FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tom Ellis
February 5, 2005 Ellis Communications, Inc.
Phone: (417) 881-5635
Email: tom@elliscomm.com
PHOENIX, Ariz. – These are
challenging times for those in the utility industry who provide
customer service. Communication is a large part of the problem“If we could all
walk in one another’s shoes – from customers to vendors to co-workers
– we would gain a perspective which would ease the challenges of
running a profitable business,” says David Saxby, president of
Phoenix-based Measure-X, a company that specializes in helping
utilities improve their customer service and sales. “But customers
don’t care about utility employees’ challenging times. What they do
care about is that utility workers demonstrate they care in their
actions and words.”
Saxby urges utility
employees who provide customer service of any kind to take the
following survey to assess how well their service skills come across
in their daily actions. They should answer each question with a
numerical response as follows: 1 is Never, 2 is Rarely, 3 is
Occasionally, 4 is Often and 5 is Always.
1. I greet every
customer in a courteous and friendly manner whether in person or on
the phone.
2. I use a
pleasant tone of voice and choice of words.
3. When my
customers speak to me concerning their needs and problems, I listen
carefully.
4. I tell my
customers that I appreciate their business.
5. I do not use
technical jargon. I use terms that my customers understand.
6. I am friendly
with my customers whether or not they are friendly with me.
7. When I make a
promise to a customer, I follow through.
8. I identify my
customers’ needs and appropriately match our products and services
to satisfy their needs.
9. I try to
resolve unhappy customers’ challenges in a way that is satisfactory
to both of us.
10. I apologize
for the problem the customer has experienced and try to resolve it
promptly. When a customer complains, I realize that it’s an
opportunity to solve the problem because the customer wants to
continue to be a loyal customer.
11. I look at the
problem from the customer’s perspective.
12. I smile when
I interact with a customer in person or on the phone.
Now add up the
numerical answers. A score of at least 60 is excellent, according to
Saxby
“If your score is
lower than 60, your commitment to superior customer service may not
always be evident in your daily customer interactions,” Saxby says.
“Consistency of mood and attitude is critical in service. Treating
people well – or not – according to one’s whim of the moment is not
what service excellence is about.”
Saxby offers the
following tips to improve customer-service skills.
·
Give a friendly greeting. Say “good morning” or “good
afternoon,” then state your name and ask how you can help the
customer.
·
Smile! A smile always comes across in your tone of
voice whether on the phone or in person.
·
If a customer is rude, don’t take it personally. He
or she is probably having a bad day and did not intend to take it
out on you. Be polite and friendly. Make it a good interaction so
the customer can come away with a good feeling. Perhaps you can get
a smile out of the customer. Being rude back, whether intentional
or not, can escalate the problem.
·
Find out what your customer needs or wants. Then help
them get it.
·
Show customers that you care about their concerns.
Listen to their concerns and work to solve the problem to the
satisfaction of everyone.
·
If you don’t know the answer, don’t just tell the
customer you don’t know. Ask if you can place them on hold while
you find the answer or ask them if you can call back. If you are
going to call back, remember to get their name and phone number.
Then get back to the customer promptly.
·
Thank the customer for calling or stopping buy.
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Measure-X is a measurement, training and recognition company that specializes
in customer service and sales skills. For more information on Measure-X,
call 888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at www.measure-x.com.
