Customer Service

Some Fundamentals

Shaun Corrigan

November 2009

Seen this before??

Because……

So, what is Customer Service?

How you interact with your customers –

• BEFORE

• DURING

and AFTER the transaction.

Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game….

YOUR Service WINS the game!

Customers – who are they?

Anyone who completes a transaction with you…….

EXTERNAL MARKET

and

INTERNAL MARKET

Customer Service is not a department – it’s an attitude!

• Product Knowledge• Good Manners• ‘Can do’ attitude – go the extra mile!• Personal Appearance• Eye contact• Smile• Helpfulness – when the customer wants it!• The entire organisation is part of the

Customer Service Process!

Because trying this DOESN’T work with unhappy customers!

What do customers expect?

• Reliability

• Assurance

• Tangibles

• Empathy

• Responsiveness

Reliability

• Define the service / item required

• What are the specifications and tolerances?

• When are the delivery deadlines?

• What guarantees are needed, pre- and post- service?

Assurance

• Suitable levels of product knowledge for customer facing staff

• Appropriate level of interrelation with customers e.g. friendly / courteous

• Staff to appear confident, knowledgeable, trustworthy

Tangibles

• Staff to wear correct attire – uniforms, formal, casual?

• Staff to possess adequate linguistic skills

• The work environment – is it tidy, clean - i.e. businesslike?

• Letters, brochures, web pages – are they: clear, concise, user friendly, properly branded, spelt correctly?

Empathy

• Are staff showing adequate and appropriate empathy and attention to customers?

• DO THEY REALLY CARE?

Responsiveness

• How quickly should you respond to customer requests?

• If there is a problem, what is your complaints procedure?

• Are staff fully trained in your complaints procedure?

• AGREE A DEADLINE WITH THE CUSTOMER AND STICK TO IT!

In the final analysis…..

IT’S ALL DOWN TO YOU!

SHE’S BACK AND SHE’S ANGRY!!

What do customers NOT expect?

TO BE

IGNORED!

Or this will happen to your relationship….

Customer Service

Some useful tools…..

What is Customer Satisfaction?

How a product or service –

• MEETS

• EXCEEDS

or FAILS TO MEET customers’ expectations

Turning Difficult Customers into Happy Customers (1)

• Assume the customer is telling the truth: ‘The customer is always right.’

• NEVER argue with a customer

• Be honest if you don’t know an answer to a question

• Say ‘Sorry’, if appropriate

Turning Difficult Customers into Happy Customers (2)

• Really LISTEN to the complaint – find out what it really is

• Invite the customer to offer a solution• Try to offer what the customer wants (within your

authority), or find someone who can• If your solution is unacceptable, explain clearly

what will happen next and when• Make sure the response to the customer

happens as and when promised!

Give them what they want…

• Give your customers what they want, not what you think they want!

• How?

• ASK THEM!

Stop problems before they start…

• Find out how happy your customers are with you.

• How?

• ONGOING FEEDBACK!

• Learn from mistakes – even critical feedback is good feedback. LISTEN!

REMEMBER!

• Most unhappy customers don’t want the stress of complaining

• Perhaps 5% of unhappy customers will complain

• Up to 95% of unhappy customers don’t complain –

• YOU JUST NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN!!

A good attitude to practice...and keep practising!!