In this rapidly changing economy, one of the biggest
challenges telephone companies and other industries face is how to keep pace
with the constantly evolving business world. Many companies seem to think the
answer is to throw millions of dollars into technology that will help them
"manage" their business. Unfortunately, telecoms and other companies fail to
ask this key question: "How does this investment impact our customers?"
Customers have a choice of who they do business with. In today's world, there
usually is very little that differentiates us from our competition on the
pricing front. But your level of service is one area where you can clearly
stand apart from your competition. Good service means happy customers and
happy customers have a positive impact on the bottom line. Your employees
deliver that crucial quality service. So if it's easy to justify a sizeable
investment in technology, why do so many companies find it difficult to invest
in developing and polishing the skills of their employees through effective
training? Employees with the fastest computers and most recent cutting-edge
software systems drive customers away with poor service. Oftentimes, employees
have not been trained on the most basic of customer service skills. Let's take
a quick review of the primary areas where your employees should be using
exemplary skills. Creating a positive first impression - The operative word in
this skill set is first. We've all heard the saying "you only have one first
impression." As corny as that may sound, it's so simple and so basic that it
can't be ignored! We do have only one opportunity to create that first
impression. Customers often formulate their opinion within the first few
seconds on the telephone. While a call may be the 50th for your employee, it
is probably the first for your customer. Do your employees understand how
vital those first few seconds are to creating a favorable impression with your
customer? How they greet the customer, the tone and volume of their voice and
the words they choose - all of these factors impact the customer's perception
of your business. Active listening - Do your employees listen without
interruption? Do they ask probing questions to better understand the
customer's needs? Do they provide feedback to make sure they have clear
communication? Do they confirm the details of the customer's request and does
the customer know when they can expect to have a solution to their problem,
have their product delivered or have their service hooked up? Dealing with
customers' emotions - Are they trained with the skills to communicate empathy
when a customer calls frustrated or upset? Through active listening, can they
identify the emotion level of the customer and react appropriately? Do they
communicate sincerely that they care about the customer and their concerns?
Does the customer feel like your employee is really there to help create a
solution to their problem? What to do when things haven't gone right - Do they
know what to do with an angry customer? Do they understand how important it is
to let the customer talk, without getting emotionally involved in the
conversation? Asking the right questions to understand the customer's needs
most times leads to the creation of a solution and, therefore, satisfies the
needs of your customer. Do your employees know what these questions are? Do
they thank the customer for taking the time to call and provide the company
with feedback? Mistakes are opportunities for improvement! People call
companies every day angry, upset and frustrated for one reason or another. The
skills your employees possess can make the difference between retaining a
loyal customer and the customer telling 20 other people about their poor
customer-service experience with your business. Research shows that 90% of
customers with a complaint will still do business with a company if they feel
someone really listened to their problem, even if they weren't able to solve
it. Are you in this 90th percentile? Expressed appreciation - Do your
employees end every phone call by expressing sincere appreciation to the
customer for their order and for choosing to pick your company to do business
with? If the call was for support, do your employees suggest in a warm and
friendly manner that the customer call back again if they have any additional
questions or concerns? Do they communicate to the customer that they really
care about them? Delivering a consistent level of service - If a customer
calls your company in the morning and then calls back 10 minutes later, will
they receive the same friendly service with both calls? Do you have a few
"shining stars" and the rest are falling from the sky? Use training to make
sure your galaxy is full of shining stars! Empowered decision making -
Training is important but are your employees empowered to make decisions on
the spot to resolve customer concerns? Studies show that 96% of dissatisfied
customers will still continue to do business with a company if their problem
or concern is handled on the spot. Motivate, recognize and reward your
employees for the behaviors you desire! The harsh reality is this - you can
provide employees with skill training day in and day out, but what is it that
motivates your employees to change their current skill sets to provide the
kind of customer service that keeps customers coming back? What's in it for
your employees? Do you have an ongoing program that augments training by
rewarding employees for providing excellent customer service? Ask your
employees what types of recognition would be important to them. Recognize them
in a variety of ways for a variety of skills so that you demonstrate to them
how important it is to provide awesome customer service. Develop a reward
program that recognizes more than just the top performers! Recognize those who
are improving their skills. Exemplary customer service is not rocket science.
But most people do not naturally possess the skills to deliver it and,
fortunately, people are not computers. We cannot be programmed for
performance. We must be taught! How much money are you willing to invest in
training to help your staff develop the necessary skills to become shining
stars?
About the Author David Saxby is president
of Measure-X, a Phoenix, Arizona, measurement, training and recognition
company that specializes in customer service skills and employee retention. He
can be reached at 888-644-5499 or at david@measure-x.com. Visit the Measure-X
web site
