World
Class
Customer Service
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Customer service is an art. Unfortunately,
most small business owners don't think of it that way. Most
companies adopt a strictly reactionary posture to customer
service. Customer complaints or requests are dealt with as
efficiently and quickly as possible.
Relationship enhancement techniques, which
are so crucial in the sales and marketing process are largely
abandoned once a prospect becomes a client. Over time, customer
interactions become infrequent and antiseptic. In my opinion,
this is an extremely poor way to conduct business.
This type of behavior has two principal
sources. The first is what I refer to as the "post-honeymoon
syndrome". Once the prospect becomes firmly entrenched as
a paying customer, there is a tendency to sink back to our
"pre-courtship" antics and return to business as usual. Of
course some of this is both natural and necessary. The realities
of running a hectic business do not allow for prolonged periods
of intensive attention and lavish gift giving. Unfortunately,
in business - as in marriage relationships, the tendency is
to move to the opposite extreme of complete neglect.
A second common reason that most of us don't
proactively manage our customer relationships is out of a
sense of fear. I call this the "don't rock the boat syndrome".
The flawed assumption here is that no news is good news. If
we can somehow avoid communicating with the client then we
can go about our daily activities in ignorant bliss - presuming
that all is well. Hopefully this simply means that we find
reasonable excuses not to call our clients - particularly
those where there is some suspicion that all is not well.
In extreme cases, however, it might mean that we are actively
avoiding potentially unpleasant conversations with a customer.
Not accepting their calls, for example, or worse yet, pretending
to be someone else when you discover who is on the line.
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You know you have a problem if:
- You have your pre-schooler deal
with all problem calls while you hide in the closet.
-   You realize that you need
to make an urgent call to your mother-in-law (who you have
also been avoiding) at the exact moment the customer call
comes in.
- Whenever the phone rings, you
quickly turn off your lights and hide under your desk hoping
your secretary will assume you've gone for the day and just
take a message. (Trust me, this never works. Inevitably
you will hear your secretary say, "Oh, wait just one moment,
I think I see him hiding under his desk. Yes, there he is.
I'll put you right through to him.")
- You purchase a voice-disguising
device from your local spy shop.
- You purchase a set of heavy-duty
interior dead bolts for your office door.
- You start working the swing
shift.
- You have your office phone number
changed.
- You give instructions to the
local phone company to designate your new phone number as
"unlisted".
- You get a legal name change
and begin wearing goofy disguises to the office.
- You record a message on your
personal answering machine that greets all customer calls
patched through by your secretary with a message that says
(in a high pitched nasal voice) "The number you have dialed
is no longer in service. Please check the number and dial
again."
- You install Caller I.D. on your
personal office phone.
Communication (more is better)
Direct and frequent communication with clients
will allow you to continually monitor their attitude toward
your product or service. It will also give you the opportunity
to identify and correct small quality or service failures
before they grow into major problems. You should be aware
that expectations and perceptions can vary dramatically from
client to client. Different clients have different needs.
What works wonderfully for one client may not necessarily
please another. Many times, a minor change in your operation
can mean the difference between a happy and an unhappy client.
The problem is that customers are not always direct and forthright
in bringing things to your attention.
A client may feel that you are providing
poor quality or service but be reluctant to say so. The client
may slowly simmer for several months in quiet frustration,
never giving any outward indication that there is a problem.
You can be sure, however, that behind the scenes they will
be frantically searching for a potential replacement for your
company. Then, seemingly out of the blue, they announce that
you are on probation or worse yet - terminated.
Continual proactive communication is the
backbone of customer service. It is almost certain that you
will experience a number of start-up problems as you begin
a new account. Frequent and sincere communication with a new
client will mitigate negative perceptions by allowing you
to discuss the challenges that you are facing and explain
the steps you are taking to bring the start-up problems under
control.
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Customer Service Strategy
There are two key components to a successful
customer service strategy.
1. Set Realistic Expectations
Setting realistic expectations with the
client up-front is one of the most important things you can
do to make your job easier and keep your customers happier.
It is absolutely imperative that you sit down with each client
at the beginning of the relationship and explain that there
will likely be some start-up issues which could go on for
several weeks as you work through the personnel and system
changes necessary to start a new account.
2. Communicate Daily with the Client
If you do experience problems as you begin
a new account, acknowledge them as typical start-up issues
and then enumerate the steps you are taking to resolve them.
Most clients will be reasonable as long as they know you are
aware of the issues and doing your best to overcome them as
quickly as possible. Do not be overly defensive - it is important
that you come across as confident and in control of the situation.
Of course it is not enough to acknowledge
problems and promise solutions. You must work diligently to
follow through and provide the solutions that are necessary.
Communication will not get you off the hook indefinitely.
You must ultimately toe the line. Appropriate communication
will simply help buy the time you will need to effect necessary
changes.
Be Bold - Ask!
One of the most effective ways of identifying
problems is simply to ask the client where you stand. This
seems a simple enough matter, but the reality is that it can
be quite intimidating. It goes back to the "no news is good
news" theory. Most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of
directly soliciting criticism. Unfortunately, the news that
is not exciting today will become decidedly less exciting
the longer it festers unresolved.
Listen
Effective customer service is about listening
to your clients. This means talking 20% of the time and listening
80% of the time. Most of us are not programmed for this type
of interaction. If you find yourself doing all the talking,
stop! (talking that is). A good customer service person is
really just a poorly paid therapist. His job is to help the
client divulge what it is that is really bothering her and
then provide hope and direction for a possible resolution.
This implies that the real work is not in solving the problem
(although that will certainly require work), but in coaxing
the problem out into the open where it can be analyzed and
dealt with. This is the secret to good customer service and
it requires a certain element of trust. Hopefully this trust
has been developed over the course of the sales cycle. Generally
it is this sense of trust that has led to your employment
as a service or product provider.
In most large corporations, whenever there
is a major service problem or quality failure that potentially
jeopardizes the revenue relationship, the person dispatched
to mend the relationship is usually the sales account representative.
This is because of the relationship of trust that has been
developed over time between the sales person and the client.
If you are personally involved in the selling
process then you should feel comfortable going out and meeting
with the clients. Even if you get to the point where you hire
a full time sales person, it is always appropriate for you
to accompany the rep on an important customer service call.
The client will be flattered by the additional attention and
will respect your ability as the owner of the business to
marshal the necessary resources to resolve the problem.
Be Direct and Specific in Soliciting Feedback
You should be aware that the customer is
probably just as uncomfortable with confrontation as you are.
He will often be reluctant to vocalize concerns. Therefore,
it is generally insufficient to simply ask "So, how are
things going?"
To the untrained and inexperienced customer
service representative the terse response of "fine" brings
a wave of relief when in reality both the question and the
answer were cop-outs.
You have to be far more specific and creative
in your inquiries if you expect meaningful dialogue to ensue.
For example, you might say something like:   "I've
been meaning to visit with you about our service. How have
we been doing? Are we consistently meeting your expectations?"
Depending on the answer, a follow up question
might be in order. "What can we do to improve?" or "What
would you like to see us do differently?"
One of the advantages of this type of approach
is that it gives the customer the opportunity to express concerns
without hurting our feelings. The implication of a properly
phrased question is that you realize that your service is
not perfect and that you are sincerely seeking ways to improve.
Another advantage to this approach is that it allows you to
receive feedback on your terms. In other words, you are very
likely to get a pleasant, albeit direct response if the customer
perceives that you are truly interested in identifying and
solving problems. If you wait for the client to become so
frustrated with a problem that he feels compelled to bring
it to your attention then the balance of power has shifted.
No longer is the issue being discussed on your terms. The
chances of an unpleasant confrontation go up considerably
in this instance. Ultimately the end result may be the same:
the problem will be identified and resolved. The client's
perception of the two situations however, will be quite different.
In one case you came forward and took responsibility for a
potential problem at an early stage. In the other case the
client had to get involved to manage the problem. Over time,
companies that are willing to be proactive and shoulder the
burden of problem management will be rewarded. These will
be the incumbent firms whose contracts are always renewed
(much to the frustration of their competitors). Once a customer
finds a competent contractor, they are extremely reluctant
to make a change.
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Dealing Professionally with Complaints
One of the sad realities for most small
businesses is that quality performances will generally go
unacknowledged by most clients. Problems, on the other hand,
will quickly be brought to light. This is one of the primary
contributors to the "no news is good news" theory. If a client
takes the time to call, you can generally count on it not
being to point out how wonderful your work has been. More
commonly the client will want to discuss either an additional
and often burdensome request or a specific problem. There
are a number of key points that you must remember whenever
you receive such a call.
1. Stay calm.
This may seem like a trivial thing but if
the client is harried or frustrated - or worse yet, downright
angry, it can easily rub off on you. Anger and frustration
are not conducive to a rational and objective discussion.
2. Take the time to listen.
Sometimes you just need to let the client
vent her frustrations. While this is not always pleasant,
it is sometimes necessary to allow for a subsequent productive
dialogue. Let the client have her say without interrupting.
Allow her to tell you her complete story (or at least her
side of it) without back pedaling, interrupting, or trying
to defend yourself or your company. Silence can truly be golden
here. If the client launches into a particularly lengthy tirade,
you may want to take the time to manicure your nails as you
peruse the newspaper or conduct other busy work while cradling
the phone on your shoulder. While I say this somewhat tongue-in-cheek,
I want to make the point that you must receive the complaint
with a certain degree of detachment - not to be confused with
ambivalence or indifference. If you take the complaint personally
you are more likely to become defensive and stop listening
and less likely to respond objectively and professionally.
3. Clarify your understanding by restating
the problem or request.
Once the client completes her explanation
of the problem or request it is important that you summarize
what you were just told and then check to ensure that you
have a proper understanding of the issue. For example, you
might say something like:   "Let me be sure that I
understand the problem. You're saying that the last batch
of product you received from my firm was the wrong style,
the wrong color, and the wrong size - and on top of that it
arrived two weeks late. Is that correct?"
Once you have restated the problem, wait
for the client to acknowledge your understanding of the issue.
4. Tell the client you will research
the problem and call them back.
Unless the problem is of a very routine
and simple nature I would always recommend that you call back.
Generally, a call of this type will catch you off guard. You
may not be in possession of sufficient information to respond
appropriately. Offering to look into the problem and call
back will do two things for you. First, it will give the client
a chance to calm down. Second, it will allow you to gather
information and build understanding so that when you do call
back you are in a position to take command of the conversation
rather than simply apologizing profusely or offering up lame
excuses.
5. Call the client back with a meaningful
and well thought out solution or explanation.
If you commit to call the client back, make
sure that you indicate when you will call back (within an
hour, for example), and then go out of your way to meet that
commitment. Be sure to give yourself adequate time not only
to come to a proper understanding of the problem, but also
to develop a solution (if possible). The thing you need to
remember is that periodic problems are inevitable in any business.
Most clients are realistic enough to understand this. Your
clients will not expect perfection. But they will expect you
to be responsive to the problems that do occur. What is more,
they will expect a timely response. Problems can be forgiven
and forgotten, but an indifferent attitude or an insensitive
dismissal of a problem that is important to the client will
be long remembered.
In order for your follow-up call to be effective,
you will need to be prepared to explain the problem from your
companies perspective and then immediately propose a realistic
and meaningful solution to the problem. If the problem is
something that can be fixed, then it should be fixed. If it
cannot be fixed, then you need to offer up a palatable explanation
as to why the problem occurred and outline a plan to guard
against a recurrence of the same problem. Above all, don't
promise a solution that is unrealistic. The client is not
expecting a miracle, he just wants to know that someone is
on top of the problem.
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