All survey participants were asked if they had seen online reviews of customer service. About two-thirds of participants reported that they did recall reading these online reviews. Review sites were the most common place to read a negative review of customer service where Facebook was the most common place to read a positive review of customer service.

The vast majority of participants who have seen reviews claimed that that information did impact their buying decisions. This was true of both positive reviews as well as negative reviews

Cites most frequented for negative reviews:
Online Review Site: 39%
Facebook: 38%
Company Site: 29%
Yelp: 25%
Twitter: 22%

Cites most frequented for positive reviews:
Fcebook: 44%
Online Review Site: 41%
Company Site: 39%
Yelp:23%
Twitter: 23%

Readers took the message to heart. Buying decisions were influenced greatly:
All: 88%
Negative: 86%
Positive: 90%

What lessons do we take away from this?  Your customer service strategy MUST include monitoring of online review sites.  You will (unless you and your staff are super-human) sometimes receive negative reviews.  As long as you participate in the conversation, you have a chance of minimizing the negative spin.  For an example of this, look at your Trip Advisor.  Wise hoteliers respond to negative comments, firt apologizing to the guest, then stating what they are doing to overcome any problems and provide better experiences to other guests.

An often overlooked step is sharing the feedback with those providing the service to customers.  If management gets a nice report on social media interactions re your business but it is never shared with the actual service providers, there is far less chance of improvement.

The bottom line is that purchase decisions ARE impacted by online reviews.  We can no longer rest on the laurels of a great outbound marketing campaign.  We need to see what our customers are saying as that may do more to define our brand than anything we are promoting in traditional marketing channels.  Making the front line and the sales team aware of comments that customers have made both positive and negative  is a critical part of your strategy.  Have you incorporated this is into your customer service strategy?  If so, comment on this post and share with our readers!

  (To see other posts in this blog series on the Dimensional Research study referenced in this article, please go to www.AllenSpeaks.com/blog)

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and conventions to share her expertise.
To contact customer service speaker Teresa Allen, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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It turns out that elephants aren't the only ones who never forget!  Customers are right there with them, especially if it has to do with a BAD experience!

After defining good and bad customer service experiences (referenced in previous posts in this blog series), customers were asked to define the length of time following the experience that their buying habits were altered.  Here are the results:

Good Experience Effect
64% Less than one year
12% One year
24% Two years or more

Bad Experience Effect
47% Less than one year
14% One Year
39% Two years or more

More telling ... WHO were impacted most even after two years:
79% of those with income over $150K
52% Business to Business
39% overall

What nuggets are in these numbers for YOU and YOUR business?

1. If you are doing well in customer service, GREAT.  But don't rest on your laurels - your customer is too busy to remember 'good' experiences.
2. If you have upset a customer, do all you can NOW to make it right.  Nearly half of customers will remember your screw up for 2 years or longer!
3. If you serve high end consumers BEWARE... they have very LONG memories.  Likewise if you are selling a B2B product.  Sales can be dramatically impacted as was discussed in our last blog post.  And is it a surprise to anyone that women have a longer memory?!

Here's the scary thing folks... think about the last time you were gathered at a party or a business convention telling stories.  The BAD stories make for good tales and entertainment.  Don't let your business be the subject of an entertaining story about BAD service told for years after the encounter to your potential customers!

 (To see other posts in this blog series on the Dimensional Research study referenced in this article, please go to www.AllenSpeaks.com/blog)

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and conventions to share her expertise.
To contact customer service speaker Teresa Allen, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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This is the second post in our blog series commenting on the recent study by Dimensional Research on The Impact of Customer Service on Customer Lifetime Value

A recent survey of mid-sized company customers showed a strong and direct correlation between customer service levels and future spending (83%), especially in B2B transactions.  Here are some specific highlights of the study regarding the impact of good and bad service encounters: 

Impact of Good Customer Service on B2B Sales
62% purchased more products or services
58% would recommend company to others
48% considering another purchase from that company

Impact of Bad Customer Service on B2B Sales
59% overall stopped buying from that source
55% switched to another provider
40% recommended to others that they should not purchase from that source

In other words, as I discuss in my customer service keynote presentations, the spin from any customer service encounter is tremendous.  Let's just do a little math using these statistics with some hypothetical numbers:

Let's say average B2B transaction for a company is $500 and there are 100 transactions in a week.  That would give us $50,000 in sales per week or $2,500.000 per year.  If we gave bad service in just 10% of those transactions, and those 59% stopped doing business with the company, that would equate to a loss of $147,500 potential future business ($2,500,000 X .10 X .59)

Conversely, for every happy client in this business, they generate hundreds of dollars of repeat and referral business potentially generating hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional business and income.

Your transaction level may be bigger or smaller than the one used in my example.  It really doesn't matter.  Here is the question:  Are you willing to lose 59% of ANY number you are working so hard to generate?  I would assume not.  Thus it is baffling to me why businesses do not spend more money training customer service staff on how to be business builders instead of business destroyers for their organization.  The cost of lost business and the potential added revenue of incremental and referral business makes this a no brainer business decision.  All the marketing dollars in the world are a wasteful spend without a staff ready to serve and please customers.  And as we learned in an earlier blog post which looked at a JD Power study, pleasing doesn't give you near the results that DELIGHTING does.

Is any of this rocket science?  No - it's just common sense.  But as you and I are frequently reminded in today's business world, common sense just isn't that common any more!  Opportunity for business growth is waiting. Are you and your staff ready?  If not, I would be happy to have a discussion with you on how you could improve your positive customer service spin and build your profits!

(To see other posts in this blog series on the Dimensional Research study referenced in this article, please go to www.AllenSpeaks.com/blog)

 Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

 To contact customer service speaker Teresa Allen, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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An April 2013 Customer Service Study by Dimensional Research pinpointed what makes customers of mid-sized companies happy and what leaves them in dismay. This is the first in a series of blog posts about the important results of this study.

What made their customer service experience good:
1. Problem was resolved quickly
2. The contact person was nice
3. Problem was resolved without being passed around to multiple people
4. The outcome was what I had hoped for

What made their customer service experience bad:
1. I had to explain my problem to multiple people
2. Person was unpleasant
3. Took too long to resolve
4. Problem not resolved

What must we do based on these findings?  I would suggest a few immediate actions:
• Get customer service staff to act on problems quickly. The sundowner rule we learned for marriage applies equally to business. Fix it and fix it fast!  Have a clearly defined time goal in minutes/hours on service problem resolution.
• Hire nice people. How? Pay attention to the first 30 seconds of the interview. Do you immediately LIKE this person? If not, your customers probably won't either!
• Know how many steps a customer has to take to resolve a problem and minimize them. The less steps and people involved, the happier the customer.
• Don't just suggest a solution, ASK the customer what they consider to be a fair resolution. Their solution may cost you less and may be easier than what you would have offered otherwise. If you can't do what they want, at least you know what direction to head for satisfaction.
• Finally and possibly most important - ASK the customer if they are indeed satisfied. Assuming satisfaction is never a safe road.

There are many more significant pieces of information in this study.  Check back later this week for more information and conclusions we can draw from it!

 Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact customer service speaker Teresa Allen, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

 

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This Friday, March 1st is Employee Appreciation Day.  It's not too late to think of ways to show your appreciation to staff.  This is particularly important for your customer service staff.  Why?  Study after study show that engaged and appreciated employees provide better service to customers.  This of course is common sense.  If I am happy at work and am treated well, and am shown appreciation in a way that is meaningful, I will be more like to spread the love!

I just finished reading a fantastic book on this very subject.  It is titled The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.  If this title sounds vaguely familiar to you, it may be because co-author Gary Chapman also wrote the best selling book: The Five Love Languages.  I have to say, when I picked up this book while traveling through an airport, my expectations were not very high.  I figured the author had made a chunk of change helping people with their personal lives and thought he would explore cashing in on the business market.  The good news is, my expectations were far exceeded.  I highly recommend the book and hope you will look it up on Amazon and buy it (for half of what I paid at the airport!).  In the space below I will share a few nuggets that you may find of interest, especially as you plan for Employee Appreciation Day on Friday.

The authors note that 70% of employees in the U.S. receive NO praise or recognition in the workplace.  Can you believe that?  Sounds like the 70s management of 'Do a good job because I am paying you' is not quite dead yet! 

Here are a few sequential facts that are discussed:
A.  Lack of praise and recognition leads to low job satisfaction
B.  Lower job satisfaction leads to higher turnover
C.  Higher turnover  has a negative impact on customer satisfaction.

In other words A+B+C=D or in this case an F in customer service!

On the other hand, Management By Appreciation (and the authors even have an MBA assessment) leads to decreased turnover, increased positive realtionships in an organization and increased customer satisfaction.

If all this is true, and it is only common sense that it would be, then we better make sure we are actively demonstrating appreciation at work.  But be careful here because the most interesting thing about the book is discussion about how everyone seeks appreciation in different ways (thus the 5 Languages of Appreciation).  One example: While one employee would love to be recognized in front of all fellow employees at a dinner, even the thought of such would be terrifying to another employee.  You get the picture.  It is critical to find out what method works for each individual employee or your efforts and even your dollars may be wasted.

The book notes that appreciation is different than recognition.  Recognition has emphasis on an individual's performance and appreciation focuses on the individual's value.  It is also noteworthy that where recognition often can carry a high cost, appreciation rarely does.

Recognition is important, however, so you may wish to also check out suggestions from Recognition Professionals International on how to recognize your staff.  Whatever you do, make March 1st a memorable day for your employees!

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and conventions to share her expertise. 

To contact customer service speaker Teresa Allen, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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Lagniappe is a great French word often used in Louisiana which is defined as 'The art of giving a little something extra'. I love the word 'art' in the definition because it truly is an art. You are painting a canvas of experience every time a representative of your business comes in contact with a customer in a close encounter. How vivid and memorable are the colors you use to create a lasting picture in their mind will be critical to your sucess.

This is going to be a brief message today because - after all - it is Mardi Gras today and those of us in Louisiana have important business to attend to :)
The question is this: What are YOU doing to bring that 'little something extra' to the customers of your business in each and every point of contact?

I challenge you to have a Lagniappe meeting with your team in the next 24 hours. Ask each team member what ONE THING they could do that would bring their personal service and customer connection to a new level. Instruct them that this has to be something concrete and very specific. Then ask each of them to suggest at least ONE THING that is out of their personal control that your business could do to provide that 'little something extra' to your customers.

My challenge to YOU is to then share with your team a real life story about when one of your associates provided Lagniappe service by going that extra mile for the customer. Tell them how this had significant business impact due to a strengthened business relationship or an improved business transaction.

A 'Lagniappe' culture can be instilled, but management must lead the charge.  Does your staff see you mentor Lagniappe service, even on a busy day when you have many responsibilities to juggle?  Example can be the most powerful teacher.  Throw up that bead and someone will be sure to catch it!  Happy Mardi Gras -- and be sure to let me know when I can bring a little Lagniappe to your business or association!

 

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My daughter moved into a new apartment recently and ordered AT&T internet service.  They sent out a modem and it would not connect, so they sent her another one.  It still would not connect so she set up a service call.  They gave her a tracking number for this service call.  She adjusted her work schedule to be at home and asked me to be there since she had encountered so much difficulty already and knew I was a bit more knowlegable on the subject.

When 3 hours of the designated 4 hour time window had expired, we called to make sure they were actually coming.  The first thing that happened was having to sort through a long voice prompt system.  When the final selection had been made, we listened to 'on hold' music for 18 minutes before someone answered.  We gave her the tracking number and she said she couldn't find it (not a good sign obviously) but she asked us to hold so she could check with a supervisor.  We held another 15 minutes and still no one could figure out how to use this tracking number to actually track down the service representative.  5pm rolled around and still no service person!  4 hours wasted X 2 unhappy customers = NEGATIVE experience

The next day, while at work, my daughter gets a call - 'This is AT&T - we are at your apartment building.'  They had never called or explained that they were going to come on another day but evidently assumed she had nothing to do but wait for days for them to arrive.

Then came the matter of the billing for two months WITHOUT internet service.  Another series of phone calls with 20 minute on hold time.  Evidently AT&T thinks its customer's time is NOT very valuable.  Or perhaps they think you will just give up and pay them whatever they are asking for??

How is it that some VERY LARGE corporations still just don't get basic customer service?  The next time this young woman has to make a telecommunications vendor choice do you think it will be AT&T? Not a CHANCE! 

So what could be the potential negative spin of this 'Caller on Hold' customer service close encounter?  $50/month X a LIFETIME = Significant loss.

Some months ago, I wrote a blog post titled Have YOU Called YOUR Office Lately.  This episode with AT&Tshows why that question is certainly a valid one!

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact customer service speaker Teresa Allen, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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We all resolve to do better in a New Year, but how many of us really make a plan?

What if you had a concrete plan for customer service improvement for each month of the year?
Since that makes 12, throw in a bonus 13th to make 2013 a lucky year! Hopefully the following outline can stimulate thought on the specifics you could employ to make customer service more than a passing fancy this year!

1. January
   Challenge staff to respond to customer inquiries within 2 hours of their contact. Identify how this can be accomplished in various channels such as social media and phone contacts. (Your time frame may be different - the important thing is to identify a specific time frame such as the 2 hour example indicates)
2. February
   Ask each customer service representative to call 5 customers and ask them ‘How can we improve your service?' Compile all results and share at staff meeting.
3. March
   Ask each customer service representative to log and categorize every customer complaint received.
4. April
   Script reponses to customer complaints identified in March. Share with staff and conduct service meeting where skills practice can be done using these responses.
5. May
   Pick your highest contact social media channel or customer survey.
   Compile an illustrated ‘Stop Light' of comments to share with staff: Red Light entries could cause lost business, Yellow Light entries could impact future business negatively or positively depending on how addressed, Green Light entries will help build business.
6. June
   Identify 3 key customer expectations and in your monthly customer service training, ask each service representative to specifically identify how they could exceed these expectations for a specific customer.
7. July
   Encourage staff to log any compliments received during the year from customers and share them at a staff meeting/customer service training.
8. August
   Challenge staff to identify ways to decrease a specific customer's cost of doing business with you. Reward top three ideas at staff meeting.
9. September
   Conduct a teambuilding workshop for all employees stressing each department's service to each other and the impact of such on the customer.
10. October
    Implement an internal ‘Service Star' award program where employees can send a star to a fellow employee for internal efforts that resulted in improved customer service. Ask them to send a copy to person identified as your ‘Star Tracker' who will log all service star recognition.
11. November
    Hold a staff meeting to present customer service awards to top recipients in ‘Service Star' program.
12. December
    Challenge staff to identify their worst customer service nightmare of 2013 and how they would avoid this happening in 2014.
13. BONUS
    Instead of or in addition to your standard holiday card, send a letter to each of your top customers and tell them all you have done in 2013 to enhance their customer service and how you plan to build on that to partner with them in 2014!

I hope these ideas stimulate thought on your end.  Please comment and share YOUR ideas for more monthly activities to boost service in 2013!

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact Teresa, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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There is alot of buzz this week about Best Buy and its not about what they sold, it's about what they gave away.  Evidently a customer was sent four EXTRA Ipads in a shipment.  The customer was honest enough to let Best Buy know and they said in so many words 'Just Keep 'Em!'

It's safe to assume that had Best Buy given the customer an RMA number, we would not be reading about this event.  Nothing is as powerful for media or staff motivation than a great positive story about doing the unexpected for a customer.  In my keynotes and training, I like to use stories from my Common Sense Service book for this very reason.  A story is memorable and marketable.  What stories do you have in your company that you can share?  How about offering a reward for the best service story... make a rule that it can't be 'about me, by me', it has to be about a co-worker who went the extra mile for the customer.  This will do more to boost your service than any five bullet points in a customer service policy manual!

Worthy of note is another comment I saw in a blog post about the Best Buy situation.  Someone shared how they had a similar situation with Amazon, and Amazon wanted them to ship the items back at their expense and insure them.  When the customer balked, Amazon threatened to charge the customer's credit card for the items.  Lesson learned - what you do or DON'T do to make it right will make the news.  Here's hoping you are like Best Buy and taking advantage of opportunities to send out good news to customers and media alike!

(To read article in Huffington Post about this event, click HERE)

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact Teresa, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com  or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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While you are out there shopping this holiday season, make sure to take note of the customer service lessons waiting for you!

 

• Does that retail clerk smile even when five people are in line, three of them shouting questions?  After all, that's not much different then when you are in your office fielding calls from customers who all ask you to 'get back with me today!'  Do you organize your day and your desk so a customer doesn't get lost in the shuffle of a busy day?
• If you are looking for a specific item and the store doesn't have it, do they give you info on how to find it elsewhere?  That's not much different than when a potential client wants a product you don't have.  Do you just say 'Sorry, we don't have that.' and hang up?  Or do you say, 'Thanks so much for asking.  We don't carry that, but I know some of our customers have found that at XYZ Company.'  Remember, you are building a relationship, not just handling a transaction.
• Are you irritated when a sales clerk seems to be more interested in a personal conversation with a co-worker than you Christmas shopping list?  Even if you are not a retail business, clearly communicated policies re cell phones and putting the customer first are important keys to a successful customer service effort.
• Lessons from the holly and sometimes not so jolly season are out there and waiting for every business person who is willing to learn from the University of Holiday Shopping.  Get your mental notepad ready.  Your next lesson may be wrapped up with a big red bow!

 

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  Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines available for purchase on her website.

 

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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

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1. Company Error
2. Customer Error
3. Pollicies and Regulations

Staff needs to be trained on how to react and respond to these specific conflict areas as each demands a different strategy.

1. Company Error  - If your company has made an error the error should be corrected and the customer accomodated without a big explanation of how and why it happened.  Often a service representative's first response is a lengthy explanation of the how and why when all the customer wants is for you to FIX IT!  After reaching a satisfactory resolution, some analytical customers will probe as to the "how could this have happened".  At that point, it is fine to give a brief explanation, being careful not to say anything that will destroy the confidence of the customer for future purchases.  The reason it has to be done in this order is that now the customer can listen openly since they have reached favorable resolution.
2. Customer Error - At times, your customer may do something that leads to an error.  An example would be a bank teller depositing money in the wrong account resulting in overdraft charges.  There is a big temptation in this type of scenario to first educate the customer on how to avoid this mistake in the future.  While you do want to educate, again you must FIX IT first!  If you educate first, your instructions will fall on deaf ears as that is not the immediate concern of the customer.  In some customer error situations such as this one, there is also some fault on the part of the company.  i.e. the teller should have verified which account the deposit was for since the customer forgot to bring a deposit slip in with them.  Thus there may be an education opportunity not just for the customer but also for the service representative on how to avoid this happening in the future.  This is why I strongly advocate staff meetings where employees openly discuss mistakes that have happened to avoid the same customer service blunders  in the future.  If one person has made a mistake, it is very likely someone else will as well.  Unfortunately, some organizations run in a fear mode - fear of being caught in a mistake.  This is totally unhealthy and should be avoided.  Reward staff who have a low level of mistakes, do NOT punish staff for making mistakes.  Often those making the least mistakes are also those offering the lowest level of service as they never 'put themselves on the line' for the customer!
3. Policies / Regulations - Everyone has heard the adage - FIX the problem, don't fix the blame.  If a company policy has been violated, be careful not to waive it for a customer as you are basically training them to do it again.  Yet you still have to find a resolution that is satisfactory and builds not breaks down the relationship.  A federal or state regulation is a bit of a different animal.  This is the one time where your customer service training should focus on placing the blame elsewhere.  'Mr. Jones, I would like to be able to do that for you but unfortunately, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT will not allow me to!'  Why this emphatic response?  First, the customer is less likely to argue or negotiate with you when a law is involved.  Second, if you can't do something because a law disallows it,  should your organization be diminished in the eyes of the customer because of it.

In my customer service conflict training, I write specific role plays for each of these scenarios and have staff act them out.  Through living through these specific scenarios in a training environment, they are more likey to project confidence in an actual customer service conflict situation.  Confidence is a huge asset in any such close encounter with a customer!

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact Teresa, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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There has always been a debate on whether scripting for customer service reps will make them sound too mechanical and less spontaneous.  A recent interaction with American Express highlights exactly why scripting at least as a guide is necessary.

My daughter was about to travel out of state and had lost her debit card.  I had an extra card on my American Express business card with her name on it since she sometimes does work for me.  I told her she could use it on her trip and made a call to American Express to make sure the card was still valid since it had not been used in a long time.  I was assured all was good to go.  A few days later, I was called by my daughter who told me that charges were being denied.  (Now we won't even get into why she was charging $3 and $5 items to my gold card!?)

I called American Express and they transferred me to the fraud protection unit who lifted the hold on the card and said she should have no further problems using the card.  Fast  forward 24 hours and again I get a call from my daughter saying that again charges were being denied. 

At this point I am a bit ticked off.  I had spent a good twenty minutes the previous day clearing up the matter and since on vacation did not look forward to going through it all again.  When I realized that they were going through the exact same process that had failed the day prior, I asked to speak to a supervisor.  It was a Saturday evening at 5pm.  I was told that the supervisor was in a meeting and would not be out for over an hour.  'On a Saturday night your supervisors are in a meeting?' I was a bit skeptical about there being a meeting of supervisors at 5pm on Saturday.  'Surely you have some supervisor who can talk to me... you are a big company!'    She put me on hold and came back and said that no supervisor could talk to me.  I then asked her how SHE could explain that after I had approved all future charges on this card in a specific location by my daughter, WHY this happened again.  Her reply?

 "Maam I'm sorry but our sytem is beyond our control." 

Seriously?  This is what American Express wants to convey to me when I am upset... that their system is out of control?

I was promised a call back by a supervisor.  Big surprise - that call never came.  So Lynn RVPG... (that was her rep number given to me when asked) maybe you never told the supervisor I was upset?  Not a good call!  If you did tell a supervisor and they never called back, even worse!

Lessons we can all take from this customer service close encounter?

1. Review possible scenarios that will cause customer angst
2. Determine causes to avoid such scenarios
3. When service failure occurs, have a scripted explanation that builds confidence in your company - not destroys it
4. Have supervisors available at all times if possible; Sometimes your customer just needs to talk to a voice of higher authority
5. If a supervisor is not available and a front line rep gives a promise of a call back, make sure it happens

One final thought:  what are the expectations of the level of service provided by your firm or organization.  In this case we were talking about American Express, so my expectations were pretty high.  When you market based on an expectation of a high level of service, you are in greater danger of a higher level of dissatisfaction when service failure occurs!

 Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact Teresa, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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I guess it was appropriate that I was having my morning tea when watching a piece on the 2012 Olympics on the NBC Today Show this morning.  What followed was a lesson in motivation and success from 15 and 16 year olds so powerful that I had to use my DVR rewind button 6 times to make sure I accurately captured the insights on success from these tiny competitors.

The interviewer had just joked with them asking if they had practiced their English accents and tasted English food.  Then it got serious.  "After all, this is not all about having a jolly good time.  What does it take to compete at this level?" she asked.

Get your pens out because you will want to save this and ponder on the words of these young women whose dedication has earned them a place on the international stage:

• "Years and years of hard work and passion for the sport"
• "Pushing yourself when you fell like you are exhausted and you can't do it any more"
• "It's just amazing to know that if you have a dream and you love something so much that you can get there if you put your mind to it"

Is there any business or business professional who could not gain by taking these words to heart?  Years and years of passion and hard work (no quick road to success), pushing through exhaustion knowing that it will pay off in the long run, having a dream and vision of success and a determination to get there; all these are necessary to build a business and build personal success.

Good luck ladies.  We will be watching.  But no matter the outcome, you have already won life lessons more valuable than gold.

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact Teresa, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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The J. D. Power 2012 Customer Service Champions report identifies key practices of brands that provide exceptional service.

1. Hiring the Right People and Empowering them with the Best Processes
2. Employees given Ability and Authority to make Judgment Calls to Resolve Customer Issues
3. Understand Customer Differences to offer the Right Products through the Right Channels
4. Consistency in Branding and Delivery of the Service Experience, particularly across channels & customer touch points

The study also reveals dramatic information about the impact of customer service on repurchase intentions:

Note that in most industries the difference in repurchase rates with customers who were simply please vs. customers who were delighted is HUGE.  There is a double digit increase  in repurchase rate between these two categories.

Are you simply pleasing your customers or delighting them?  What are you doing to train customer service staff to bridge the gap between pleased and delighted?

To download this exceptional report follow this link:

https://pictures.dealer.com/jdpower/12ea79a70a0d02b7014443193be6f066.pdf

Teresa Allen is author of Common Sense Service: Close Encounters on the Front Lines and is often asked to speak at customer service meetings and sales meetings and conventions to share her expertise.

To contact Teresa, call or email at tallen@AllenSpeaks.com or call 800-797-1580. This article may be reprinted if you include this contact information.

 

 

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In preparation for a presentation to a client recently, I was asked to stress proactive vs. reactive service. They complimented their account reps on being very good at reactive but saw the need to go to the next level and be more proactive.

What are some steps for an organization wanting to be proactive?
1. Know your customer
This would seem obvious but you cannot be proactive in servicing a customer if you don't know much about them. Understand their wants and needs and how this specific customer type will use your product or service and it will open up all kinds of proactive customer service and sales opportunities

2. Pay attention to the customer's communication style
Does your customer like to think and reflect or are they a Nike Just Do It person. Being proactive with the former type may require sitting on your hands a bit and letting them have time to think about the customer service solution you have proposed. The Just Do It customer wants you to act and act quickly.

3. Suggest complimentary products
Services that will save time or money or offer security or convenience may be of benefit to your customer. Proactive customer service is your fastest road to a cross sell if you are willing to listen well for additional needs. These needs must be explored if you are a good cross sell detective.

A great example of proactive service can be found in my Common Sense Service book. I discuss a time when renting a car in San Antonio and asking for directions to The Alamo. The representative said she had ‘no idea' how to get there. I contrasted that with another rental car that pulled out a sheet of pre-printed directions when I asked how to get to a specific location. By anticipating the needs and using previous encounters with customers as their guide, they were offering a high level of proactive customer service. What about you? Are you simply reacting to customer requests or going the extra mile and being proactive in every customer service close encounter?

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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

 

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