Teresa Allen
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Get Common Sense Blog
Have You Called Your Office Lately?
Every now and then we all need a reality check. This month I would suggest a customer service reality check in the form of a call to your own office and a visit to your own website. When you do this, here are a few things you should look and listen for:
The Telephone First Impression
1. Is the business name clearly and consistently identified?
2. Does the VOICE of your business emit the tone that you want to set?
3. Is the process of reaching a LIVE person and easy one or frustrating one?
Your Website First Glance
1. Can a customer/prospective customer immediately see how to contact you by phone?
2. Is the navigation simple and direct?
3. Does the front page set the tone of your business?
Too often our customers and potential customers can see the holes in our first impressions much easier than can we. As a matter of fact, we are so familiar with our own business that it is hard to see with the eyes of an outsider. In addition to taking the above steps yourself, get a friend or relative who has not called your business and has not visited your website take the steps outlined above. The results may be eye opening from both a customer service and sales perspective.
Another suggestion is to do this same exercise with three or four of your strongest competitors, calling their place of business and visiting their website. You will quickly see their weaknesses and also will be able to identify their strengths. (This is a great exercise in which to involve front-line personnel)
Once this has been completed, sit down with a group of management and front line personnel to discuss how refinements can be made to bolster your first impressions. Being your own consultant can be a profitable adventure!
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
Easily Integrating Sales with a Social Cause
I bought several domains on GoDaddy today. When I got to the shopping cart, there was a message that I could round up my order to the next dollar total and that GoDaddy would make a matching contribution to the charity of my choice. Spending 77 cents more when already charging over $100 to my credit card seemed like a pretty good idea so I clicked on my approval. At this point three charities appeared. The one that appealed the most was Hope for Haiti so I clicked on that.
This is an example of corporate giving linked to customer generosity that is made easy - seemingly pretty easy for the company and definitely easy for me the consumer. There are, of course, more complex giving initiatives such as that of TOMS where the company gives away a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. Great if your total company strategy is focused on giving, but the point I took away from the GoDaddy initiative is that it is also great if you do something small and easy that can have big impact. Interesting that the company known for Danica Patrick in a tight t-shirt and crazy superbowl commercials can also be stored in the consumer mind as the company that supports Hope for Haiti...mmmmm. Kind of makes you think doesn't it?
I'm now pondering what I could do even in my small business where my giving efforts would be linked to my customer's efforts. What about you? Is your company doing something interesting that you could comment on here that might trigger the rest of our generosity thinking caps?
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
Avoiding a Costa Concordia Styled Service Recovery
Costa Concordia has supposedly offered passengers a 30% discount on future cruises. Now I don't know about you, but had I been a passenger on the ill-fated cruise this would make me wonder how much Costa and Carnival are worth so I could sue them for EVERY penny of it. In recent PR moves, the company has denied this saying that this offer was only for passengers booked on future cruises... really?
You don't have to be a customer service or damage control consultant to know that this was not a great strategy, yet this company is just one in a long line of many businesses who have made similarly ridiculous offers to customers who have been wronged. This offer mearly stands out because of the worldwide attention to the situation and its gravity in terms of loss of life.
When something goes wrong with a customer or in this case a multitude of customers, what is the right response? If a company focuses on 'Making it Right' as opposed to 'What is the least costly alternative we can get by with?' more desirable results will be obtained. Even a small error with one customer has a huge potential for negative spin thanks to social networking where bad news travels at the speed of light. In my customer service training and keynote presentations, I often ask participants to calculate the potential positive and negative spin which can result from any close encounter with a customer in their business. The number of people to whom we can relay our discontent in today's world is staggering. For this reason, a planned response strategy is not an option but a necessity... and the plan must be identified before the boat capsizes.
Don't be caught in the headlines! Plan for the worst while striving for the best and your customer service reputation may have the ability to weather any storm.
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
Why NOT Do What the Customer Asks
The customer is not always right and you should NOT always do what they ask.
Hopefully you know your products and services better than your customers. For this reason, you must remain the expert when it comes to recommending how and when these products and services should be used. Sometimes a customer will ask for and possibly even demand a product or service that you know is not the best choice for them. This can pose an interesting dilemma. There can be a tendency to avoid rocking the boat by telling the customer that a different selection would be better, especially if you feel you could be putting your sale in jeopardy.
I was recently reminded of this lesson in two sales close encounters of my own. As with many companies, my customer saw my product selections (in my case my seminars and keynotes) on the web. They decided on a program title they liked. From past experience I knew that another program was better for their group. I told them such but when they said they still wanted the other program, I reluctantly agreed. This was a mistake. As I anticipated, the program was not a good fit for the group and the results were less than stellar. I deeply regretted not standing firm in my recommendation to the client. Yes, I could have lost the business, but for me and for you which is more important, losing a sale or losing a reputation? The answer to that one is easy.
Fast forward a few months later and another client. This time the program was right but I knew the venue was wrong. I confidently recommended a change in venue. The client was very open to suggestions and agreed. In this case, it was not even my ‘product' that was in consideration. It was the parameters of use of the product. Can you think of an example of this for your product line? When you confidently tell your clients how to use your products and services, you move past salesperson to consultant which is a whole different level of relationship. So what were the results of this encounter? It was a fantastic event and I knew the results were impacted positively by the change in venue.
When you have been in business for over 18 years as I have, there is a temptation to think you have done it all, seen it all, and learned it all. Perhaps for you like me, old lessons sometimes have to rear their ugly head and smack us in the face to remind us of how important they are. Remembering that I am the expert in my field and know what is best for my clients is important to my success and theirs. How can your customers and clients benefit from hearing you ‘enforce' your expertise?
What I Learned Car Shopping
I recently helped my daughter shop for a car. Next to having teeth pulled, I would rate this as one of my favorite activities. To my pleasant surprise, we encountered many very professional salespeople. Kudos to an industry that is obviously stepping up their game.
While many of the salespeople were truly great, there was one that stood out of the pack. Cameo Buckner is a sales representative at a local dealership. I had met him when I purchased a car several months ago and even though I didn't purchase from his dealership at that time, I remembered his positive and professional approach and thus brought my daughter by and asked for him.
Cameo has several qualities that could benefit anyone in a sales position.
- A warm and sincere smile
- A conversational and friendly sales style
- Exceptional product knowledge even on used cars not in his dealership's main line
- Incredible follow up and follow through
- Honesty and Integrity
Over the course of the several weeks that we were looking for a magical solution that would fit her insurance settlement and her parents 'safe car' requirements, Cameo must have called three or four times to let us know what new vehicles had arrived and why they would be a good fit for our daughter. He would always point out something that we had identified as important to our search and hers.
After several weeks of intensive search, my daughter's job got to a slow point where she had more time to search on her own. Knowing as a mom that anything I pushed too hard for would immediately be rejected, I sent her out on her own on a bright Saturday morning in December. A few short hours later as I was putting up Christmas lights, I saw a red Mazda CX-7pull in the driveway. "They let a 22 year old drive a vehicle 6 miles home?!" was the thought that immediately entered my brain. Soon I saw her open the door with a big smile on her face. Then came the real shock. Cameo opened the passenger side door and greeted me with a smile and a handshake.
I couldn't believe that a sales person had taken the time on a busy Saturday at the dealership to drive with my daughter all the way to our home. He reviewed all the features of the car and compared it to another car she was considering at his dealership. Then he said the words that cemented the deal... "Maggie, both cars are great, but I think this car suits you perfectly."
It did suit her and we bought the car later that afternoon.
So many sales lessons, so little time....
- Be likeable
- Be thorough
- Know your products and your competitor's products
- Listen to your customer and find out their needs and buying criteria
- Follow up and follow through
- If a customer is comparing products, make the decision between two of your products
- When there are multiple decision makers learn their individual buying criteria
- Put your product in the hands of your customer on their turf
- Go the extra mile and stand out from the pack
- Summarize your sales pitch into a single meaningful statement
Congrats Cameo - job well done. Perhaps your next career should be in sales training!
Are You Giving Customer Service Tricks or Treats?
With a birthday the week of Halloween, you can believe that I have lots of memories of Tricks and Treats over the years… (we won't mention how many years... that would be too SCARY!!)
So what are YOU giving customers these days? Tricks or Treats?!? What in the world do I mean? Well, it would seem that a very simple way to distance yourself from competitors would be to do what you promised. Whether you are talking about shareholder returns or returned phone calls, doing what is promised is a simple yet rare commodity in today’s business world. The old axiom under promise and OVER deliver can be your success strategy.
Let’s look at a few examples at various levels of the organization!
FRONT LINE STAFF:
The phone rings at 9:00 a.m. A customer has a question about a statement he just received in the mail. The customer service representative knows it will take a few minutes to check with the billing department and tells the customer that he will call him ‘right back’.
What is YOUR definition of ‘right back’? The answer to that question probably depends a lot on your individual personality. If you are a relaxed and calm person, you might allow 10 – 15 minutes. If you are a Type A, like me, that phone better be ringing in the next two minutes!
Think about what happens after the promise to call the customer ‘right back’ is made. Does the world stop turning? Absolutely not! It is likely that the phone rings with more callers demanding service and co-workers and supervisors who need your help – RIGHT NOW! All of a sudden, the service rep looks up at the clock which now reads 9:50. His face suddenly resembles that of a ghost on Halloween as he lets out a ghoulish sound. ‘Oh my gosh…I haven’t called Mr. Smith back yet!’ No matter what solution is offered in response to Mr. Smith’s problem or question, he is not a happy camper. He has waited almost an hour to be called ‘right back’.
Think of how different the reaction had the service rep offered, ‘Mr. Smith, may I call you back by about 11:00 today?’ Now when the phone rings at 9:30, the customer looks up at the clock and thinks, ‘they called me back early!’
MANAGEMENT:
You tell your staff that you should have new computers by January 1st. Feb 1st rolls around and still no computers. Talk around the water cooler is that hell may freeze over before the new computers are installed. You hear one employee comment to the other that this should be no surprise, as the promised raises haven’t happened either!
Why over promise and under deliver when you can under promise and OVER DELIVER with such positive results? Think about how the practice of under promising and over delivering can have major impact in your organization. Make it the topic of the next staff meeting or customer service briefing. It will be a real TREAT for customers and employees alike!
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
The 3 Time Zones of Customer Service Training
When training staff on customer service improvements, we often only talk about what is done during the sale in front of the customer. It can be useful to separate tasks and objectives into three time zones: BEFORE the transaction or service starts, DURING the purchase or service, AFTER the sale or service takes place
To illustrate how this concept can be translated into almost any sales and service environment, I am going to use three very different businesses and customers. The first will be an automobile dealership, the second will be a bank, and the third will be an upscale local jeweler.
BEFORE:
Before - Automobile Dealership: The customer starts forming opinions the moment the prospective customer approaches the dealership. Are representatives outside, in a uniform that identifies them as a part of staff and is that uniform/dress representative of the brand they are representing? Is the customer approached and greeted warmly and directed to the proper person in a timely manner? When showing and test driving vehicles, is there a level of product knowledge that instills confidence in the product?
Before - Bank: Does signage make it clear to a customer entering the bank where they need to go for what service? If there is a greeter, is that person skilled in asking questions that will expedite the direction to the proper department? Are all staff members cognizant of the fact that at any given time, they may be the first point of contact and therefore must be able to direct customers to other departments and instill confidence in others to whom the customer is being directed?
Before - Jeweler: Are all customers greeted warmly regardless of their level of previous contact and irrespective of how they "look"? Are they asked if they would like to browse first or be directed to a specific area? Are they asked for whom the customer is shopping and what that persons likes and needs may be?
DURING:
During - Automobile Dealership: Does the salesperson introduce the customer to finance and service personnel, making the customer feel comfortable with each person introduced? Does the salesperson tell the customer what to expect during the paperwork/ loan approval process? Does the salesperson thoroughly review the features of the vehicle being purchased and use other team members if they are more knowledgable?
During - Bank: Does the customer service representative or loan officer slowly and clearly explain any paperwok involved in the transaction? Do they clearly identify any issues which could cause future problems? Do they engage the customer in conversation that will give insights into the life of the customer which could open the door for discussion of additional products and services?
During - Jeweler: Does the sales representative compliment the customer on their choice and regardless of the dollar amount of the sale, make the customer feel as though they are important? Does the sales representative question the customer on any upcoming family occasions which may lead to future sales?
AFTER:
After - ALL: Does the salesperson send a personalized note to the customer to thank them for their purchase? Does the sales representative schedule future points of contact with the customer to discuss their purchase satisfaction and open the door for referrals?
The illustrations above are merely a snapshot into what should literally be at least an entire page for each time zone in each business. By setting up such a checklist or system and incorporating it into your customer service training and sales training, customer satisfaction is increased and sales opportunities are significantly magnified.
What is your time zone plan in your buisness? If you don't have one, sit down with your customer service and sales staff and make your list. You will be surprised how even the smallest items on that list can be easily overlooked if not made part of an organized system that will be sure to grow your business!
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
What is Your Wait Tolerance?
Yesterday I sought to clog my arteries by getting a 'FAST FOOD' lunch from a Burger King drive-thru. It was anything but fast. The total process took 19 minutes. Not about 15 minutes... NINETEEN minutes. Yes, I am an A-Type personality and that is why I know it was nineteen minutes. I entered the line at 12:25pm thinking it would take about 5 minutes and would leave plenty of time for my 12 minute drive home where a repair man was meeting me at 1:00pm. By the time I grabbed my bag with burger and fries at 12:44, I was a nervous wreck thinking I was not going to make it in time. I am sure the others in the line who had to make it back on time to work from lunch break were equally frustrated. By definition fast food is expected to be fast. When it is not, customer service is judged as poor and this poor rating is mentally filed away in the consumer's future choice memory box.
Today I had a similar experience. Once again a drive-in scenario, I had to pick up a prescription at Walgreens. I sat right next to the huge plate glass window where except for the glass I could have reached out and touched one of three pharmacy staff busy helping customers inside the store. Did any ONE of them make eye contact with me or lean into the mike to tell me they would be with me in a minute during the SEVEN minutes I sat parked right next to them? NO they did not. After one clerk finally asked my name and info, she then disappeared around a corner out of sight and did not return for SIX minutes. At the end of a long day (now 7:32pm) this transaction lasting a total of THIRTEEN minutes did not make me a happy camper.
What are the lessons from these less than satisfactory close encounters on the front lines?
- Know the time expectations of your customers. Know that these may vary at various times of the day (i.e. if I am on a 30 minutes lunch break, you better not take 20 minutes of it!)
- Know the times of day where bottlenecks occur and OVER staff to avoid customer angst. Better to spend an extra $12 on an extra body than to lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars in future business.
- When you are not able to meet a customer expectation, apologize and promise to do better next time. Have a system where front-line personnel can report to management when customer bottlenecks have caused a service breakdown.
In my next life I hope to never need fast food, never have repair men waiting, and be so healthy that I never need a prescription (could these possibly be related?!). Until then, I will hope that the retailers who serve me have put themselves in the worn out shoes of the customer and staff accordingly. And in my dreams, I would also hope that they had trained staff how to heal the wounds if the inevitable time delay occurs!
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
Do You Know What Your Customers are Saying About YOU?
If you have taken any trips lately, you probably have consulted a travel informationwebsite for information. I do this not only for my bookings on hotels and airlines, but also for excursions, sightseeing etc.
When doing my search, there are two types of information providers I view:
- The direct site of the provider
- A third party site such as Trip Advisor
So which is the one I look at for traveler reviews? Hands down answer is the third party site such as Trip Advisor. Why? Simply because I trust their information MORE than the direct sites.
This should be a lesson for those who are customer service providers, and hopefully EVERY business is a customer service provider in some shape or form! Do you know what your customers are saying on third party sites? This could have far more to do with your success than what you place on your own site. As a customer service speaker and trainer, I have a website full of testimonials. I hope that potential clients take a look at those for obvious reasons. But I also have a LinkedIn profile with many recommendations. Why would I spend my time and my client's time building this list of recommendations that could be looked at as a duplication of the info on my website? Because I know that SOME potential clients may take a recommendation found on a third party site more seriously as they know that I have no control over content placed there.
As you seek to improve and monitor your service image, here are a couple of very important questions:
1. Where do customers go to look for information about my industry or my company other than my own website?
2. Who is in charge of monitoring content on these third party websites?
3. What do I do with information gathered from third party sites?
Regarding number 3, whether the info is positive or negative it should be shared with front-line staff and all levels of management both in aggregate and in specific. And if anything negative is reported and I know who has reported it, a response should be immediate both to the individual and to the market as a whole if possible.
To watch a brief video clip on this topic from a recent customer service keynote, CLICK HERE
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
How NOT to handle a Customer Complaint
I had a customer service encounter today that had so many lessons I hardly know where to begin. Since the service provider ultimately 'made it right', I won't embarrass the company by mentioning their name but will tell you that they deliver something to my house every month.
My bill from this company ranges from about $9.00 to $20.00 each month. Several months ago, I was traveling and paid a $9.00 bill a few days late. Imagine my surprise when the next bill included a $25 late charge, nearly three times the amount of my bill. I wrote a note requesting that this charge be removed and paid the $9. The next month there was a second $25 charge probably because I had not paid the first late fee.
It was now time for this already irate customer to pick up the phone and call. The lady I reached told me that she could remove one fee as a courtesy not two. I explained that they had never called me re my note on the first late fee and that I really had only been late once. "Maaaaaam, I am sorry but I can only remove one fee." "But I have been your customer for 10 years. I just want to be sure, are you willing to lose my business over $25?" I replied. "Maaaaaaaaam, as I said, I can only remove one late fee." "Don't you think you should pass this on to a supervisor?" I asked. A long sigh followed and hold music ensued. At that point a very nice gentleman got on the phone, called me by name and very happily removed my late fee. A customer saved and happy!
So what are the lessons from this close encounter?
1. Empower your front line staff to make it right. Ritz Carlton empowers their staff up to $2000. What is your number? Does your staff know the number?!
2. Especially when a customer is upset, call them by name and reintroduce yourself. You then have two people talking to each other instead of a customer and a business which is more likely to escalate.
3. If you can't do #1, then certainly train the front line customer service staff to pass such a call to a supervisor!
Realize that most customers won't be like me and suggest that a supervisor get on the line. They will simply close their account and you will never hear from them again.
A final lesson.... be careful of financial penalties that may put your relationship in jeopardy. If your average bill to a customer is $250 a month it may be an acceptable in the customer's eyes. If you have an average monthly billing of $9-$10 a month, a $25 late fee is probably excessive from their point of view.
Common sense service .... sometimes a scarce commodity!
Customer service speaker and author Teresa Allen presents customer service keynotes and customer service training across the US and abroad. Subscribe to this customer service blog for more timely information on customer service study data and customer service innovations. Add you comments by clicking on the comment link below. Teresa can be reached at 800-797-1580 or through her website: www.AllenSpeaks.com Email her at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com
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