Customer service levels matter. So what is yours?
It’s not hard to hear people saying they had a bad experience as a customer. Sometimes it’s product related but I’ll go out on a limb and say more than 80% of dissatisfied customers are unhappy because of service levels.
It might be tough to change an entire organization’s customer services philosophy and impacting a corporate culture significantly is a daunting task so rather than starting by moving a mountain let’s start with something you have absolute personal control over your own personal customer service level.
“Wait you’ve lost your mind I’m not in sales, or the customer service department so I have absolutely nothing how we inter act with customers!” This is where companies, organizations, departments, and most of all individuals fail. No matter who you are you have customers, Granted that sales is the face of the company, customer service, sales support (or inside sales), is the unseen but often heard voice of the company and your senior leadership is the face, voice and direction that sets the tone over all. Taking it one step further your customers exist outside of your professional life and includes friends, relatives and family.
So now as we often like to suggest you do it is time to take a personal inventory in this case to define who your customers are and how you affect their lives.
Be friendly- it sets the tone of the entire interaction, if you’re having a bad day do your best to put a good face on it. I’m not saying to act happy and be something your not but if you’[re a professional you very much need to learn to separate where the problem is from where it isn’t. If you’re mad at you boss don’t take it out on your co workers. Just because one customer is difficult doesn’t mean the next one will be the only way to guarantee that each and every customer will add to your own misery is to approach them that way.
Don’t be on time be early if you’ve never heard of the Lombardi rule it went something like this historic Football coach Vince Lombardi would tell his team to be ready for what ever at 7:00 which meant be there and ready to start
Communicate is more than just talking it is learning to listen actively. Engage them in the situation, ask question not only for clarifying but to create insight and find even great opportunities to m
Empathy and Emotions
Set expectations. What expectations have you set, have you verified with the customer that those are their expectations as well? A case in hand is if you think calling a person back with the answer in the morning is good enough make sure they think that is good enough as well.
Fair warning what if you know at the outset of an inter action that you can’t meet the customers needs in the time line they’ve outlined, be empathetic, be clear and concise as to why but don’t deliver that message in a cold that’s just the rules manner. Treat them exactly as you’d like to be treated, work for a compromise and keep in mind you goal of making them a happy customer.
Escalate- don’t be the hero. With out a doubt no one in history have every looked nearly as stunning as you do on a big white horse when you ride in to save the day but guess what. Getting the situation handled properly and to the best possible outcome is what matters so use the resources around when necessary. Take to you leadership of need be and while trumpets might not blare as you arrive alone in all your glory the customer might just be happier and think more of you because you helped them out so much.
Use your Judgment.
Have you structured your own behavior to match the service levels you want to deliver. Do you respond to your own internal clients and organization in the same manner that you want your own customers responded to. Do you go out of your way to make their lives easier, to help them with their goals and objectives and to understand what challenges they face and then work with them and your own customers to resolves and improve those challenges.
Do you have a personal commitment of how long it will take you to return a call. Prepare a quote and find an answer and then track and live up to it. All along the way looking for ways to improve it. Have you created a culture of customer service around you in everything you do and every person you talk to that is clear.
Are you focused on your customers needs and wants and not the easy answer, not always the fast answer but the right answer? It is easy to make great efforts to take care of favorite accounts and respond to hot prospects but how often do you strive to understand the average customer’s needs and make you service stand out from there.
We all know when the service we receive doesn’t match up to what we had hoped for or expect. Taking that in to consideration what are you doing to improve you own levels of customer service to the people who do business with you are you setting your self up to be the other company every one remembers. The one who delivered more than the promised, soon that they promised and got a customer who will stick with them and tell others about it all along the way.
Great customer service is easy to talk about but is something you must commit to personally, lead by example, deliver not only to external clients but your internal customers as well. All of which lead to long term customers, referrals, loyalty to you and your company, and oh in case you were wondering in many cases you can increase your margin and or sales just by delivering premium levels of customer service. Try it it’s contagious.
