I don't know what happens in your home but in ours, everyone wants to watch a different channel!  And today there are certainly a lot to chose from.  In the world of service it is the same, there are many channels available for customers to receive service and every customer wants a different one!  Just like you and I, our customers tune into different channels at different times. Sometimes they may wish to chat, and other times they want to be able to speak to a live voice.

A robust CRM can track customer preferences across many channels.  If you are a large business who can afford to use such a tool great!  Get the data entered and use it to serve your customers in their channel of choice.  But what about smaller businesses who can't afford the expense of this?  You can still offer customers a choice of channels!  Just make sure that you communicate what is available and how to access various methods of communication.  The more you can automate this, the better of course.

What we do know is that customers are OK with simpler forms of communication like chat for simpler issues.  When it gets complicated, they want to talk to a person live and don't want to have to go through ten frustrating menu selections to get to the right person.  If you haven't called your own business lately... it might be time to do just that!  See how quickly you can get help for a myriad of issues.

Knowing your customer journey is not optional in today's service world.  Make sure you know the points of contact, points of stress, and what channels your customer prefers at various steps on the customer journey.  Whether automated or just the old fashioned way... ASKING... you will build better relationships by letting your customer chose his or her own path!

​Teresa Allen has been listed on ​Global Gurus list of the world's top Customer Service Experts for 8 years with two years at #1.  She is often asked to share strategies for customer service success at meetings held across the globe.  Teresa can be reached through her website at www.AllenSpeaks.com or via telephone 850-460-7105.  This article may be reprinted if this credit box is included.

Clear Communication
If anything has intensified during COVID it is the amount of communication that is needed to keep customers abreast of continually changing business practices, policies, product availability etc etc etc!
When a communication is given to customers it must be in their channel of choice, and spelled out in clear terms so that no confusion arises.  Even communication on WHERE to find such communications is important in today's rapidly changing environment.

Concise Communication
Time is of the essence in today's customer world.  They do not have time to sift through multiple paragraphs of a communication in order to distill it down to what could have been written in two sentences.  Make communications as brief as possible and as easy to navigate as possible with headers, bullet points and the like to enhance readability.

Courteous
Several years ago, Dimensional Research put out a study on what makes a customer encounter 'good' or 'bad' in the eyes of the consumer.  One of the top five qualities of a 'good' encounter is that the representative was NICE!  Now that is common sense if I have ever heard it - yet how many of us have had encounters recently that were anything but NICE?!  We can blame it on short staffing or product delays or any of twelve other reasons but the bottom line is this... BE NICE and courteous to your customers or they will find someone who will!  

A great exercise in my customer service training programs is called "Saying it Better".  We look at things that people actually have been heard saying and participants are asked how to Say it Better by making the statement or questions more clear, more concise or more courteous.  Common Sense right?  Give me a call if you need a Common Sense Service wake-up call at your business!

​Teresa Allen is ranked #5 on ​Global Gurus list of the world's top Customer Service Experts.  She is often asked to share strategies for customer service success at meetings held across the globe.  Teresa can be reached through her website at www.AllenSpeaks.com or via telephone 850-460-7105.  This article may be reprinted if this credit box is included.

I live in Northwest Florida, aka the 'Panhandle' or Emerald Coast.   We are known for the most beautiful beaches in the world.  While many tourist destinations suffered during COVID, we are in the midst of an unparalleled BOOM in tourism.  Since we are a drive in market, families who don't want to cruise or go abroad are now driving here.  Some of them were already familiar with us and others are first time visitors.

So what could be the challenge when people are flocking to your door?  MANY!  Here are just a few:
1.  As is true for many other locations, we have a shortage of employees to serve the huge onslaught of travelers who are now coming not just during peak season but at other times when seasonal employees are not available.
The result is wait times at restaurants and attractions that are far longer than regular visitors are used to experiencing.
2.  Due to increased demand, pricing is elevated over past year levels that returning guests were accustomed to.
3.  Traffic is a nightmare.
There are more but let's just focus on these 3 and how to handle them from a guest service perspective:

1.  Shortage of staff/increased wait times
Since this is fairly universal across the country now it should not be a shock to guests, right?  Wrong.  Remember they are coming here to avoid their regular life so anything that is short of paradise can be a disappointment.  So how should this be handled?  Here are a few ways:
   a.  Set Realistic Guest Expectations
Anything a business can do PRIOR to the guest experiencing unusual wait times is a proactive appreciated approach.  Some examples would be telling guests the best time to avoid crowds such as early and late dinners, or to make reservations ahead of time for a specific time.  Or having happy hour specials so they can enjoy themselves while waiting (and spend more!)
   b.  Show appreciation for Guest Patience - this can be verbal by employees, and in print on a sign at the door.  Let guests know that there is an area wide shortage of staff (it's not just US!!) and that your team is doing their best to serve patrons in an expeditious manner.

2.  Elevated Pricing
Here is where I am going to get on my mini soap box.  If you gouge guests when times are good, don't be surprised if they go elsewhere when times are bad!  I have actually heard tales from the crypt of properties canceling long standing reservations because demand is now so high that they could get more dollars.  Really???  Do this and you are damaging not only YOUR reputation but that of our entire region.

3.  Traffic is a nightmare. 
They say success can kill you.  Well on the Emerald Coast if success doesn't kill you traffic just might :)
If something negative is a reality the best we can do is train staff on how to respond when the expected complaint is received.  So Suzy Tourist complains that 'Traffic is HORRIBLE'.  Your front line staff could respond - "Yeah... just try living here - it's a nightmare!"  That is what is called 'jumping in the boat' with the customer and in this case the boat is sinking.  Instead be ready with a positive response... "You know traffic is a challenge these days - but you and I both know why... this is the BEST place to vacation in 2021!  Thanks for coming - hopefully things will be a bit calmer on your next visit!"

Hospitality is not accidental.  It is an ART.  Make sure your artists at your property or venue are well trained in the fine points of service.  Build business and relationships NOW when you don't need any more guests and they will flock back when things are not quite as busy!  If you need help with this let me know.  My 'Winning Guests Through Service" program may be just what the doctor ordered for your DESTINation symptoms!

​Teresa Allen is ranked #5 on ​Global Gurus list of the world's top Customer Service Experts.  She is often asked to share strategies for customer service success at meetings held across the globe.  Teresa can be reached through her website at www.AllenSpeaks.com or via telephone 850-460-7105.  This article may be reprinted if this credit box is included.

As a customer service speaker, I am a frequent traveler on multiple airlines. Over the past week, I have received communication from several airlines re changes in policies amid the Coronavirus spread.  As a customer, I felt some were far better than others and thought it would be interesting to evaluate a few of them from a customer communication / customer service perspective.

Delta excerpt:
While we’re committed to providing you with information you need to make informed decisions around your travel, we also understand the need for flexibility based on your individual circumstances. To make sure you can travel with confidence, we’re offering flexible waivers, and we’ve also adjusted our network in response to guidance from the State Department.
Allegiant excerpt:
We understand your decision to travel at this time is personal and many factors are involved. If you would like to request a change to your travel plans at this time, you may do so without incurring a change fee. 
American excerpt:
To offer customers more flexibility, we are pleased to announce that we will waive change fees up to 14 days prior to travel for travel purchased between March 1, 2020 (4:30 p.m. CST) and March 16, 2020 (11.59 p.m. CST). 

The first comparison is HOW and from WHOM the communication originated. 
Delta and Allegiant communications came in the form of a detailed, signed letter from the CEO whereas American’s communication was more brief memo style without an author.  What are my thoughts on that?  Since American’s came first, it did not really impact my opinion UNTIL receiving subsequent communications authored and signed by other airline CEOs.  This is interesting, because it points out that our communications can be contrasted and compared to those of others in our industry and in the overall business world in general in an evolving process. Upon receiving the second detailed letter from an airline CEO, my opinion of the American communication dropped drastically downward.

The second comparison is on the clarity of communication.
The signed letter communication from the CEO of Allegiant and the memo from American were the clearest and most easily understood.  I did not have to reread their communications several times trying to understand what they were saying.  I had to struggle with even what paragraph to extract and reference from the Delta CEOs letter.  Even after doing so, I found myself rereading it several times with a “Whaaat?” question going off in my brain.  Flexibility based on individual circumstances, flexible waivers… what does that mean?  Are you letting me change my plans without a penalty or what???

The final comparison is re the policy and whether it is adequate and fair. 
Since the Delta communication was not clear on what the policy is, I can’t even evaluate it, and thus it drops to the bottom of my rating on this criterion.  Allegiant comes out on top of American as it APPEARS Allegiant is saying that I can change my travel plans if I think that is necessary based on my life and concerns, not theirs.  American, on the other hand, falls to the bottom because it appears to me that their entire policy is structured on how THEY can do better on future bookings in contrast with Allegiant who is saying that they will allow me to change even existing already booked trips based on how it impacts my life.  (Please note that I have not ‘tested’ this to see if this is actually the case, and thus do not know what restrictions if any would be placed on me when asking to do so. It is also important to note that Allegiant is a domestic only carrier and thus can better afford to have a more lenient policy than those airlines impacted worldwide.) 

Customer communication does not happen in a vacuum, especially in a time of crisis, for either the company or the consumer of goods and services.  Prior to communicating with customers, evaluate the three areas discussed here to see if you pass the ‘smell test’ on your communication.  First, make sure the right person is authoring the communication at the right time and that your customer knows WHO is authoring the communication.  If your CEO cannot ‘sign off’ on the communication, especially in a time of crisis, perhaps it is not the right communication.  Showing the CEO is concerned about the situation, and is directing attention to it, is another reason to have them send out and sign the communication if it is an important one.  Second, make sure the communication is crystal clear, so customers know where they stand and whether or not they are happy.  It would obviously be a good idea to get some customer eyes on the communication prior to distribution so you know for sure where it leaves you on that scale.  Finally, is the policy being articulated in the customer’s best interest or in yours?  The crisis will eventually pass, but your customers will not soon forget what you did for them during that time of crisis.  None of this is easy and, in some respects, we are in uncharted waters.  This points out that many of these communication strategies should be discussed and planned well in advance of the necessity to implement them.  If we learn nothing from this event, that should be a critical lesson for the future!

Teresa Allen is a world recognized customer service expert and customer service speaker.  She has been included on ​Global Gurus list of the world's top Customer Service Experts for five consecutive years.  Teresa is often asked to share strategies for customer service success at meetings held across the globe.  Teresa can be reached through her website at www.AllenSpeaks.com or via telephone 850-460-7105.

This article may be reprinted if this credit box is included.

What are the factors that make a front-line employee as likeable and does this impact your business success? Here are just a few common sense factors that I have seen in my 25 years of observing and training customer service team members:
​

1. Smiling and Friendly
2. Attentive
3. Knowledgeable about Products & Services
4. Sincerely Willing to Help
5. Thankful
   
   Let's look at each of these and see where we need to enhance our efforts...

​​
Smiling and Friendly
​​If there was ever any common sense it would be to hire friendly people to serve customers! But what gets in the way of that? Several things come to mind. For one, in a booming economy the pool of available workers is tight leading us to take 'whatever we can get'. This is a dangerous strategy as our good times prepare us for the roller coaster that inevitably will arrive. If we have not identified the qualities that are non-negotiable, we may hire people that are a turn off to customers and cause us to lose business. When speaking for HR groups on customer service I point out that noticing the first seconds of a call or in person interview with a prospective employee are critical. A few seconds is all that your customer will take to determine if they like the person 'across the counter'. HR law today is so complex that this is often overlooked in the effort to avoid a lawsuit! The other hiring issue is that many firms eliminate a vast number of employees through algorithms used in the search process. While this is important, it may also eliminate a person who would shine in a REAL encounter with a human being.
Once hired, the training department must have a way to convey the importance of friendliness that starts with a smile. But caution should be used as a smile with an upset customer is as bad as a lack of a smile in a standard interaction. The bottom line is that people do business with people they like. HIRE likeable people and train them in the fine points of making the customer feel welcome at all points on the customer journey.

Attentive
We have all been in customer service transactions where the person serving us is either completely inattentive or simply distracted. Whether on the phone, online, or in person, a customer must feel that they are the center of attention. I will never forget the story a friend relayed to me years ago about going to a department store with her young son to buy some linens. It just so happened that the toy department was adjacent to the linen department. As she was handling her purchase, she heard her son speaking loudly. She turned around just in time to see her son holding a stuffed animal, looking it squarely in the face and shouting, "Look at me, LOOK AT ME!" Obviously, the young boy had heard his mother saying that to him on previous occasions. Our customers are silently saying "PAY ATTENTION TO ME... I am paying your salary!" Peronalizing attentiveness by asking the customer's name and then using it is critical to making the customer feel important and valued.

Knowledgeable about Products & Services
It would seem that training employees on product and service attributes would be common sense. Why is it then, that many of us ask questions of an employee only to be told they don't know. The likelihood of this can be magnified in a strong economy. If we are lucky enough to get a good employee to replace on who has left or to handle our growth, we have the temptation to get them working with customers as soon as their foot hits the front door. We must remember that we are only as strong as our weakest link. It is not only a tight labor market it is a highly competitive consumer market. Customers today not only expect but demand that customer service representatives know what they are talking about. This is why mentors and job shadowing are critical to the training process. While training is critical, experiencing what really is asked on the front lines with a veteran at your side will build confidence and expertise in a new team member. At a minimum new and long time employees need to have a knowledge of internal resources, both human and documentary to help when they don't immediately know the answer to a question from a customer. "Let me check on that for you" is a vastly better response than "I don't know." Once again... common sense but for some reason a response that is not always given!
 
Sincerely Willing to Help
There is a vast difference in the first impression received by a customer when they perceive that an employee is helping because they want to versus have to. If a customer service representative demonstrates an eager desire to serve, the customer will forgive a myriad of other transgressions. Many of the traits discussed previously in this article combine to project this eagerness. A smile combined with attentiveness and a mastery of product knowledge give the customer the impression that the service representative is ready and willing and eager to be of assistance.
What can get in the way of this sincerity of service? Obvious scripting! Notice I said OBVIOUS scripting not all scripting. Scripting is an important part of training, particularly in the call center environment. But training with scripts has to allow the flexibility of personalization, or it can sound robotic and insincere. The worst thing we could do to a customer is have their first point of contact be a robotic chatbot followed by a living breathing human who sounds like a robot! If you have hired a friendly employee as is recommended in step one, don't make them into a zombie with canned responses!

Thankful
Even in a strong economy, it is critical to let the customer know we appreciate them and their business. Once again, this is common sense but I challenge you to think of the last time you were in a customer encounter... did you thank the service rep before they thanked you?! I often catch myself doing this and then thinking, "Why did I just thank them for taking my money???" This is not to say that we as consumers should not be thankful for great support from caring representatives. But it does say that our representatives must look for opportunities to thank the customer even before the end of an encounter. Once again, this should be spontaneous and not sound scripted! "Mrs. Jones, thank you for explaining your situation... that will truly help me to assist you better."
A great way to thank the customer at the end of a call, a chat, or a live close encounter is to pave the way to the next encounter or transaction. "It was such a pleasure helping you today. We look forward to helping you soon with your next purchase!"

Smiling, friendly, attentive, knowledgeable, willing to help, thankful ... wishing you a customer service team embodying all of these important qualities in your customer service success story of 2020! 

​A world recognized customer service expert, Teresa Allen is often asked to share strategies for customer service success in her highly rated customer service keynotes and customer service training programs.  To contact Teresa, contact her via email: [email protected].

 My customer service keynote, A 2020 Service Strategy to Grow Your Business focuses on 5 specific strategies to grow your business through Common Sense Service. Today's article focuses on Step TWO. (if you missed the article on Step 1 it can be found HERE):
Evaluate what your organization needs to do to implement these important steps moving toward 2020:
1. Meet & Exceed Customer Expectations
2. Engage Employees Who Will Engage Customers
3. Be Millennial Savvy
4. Make It Right When Things Go Wrong
5. Build & Protect Customer Relationships Proactively

Step 2: Engage Employees Who Will Engage Customers


​According to a recent Gallup Study on the American Workforce, when front line employees have an emotional connection to your business and your products and services, the results are HUGE! The scary news is that according to this study,
only one-third of U.S. employees are engaged in their work and workplace.
Why is this important?
 Engaged Employees are . . .
·      more committed to helping your organization succeed
·      more likely to recommend improvements 
·      more likely to recommend you as employer
 
Management style and leadership is one of the keys to employee engagement. If employees feel managers can be trusted and are approachable, they will be more likely to engage. Employees want motivating and inspiring managers who are compassionate and are good listeners not just about work issues, but about their life in its entirety. These 'coaching' management traits come naturally to some, but they can require significant effort for others. What is at stake, however, is significant in a workforce with a limited pool of qualified candidates. If managers do not engage team members, they may seek alternate employment. In fact, the Gallup study notes that more than half of U.S. employees (51%) are searching for new jobs or watching for openings.

Another important aspect of engaging employees is employee appreciation. In their book, The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, Paul White and Gary Chapman point out that the WAY you appreciate employees should be individualized based on individual preferences rather than a generic approach. For example, after resolving a difficult customer situation, one employee might like words of affirmation from a manager, while another might prefer to receive tickets to a local sporting event! Think about your own organization, you have employees who would love to receive an award in front of team members at an annual meeting while others would be horrified to have to step on the stage to receive an award! Employee engagement requires taking the time to get to know individual employees and what makes them tick. This could be why larger organizations have a lower rate of employee engagement than their smaller counterparts.
​
The result of engaged employees are more engaged customers. Having BOTH employee and customer engagement can result in an exponential performance boost. Studies show that engaged customers will spend more, forgive service blunders, promote your brand, and resist competition! In the Gallup study, it was noted that organizations in the top quartile of employee engagement have 17% higher productivity, 20% higher sales, and 21% higher profitability than those in the bottom quartile. These numbers cannot be ignored by any organization striving for success in 2020 and beyond!

The bottom line is that engaged employees understand their personal connection to the success of the organization and feel valued as individuals. They believe in the products and services provided by their employer and thus are better service providers. It is worthy of note that this is the most difficult employees to accomplish this with are front line employees and line managers. If an organization solicits and values employee input, places a value on the employees themselves, and makes them believers in their mission and product line, the result is more highly engaged employees who better engage your customers generating more profitable relationships!

Stay tuned, our next article will focus on Step THREE: Be Millennial Savvy

If you are planning a meeting, give me a call and we can discuss a customized Common Sense Service program for your attendees!  860-460-7105

I was just talking with a representative of a local insurance agency who mentioned that the older clients love her.  Why?  Because they love the fact that she listens to them and takes time with them and will explain slowly any technology that they may not understand.

This is very instructive.  I often say that in service, you must be almost like a chameleon, adapting and changing your interaction and communication style depending on the different needs of each individual customer.  Now let's take a closer look at an encounter with one of these elderly customers.  The insurance rep patiently listens while the customer tells her all about what has happened in her life since last they met.  A great builder of relationships, the rep remembers that the last time the client was in, she mentioned her grandson was graduating from college.  "Ms. Oaks, I remember you mentioning your grandson's graduation.  I hope that went well.  You said he would be looking for a job... has he been able to find one?"  

The personalized customer service and attention to detail has made Mrs. Oaks a client for life.   It is not about the sale, it is about the life of her client and being genuinely interested in that life.  It also recognizes that this particular client is a bit lonely since her husband passed away and enjoys having conversation with her insurance rep when she has the opportunity.

Now here is the challenge... what if Mr. Lansford, a busy young professional is sitting outside the office while the conversation about the other client's grandson drags on and on.   Someone in the office needs to recognize that he may not be on the same relaxed time frame as the grandmother now illuminating the rep on the fantastic job her grandson has post graduation.  As a matter of fact, Mr. Lansford is getting really irritated by being kept waiting.  Unless someone steps in to offer more immediate service, he is not going to be a happy camper.

This scenario plays out thousands of times every day in every type of business imaginable in service encounters taking place in-person, via telephone and even via automated encounters.  A savvy service rep knows the fine art of balancing the spend time vs. move on and help the next person equation.  Likewise, a great customer service team knows when someone needs to be 'bailed out' of a too long conversation with a customer.

One of the best things any customer service rep can do to build customer service relationships is to address not only the needs of the current individual being served but also those who may be 'next in line'.  An astute team member buzzes in and says, "So sorry to interrupt but your next appointment is here."  The skilled service rep will be bold enough to use that message and combine it with the friendliness of the rambling customer to politely say, "Mrs. Oaks, it's been great visiting with you.  They just buzzed in and my next client is waiting. I hope you will stop in again soon!"

Here is where the chameleon needs to quickly change color.  While greeting Mr. Lansford, the rep makes a few visual observations and determines that Mr. Lansford is in a bit of a hurry and maybe even a bit irritated for having to wait.  In a much more matter of fact tone than the previous conversation this greeting follows:  "Mr. Lansford, so nice to see you.  My apologies for the wait, it has been a hectic day today."  Staying in full control of this close encounter, the rep gets right down to business... "Mr. Lansford, I have your home insurance quote ready for you.  Let's review it together!"

In your next customer service training session or customer service meeting, take the time to list several categories of customers by age, product lines, personalities, etc. and identify common traits and special needs of which you are aware.  If multiple staff members do this together it is likely to be a more instructive exercise.  After all, as a team we can all learn from each other's close encounters.  When one rep has a certain approach with a customer, that may be a successful approach to use with other similar customers.  This is also a great time to, OH NO, discuss when you have failed with a certain customer type.  Be brave enough to identify what went wrong, the why behind it and explore what different approaches could be tried with similar customers in similar close encounters.  The only bad mistake is one we don't learn from! 

Is being a chameleon being phony?  Quite the contrary, quickly adapting to the varied needs of your customers signals that you are a true professional with extraordinary customer service chameleon like superpowers.  Use those changing colors to give exceptional service to each of your varied customers! 

A world recognized customer service expert, Teresa Allen is often asked to share strategies for customer service success in her highly rated customer service keynotes and customer service training programs.  To contact Teresa, contact her via email: [email protected].

 Recently I had to call the contact center of FootJoy regarding an order I had placed on their website for golf shoes.  With a size 11 woman’s shoe, it is almost impossible to find golf shoes in local retail outlets.  In the FootJoy order process, the size menu defaults to a size 5.5 and you change it to see if your size is available.  I was excited to be able to find a pair I liked and ordered the size 11.   When I got the confirmation email it said size 5.5 ...  Oh NOOOO!

​Needless to say, Cinderella was not going to fit in those 5.5s!  I knew I had changed it to size 11 because I was excited to see that they had ONE pair left in my size.  I called FootJoy customer service.  Joe answered on about the second ring with a professional greeting, requested my name and asked how I was doing.  It immediately struck me that he sounded sincere, so I replied, “I’m great Joe, how are you?”  He said, “Wonderful, how may I help you today Teresa?” This was a great start for the conversation that followed.

When I relayed my issue, I fully expected a response that included at least a hint that I may not have selected the right size.  Not Joe, he immediately expressed regret on the order snafu and immediately focused on the future by clearly explaining what ‘we’ needed to do next for me to get the shoes the fastest.  He also commented on the fun colorful shoes I was ordering. He asked if he could put me on hold while he checked with the delivery department to see if they could still cancel the order.  In a minute or two he came back on the line and confirmed that it had not been shipped out yet and that he would be able to cancel the order. He suggested ordering the new pair right away with a separate order since they only had one left in stock in my size and knew I didn’t want to miss getting it.  He then explained how he would immediately process a credit to my credit card for the original order.  He further explained how both charges would be on my card for just a few days, but that the credit would soon appear thus rendering only one charge.  During this entire conversation, he sounded so clear and confident that I had no doubts my situation was being handled appropriately.

Think about how differently this could have gone.  I could have called and been put through a long menu of service options, followed by a hold time, followed by a rep who sounded like they could care less about me or the product I had ordered, and who instilled no confidence in a good solution.  Think about when you call customer service of a company... have you written a script in your mind of how it will probably go?  Joe was able to surpass the expectations of my mind script by a mile.  As I hung up the phone, I pondered this and realized what a clear illustration my close encounter with FootJoy was of the all important Cs of customer service:

• Courtesy from the greeting to the conclusion of the call
• Compassion for my situation evident throughout the call
• Clarity about what actions needed to be taken by the company and by me the customer​
• Confidence in outcome instilled though confident handling by the representative
  
  

Kudos to Joe and to @FootJoy for hiring and training him to maximize customer close encounters!
Is your call center using the 4 Cs of Customer Service in every close encounter?  If not, give me a call and we can discuss training in these common sense service principles. 

Remember… service excellence happens one customer service close encounter at a time.  Invest in your success!   
​
To fire up the 4 Cs of Customer Service in your organization, give Teresa a call at 800-797-1580 or email her at [email protected].  Teresa is ranked in the Top 5 of the World's Customer Service Experts on GlobalGurus.org and is ranked as a Top 5 speaker on Speaking.com. 

​At the conclusion of any year it is wise to look back a successes and failures but also to move forward with a specific strategy for improvement and growth.  The five steps below are critical for review of 2017 and planning for future success in 2018:

1. Study and prepare for your customer journey
Identify customer types and map their journey from purchase research through product delivery and customer service follow ups.  Find the specific customer touch points and analyze how you are doing and what improvements can be made.  Study customer feedback data to see where negative customer experience can occur and seek proactive customer conflict avoidance strategies.  Make sure that every employee knows how they fit into the customer journey and desired satisfaction and delight.

2. Provide customization through choice of channel and choice of product features
We are in the era of customer service customization.  Even small business must find ways to adapt to individual desires.  Whether it is a small grocer offering a choice of self service or full service or a large call center offering alternatives of hold or call back, placing the power of choice in the hands of the consumer is critical to winning customer loyalty.  Before adding customer service channels, however, every organization must make sure they have mastered the intricacies of current customer service channels.  Delving into new customer service methods before current methods are mastered is a risky venture.  If you open a Twitter account with the intent of responding to social customer service complaints and then have only intermittent interaction, it would be akin to opening a call center and only answering the phone every few hours.  Financial and staffing commitment are necessary to any customer service channel expansion strategy.

3. Listen to the customer voice
Many technologies are now available to monitor the customer voice and even to route specific voices to specific responses.  For 2018 what is your strategy for gauging customer satisfaction by listening to and monitoring your customer voice?  Simply having a ‘feel’ for satisfaction is no longer a valid strategy even for a small business.  Have a plan in place to formally measure satisfaction and delight at each touch point on the customer journey (see step 1).  Investigate customer voice monitoring and response technologies that can enhance your customer experience.

4. Make service EASY
At the holidays we know everyone is short of time and stressed out.  The sad truth is that for most consumers, business and personal, these factors now exist almost year round.  For this reason, having a handle on customer effort possibly through the use of a Customer Effort Score (CES) metric is critical to success and growth.  Once again, this demonstrates the link between many of these customer service points.  Customer effort in the eyes of the consumer may be a direct reflection by the consumer on whether you gave them ‘their’ choice of channel on their customer journey in the time frame they expected.

5. Have a social service crisis plan
One needs only to have turned on cable news or surfed YouTube videos to understand the magnitude and possible positive or even more likely negative spin that can result from even one close encounter with a customer.  This points not only to having a media crisis plan in the unfortunate case that something does ‘go viral’ but more importantly points out the need for employee customer service training on how words and actions matter critically in an extremely connected world.  Customer service policies need to be examined to see if they support the company mission or if they pose a potential risk of firestorm if they are abused or misinterpreted by an individual employee or customer.  Foster a discussion with your customer service team on what delighted them during their holiday shopping and what made steam roll from their ears.  If they had a bad experience, ask how many contacts they shared it with and if they can remember any of the many viral service blunders of 2017 and how those widely publicized incidents impacted their image of the associated company brand.  Have a plan for customer service training on customer conflict response and proactive conflict avoidance in 2018.

Review these five customer service strategy steps and have an intentional rather than accidental strategy for moving forward and you will bolster your success path and profit potential for 2018 and beyond!

Teresa Allen is the Ranked #1 on ​Global Gurus list of the world's top Customer Service Experts.  She is often asked to share strategies for customer service success at meetings held across the globe.  Teresa can be reached through her website at www.AllenSpeaks.com or via telephone 800-797-1580.  This article may be reprinted if this credit box is included.