The Future Can’t Be Bright

If You’re Working in the Dark

 

I recently received an e-mail from a company called Planet Feedback(www.planetfeedback). They provided a list of the top 50 American companies, as rated by their customers.

I repeat:  as rated by their customers.

As I read the e-mail, I realized it would be amazing if every telecommunications company knew exactly what their customers thought of the quality of their customer service.  I’m guessing a number of telecoms would want to know where they ranked in comparison to their competition.  I’m also guessing a number of them would be afraid of what their customers would tell them.

If you’re apprehensive about knowing how your telephone customers feel about your level of service, then you’re working in the dark.  You’ve created a competitive disadvantage for your company, and you’re hurting the bottom line.  You may be losing customers because of poor employee behavior or lack of skills that could easily be rectified.

Here are some of the common customer irritants in the telecom industry.  Are you aware of them? 

• Not returning customers’ calls when you say you will

• Asking customers for information they already gave you

• Quoting rules without any explanation

• Sticking to the rules, no matter what makes sense in the situation

• Being transferred from person to person

• Refusing to listen to what a customer is saying

• Leaving a person on hold for more than a minute without checking back in

• Using technical jargon that is not familiar to your customer

• Not thanking the customer for calling

As you can see, customers could be your best critics, if only they would speak up.  But most customers don’t take the time to let someone know when they’re unhappy with the way they’ve been treated.  Instead, they harbor the resentment and at some point may choose to simply take their business elsewhere.  For every customer who complains, 26 don’t.

Consider it lost business because, unless you are one of the few who is in a market without competition, customers make the choice to do business with you, or with your competition.  Can you afford lost business?  Not likely.

It’s imperative that you understand what your customers think of you and what they expect from you.  They must feel at ease about complaining so that you have the opportunity to earn back their support.  It truly is amazing when you achieve those goals.  And there’s a bonus.  If you can meet and then exceed your customers’ expectations, customer and employee satisfaction will skyrocket!  This impact goes directly to your bottom line!

Following are five steps you can take to eliminate those customer irritants and transform your company into a customer-service powerhouse.

1.                 Create the culture you desire – Most employees are willing to do what’s asked of them so long as it’s reasonable and they have the skills to perform the job.

How clear are your standards on what behaviors and attitudes are acceptable? Is every member of your management team emulating these behaviors?  There is nothing more frustrating than a grumpy boss coming down on an employee for having a poor attitude with a customer.  What an oxymoron!

The old adage of “walk your talk” demonstrates that your culture is more than just lip service.

2.                 Empower your staff – Knowledge is power.  The more your employees understand about your company, the philosophies, marketing strategies and goals, the more effective they will be in delivering the level of service you desire.

Have you ever told your employees what the average customer pays annually for your telephone services?  Do your employees understand exactly what the financial loss is to your company if their behaviors are such that they drive a customer away?  Do they know what it costs to acquire a new customer?  If they understood that cost, they might be more apt to work to keep an existing customer!

It goes without saying that the more knowledge an employee has about their job function, the more effective they can be in their job.  Take a close look at your systems and processes so that you can strive to empower and educate employees to handle a customer from start to finish.  Obviously, this doesn’t work with every interaction, but the less a customer is “passed off” the happier he will be.

The vast majority of employees want to do a good job.  So in the process of creating a culture that breeds customer satisfaction, one side benefit is that you will also breed employee satisfaction through employee empowerment.  People love to perform and meet expectations.  Make sure they understand what your expectations are.

3.                 Provide skills development – Most telephone companies are adequate at teaching the basics of any given job.  The technical aspect is very easy to define and teach.

Most companies miss the boat if they do not train their staff on the customer service skills and behaviors they desire.  Unfortunately, a lot of us have never been taught these behaviors.  So if we understand the technicalities of our job but don’t grasp the basics of human relationships (that is what customer service is all about!), then we’re only half prepared to do the job.

4.                 Coach everyone– Communication is the key to success.  It’s imperative that both employees and managers have a clear understanding of their performance expectations and how they are going achieving them. 

While reinforcement of appropriate behaviors is critical to achieving the culture of service you desire, modifying inappropriate behaviors is equally important.  Tremendous results can be achieved if both are done appropriately.

 So what kind of culture do your employees work in?  Do they understand the importance of quality customer service and do they know how to deliver it?  Are they interacting with your customers in the dark or in the light?  It all comes down to our ability to communicate – both with our customers as well as with our employees.

 

David Saxby is president of Measure-X, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based measurement, training and recognition company that specializes in customer service skills and employee retention. He can be reached at 888-644-5499 or via e-mail at david@measure-x.com. Visit the Measure-X Web site at www.measure-x.com.