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The key to growth in any business;
whether it be the largest corporation on the planet
or someone working a home business from their laptop
on the dining room table; is exceptional Customer Service.
Customer Service can't just be "good" or "OK"; it must
be exceptional, above the bar, and above anyone who
may be competing with you for the business of those
customers.
However; there is a major difference
between a large corporation and your home business:
Customer Retention must be one of your top priorities
if you are to succeed. Target™ or Wal-Mart™ can lose
a couple of customers per month as a result of poor
customer service and it won't even be noticed; yet the
loss of one or two customers per year due to lacking
customer service can (and will) be devastating to a
home business.
The whole idea behind "Common Sense
Customer Service" is simple; if you don't provide proper
Customer Service, you fail. Word of mouth is the best
advertising venue on the face of this earth; and in
the Internet age it can spread within minutes instead
of days or weeks…sucking away potential customers to
an ecstatic competitor. Let's first take a look at what
we call "Common Sense" and how it relates to Customer
Service for your home business. The first question you
need to ask yourself (every day, every call, every e-mail)
is this: "If I were the customer, how would I want to
be treated?"
We've all probably encountered situations
where we have had to deal with a company whose product
or service we have questions or even complaints about.
What was your experience like? Would you have done it
differently on your end? If so, how? Did they show empathy
to your situation? These are just some of the questions
you need to look at when evaluating whether or not you
are going to provide "good" or "exceptional" customer
service.
If there is a complaint, you can't
be defensive or argumentative. EVER! If there is a question,
you better be ready to answer it; or provide the customer
with a call back time estimation as to when you will
have an answer if you need to contact the vendor, a
mentor, or another company to get the answer for the
customer.
Whenever possible, do not simply refer
them to another person or department, because that will
turn them off. Try to resolve the issue yourself first,
and if it is something where they in fact do need to
talk to someone else, conference them in or transfer
them to the correct department, along with contact name,
business name, etc.
Here are some basics, right from the
"bible" of some of the best customer service call centers
in the world: ?
Be Courteous: Always answer the phone
(or an e-mail) in a prompt and friendly manner. For
phone calls, always answer with, "Thank you for calling
(Business Name); this is (Your Name); how may I be of
assistance today?"
SMILE when you answer the phone. Believe
me, the person on the other line knows whether you are
smiling or not on a phone call!! This has the immediate
effect of disarming the angriest customer. They may
still be angry, but their defensive lines have already
been breached by the way you just answered their call.
?
Gather Information (LISTEN!): Get their
name (and then address them by their name); phone number,
e-mail address, and the product they use. Write it down.
It serves as an immediate reference during the call,
plus allows you to create documentation of whom you
have spoken with and when -- especially if you need
to call this individual back in the future or suspect
they may call again. ?Empathize: This is probably the
most important of them all! Show empathy (concern and
understanding) about their situation. Whether it is
a product question, complaint, billing concern, etc.
This is where "The Customer Is Always Right" enters
the equation. , even if they're wrong or simply misguided.
By listening carefully; repeating back the issue to
the customer; and not being apologetic but concerned,
you will establish immediate rapport with that customer
and break down any other defensive barriers the caller
may have. And if you're still smiling, you can disintegrate
negativity and turn this into an educational experience
and opportunity for you both.
An example of apology vs. empathy:
oApology (not recommended for most situations, shows
you are wrong, they are right, and you will never be
right again): "I'm really sorry that you are not happy
with the product. It's my fault entirely. We'll do (whatever
your resolution is) to get this taken care of. Again,
I'm sorry." oEmpathy (the right approach): "I completely
understand your displeasure with (product). I'd like
to do what I can to assist you through this (complaint
matter; descriptive, shows you were listening). First,
let me make sure I have the information correctly (repeat
issue, verify, thank them)." Move on to Resolution.
?Seek Resolution: I feel it is important to first state
a little "disclaimer" as to what you will do for your
resolution: it is up to you.
The most important thing to remember
is that there must be resolution to your customer's
question, complaint, or concern, even if it is a temporary
resolution. If you don't have a way to resolve the issue,
for good or for the short term, you might as well not
even take the call, because you will lose that customer!
This is where we step back to "Common Sense": Would
you remain a customer somewhere where they did all of
the above and then said, "Well, I really can't help
you."? What would you do? Hang up? Walk out? Demand
a resolution regardless of what they just said? **Personally;
I've been through the latter just recently.
Demanding a resolution worked for
me; I refused to leave the building (a large appliance
and electronics "Superstore") until I had my refund
and an explanation as to why they delivered a product
that wasn't even close to what I ordered. This once
again shows "The Customer IS always right"! The sad
thing is, because they didn't help me, and I had to
become a demanding and stand-offish customer (which
I avoid at all costs); that company has lost my business
forever. They tried to "appease" me with a gift card,
which I ripped in half in front of them. Why? Because
if they can't even try to resolve a problem right then
and there, then why would I ever want to buy a product
from them again? So they lost, I "won." It doesn't ever
have to be that way!** Now you must show the customer
that they are right; but so are you, so are your policies,
and so is your plan of resolution… ?
You should have solid policies and
procedures in place for your business to use as guidelines
when it comes to resolutions. ?If you are in a distributorship
type of business, be sure to have all Policies and Procedures
of the company memorized as much as possible and available
at ALL times to be able to reference in case of a complaint.
?Be open to ideas; don't use guidelines that are too
rigid. This however is a very careful balance. You need
to be able to bend, but if you bend too far, every customer
will know about it and try to get the same thing out
of you that you give a particular customer to satisfy
them. ?Be ready while listening and repeating issues
or asking leading questions to be able to have a rough
idea of what resolution will be, so there is no awkward
silence or long delay in communication between yourself
and your customer (of course this depends a bit on method
of contact, phone, e-mail, fax, or letter).
EXECUTE the Resolution. This can be
painless for you and for the customer. Concisely state
(with Empathy) the issue at hand and your proposed resolution
to the customer. Do not say "Well, our policy says…,"
as that puts the customer back on the offensive and
you on the defensive and you don't want to be there.
Disaster will follow, and you will always lose. Give
your proposed resolution not as an "Is this OK?" type
of resolution, but "We can do this." If the customer
continues to argue or disagrees with your resolution
statement, then you can bring up policies or procedures
that are in place (and the customer should have a copy
to reference themselves). Be firm about adhering to
your policies while expressing a desire to do everything
possible to resolve the issue. Do not state anything
in a defensive way.
Try to practice stating or writing
things in a way that shows you are actually "bending"
for the customer while still holding true to the guidelines
you have in place. After an issue is resolved with a
customer, there is something that should be "Common
Sense" but is often missed by many companies and individuals.
They assume the problem is solved and move on. Wrong.
The customer may have "accepted" your resolution, but
did it SOLVE the problem? This is where the most powerful
customer retention tool comes into play: Follow-up You
probably follow up with prospects and potential customers,
right? You probably even follow up after a customer
has ordered something to ensure everything is to their
liking.
Customer Service and Issue Resolutions
should be no different. This time, if the customer had
contacted you by phone and you have their e-mail address,
follow up by e-mail. If the back and forth customer
service that led to resolution was through e-mail, follow
up with e-mail and a phone call. Starting to see it?
It shows extra effort. You already placed a ton of effort
into a phone conversation, but through e-mail it is
much easier as you don't need to respond in real time
and they can't "see" the hesitation in your voice. However,
always remember, they can see hesitation in the written
word. The follow-up should be simple and should also
include courtesy and empathy.
Wait at least 24 hours if it is an
"instant" resolution; if it is something where an exchange
takes place, wait until you know the customer has received
the replacement product or service (or refund) before
doing the follow-up. Something as simple as the following
would suffice: Dear George, We at Widget Enterprises
want to thank you for your business, and wanted to take
this opportunity to follow up with you to ensure that
the resolution to your issue (Short, concise restatement
of issue here) was satisfactory and that your communication
with our company was pleasant and what you expected.
If you have any questions or concerns, please give us
a call at (555) 555-1235 or e-mail us at CusotmerService@CompanyName.com.
We'll also be sending you a short survey via e-mail
so that we may better serve our customers in the future
and ensure the highest satisfaction rate. It has been
a pleasure doing business with you, George, and we at
Widget Enterprises look forward to serving you in the
near future! Regards, Customer Service Name Widget Enterprises
Phone E-mail Follow-up is that easy.
They feel GOOD when they get a letter
like this!!! Have you ever gotten one? How did you feel?
See? If you want to do a survey, ask simple questions
about what we could have done better, etc. This gives
you the opportunity to adjust anything that may need
correction in your Customer Service Structure. I hope
you take the opportunity to use these valuable pointers
in your next contact with a customer. Have fun, help
people. Customer Retention will always follow!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ © Daniel L.
Dashnier. All rights reserved worldwide. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The author has written Quality Assurance Guidelines,
score sheets and held hundreds of coaching sessions
with Customer Service (phone), Technical Support (phone
and web chat) staff for SITEL Technology Services, Inc.
He has also written guidelines and training materials
for management and employees to use for Quality guidelines
in providing internal technical support to the over
1,450 employees of Instrumentarium USA, now a part of
GE Medical Systems. About the Author Daniel Dashnier
is a Freelance Writer, Wellness Coach and Consultant,
and Abundance "Coach in Training" based in Madison,
Wisconsin, USA. His successful Wellness Coaching includes
this product as it's Cornerstone: http://daniel.healthyoudeserve.com/
Physical and Financial Wellness can be found at this
site
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