The Art of Intentional Customer Service

Atlantic HR Conference Speaker: Paula Morand October 2, 2008

You can’t promise your customers

sunny weather, but you can promise to hold an umbrella

over them when it rains.

Anonymous

Who is your Customer?

Customer Service

• Answering questions• Solving problems• Untangling Corporate Logjams• Fixing what’s broken and finding what’s

lost.• Soothing the irate and reassuring the timid• Pulling a rabbit out of your hat.

To the Customer YOU are the Company.

Customer relations is an integral part of your job – not an extension of it.

William B. Martin

What Customers Expect

Start with asking yourself these questions.

1. What do my customers want from me and from my company?2. How do support areas work to serve my customers?3. What are the details – little things – that make a big difference in my customer’s satisfaction.

If you don’t have customers, you don’t have a job!

Key Service Skills

• Customer’s evaluate service quality on 5 factors.

The RATER Factors

• Reliability• Assurance• Tangibles• Empathy• Responsiveness

The RELIABILITY Factor

The ability to provide what was promised, dependably and accurately.

The Service Promise

1. Organizational Commitments

2. Common Expectations

3. Personal Promises

The ASSURANCE Factor

• The knowledge and courtesy you show to customers, and your ability to convey trust, competence and confidence.

Consistent, high quality service boils down to two equally

important things – caring and competence.

Service Wisdom

How do we reassure our Customers?

• Product Knowledge• Company Knowledge• Listening Skills• Problem Solving Skills• Extra Points for Style

The TANGIBLE Factor

The physical facilities and equipment, and your own (and other’s) appearance.

From the customer’s point of view, if they can see it, walk on it, hold it, hear it, step in it, smell it, carry it, step over it, touch it, use it, even taste it, if they can feel it or sense it, it’s customer service.

Super America Training Program

First impressions are the most lasting

The EMPATHY Factor

The degree of caring and individual attention you show your customers.

Empathy vs

Sympathy

Sympathy Identifying with and even taking on another person’s emotions.

Empathy Acknowledging and affirming

another’s emotional state.

The RESPONSIVENESS Factor

The willingness to help customers promptly.

Customer expectations of service organizations are loud and clear; look good, be responsive, be reassuring through courtesy and competence, be empathetic but most of all, be reliable. Do what you said you would do. Keep the service promise.

Dr. Leonard Berry

Researcher, Texas A&M University

Research shows that the most frustrating aspect of waiting is not knowing how long the wait will be.

Managing Customer Expectations

• Failing to meet a customer expectation has the same impact as breaking any other promise.

Don’t fix the blame. Fix the problem.

- Japanese saying

Getting Results

The Satisfaction Equation

Show that you CARE

and

Mean it!

What is Your

MISSION?

6 STEPS to delivering Superior Customer Service

is through

CARING

COURTEOUS - courtesy and gracious good manners. Webster’s Dictionary

“If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers it shows he is a citizen of the world"-

Francis Bacon 

Perhaps the best reason to be honest with your customers is that it

allows you to be honest with yourself.

LOVING

POLITE HONEST KIND

CIVILCONSIDERATE MANNERLY

POLISHED THOUGHTFUL

Ways to be Courteous

♥ Smile ♥ Eye Contact♥ Listen & Watch ♥ Empathetic♥ Be Aware ♥ Appropriate ♥ Language ♥ Body Language♥ Clarify ♥ Stay Calm♥ Validate♥ Restate

Handling Customer Complaints

WAYS TO MAKE the CUSTOMER RIGHT

1.Clarify the problem2.Validate their feelings.3.Look for teaching opportunities.4.Believe your customers.

Handling Customer Complaints

• Customers respect HONESTY• Instead of saying NO – ask questions.• Give TRUST and you will get it double in

return.

COURTEOUS

ATTENTIVE

What are you noticing?

……. And what are you missing?

In face to face situations at least 70 percent of what is

communicated is done without speaking a word.

How you feel about yourself in your job is as important to your personal self-esteem as the way you feel about yourself as a parent, a spouse or a friend.

Dealing with Irate Customers

Stay Calm

Safety first

Validate feelings

Vent and Release

Collaborate on the Solution

COURTEOUS

ATTITUDE

RELIABLE

Building TRUST

• Practice frequent communication• Stick with the truth• Develop Openness• Show warmth• Show confidence• KEEP YOUR PROMISES

Service Recovery and Building Trust

• Apologize – Acknowledge the problem.• Listen, Empathize and ask Open

Questions• Fix the problem, quickly and fairly• Offer Atonement “I want to make it up to

you”• Follow-up• Remember : Keep your promises

Loyalty BuildersListening is a Skill – Use it!

Barriers to Good Listening

► Noise ► Interruptions► Daydreaming ► Technology► Stereotypes► Attitude► Trigger Words and phrases

Loyalty Builders

• Background Questions• Probing Questions• Confirmation

Questions

Ask Intelligent Questions

COURTEOUS

ATTENTIVE

RELIABLE

INTENTIONAL

How can you involve your customer in solving their problem?

When the customer feels vulnerable, trust is imperative. Leonard L. Berry

Service Expert

Leveraging Your Service

• Understand the rules of your organization

• Manage your stress

Loyalty Opportunities

• Make the Commitment to CARE

• Be a FANTASTIC Fixer• Work in a spirit of

PARTNERSHIP• Politeness goes far and

costs nothing.

Superior Customer Service is in the DETAILS.

• Everything counts• Never stop learning • Ask your customers• Ask your co-workers

Consumers are statistics. Customers are people.

Stanley Marcus

Megatrends

COURTEOUS

ATTENTIVE

RELIABLE

INTENTIONAL

NEGATIVE-FREE

No job is important enough to lie for, no paycheck big enough to compensate for feeling bad about the treatment of another human being.

10 Stress Reducers

1. Breathe

2. Smile 3. Laugh4. Let it Out5. Take a one minute

vacation

6. Relax7. Do desk aerobics8. Organize9. Talk Positive10. Take a health break 11. Work/Life Balance

COURTEOUS

ATTENTIVE

RELIABLE

INTENTIONAL

NEGATIVE-FREE

GRATITUDE

Thank you…Thank you… Thank you….and Thank-You!!!! Fozzie Bear

Three ways to say Thank-You1.Verbally

2. In Writing 3. With a gift

The Five Forgotten Thank You’sThank your Co-workersThank your bossThank people in other departmentsThank your vendors or outside customers

Thank Yourself.

Gratitude is not only the greatest virtue but the mother of all the rest.

Putting It All Together

Return to your Mission

Commit to CARING

Collaboration and Partnership

Stay Calm

The Results

In a 100 person outfit,

taking into account normal vacations, holidays etc…

that would mean

24,000 new courteous acts

per year.