IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 Customer Satisfaction Workshop Welcome to the Customer...

IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za

Customer Satisfaction Workshop

Welcome to the Customer Satisfaction Workshop


Customer Satisfaction and Customer Service go hand in hand - however they are

two completely different things.


Customer Satisfaction can be defined like this:

Customer Satisfaction is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company

meet or surpass customer expectations.


Customer Service can be defined like this:

Customer Service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.


You could say that Customer Service has a direct impact on Customer Satisfaction.

Therefore if you can get the Customer Service right in your business it would have a positive direct influence on Customer Satisfaction.


So now we have established what Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction mean,

but what do they really mean to you and your business?


Well in short – they mean “Do you want to stay in business or not?”

This might sound very harsh but in fact it's the truth!


As our technology market expands it is clear that more and more people can

voice their opinions on the Internet.

We all know about HelloPeter.com, but to be honest that is just the tip of the iceberg.


People also talk to each other and refer services and products which

they are satisfied with to their friends, family and co-workers.

This is called Word of Mouth, and it's important to remember that a negative experience is

usually shared with more people than a positive one!


Imagine your business was getting bad reviews on all of these platforms! What would the outcome be?

Fewer people would want to do business with you.Plain and simple, they would probably

go to your competitor.


On the other hand, imagine that your customers were using all these platforms

to tell their friends about their positive experiences with your business -

what would the outcome be?


You wouldn’t be worried would you? Business would be booming.

And when that happens it means you can expand, hire more employees, you have better

growth opportunities within your company and a bigger slice of the pie.


A big part of getting Customer satisfaction right is making sure that everyone in your business knows

what they personally stand to gain from it.

Customer Satisfaction is not a once-a-month idea, it needs to be practiced on a daily basis.


To identify the areas where we can improve customer service

we need to ask this question:

Who are our customers?

Customer service


A customer is anyone relying on you for products or services.

We can classify them as Internal or External customers.


This could be the business owner, the CEO, the Accounts department, any Employee.

Any time you ask for something from one of your employees or colleagues you are a internal customer.

If you ask Joan from the accounts department to e-mail you a statement and she never replies or is rude to

you, would you phone Joan again if you need something ?

Internal Customers


In order for us to be successful in Customer Service we need to sort out the kinks and quirks

within the organization.

Customer Service can only be implemented successfully if it is implemented and

adhered to from the top of the organization.

A standard needs to be set and be continuously improved upon.


These could be your paying customers, walk ins, or anyone relying on your services.

External Customers


Let's take a simple example:

The CEO of your company (Tim) phones one of your suppliers. He gets through to the sales manager's

secretary, Laura, and asks her to please get Robert, her boss, to phone him back with an urgent quote

on products as he, Tim, is about to close on the biggest deal ever.

However Tim never receives a reply after speaking

to Laura and after leaving several messages on Robert's cell phone.


Tim is an external customer.

Robert and Laura are both colleagues and therefore are both internal customers of each other.

Both rely on each other for them to do their work.

How would Tim feel about Robert and Laura after he lost his biggest deal ever?

Would Tim still want to deal with Robert, Laura or the company, for that matter, in the future?


Businesses do not do business with other businesses.

It is the people within a business who do business with people from other businesses.

It is important to think of it in that way to make sure you get that part of Customer Satisfaction right.

The point is the following :


Let's say Tim phoned Laura, and 5 minutes later he received a e-mail with the quote from Robert.

Tim closed on the deal.

How would Tim feel about the service he received from Laura and Robert?

Ecstatic! And he could now place a huge order with Robert. Robert is also ecstatic. Both companies benefit.


The above example also demonstrates how important effective communication is within a business and

also when dealing with other people.

We have identified who our customers are, now we need to look at how they want to be treated.


Think of a time when you were at a supermarket emptying your trolley on the till conveyer belt and

preparing to pay.

Did you get acknowledged?

Or were you just another face passing through? Were you ignored while the till attendant had a

deep conversation with the bag packer?

How Customers Want to be Treated


Customers want to be treated as human beings, not as just another wallet.


There are several simple things a person can do to make each visit a pleasant one for each customer.


The point of impact: The first contact your customer has with your business

The point of exit: The last contact your customer has with your business


It could be a phone call

It could be when they enter your store / business

It could be when a sales rep spoke to them at a promotion

It could be a simple ad in the newspaper

It could be a review, a blog post or a referral from a friend.

The Point of Impact


When someone phones the business – who answers the phone?

Do they speak clearly?

Do they greet the customer?

Do they state what the business name is and do they mention which location or branch it is?

You need to ask the following questions:


Think of a time when you phoned another company and ended up at the switchboard.

Could you hear what the person was actually saying on the other side?

Could you hear the other person saying their name clearly?

Did they speak like a person or like a robot?


In certain professions some task are repetitive and it's important to make people aware of this!

The person speaking in a monotone, rambling off the words for the millionth time

on the other side of the telephone probably does not even realize they are doing it.

Make your staff aware of it.


The Point of Impact : Phone Calls

Here are a few telephone etiquette ideas a person can use to show professionalism on the telephone


It is important to state the following when answering the telephone:

Greeting + Company name + location / branch

+ Person answering

Good morning , ABC Distributors , Edenvale, Walter speaking. How may I help you ?


If the person is asking to speak to someone other than the person who answered the phone

you might want to do it as follows:

Sure Sir, would you mind holding while I see if Kevin is available ?

The person on the other side of the phone would say yes or no.


If he said yes, you would put him on hold and see if you can get hold of Kevin.

Great so now you've found Kevin and he's in his office waiting for you to put the phone call through.

It is best to do it as follows :

Hi there Sir, I have found Kevin, I am putting you through.


NOTE: At no point in the conversation did Walter ask what the call was regarding, or in connection with.

It is not polite to screen phone calls – because if Kevin could not be found to take the phone call it would have

looked as if Kevin was avoiding the call.


So let's say Walter could not get hold of Kevin. Kevin just went on lunch, maybe he is in the loo or

on a nicotine break.

This is how the conversation would have looked:

Hi there Sir, I could not locate Kevin, is there something I could assist with? Or could I ask him to phone you?


NOTE: Walter did not say exactly where Kevin was. It is better to be as vague as possible, as you do not

need to disclose his actual whereabouts, and it is better not to say he's in the loo,

on lunch or having a smoke.

Also note that Walter offered his assistance.

In Retail it often happens that a customer may have spoken to Kevin but could have been

assisted by Walter with regards to the information the caller sought.


In most cases the caller will say, No, it's all right, I’ll phone back a bit later.

If the caller opts to leave a message, you need to proceed as follows:

Sure Sir, Can I have your name and telephone number ?

Tip: Always repeat the person's name and number before you hang up, to make sure

the information is correct.


At this point you can ask what the call is about, as this would give Kevin the opportunity to get

any relevant information he would need to assist the caller as fast as possible.


How to end the call:

After you have repeated the caller's information, you can proceed like this:

Thank you Sir, I will make sure that Kevin

gets the message as soon as I track him down.

Goodbye or thank you for calling.


Note: There were no endless transfers of the phone call, and the caller did not get frustrated by

repeating himself over and over to different people.

It is important to keep transfers to a minimum.

How many times should you let the phone ring before you answer a call?


(Role play)


If you walk into a store and it's neat and clean & crisp you immediately have an expectation of the service

you are going to get.

A tidy, neat and crisp looking store gives the impression that the staff take care of

their work place and is proud of it.

Subconsciously you feel that people are organized and pay attention to detail. So the service must be good.

The Point of Impact : Entering your store or business.


The same applies if it's dirty, untidy, and looks as if a sand storm hit inside.

Subconsciously you would feel negative and perhaps doubtful of any service or advice you might get.


The Point of Impact : The appearance of your staff

This is a touchy subject and needs to be handled with understanding but also

keeping in mind your rights as a owner or manager.


If you walked into a retail store and you saw the following characteristics in a staff member you would conclude that

they are professional and dedicated to their work.

Neat hair, ironed clothes, pleasant smelling, clean shoes, walks with pace.


If you saw someone with untidy hair, clothes not ironed, smelly, dirty shoes who walked by dragging their feet

this would give you the impression that the staff member is not there for anything but

the salary at the end of the month.


It should be easy to deal with these issues as most companies have a dress code people must

adhere to, and which is usually stated in the contract of employment.

There are several other topics which could be discussed such as:

Tattoos, piercings, new age style jeans (torn) etc.


This all depends on which industry you are in. Some retailers portray these images, and

for them its acceptable.

It mainly depends on your clientele andhow you need your staff to relate to them.


This is where businesses sometimes go horribly wrong. They spend a fortune on entering and buying space

at exhibitions but then send the wrong people to represent the business.

In most cases it's the person who the manager does not mind having out of the store.

In fact it is the person he can do without.

This is the wrong attitude to have as that person will have the least impact on potential clients.

The Point of Impact : Sales Rep or Promotion


The key characteristics of a ideal person to send to such an expo etc. are :

Expert and professional A extrovert, someone who can talk with ease,

who likes interacting with people, and who attracts people.

Someone who will represent your company as if it was his own.


Have you ever seen one of those chefs with a microphone advertizing a Twister or blender at a expo?

He's loud and funny and he attracts a lot of people.

He creates an interest in the product and creates a need.


So why would you send a chef and not a sales person to a expo to sell blenders?

The simple answer is:

The chef's appearance is selling that the product is

the choice of people in his profession.


The Point of Impact: Ads, Pamphlets, newspapers etc.

If you look through a magazine, newspaper, even mail in your post box, you will most likely

come across a few ads.

It is amusing how companies throw away money on adverts which don't achieve their main goal:

Getting New Clients.


If you're not promoting a special, promising me a saving of some sort or reminding me why

I shop at your store or spend money at your business, don’t waste your money on advertising because

I am not interested.

If I have never shopped at your store or made use of your service, don't hassle me -

I don’t know you!


Even television ads nowadays are ineffective. Maybe you've had this experience - you 're sitting in front of the television watching Boston Legal. In the middle, there are a bunch of ads.

Afterward, your spouse or roommate or kid mentions how funny one of the ads was, but you

didn’t notice it.


Why ?

Because you were thinking of something else?

You were just ignoring it?

You didn't pay attention to it because it was irrelevant?

Your subconscious blocked it out?


This is where Nando's stand out above the rest... They promote themselves by reminding people

that they still have a sense of humor, and the best peri-peri chicken.

They make fun of current events relevant to us and grab our attention.


So when advertising – make sure you are not just advertising your company logo, but something

relevant to get people into your store or business.


Always keep your ad's promises.

If you advertise a item for the wrong price, make sure you adjust your price to the advertised price.

You will lose credibility if your staff have to tell your customers that head office made a mistake.


Your company will get known for false advertising and even your existing customers will leave you.


In most cases just sending your existing clients a monthly news letter about a promotion or some news relevant to them might be more useful. Some retailers or companies

have clubs their clients belong to.

The more you spend the more discount you get. They send news letters and coupons and

gift vouchers through the mail.

They even go as far as to have special shopping hours for these clients. They offer discounts for you and

a friend if your friend signs up as a member.


Most people would go watch a movie because it had great reviews and your friends also

said you had to see it.or...

The movie had such bad reviews that you had to see it for yourself.

The point of Impact : Referrals or reviews


You do not want to end up getting referrals due to your bad service, it will yield no income.

You want your customers to refer you to their friends

because you have the best service!

And you want to build personal relationships with your customers so that they refer their friends

to a specific staff member.


Unfortunately in this day and age the saying, “Any publicity is good publicity,” is untrue.

News about bad service spreads much faster than good.

With the Internet at every person's finger tips and with the social networking communities it is easy to

complain or raise awareness of service issues.


How does your company handle complaints, suggestions or good reviews?

Does your company encourage complaints, suggestions and reviews?


It is important to encourage people by offering a reward.

Google Places is a perfect tool for clients to voice their opinion and the more reviews you have,

the better your search engine ranking.


This means that if someone looks for a product or service you offer, you are most likely to appear first in the results.

People would be reading the reviews before they even contact you to get an idea whether your business is suitable and can be trusted with their hard earned

money.


There is one last point of impact to discuss...


It is important that you and your staff know that each person, each client is different.

Their needs are different, they want to be treated

differently and their expectations are different.

To clarify we are going to split our clients into two main groups, the introverts and the extroverts.

The Point of Impact : Dealing with Clients (face to face)


The Introvert

Most likely would wave or nod his head when he is greeted.

Most likely would not want assistance until he asks for some

Most likely would browse the shelves to find a product.

Most likely would look around to make eye contact or clear his throat to seek attention from a shop assistant.


Most likely would have done research on a product before buying.

Soft spoken, does not like drawing too much attention to himself.

Not one to complain

Does not mind standing in queues for a reasonable time

If he does not find what he is looking for, or is angered by service levels he might leave the store, lodge

a formal complaint with head office and rather look for another dealer or retailer.


Most likely would greet back when greeted.

Would immediately ask for assistance or state that he is browsing.

Would call out loud for assistance

Would most probably want to test your knowledge of the product, and listen to advice or suggestions.

The Extrovert


Not so soft spoken, would want to get straight to the point.

Hates standing in queues

If he does not find what he is looking for, or is angered by service levels he would

immediately seek the attention of the manager.

He would make a scene if angry

Does not want to be irritated


In most cases the extrovert is the preferred client as you know where you stand with them at all times and

they are easier to read and cater for.

However the introvert is your most loyal client because if they like a place and its service they will continually be going back there.

The extrovert is easily distracted by bargains but if the other company does not compare with

your service levels he will come and tell you about it.


How do we deal with each of these individuals?

Here are a few basic rules you need to adhere to when you are dealing with either kind of customer.


Always greet a client entering your business or shop, even if he is busy with another assistant and

you walk past. Make sure your shop assistants greet customers

rather than asking if they can assist. This is more useful because no-one likes being asked by every person in the shop if they need assistance. If you greet the customer, they don't have to repeat

themselves by saying, “I’m just browsing” and after you greet them they will usually ask if they need assistance.


Always keep an eye out for clients who need assistance.

This means if they are looking around trying to make eye contact or

fiddling with a product or reading a box.

Do not approach them by saying: “Can I help you?”

Rather comment on the product as a conversation opener.


Know your products and be honest if you do not. Do not give false information, there is nothing more

irritating and annoying than to get home to find out that what you bought is not what the salesman you.

Do not be ashamed to ask for assistance from someone with more knowledge in that department or

on the specific product.

And do not walk away... as your colleague is explaining or answering the client's questions,

learn and interact with the client.


Make sure you explain the FAB's (Features, Advantages and Benefits) of a product as clearly as possible.

Do not tell a long story!


Classify your customer's needs by asking questions.


When talking to a Client you are actually presenting a product or service to him/her.

There are a few points you need to be aware of and try to improve on:

Make Eye contact on a regular basis.Use facial expressions

Do not talk away from the client (no bad breath) Try using fluctuations in your voice.

Avoid clicking your pen or fiddling with something in your hands

Use hand gestures Stand up straight


You would do all of the above when you are giving a presentation, and by doing these things you command

attention and keep the individual's interest.

It also projects that you are interested and your undivided attention is on your client.


After Sales Service

After sales service usually comes into play when a problem arises with a product or service and the client is trying to fix the problem by asking for help from the

people he bought the product or service from.


It is important that you treat the client the same way as you would a new or existing buying client.

Do not alienate the client or blame him for the problem, and do not treat him as a hassle.


Most of the time, retailers see complaints and dealing with problems as a negative!

Remember that the client is still a client of yours and any resolution you might have for them would only make

them a bigger fan of you and your company. This is actually a positive!

In some cases a client might be willing to be up-sold on a better product or service.


No business is perfect and every business has probably received at least one complaint. Complaints are important because they give us

feedback which can help us to improve our selling skills or

our company systems if we pay attention to them.

There are a few basic rules you need to adhere to when dealing with complaints.

Complaints


Listen to understand

Respond with empathy

Ask appropriate questions to establish facts

Agree on action

Follow through on actions and promises

Steps in dealing with complaints


Step 1 : Listen to Understand

In order to listen you need to zip your lip. Listen completely before trying to answer.

Do not interrupt the client. Give them time to

explain their story and “vent”.

Demonstrate active listening by nodding your head and maintaining eye contact.

Disregard exaggerations, sarcasm and personal attacks.


Step 2 : Respond with empathyYou are not necessary agreeing with them,

but empathy helps to calm people down, letting the client or customer know that you

understand how he or she feels.

Use phrases like :

I can see why you feel that way I see what you mean

That must be very upsetting I understand how frustrating that can be

I’m sorry about this I understand


This does not mean that you or your company have done something wrong, but merely that you are sorry

that the customer has had a bad (less than acceptable) experience.

The tone of voice also helps in expressing empathy –

a warm and caring tone is required.

Apologize for any inconvenience (be specific about the impact on the customer)

Saying Sorry!


Step 3 : Ask appropriate questions to establish facts (probing)

Often we assume we know what the problem is and therefore we jump to conclusions and solutions too

soon.

Get to the core problem by using questions

Why, What, When, How, Where

Use open ended questions – that is, questions which require more than a Yes or No

answer.


You need to work together with the client to come up with an acceptable solution.

Think outside the box, identify alternatives.

Under-promise and over-deliver.

Find things to agree on. Do not argue. Do not say “that’s company policy”,

rather explain the reason behind it.

Use the words “I suggest” rather than “you will have to.” Give the customer choices.

Step 4 : Agree on action


Step 5 : Follow through on actions and promises

Follow up with the customer to check that the solution has happened and that the customer is happy.

This could be by phone call or email.

NOTE: Choose your language carefully: People are over-sensitive when angry so

avoid any threatening, negative or demanding language, and avoid talking down to someone.

You need to use helpful, positive, polite,

reassuring words.


(Role Play)


If our goal is constant innovation constantly focused on customers and their needs, the biggest threat we face

is complacency.

Complacency - the enemy of customer care


Complacency is what suggests to us that:

“It’s not that bad. It could certainly be worse”“We’re better than our competitors.”

"Business is good - we do not need to do anything.""Business is too bad to be able to do anything right now."“We’ll start on the customer care program next quarter.”


The best way to combat complacency is to always be dissatisfied with your standards of customer care.

Let's call it constructive dissatisfaction. No matter how good you get, you can always do better.

One thing I can assure you is that customer needs and expectations also increase.


So now we have looked at what we can do to deliver customer care / service to achieve customer satisfaction,

but now we need to ask the following questions... Why did we not practice it before?


At the end of the day if we ask the most basic question... why do organizations exist ?

To make profit ?

How do you make profit ? By selling products and services.

Who do you sell your products and services to? The customer or end user who needs these

products and services ?

So in fact organizations exist … to fill a need for their customers.


These are the basics of customer service. In many companies, even large corporates,

the staff have lost track of this idea.

They have implemented procedures to fulfill the immediate needs of their internal customers

rather than catering to their external customers first.


So if your staff is too busy with what they need to do and have to do for their superiors... Who is attending to the customers ?


Lets take NORDSTROM as a case study.

America’s #1 Customer Service Company – started as a shoe store in 1901

They had these rules written on a induction brochure they hand their staff when they join the company. It only contained 75 words and was

printed on a grey card:


These are the 8 Management Principles of the Nordstrom company:

1. Provide Your Customer With Choices2. Create An Inviting Place for Your Customers3. Hire Nice, Motivated People4. Sell The Relationship: Service Your Customers Through The Products And Services You Sell5. Empower Employees To Take Ownership6. Dump The Rules: Tear Down Barriers To Customer Service7. Encourage Internal Competition8. Commit 100% To Customer Service


One thing we can learn from Nordstrom is that Customer Service is of utmost importance and takes

priority over anything else.

A lesson we can take from this is that if we do what we do the best, we will be more efficient and have more time to spend delivering services and

products exceeding the expectations of our customers.


Most companies like to think of themselves as a learning organization.

This is an organization which has the ability to evoke change and adapt to change.

Such a company would have a Global Goal everyone is working towards and

would continuously measure their progress towards their goals.

Like anything customer satisfaction and customer service must be measured.


Planning a effective approach to implementing such a plan can be done as follows:

1. Review of customer care leading to the conclusion that action is required

(Initial review).

2. Establish specific, measurable, attainable objectives with agreed time scales

(Set objectives).


3. Initial workshop meetings, allowing sufficient time for all involved to

realize the importance of customers and the implications of getting

customer care right or wrong (Workshops).

4. Training programs in the key skill areas we identified (In particular,

concentrating on training managers and supervisors in coaching skills

which will maintain momentum.)


5. Establishment of customer perception monitoring systems which will

provide data on next target areas (Customer Feedback).


The rewards of getting customer care right, clearly outweigh the problems that are faced

in achieving this goal.All that remains is for you to put it all into practice

and delight your customers.

Good Luck!

IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 Customer Satisfaction Workshop Welcome to the Customer...

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Transcript of IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 Customer Satisfaction Workshop Welcome to the Customer...