CUSTOMER SERVICE

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OBJECTIVES

Realize the importance of customer service in the business world Understand the role of a CSR Learn the skills essential to customer service Appreciate the need for professional telephone etiquette Learn to handle different kinds of customers Learn to make and receive business calls

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WIIFM

Enhance your professional telephone handling skills Improve communication and customer handling skills Enhance interpersonal relationships Learn the art of building rapport, and empathy Learn the skill of active listening Learn questioning techniques Learn to provide excellent service to different kinds of

customers Learn to handle and resolve customer complaints

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WHAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE ?

A sequence of activities that help to enhance the satisfaction of a customer.

These are: identification and satisfaction of customer

needs timely service provision of value added services

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POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

Greeted the customer in a warm manner

Made the customer feel valued and important

Was pleasant and willing to help

Listened actively to the customer

Understood the needs or requirements of the customer

Did not make false promises to the customer

 

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NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE

  Made the customer feel unwelcome

Was rude and discourteous to the customer

Did not attend to the customer immediately

Imposed personal preferences on the customer

Was unresponsive and did not clarify the customer’s doubts

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NEED OR WANT

A need is something you should have, you can’t do without it.

Food, Water

A want is something that you would like

to have but not something that you can’t live without.

A Gucci bag, Ipod

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CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS

Respect and recognition Help Comfort, compassion and support A friendly smiling face Understanding To be made to feel important To be listened to with empathy Satisfaction Trust and trustworthiness A quality or product or service at a fair price

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MOMENT OF TRUTH

An opportunity to form an impression when a customer comes

into contact with any facet of the organization.

It could be a negative or a positive impression

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CUSTOMER DELIGHT

When your experience goes beyond expectations

and brings joy to you.

When you experience a wow factor in every

moment of truth

CUSTOMERDELIGHT

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CUSTOMER DELIGHT

MEETING EXPECTATIONS : SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: DELIGHTED CUSTOMERS

NOT MEETING EXPECTATIONS: DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS

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INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS

INTERNALCUSTOMERSEXTERNALCUSTOMERS

External Customers: receives products or services from another company – HP selling laptops to ISRO

Internal Customers: the various departments of an organization-HR, finance, accounts…..

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SKILL SETS FOR A CSR

 Positive Attitude Commitment to Help Organizational Skills Ability to Multi-task High Attention to Detail Relationship-Building Skills Effective Communication Skills Ability to Prioritize Effectively Follow-up Skills Teamwork

CUSTOMER CARE Credibility

Accessibility

Reliability

Excellence 

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BUSINESS PHONE ETIQUETTE

TELEPHONE TIPS

•Speak directly into the mouth piece•Don’t eat or chew gum while talking.•Don’t cover the mouthpiece, it distorts speech•Take a deep breath before you open the call•Sound enthusiastic and welcome•Smile, the warmth is carried through•Use the right tone of voice•Be careful of your language• Avoid company or technical terminology•Be patient and helpful always•Give your full attention to the caller

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USING YOUR VOICE

Tone –enthusiastic and interesting

Pitch – low

Rate of speech – medium

100 to 140 words per minute

Volume – not too soft or too loud

Choose your words with care

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ANSWERING A CALL

Pick up that receiver within the second or third ring

Identify yourself and the company.

– Thank you for calling Cairo Cars. How may I help you?

Cairo cars. This is Hossam Al Mahmud., how may I help you today?

If Hossam is not at his seat and Ahmed is there –

– Hossam Mahmud’s line. This is Ahmed speaking. May I.........

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PLACING ON HOLD

– “May I put you on hold?”

Or – “May I place you on hold?”

– “Mr Abdeen, I am working on pulling up your information on the system. This seems to be taking longer than usual. Could you please continue to stay on the line?”

 – “Mr Abdeen, thank you for your patience.”

Or

 – “Mr Abdeen, thank you for being on hold.”

 

 

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CALL TRANSFER

Seek Permission

– “Mr Abdeen, I would need to transfer your call to the accounts department. Would you please stay on the line while I transfer your call?”

Call the department or the colleague in the other department 

– “Hello, this is Azza calling from Customer Service. Hi,Basel, I have a customer by the name of Abdeen who needs some information with regard to the pricing structure of product CN 456L. May I transfer his call to you?”

 

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CALL TRANSFER

Thank Mr.Abdeen for being on hold, give him the name of the person to whom you are transferring the call, the department and the telephone number if needed.

– “Thank you for being on hold. I appreciate your patience Mr.Abdeen. I have a representative from the Accounts Department who will answer your questions. His name is Basel. I am now transferring your call, please stay on the line.”

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CLOSING A CALL

Use closing phrases to indicate the end of a conversation.

– “I am glad we were able to help you with this.”

 

State the action you will take.

– “Mr.Abdeen, I will be sending a representative

to your residence within the next two working days

I will keep you informed of the time. He will lead

you through the installation of the product”

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CLOSING A CALL

Indicate the follow up action that you would take

– “ Mr. Abdeen, You would need to send us the signed documents by the end of the week which is the 25th of June.”

Thank him and say good bye

 

– “Mr.Abdeen, thank you for calling Ninetel.

Have a good day.”

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HANDLING DEAD AIR

WHAT - A space of time in a telephonic conversation when both the caller or the receiver does not talk creating a lull in the conversation

HOW - keep the customer informed step by step of what you are doing

“Just a moment Mr Foley, let me pull up your details and I will be able to tell you what has happened to your order. Oh yes, there it is...I am looking at your order, Ok, it says here that the order was shipped out... Now let me switch to the order details screen and check the dates, one moment, ah, there it is...I see it was shipped on the 8th of August through FedEx, I also have the tracking number.........”

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CALL STRUCTURE

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CALL FLOW

OPENING A CALL

– Greeting

– Introduction

– Offer to help

DEVELOPING THE CALL

– Verify

– Establish rapport

– Ask questions

– Empathize where needed

– Paraphrase

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CALL FLOW …….

PROPOSING A SOLUTION

– Evaluate options

– Propose solutions

– Lay out action plan

– Indicate time frame

GAINING AGREEMENT

– Clarify

– paraphrase

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CALL FLOW

CLOSING A CALL

– review your plan of action

– include time lines as well.

– Thank your customer

– close on a positive note.

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THE SEVEN STEP FRAMEWORK

GREET

LISTEN

RESTATE

RESPOND

EDUCATE

CONFIRM

CLOSE

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PROBING SKILLS

A process of asking questions

Probing skills are used to

– determine the needs of a customer

– seek clarification

– understand the action that needs to be taken

to solve the problem or provide a solution.

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TYPES OF QUESTIONS

 

Open Ended Questions

– Closed Ended Questions

Probing Questions

Leading questions.

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OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS

  Access to more information

Puts customer at ease

More involving and engaging for the customer

Helps to build on a conversation

Encourages a two way conversation

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CLOSE ENDED QUESTIONS

To get specific information  To gain commitment To reduce options To seek reassurance  To gain confirmation/affirmation  To speed up a process  To cut off a conversation

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QUESTIONS…..

PROBING QUESTIONS: An open-ended question which has a follow up

“What specifically about the new tariff plan are you finding difficult to understand?”

LEAD QUESTIONS: Questions that lead to a particular answer that you wish to ‘hear’

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PARAPHRASING

Parallel

Paralinguistic

Parabola

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PARAPHRASING - COMPONENTS

Base statement: seeks to gain the attention of the person and inform them that you are trying to see whether you have understood the entire message

Repetition of main issues: Rephrasing what the customer has said in your own words

Questioning to check understanding: Asking a question to the other person to confirm whether your understanding of what was said is correct.

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PARAPHRASE - HOW

Keep the customer informed step by step of what you are doing

“Let me see if I have understood this correctly, You are saying that you ordered the Harry Potter series of 7 books a month ago and you haven’t received it as yet but the cheque was cleared soon after you ordered the book. Is that correct Mrs. Aniston.”

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RAPPORT BUILDING

Rapport two way connection a relationship of understanding. a basic human relations skill. Essential social skill

It is a person’s ability to build a harmonious relationship based on mutual trust and understanding.

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HOW TO BUILD RAPPORT

Open the call with a smile. - a smile can be heard, it carries through your voice

Ask a friendly question to show your interest and enthusiasm. Listen with concentration and do not interrupt until the customer

has finished speaking Use words that he has used Acknowledge the customer’s feeling, empathize

and show him that you are concerned about

his situation and willing to help Be professional but do not be stern

or condescending

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EMPATHY

A capacity to understand another person’s emotion or state of mind.

OR

To understand a situation from another person’s point of view.

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SYMPATHY or EMPATHY

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SHOWING EMPATHY ON CALL

Show your interest using phrases that convey your interest in his conversation

Be patient and do not interrupt the customer while he is talking Respond using your voice Show that you care Take time to listen to your customer Listen for the content of the customer’s communication. Use active listening skills Don’t use careless language

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SHOWING EMPATHY ON CALL

Show the customers that you understand their “pain”

Use comforting statements such as: “I can understand why you would feel that way.” “If I were in your shoes I would feel the same way” “I would be disappointed too if that happened to me”

Use “we” statements when possible rather

than “you”.

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HANDY EMPATHY PHRASES

“I see what you mean.”“I can see why you feel that way.”“That must be very upsetting.”“I understand how frustrating this must be.”“I’m sorry about the inconvenience.”“That must be really inconvenient.”“You're obviously feeling very frustrated at having to wait so long.”“That must be terrible.”

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LISTENING SKILLS

Have you realized that while we are taught to read, write and even speak, no one teaches us how to listen?

The process of communication as a whole can be broken up into four components which are speaking, reading, writing and listening.

It is interesting to note that though we spend a fair amount of time hearing things, we spend only 25 to 50 percent of that time actually listening.

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LISTENING vs HEARING

Hearing is passive, an involuntary response - a physical ability

Listening is active and involves hearing, paying attention understanding - a skill that can be developed

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STAGES OF LISTENING

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TYPES OF LISTENING

False listening: when the listener pretends to listen

Initial Listening: The listener takes in only part of the conversation

Selective Listening: Listening only for particular kind of information and deleting others

Full listening: The listener pays close attention to what is being said with adequate pauses for summaries and testing for complete understanding.

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BARRIERS TO LISTENING

Lack of attention Internal and external distractions Frame of reference - the cultural or social

context by which one interprets the message Semantics and language differences Prejudgement- biases and prejudices Lag time- discrepancy between Rate of speech and thought Generalization, deletion and distortion of information

 

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ACTIVE LISTENING

Active listening involves behaviour that shows there is mutual understanding between the customer and the CSR

It involves listening fully for meaning both implicit and explicit.

Remember: Any conversation is a two way process ,aim to listen 75 % of the time and talk only 25 %.

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HOW TO LISTEN ACTIVELY

Pay attention

Acknowledge the listener

Reflect, paraphrase and provide feedback

 Defer judgement

Respond appropriately

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SHOW YOU ARE LISTENING

To show encouragement: Can you tell me something more about it?

To seek clarification: Can you help me understand this?

To summarize: I hear you are saying.....

To acknowledge: I can see you seem (feeling)

To validate a feeling/emotion: I can appreciate why you feel that way.

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DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

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WHY CUSTOMERS GET DIFFICULT

Deadlines promised and not met Product not up to the expectation of the customer Poor after sales service Lack of professional behaviour on the part of the CSR Lack of follow up Delayed response from CSR Improper planning on the part of the organization and thus a

loss of time for the customer Inadequate knowledge of the service or product

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MY CHECK LIST

Keep your cool and be in control of the situation.

Focus on the situation or the problem that the customer is relating to you.

Do not focus on the person or be judgemental about him/her.

Remember when a difficult customer calls up he is angry or upset with the product service or organization - not with you as a person

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MY CHECK LIST

Learn to first deal with the emotional state of a person first

Remember that any customer wants to be respected and treated as an individual.

Learn to recognize difficult customers in the early stages of a call so as to be equipped to provide an adequate response.

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INDECISIVE CUSTOMERS

Unsure of their needs or wants Will spend hours deciding what to buy Seek constant clarification Suspicious of what you say Live in constant fear of making a wrong choice

Remember: These customers will take up a lot of your time and keep you engaged

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HOW TO DEALWITH THEM

Initially greet these customers Restate the benefits of the product/ service that you are offering Assure him about the qualities of the product Ask as many questions so as to gain information Listen actively and be alert to the verbal and non verbal cues Suggest suitable options to aid the process of decision making Reassure and reinforce security, protection, warrantee and other

concerns Assertively guide them in their choice

How to

deal

with

them

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DEMANDING CUSTOMERS

Domineering by nature Insecure people who strongly feel the need to be in control Constantly finds faults with the organisation. Pushes you against the wall

Remember: They will use their wily tricks to force you to respond in a manner they want

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Don't be provoked ,be calm and collected Be professional and do not react in a hasty manner Use the customer’s name to draw his attention

and apologize where appropriate and necessary Be assertive Reiterate with the customer what you can do Negotiate where possible if it is within the purview of the

organization’s policies and procedures Provide an alternative if possible

How to deal w

ith th

em

How to

deal

with

them

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RUDE AND INCONSIDERATE CUSTOMERS

Offensive in their manner of speaking. Raise their voices when speaking Use abusive language Demand to speak to the supervisor

Remember: They may come across as confident and self assured, though most often such people are insecure and defensive. They often use such tactics to draw attention

to themselves.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

  Remain in control of the situation

Stay calm

Maintain an even tone of voice

Don’t reply in a hasty manner

Be patient and keep cool.

How to

deal with

them

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TALKATIVE CUSTOMERS

Friendly warm people Love to connect with others and have a conversation They are by nature talkative Sometimes lonely and eager to hear another human voice.

Remember: Although it might be pleasant to talk

to such customers they tend to

take too much of your time.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Remain warm and friendly Acknowledge comments, but stay focussed Step in when there is a pause in the customer’s conversation Interject in a tactful manner when required Ask open ended questions to gauge the customer’s needs Summarize and paraphrase to ensure that you understand As soon as you have the information in hand switch to close

ended questions to restrain the customer from continuing Interject with suitable product related questions when you find the

conversation slipping out of control

How to

deal with

them

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PASSIVE CUSTOMERS

Will listen to you patiently

Hesitant to voice their opinions

Unwilling to commit themselves to a decision

Responds with hesitant phrases such as “hmmm, uhhh, OK, I see.....”

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Listen and keep them involved Be patient and continually reassure them Offer simple explanations Assist them in their endeavour to come up with questions Interject with close ended questions so as to confirm their

understanding Give references of other customers who have were satisfied

with similar solutions so that they feel reassured

How to

deal with

them

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DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS

  Pessimistic in attitude Will resist all your efforts to help them Feels victimized Constantly complains and feel annoyed

Remember: Such customers believe that their situation is the most important in the world and must be addressed

immediately. They can be quite draining on your energy.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Don’t interrupt when such customers speak Stay focussed and positive, interject with positive comments when

you can Do not waste your time trying to justify a mistake Don't patronize or pacify such customers Tell them you understand how they feel Ask questions that are open ended to verify information and

paraphrase to confirm understanding Choose an appropriate course of action

How to

deal with

them

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IRATE/ANGRY CUSTOMER

Wants someone to take notice of them Feels justified in being angry Gives them a feeling of being in control  Abusive Wants explanations not excuses Intolerant of condescending or authoritative behaviour Not willing to listen to you

Remember: Anger is a sign of frustration. Irate customers behave so, to intimidate and appear more powerful than they feel.

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WHY AM I ANGRY?

I can push you around

Offense is the best form of defense

I feel powerful

I’m unhappy with the service

I feel let down and cheated

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Remain objective through this entire transaction

Be assertive and not aggressive or passive Remember that an angry customer is angry at the product, service

or the organisation and not at you Keep your cool Calmly but assertively tell the customer that although you want

to assist him/her, you cannot do so until they provide the information

 Reassure the customer Use statements that will ease the customer’s frustration

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AND THEN……..

Determine the cause of the problem Make it a point to listen actively Do not rush to offer an apology for allegations Do not pass judgment Negotiate a solution Ask for the customer’s ideas and implement them if it is possible Ask specific questions Follow up to ensure that everything goes well

How to deal w

ith th

em

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CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Studies show that only 4 percent of dissatisfied customers will tell you so,96 percent go away and of that,91 percent go elsewhere or simply do not return..

Remember: Complaints are opportunities in disguise because they are telling you where you can bring in a change or make an improvement.

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COMPLAINTS ARE OPPORTUNITIES

COMPLAINTS

IMPROVEMENTS

SATISFIED

CUSTOMERS

IMPROVED BUSINESSIMPROVED BUSINESS

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KINDS OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Product or Service Specific

Long wait Time

Miscommunication

Uncaring staff

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TOP CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

– Debt collection - Banks call to collect outstanding loan amounts.

– Auto sales

– Credit cards

– Home repair construction

– Internet goods and services

– Predatory lending and mortgages

– Telemarketing

– Auto repair

– Auto warranties

– Telecom related complaints

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COMPLAINT HANDLING STRATEGIES

Acknowledge the customer’s grievance, let him calm down Don’t look or act defensive, keep calm. Listen carefully, make notes and give feedback Empathize with their feelings Don’t patronize when you apologize Discuss solutions and corrective action Agree to the action required depending on your level of

empowerment Follow up-you are the one point contact for the customer, try to

be the one point solution as well

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LIST OF HANDY PHRASES

What to use What to avoid

I can.... You will have to

Tell me about it.... Yes, but......

Certainly.... That’s not possible.....

I understand... You are wrong....

May I explain...... Don’t you understand.....

Let’s see what we can do….

Whatever.....

Yes, however, what we can do is.....

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SERVICE RECOVERY

It is compensating the customer for the harassment that he has gone through and then adding value so that he stays loyal for life.

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SERVICE RECOVERY PROGRAM

Apologize: Apologize sincerely on behalf of the company

Restate: Restate the problem like the customer described to make sure that you understand what the customer means

Empathize: Let your customer know that you know how they feel

Restitution: Time to now gather brownie points

Follow up: Find out if your customer is truly satisfied 

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EMAIL AND CHAT SUPPORT

Customer Service through email and Chat support is fast replacing voice based services.

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ADVANTAGES

Email and chat services are more secure They can be accessed anywhere at any time Chat or email history can be saved and archived for future

reference Reduces operational costs like fax, telephone and staff Customers get personal attention Greater flexibility in terms of time

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE

The DOs Check the email address of the person you are writing to Use the appropriate greeting or opening salutation Divide your message into paragraphs with a line space in between

each paragraph Make each point clear in a separate paragraph Check if all the necessary details have been given in your

message Fill in the “subject” line after you compose your email and keep

it “SMART”

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Follow a logical sequence through your message Close your message with a proper salutation Put in your name, designation, office address, and telephone

number Check your message for correct grammar, punctuation, and

spelling Use capital letters to begin a new sentence. Use capital letters for

all proper nouns even if they occur in the middle of a sentence

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Check to see whether you need to use a question mark or a full-stop and use them accordingly

Be careful with words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Examples: stationary, stationery

Take care with the way you express humor or sarcasm as email cannot convey intonation as can be conveyed in speech. Your message can be misunderstood

Always maintain a professional tone in your business messages even if you are replying to a rude one

Use positive language

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE

DONT’S Do not start a mail abruptly take the time to greet the person Do not sign off as “service desk”– use your name Do not clutter your sentences together in one long paragraph Do not capitalize every word; it is considered “shouting” in

netiquette Do not use ambiguous language Do not clutter your messages with unwanted words and phrases Do not put all the points together into one paragraph Do not use jargon, slang, sms language or short forms in business email Do not use a demanding or rude tone

•  

X

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APPROPRIATE USAGE

AVOID USE INSTEAD

We would like to ask you to PleaseVisualize SeeAssist Help Purchase Buy Utilize Use Obtain Get Sufficient Enough In view of the fact that AsConduct an investigation investigateMake a decision decideattempt tryPlease be informed that the meeting will be held on Monday the 24th December 2010

The meeting will be held on Monday the 24th, December 2010

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SOME PHRASES ….

I will / I can…Tell me about itWe apologize

May I explain…Certainly

I would be happyI understand..I assure you..Yes AND…

Yes HOWEVER…