint with skill and tact.
Think out what you are going to say.
Find a private spot and rehearse what you are going to say - say it OUT LOUD. Then, listen to your tone of voice and the reasonableness of your message.
Use phrases such as: . "I feel frustrated about...... " . "Will you please ....." Avoid phrases like: . "You make me so mad” . "Don't do ...... again”
Select the appropriate time to complain. Select a time when you have some privacy and the time needed to discuss the problem(s).
Don't lose momentum. If the situation crops up again, think about what you want to say and then communicate it directly with the person involved. Doing this, it will clear the air and help avoid the stress of unresolved problems.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 17 Controlling Emotional Hot Buttons
When your emotional "hot button" is activated by someone's anger or frustration, try the following coping skills.
1. Listen attentively without interrupting. Take deep breaths to help you control your physical reactions.
2. Make a conscious choice about your response. You can get angry, try to solve the problem, or ignore it. If you choose to solve the problem, you prevent it from happening again.
3. Acknowledge other people's feelings. Make it OK for them to feel the way they do.
4. Ask objective questions for clarification. Open-ended questions are useful (as opposed to "yes" or “no" questions).
5. Try to see the other person's point of view. Agree where you can and feed back what you are hearing.
6. Stick to the subject. Define your problem and don't let other issues interfere.
7. Be patient. Problems don't always have immediate solutions. Be patient with the other person and yourself.
8. Express your point of view. Don't force proof. Present your evidence without backing the other person into a corner.
9. Explain why. A reasonable explanation can often take the sting out of an emotional issue.
10. Work out a win-win plan. Make sure your solution is fair and workable for everyone involved.
Paraphrased from "The Business of Listening" third edition, by Diana Bonet, Crisp Publications, Inc., 2001
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 18 Get More Cooperation
Lack of cooperation wastes energy, lowers the quality of work and leaves coworkers and customers feeling frustrated and/or angry. Cooperation makes a difficult job easier and greatly enhances our ability to satisfy customers. Cooperation is seldom given; it is EARNED.
To get more cooperation, treat each person as a valued customer. Try treating your manager and your co-workers the same way that you treat an most important and valued customer
Be alert for signals that you are not earning cooperation. Some warning attitudes are:
"He isn't a customer, just someone I work with." Co-workers are more apt to give you help if you treat them like an important customer.
"You don't know the people I work with." That is right ... BUT ... the more difficult the person, the more you benefit from treating them with respect. Difficult people tend to expect poor or rude service and when they get respectful treatment, it disarms them.
"This approach doesn't always work." Nothing in life works all the time but the odds are in your favor.
"Why should I? That person doesn’t give me help when I need it.” True you deserve respectful and effective response when you interface with co-workers. You are more likely to get it if you take the lead and treat the other person respectfully.
Make it easy for others to cooperate with you.
Diffuse tense situations, by using a warm, cooperative tone.
Build confidence, by using "I will ...." statements. Example: Instead of "We are very busy and I can't ....”, say "I will get back to you by 10 am".
Reduce frustration, by using "Will you ...." statements. Example: Instead of "You have to see ..." or "You made a mistake about ...", use " Will you contact ....." or "Will you say .... again please."
Say "No" courteously, by using "You can ....." statements. Example: Instead of "I can't connect you to ....", use "You can reach them by dialing ...... ".
To save time, give the reason first. You get the customer’s attention quickly when you explain the reason up front. Example: "To save you money ..." or "To help me complete your request more rapidly ...".
Don’t play the blame game. Solving the problem is more important than determining who is ‘right’. Blaming yourself or blaming others is unproductive because:
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 19 Blaming others wastes time and hurts relationships Blaming yourself drains energy and enthusiasm.
TO GET MORE COOPERATION TREAT EACH PERSON AS A VALUED CUSTOMER
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 20 MODULE 4: Managing Customer Behaviors
Every customer is different. Wise customer service providers learn to recognize these differences and adjust their behavior accordingly. When done properly, managing customer behavior can be very rewarding. – Maria Arias, Office Manager
Identify the Problem
There is a great deal of talk about customer satisfaction; yet, we continue to see a lot of poor service. Why is this happening?
Companies, as well as individual employees, invest much time and energy in technical skills development, while devoting much less thought and energy toward:
Determining if the work is of value. Developing people skills, often referred to as soft skills that enhance the way in which products and services are delivered. Failing to devote time and attention to the people/soft skills almost guarantees failure in terms of customer satisfaction. Identifying exactly what the customer’s wants and needs are.
Many employees fail to treat people inside the company as customers; yet without the support and cooperation of co-workers and managers, it is difficult to satisfy any customer. Satisfying internal customers is a vital link in the chain that leads to satisfying outside customers.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 21 Focus on the Issue
It really doesn’t matter what you think - all that matters is what your customer wants!!!
When dealing with a problem, keep the spotlight away from yourself and on the issue at hand. Here are some tips for keeping the spotlight on the issue:
SAY INSTEAD OF "How can we solve this situation?" "Are you accusing me of making a mistake?" "Will you please tell me how I can "You can't talk to me like that." help you?"
"This isn't the kind of service we "You're not perfect; I bet you make want to give to our callers. Please, mistakes too." allow me to correct the situation." "I can understand how that would "You have got to be kidding me." be upsetting." "Your call is important and I will "I don't have to put up with your make every effort to help you." attitude." "I will find the answer and get "I don't know." or "Why did you back to you." call me, I don't have that information." "Here is some updated information "You gave that caller bad about ...... " information." "The process for ...... is in the "I don't believe you said that to a manual."" caller."
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 22 Deal with Difficult People
Listen, listen, listen, really listen and remember a SMILE still works!!!!
Why Are People Difficult?
There are multiple reasons that cause a person to seem difficult; the major reasons are:
They may over analyze the situation and slow or stop the decision-making process They may be so insecure that they feel compelled to act 'feisty' because they confuse aggression with assertiveness They may genuinely feel disinclined to treat you properly/politely.
Why Should I Deal With Difficult People?
The basic reason for learning how to deal with difficult people is that it will keep you from going crazy. When you develop a strategy for dealing with them, you are more likely to accomplish your objectives.
People relate to people – not to organizations; hence dealing effectively with difficult people helps them relate to you in a more positive manner.
Don't complain Responding to a customer’s complaint with one of your own will escalate the situation and delay the solution. The only reason for bringing up negative issues is to create a plan for correcting them. Complaining for the sake of complaining can further alienate the customer and that action makes you appear less than professional.
Let go of your anger Sometimes it is hard to get past your own feelings of anger. Put it aside until the problem or situation is resolved; then, if you still need to vent find a private place and do so.
Don't take it personally Recognize that a criticism of your work is not a criticism of you, and don't let it damage your self-esteem.
Watch your language Don't make an explosive situation worse by describing a customer’s behavior to them with negative words 'rude,' 'mean' and 'yelling.' Instead, use more neutral words like 'loud' or 'abrupt.'
Keep your temper Don't raise your voice; when handling a difficult person, keep your voice at a normal volume and
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 23 pitch it slightly lower than usual. Not only does it keep the emotional level even, it also actually forces the person to listen to you."
Stay open-minded When a customer criticizes you or your company - regardless of how you feel about that specific customer - take the opportunity to be responsive and consider how you could improve. It is actually an opportunity for growth!
Group Exercise: An unhappy customer has just approached your desk to discuss a problem. This customer is:
a) Speech impaired and mildly upset b) Hearing impaired, very upset and shouting c) Rude, obnoxious, and unwilling to compromise d) Speaks English as a second language and convinced that your company doesn’t treat customers of his nationality in a fair manner e) Make up any difficult personality you have ever encountered
Your group is to determine how to best deal with this difficult person. Share your results with the class.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 24 Match Your Response to the Behavior
Respond to an Assertive/Demanding customer in the following manner:
Listen carefully to understand the problem or request Raise your own level of assertiveness Ask Closed or Forced Choice Questions to control the conversation Be friendly, but be specific and direct REMAIN COURTEOUS
Respond to an Angry/Irate customer in the following manner:
Listen carefully to understand the problem or request Ask Closed or Forced Choice Questions to control the conversation Propose an action plan and then DO IT! Stay calm and avoid getting involved in the customer’s emotion REMAIN COURTEOUS
Respond to a Passive/Shy customer in the following manner:
Listen carefully to understand the problem or request Ask Open Questions to encourage the caller to provide details Avoid making assumptions about this caller’s level of satisfaction Ask about the quality of your service (sometimes passive caller’s need a little prompting to express what is on their mind) Express appreciation for the caller’s business REMAIN COURTEOUS
Respond to a Talkative customer in the following manner:
Listen carefully to understand the problem or request Ask Closed Questions to control the conversation Make brief pauses between statements or questions (This gives the caller fewer chances to interject and take control of the conversation) Give minimal response to non-business questions REMAIN COURTEOUS
Respond to an Analytical customer in the following manner:
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 25 Listen carefully to understand the problem or request Ask Open Questions; this caller tends to be quiet and introspective. Provide as much information as you have, relative to this caller’s request Present information in an organized manner Stay focused on the business at hand Use a slow, careful speech pattern - Don’t rush this caller REMAIN COURTEOUS
Respond to a Whining customer in the following manner:
Listen carefully to understand the problem or request Accept the fact that you aren't going to cure a whiner Be tactful Don’t ask open-ended questions, not even 'How are you?' Give minimal response to any questions REMAIN COURTEOUS --- but be brief. The words 'I'm sorry, I don't have time to chat right now' are your friends. Know them, love them, use them."
Respond to a Screaming/Yelling customer in the following manner
Assure them that you want to take care of the problem Inform the screamer/yeller that their shouting is interfering with your ability to understand the problem Listen carefully and respond to the words not the tone of voice Ask Closed or Forced Choice questions to control the conversation Raise your level of assertiveness and request that they lower their voice If the screamer/yeller fails to respond to your request to lower their voice, ask a manager or co-worker for assistance in handling the situation. Do not resort to screaming/yelling back - Stay professional REMAIN COURTEOUS
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 26 MODULE 5: Owning Customer Satisfaction
“When a company’s ‘internal customers’ are positive and have bought into the culture of their company, it may very well be the best public relations that can be had.” - John T. Self, Collins School of Hospitality Management
Problem Solving Techniques
Problems can occur at any point in a customer interface. One customer may be upset or angry; another may be unclear about what he/she wants and expect you to read his/her mind; still another knows what he/she wants but, for some reason, co-workers have transferred the customer incorrectly several times before the call reaches you. No matter what the problem is or where it occurred, use these techniques to help manage it.
1. Listen interactively 2. Question or probe 3. Express awareness 4. Show empathy 5. Use your own techniques
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 27 Listening Interactively
It is essential that you give the customer indications of how you are hearing and interpreting what they say. Use the following skills to give your customer feedback.
Skill Example Caution Take turns Let the customer Don’t interrupt finish a thought before you speak. Alternate speaking with listening Pause in your speaking; this encourages the customer to ask questions Paraphrase what “What I hear you say Don’t parrot the the customer is is …” customer’s exact words saying “My understanding is …” Use “non-word” or Use statements like Don’t over use this one word clues to “h-hah”, “really” behavior; it will indicate “alright” distract the customer understanding Indicate a lack “I understand about … Avoid broad or rude of understanding but will you repeat statements such as, the next thing you “Explain that better.” Ask for said” OR clarification, “I don’t understand a examples or “Could you give me an word you are saying.” elaboration example of …” Indicate what “Would you repeat the Avoid an unfocused needs repeating part about …” “What?”
A person can hear everything another person said, and repeat it almost word for word but still be a poor listener.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 28 Hearing is a physical process; listening is a mental one. You may hear someone speak without listening to what was said. Listening involves comprehending and retaining what you hear. The listening process consists of four elements:
Hearing = The physiological process that occurs when the auditory nerves are stimulated by sound waves. Filtering = The tendency for a message to be weakened or stopped completely as it passes through the “filters” (or communication barriers) of the speaker or listener. Interpreting = The assignment of meaning through mental filters. This element is greatly influenced by the listener’s cultural background; listeners tend to consider non- verbal cues, the speakers prior actions or comments and their own prejudices when interpreting messages. Recalling = Remembering at a later time the information that was interpreted earlier. Culture also plays a role in this element of listening because the ability (or desire) to recall depends heavily on the association(s) made during the interpreting phase.
Group Exercise: Select a listening skill or an element of the listening process. Identify business situations in which it can be helpful. Present conclusions to class
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 29 Questioning & Probing
Use OPEN QUESTIONS when you need your customer to explain or describe something. OPEN QUESTIONS begin with the words who, what, where, when, why and how.
How often does that happen?
What were you doing when the problem started?
Who is responsible for your account?
When did you get that information?
Where do you need this delivered?
Why was registration unable to help you?
Use CLOSED QUESTIONS when you need a yes or no response. CLOSED QUESTIONS begin with the words can, do, have, is, will, and would.
Did you call them?
Do you have your order number?
Have you received our catalog?
Will you attend the meeting?
May I mail that to you?
You can CLOSE any statement by following it with a question.
I would like to mail that to you. Will that be okay?
You want me to call back at three PM. Is that right?
I plan to attend that meeting. Do you approve?
We are conducting a survey. Will you participate?
Without a contract, we will be unable to provide that service. Is that acceptable?
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 30 Use FORCED CHOICE QUESTIONS when your customer has a choice between two or more options. FORCED CHOICE QUESTIONS contain the words either, or, and which.
That class is available on Mondays and Thursdays. Which day is better for you?
Do you want that product in blue or green?
Either cash or a credit card payment is acceptable; which do you prefer?
Express Awareness
Expressing awareness of the customer’s concern indicates that you recognize the situation is important, difficult, frustrating, confusing, or upsetting. Express awareness with statements such as:
I can understand why you are upset.
I acknowledge your frustration
I can see how that would make you angry.
Expressing awareness of a concern does not mean that you need to apologize, defend or justify yourself or your company. You are simply indicating that you are aware of how the customer perceives the situation and that you grasp the cause of her/his problem.
After expressing awareness, keep the interactions moving along. You can do this by asking questions to gather more information or by summarizing the concern. By asking questions or summarizing the concern, you re-focus the conversation and begin solving the customer’s problem. Your goal is to maintain a balance between allowing the customer to vent and responding to the problem.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 31 Show Empathy
Showing empathy acknowledges the customer’s right to feel the way he/she does. It also helps you communicate more effectively with the customer. Below is a list of “Barriers” that hinder communication and “Helpers" that facilitate communication.
BARRIERS HELPERS I can appreciate what you’re You’re crazy saying. I can understand how you would I know exactly how you feel. feel that way. You let a little thing like that I can see how that would be annoy you? annoying. Wow, you're mad. I can tell you are upset I don't know why you are so That would upset me, too. upset. That’s nothing; let me tell you It appears that you were really what happened to me. inconvenienced. I’m so sorry that happened to Why should I care? you. You're way off base. It sounds like you are saying.... Maybe I misunderstood you. You aren't making any sense. That's definitely wrong. Let me see if I got this straight... Did you really say that? Here's what I understood you to say... I don't believe what I just Could you repeat that, I think I heard you say. misunderstood you.
Delivering Bad News to a Customer
No one can predict how a customer will react to bad news. If you prepare yourself for the customer to become hostile, you will then be pleasantly surprised on the occasions when that does not occur. A good way to prepare yourself for customer hostility is to create hostile customer scenarios, then discuss or role-play them with your co-workers and your manager. Role-playing will give you some practice and feedback before this type of situation occurs.
Be prepared; make sure you have up to date information and clearly understand the situation.
Get right to the point; announce up front, “I have some unpleasant news for you”.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 32 Listen with empathy to what is really being said (not just the tone of voice)
Ask questions like “what would you like for us to do to solve the problem?” Sometimes their expectations are very reasonable and you can fulfill them.
Offer something; although you may not be able to give the customer what they really want, try to switch the focus from what you can’t do to what you can do.
Permit some verbal venting, if the customer needs to do so; verbal venting will release energy and the customer may become more open to your apology or suggested alternative.
Ignore challenges. When the customer challenges your position, training, policy, or mental competency, redirect the individual’s attention to the resolution of the issue. Attempting to justify or defend your position or policy will just delay resolution and may very well make matters worse.
Do not take verbal abuse. Discuss with your manager what constitutes abuse and what you can do if a customer crosses the line from venting to becoming abusive. Many large Silicon Valley companies use this policy: a) Tell the customer their conduct or language is not acceptable to you and ask them to refocus on the issue. b) If the customer continues the verbal abuse, tell them “Unless you stop this conduct, I will leave the area.” c) If the abuse continues, inform the customer, “I am leaving”, and do so. d) Immediately following the encounter, create an incident report and get it to your manager.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 33 Group Exercise: In your established groups, discuss how you would deal with the customer in the following situation. Role-play your group’s solution or appoint a spokesperson to present your solution to the class.
Scenario: You are a Customer Service Rep. for a water company. A customer, who has been on an extended trip to Europe, approaches your desk demanding that you:
Explain why the water was turned off. He says he has paid his bill on time for years, and just because he missed three payments while he was traveling doesn’t give you the right to cut him off. Turn his water back on immediately Pay him for all the plants that died because his automatic watering system had no water.
Getting Bad News to the Top
Giving your boss bad news is sometimes referred as “telling the boss his baby is ugly” and none of us like to do it. All too often, what top managers don’t know - and don’t even want to know - can hurt them and their company. Getting bad news to the top, and getting it there in time to do something about it, requires skill.
Here are some tips that will help you to become a good bearer of bad news:
Assemble as much supporting data and evidence as you can.
Don’t exaggerate the facts; stick to the facts.
Don’t place blame. The object is to make the boss aware of a problem not point fingers. Use the “we have a problem” approach instead of “these guys really screwed up”.
Whenever possible, propose a solution. Be ready to discuss what you are prepared to do to fix the situation, not what you think others should do. Suggesting workable solutions builds your reputation as a person of action, not a complainer.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 34
Module 6: Customer Delight
“It’s not about Customer Service; it’s about Customer Delight” -Jan Schroeder, Vice President of Education, California Culinary Academy
It is less expensive and more profitable to keep your existing customers than it is to constantly search for new ones. A customer who is unhappy with something you have done - or haven’t done - can simply take their business elsewhere. Today’s technology has put the competition ‘just a mouse click away’; this makes it imperative that each employee excel at making the customer happy.
Customer Delight Myth
Delighted customers are better than satisfied customers because they buy more, complain less, spread positive word-of-mouth and exhibit other profitable behaviors.
Many companies interpret this to mean that they should exceed customer expectations every time. This sounds wonderful at first, but applying some simple logic reveals that it is a preposterous idea and an unattainable goal. If you always exceed expectations, then expectations will simply rise. With ever-escalating expectations, you have to offer more and more to make an impression. Many companies rely on gimmicks; they train their employees to produce the gimmick each time they interface with a customer; hence, we have:
Perpetually grinning grocery clerks Waiters who interrupt private conversations to introduce themselves, recite “today’s specials”, then go into long descriptions of how each dish is prepared Department store employees who call customers “valued guest”, “partner in progress” or some other gimmicky phrase and even have large signs proclaiming that message. Telephone operators at hotels that answer calls from guests by saying, "How can I enhance your experience?" Legions of service workers determined to become every customer's close personal friend.
Where will it end? Will companies eventually have the employees dancing naked in the aisles to get the attention of customers?
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 35 Customer Delight Reality
The fact is customers don't want to be delighted all the time. It's exhausting. Every customer receives service, dozens of times a week, from a wide range of companies, and most of those service interactions are, and should be, routine. Customers want service workers to be efficient, helpful and pleasant, but the service interaction itself should not become the center of attention. It is the outcome that matters.
Customer Delight does not rely on gimmicks; gimmicks often backfire; not every customer wants to be treated as a “guest”, “partner” “friend”, etc.
Customer Delight is not quoting theories, catch phrases or slogans. Customers who are familiar with the theory, phrase or slogan may feel patronized when you quote it to them. Those who are not familiar with it, may consider you silly and off-the-wall. For example, ‘thinking outside the box’ is an excellent theory but saying “Let me think outside the box” to a customer appears silly to those who are not familiar with the theory and patronizing to most of those who are.
Providing Customer Delight required sensitivity, caring, a positive “can do” attitude and human relations skills. Self-confidence and poise are a big plus when providing Customer Delight.
Customer Delight is achieved, not by excess, rather by opportunity. While most service is routine, every once in awhile a situation arises that is out of the ordinary, a complaint, a question, a special request, an unfulfilled need, a chance for an employee to go the extra mile. If employees are trained to recognize these opportunities and empowered to act on them when they appear, customers will be delighted at the right time. These service experiences will furnish customers with stories about the company's exemplary service, and eventually the company will engender its own legend. When it comes to Customer Delight, a little WOW goes a long way.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 36 Do it Right the First Time
Be consistent; the customer should not have an unpleasant surprise; in other words, consistently DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
Be sure your product or service is as good as or better than the competition's.
Have a clear understanding of what you will deliver so that customers are able to set accurate expectations.
Don't assume your customers will read the manual. Typically, your customer will file it until they have a problem.
Educate the customer. Proactively providing information on how to avoid problems does not imply that the customer will have problems. In fact, customers are usually delighted to be told how to avoid glitches.
Fixing Problems
Problems happen. Plan in advance how to recover from problem situations. When employees are not equipped to handle the problems they encounter, will either become rude to the customers because they feel frustrated and stupid that they do not know the answers, or they will blame the company. When employees blame the company, it usually follows that they share these feelings to the customer about “company policy” or “dumb rules” that make them unable to do their job.
Customer Delight as well as job satisfaction levels usually improve when a company:
Trains employees on how to fix problems and recover from a problem situation
Allows, or better yet, encourages employees to do what they think is best for the customer
Assures employees that their managers stand behind them.
Makes it easy for customers to provide feedback, and uses the information regarding what customers love and their ‘points of pain’ to guide their process improvement efforts.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 37 Another Myth: The customer is always right.
Another Reality: Some customers are more ‘right’ than others
Not every customer is right for every business. The idea that all customers will want, need, or buy your product or service leads to poor business decisions and meritocracy. Rather than trying to DELIGHT every customer, company leaders need to recognize that some customers are more right than others, and devote energy identifying which customers they need to:
Retain - Keep at any cost
Attain - Pursue aggressively
Contain - Keep, but not at any cost
Abstain - Not invest energy in keeping
After identifying the right customers, employees must be educated so that they know how to focus the desired amount of attention on the targeted customers.
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 38 Customer Delight - Where Are *We Now?
Rate your business on a 1 to 5 scale (5 = no improvement needed)
1. This business is focused externally ____
2. Employees are fully empowered to delight customers ____
3. We are constantly looking for better ways to delight our customers ____
4. We listen to what our customers are telling us ____
5. We know who our customers are ____
6. We know what our customers want ____
7. We have an ongoing process to monitor how delighted our customers are ____
8. Our employees are trusted to do the right thing ____
9. All our policies make sense ____
10. We are actively engaged in building long-term relationships with our customers ____
11. Our plans are current and regularly updated ____
12. Training is important to us ____
13. Training is relevant to what we do ____
14. We realize that the smallest things can have the biggest impact on how delighted we will be ____
15. We treat the customer the way they want to be treated ____
TOTAL ____ (out of 75)
*We/us = your company or organization
From Achieve Customer Delight in your organization – Field book, by John J. and Sheryl R. Paul.
POINTS TO PONDER
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 39 Is ‘Customer Delight’ out of reach in today’s fast-paced world? - Michael Johnson, of Quality Club International
Customer Delight is not an event – it is a never-ending process
You can’t fake sincerity
Everyone is responsible for Customer Delight
Trust is earned, retained or lost in every customer interaction
MCC – Department of Continuing Education 40