|
|
Barter: It's Not Just for Doctors Anymore
Time was, in the country, the local “doc” was as likely to get paid with a couple of chickens as a couple of dollars. Doctors these days won’t stand for that, of course, but while some people have moved completely away from barter and stayed...
“Buzz Marketing: Marketing to non-marketable customer”.
Buzz marketing, also known as ‘word-of-mouth marketing’ ‘guerilla marketing’ or ‘stealth marketing’ is an art of human kind to involve the trendsetters in any community to carry the brand’s message, thus creating an interest in, and a demand for,...
Customers - Hold Onto What You've Got
You probably spend a great deal of your time looking for new customers or clients. However, are you sure your doing enough to hold onto the ones you've got. One of the least costly ways to grow your business is to get customers to come back and...
Dialogue: The Four Dialogic Principles For Successful Communication
"But you don't understand!" exclaimed the manager, "this new initiative is vital for our team. If it doesn't work we could all be out of a job!"
"Uh-huh... Really... Explain to me again how this new initiative is so different from previous...
Story Telling As A Tool For Trainers
Story telling as a tool for trainers - Imagery at its best
............................................
Once upon a time…………."Yeah right, don't tell us a story, we are not kids".
............................................
"If...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awesome Customer Service Requires a Three Pronged Attack
The perception in the marketplace, according to research, is that customer service is declining. Whether consumer expectations have increased or services have declined over the last few years is debatable. The fact is, perception is truth, in the consumers’ eyes.
Having stated that, some businesses still seem to excel in customer service and get rave reviews from consumers, surely they have a different strategy.
Internal Customers Remain the Same
It is my view that everyone joins a business team to do their best. It is the culture of the business that affects their performance level. There is an African saying “the boss casts a long shadow” and this is especially true when it comes to the standard of customer service we experience in businesses. Everyone wants to excel at customer service, but starts from a different point and performs to the cultural expectation levels of the business.
The consumer experiences customer service based, in my view, on the different levels: Level One: Synthetic Service Level Two: Genuine Service Level Three: Super Service Is it the understanding of the team and the implementation process that make the difference.
Synthetic Customer Service
This is based on all team members being trained to provide a ‘customer service’ act. They are given a script, told to remember their lines and to repeat the same process with every customer.
This approach is common in the fast food industry and is often criticized by many business people, due to its artificial approach. But, in my opinion, it does have a role. Not every one has the experience and attitude to provide customer service at level two or three.
Most young people do not have the life skills to move to level two or three. The same is true when employing people from a different culture to your target customer.
Companies that provide awesome customer service appreciate that not everyone will be awesome. They therefore ensure they have a rigorous training programme to make sure all team members are trained and skilled at least in level one customer service.
Genuine Customer Service This should be mainstream customer service. It is based on employing a team member with personality and then giving them confidence by providing product knowledge and skills training in selling.
Genuine customer service is often labeled Customer Relations Management. It requires team members to open conversations using “open questions”. They then rely on their listening skills and product knowledge to build a relationship and foster loyalty with the customer.
Genuine customer service has to be sincere and has to provide solutions for consumers. Therefore the sales person has to think for the customer and to think through their customer’s needs and wants. This approach ensures the consumer trusts the salesperson.
This is based on the sales person selling themselves prior to selling a product,
service or business brand.
Most of your mature team should fit into this bracket, but they will require on-going training sessions on selling, product knowledge and consumer care trends.
Super Customer Service
Super customer service is provided by your top performers. Super customer service occurs when customers perceive they are receiving service that is above and beyond what they are expecting. The customers receive acts of spontaneous kindness that delight them. As a result, they become advocates for your business, promoting your business by telling others about your awesome service.
The formula for success is: Expectation + 1
The bad news is that you cannot put this type of service standard into your company policy, if you do, it won’t be spontaneous. What you must do is ensure that team members are empowered to provide super customer service and are recognized by management when they do.
A recent example I came across of Super Customer Service was at an international airport. A family of travelers had flown with British Airways on a long haul flight and had passed through customs with a large amount of luggage. They were struggling to a rental car when they were stopped by two British Airways flight attendants in the parking area. The employees dropped everything and grabbed the family’s luggage and helped them to their rental car. Now that’s Super Service, it was spontaneous - even after the sales package had been completed by the airline.
Introducing Awesome Customer Service into Your Business
You have recognized that not everyone is going to be awesome and that a business is judged on the performance level of its lowest performer.
You need to accept that in a successful team you will have team members who will be at different skill levels when it comes to providing service.
Some team members will need a precise training programme to provide them with a script. It may appear synthetic, but given time, and training, they will move to level two.
More mature and culturally aware team members will, given product knowledge, and skills training, will be able to provide genuine customer service using open conversations.
Finally, for those top flyers, have an empowerment policy that allows them to create a raving fans policy for your business.
There are a few businesses that only need to concentrate on one level. Successful businesses understand that they need a three tier system to grow awesome salespeople who will, in turn, grow their business by creating customer advocates for the business.
About the Author
John Stanley is a conference speaker and retail consultant with over 20 years experience in 15 countries. John works with retailers around the world assisting them with their merchandising, staff and management training, customer flow, customer service and image. Visit www.johnstanley.cc or email us on newsletter@johnstanley.cc.
|
|
|
|
|
Customer Service Group: Resources for improved customer service ... |
Newsletters, books, and free online resources for improved customer service, call center and help desk operations including tools for enhancing rep training ... |
www.customerservicegroup.com |
  |
Customer Service Training Customer Service Skills Training Service |
Service Quality Institute is the leader in Customer Service Training with customer service training skills products and consulting with over 34 years ... |
www.customer-service.com |
  |
ICS: Institute of Customer Service |
The Institute of Customer Service is the professional body for customer service whose primary purpose is to lead customer service performance and ... |
www.instituteofcustomerservice.com |
  |
International Customer Service Association |
Promotes the development and awareness of the customer service profession through networking, education and research. Activities, publications ... |
www.icsa.com |
  |
Customer Service Jobs on CareerBuilder.com |
Looking for customer service jobs? Start your job search at CareerBuilder, the leader in job search sites, and access hundreds of thousands of jobs today. |
customer-service.careerbuilder.com |
  |
The New York Times Home Delivery - Subscribe |
Sign up now to save 50% on your first 12 weeks of Home Delivery. Learn more. As part of Home Delivery, you'll also get free access to TimesSelect premium ... |
homedelivery.nytimes.com |
  |
Customer service - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The modern concept of customer service has its roots in the craftsman economy ... Delivering customer service begins with understanding what customers want. ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
Customer service representatives |
When working in call centers, customer service representatives are likely to be under ... Customer service representatives working outside of a call center ... |
www.bls.gov |
  |
Customer Service Training |
Customer Service Training, Seminars, Coaching, and free articles to improve repeat business, happiness, and professional image. |
www.proedgeskills.com |
  |
Customer Service |
(It may help the reader to notice the role of customer service in the overall ... Additional Resources in the Category of Customer Service and Satisfaction ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
  |
azcentral.com faq - azcentral.com Help - Arizona Republic Customer ... |
azcentral.com faq - Welcome to the azcentral.com help center where you can find answers to azcentral.com and Arizona Republic customer service questions. |
www.azcentral.com |
  |
CafePress.com : Help Desk : Customer Service |
Email Us Send us an email and we will respond to you within 24 hours. Call Us Toll Free 1-877-809-1659 Customer Service Hours ... |
www.cafepress.com |
  |
Customer Service Week - The Celebration Source |
Provides how-to information, gifts and decorations for successful Customer Service Week celebrations. |
www.csweek.com |
  |
Nashville - Tennessean.com - Middle Tennessee Customer Services |
Customer service, advertising or news-related questions or problems (615) 259-8000. ... (615) 242-7253. Email Customer Service customer @tennessean.com. ... |
www.tennessean.com |
  |
Customer Service Institute of Australia - dedicated to Australian ... |
CSIA is a professional, membership-based body dedicated to improving the standards of customer service both at an individual level and at a corporate level ... |
www.csia.com.au |
  |
The Globe and Mail: Home Delivery Customer Care: Home |
The most authoritiative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, ... |
https: |
  |
Customer Service from FLORIDA TODAY |
We're here to bring the finest customer service to your doorstep. ... Customer Service Hours Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET Saturday: ... |
www.floridatoday.com |
  |
magazine customer service |
https://secure.customersvc.com/ servlet/Show?WESPAGE=mo/home.html&MSRSMAG=MO - Similar pages |
|
  |
Customer Service – 8 Rules For Good Customer Service |
Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers ... |
sbinfocanada.about.com |
  |
Help | IndyStar.com |
Customer Service • Terms of Service • Send feedback about IndyStar.com • Subscribe Now • Jobs with us. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the ... |
www.indystar.com |
  |
|