Service Management Handbookhudsonink.net/pdf/Coscia-Mgmt-Resource.pdf · Service Management...

Service Management

Handbook

© Copyright 2011

Coscia Communications Inc.

www.coscia.com

610-853-9836

[email protected]

Script Writing for

Upselling Success

About Steve Coscia

The road from professional musician to thirty-year customer service veteran to best-selling author and speaker is not a typical career path, but Steve Coscia may have started a new trend. Coscia is one of the most widely published and quoted authorities in the customer service industry. As a Business Journal Columnist, Coscia has published more than 200 articles, four books and a series of training DVDs. His trade school soft skills curriculum is taught at more than 70 colleges throughout the United States and Canada.

An avid researcher of customer service trends, Coscia conducted the industry’s first study of stress in the customer service environment. This survey revealed the causes of stress along with the most common manifestations of post-stress behavior among customer service professionals. An expert public speaker, Coscia keynotes at conferences and he conducts seminars at corporations and universities worldwide.

Coscia is a past-president of the National Speakers Association MidAtlantic Chapter. When he is not writ-ing books or speaking, he likes being outdoors. Coscia completed the Marine Corp Marathon and he ran in the Philadelphia half-marathon five times. In younger days, he was a rock musician. Coscia still enjoys music but stays home as much as possible with his wife and son.

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Table of Contents

Upselling Strategy ............................................................................................ 4

Writing Upselling Scripts that Work .................................................................. 6

Upselling & Natural Pairing Matrix Templates .................................................. 7

Upselling Script Templates ............................................................................... 8

General Script Writing ...................................................................................... 9

Script Example for Price-Shopping Customers ................................................ 9

General Scripting Templates .......................................................................... 10

Why Establish Expectations? ......................................................................... 11

Reasons to Take Corrective Action ................................................................ 12

Manager’s Focus During Employee Meeting .................................................. 12

Employee Expectations .................................................................................. 13

Dress Code Expectations ............................................................................... 14

Technical Service Manager Guidelines ......................................................... 15

Epstein Stress Management Survey ............................................................. 16

Self-Scorer for Epstein Stress-Management Survey ...................................... 17

Handling Difficult Customers Survey .............................................................. 18

Upselling Script Development

General Script Development

Management & Employee Expectations

Self Assessment Surveys

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Upselling Strategy For many professionals upselling is one of the least understood business behaviors, and one which can

have a most dramatic impact on revenue and profitability. Upselling is sometimes referred to as cross

selling, however for simplicity I will refer to it as upselling.

So if upselling is such a great business practice, why don’t more companies do it? Perhaps the answer lies

in the fact that upselling is a behavior that needs to be taught - this requires scripted upselling suggestions

to customers and it also requires a stable infrastructure and good organization to maximize the upselling

possibilities.

Opportunities to upsell abound in every segment of business. When executed with courtesy and skill,

upselling can add significant revenue to orders. Perhaps you have heard the most famous upsell in the

history of business “Do you want fries with that?” Millions of additional revenue dollars has been generated

with that simple suggestion.

If we were to define exactly what upselling is, the definition would go like this: upselling is offering a

suggestion to an already receptive buyer to enhance the value of his or her purchase. Upselling does not

include aggressive selling tactics. The purpose of upselling is to build a mutual benefit so that both you and

the customer win. Upselling assumes that you have already made the sale - now don’t lose it. There exists

in upselling the opportunity to lose a sale if a salesperson becomes too aggressive, upsets the buyer or

does something else to break the continuity of the customer’s buying experience. Therefore, it is important

that salespeople understand the true nature of what upselling is.

The customer’s front-line experience (or tactical behavior) is often a result of management’s planning,

preparation and training (the strategic behavior). As in most business practices, there exists both tactical

and strategic goals which result in a positive outcome.

An important role of management is to establish training and organization for upselling success. In the

absence of training and organization, upselling behaviors will be sporadic and inconsistent thereby

squandering potential revenue and profits. In the absence of management’s organization and

infrastructure, employees will gravitate towards behavior that is easiest for themselves.

Upselling success rates may vary based on a plethora of conditions, but you can only achieve any success

rate if you remember to make the upselling suggestion 100% of the time. To achieve this, employees

require an infrastructure which both reminds employees and suggests the natural product pairings.

Depending on your business model, there are many methods for accomplishing this.

Natural pairing of products is a vital element for any organization who wishes to achieve upselling success.

Here are some examples of natural product pairing:

•Hamburger and fries

•New truck and extended warranty

•HVAC equipment and maintenance agreement

•Replacement parts and accessories

Why is the natural pairings approach so effective? The answer is: congruency (harmony and similarity). It

is congruency between the naturally paired items that keeps rapport intact and the dialogue open.


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Congruency is a very powerful business force. Customer relationships are impacted depending on whether

customers sense that congruency exists among a company’s service delivery, the employees’ behavior,

policies, etc.

Since upselling involves emotions, consider the frame of mind of a customer who is buying from you.

Additional tactical upselling behaviors include scripting what employees should say during the upselling

encounter. The following pages outline a detailed methodology for brainstorming and writing scripts.

The tactical upselling behaviors described here work best when they are reinforced by a strategic initiative

which helps employees to be successful. This is the ultimate win-win outcome that a business strives for.

When training employees, it is best to brainstorm scripting ideas and then role play upselling scenarios that

arise both in person and over the phone. As a rule, scripts are designed to be a guide - scripts do not need

to be read verbatim. For example, reading a script over the phone would make a person sound robotic and

unnatural.

To get the creative juices flowing, the following script examples can be implemented in a variety of scenarios.

•The Recommend Script: - “I think you should also get ...”

•The Suggestion Script :- “You may also want to add ...”

•The Consulting Script : - “I have learned ..., the best value is ...”,

•The Questioning Script : - “Have you ever tried ...? Do you know about ...?”

•The Comforting Script : - “Most people take ...., everyone else uses ...”

•The Asking Script : - “By the way, did you know that we have ...?”

When asking customers a polite upselling question, it is best keep the dialogue open-ended and thereby

minimize the potential for an abrupt conclusion. Therefore, upselling questions should be asked using the

following example:

Here is the wrong way to ask an upselling question:

“Would you like to hear about our specials?”

The above close-ended question is vague and it has the potential to result in an abrupt end.

Here is the correct way to ask an upselling question:

“By the way, did you know we have a spring tune-up special which optimizes efficiency?”

The above question is informative and it has the potential to open a sales dialogue.

The following two pages include upselling and natural pairings script guidelines. These resources are based

on actual events in which a manufacturing company gained a 30% to 60% increase in spare parts order

revenue. Prior to using these resources, spare parts orders were accepted as is with no upselling effort.

The addition of an upselling suggestion made the positive difference.


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Situation:

Upsell Strategy:

Possible Script:

Customer orders a Steel Bracket.

Convey the benefits of buying plastic screws, a drill fixture tool and

re-feed and steering guides (faster, easier, more precise install) while

the system is already dismantled (parts that are prone to wear).

You may also want to add new plastic screws, a drill fixture tool and

re-feed and steering guides. Based on my experience, these parts wear

in time so replacing them while the system is apart saves time, eases

the install and enables you to do it right the first time. OK?

Writing Upselling Scripts that Work (using a manufacturing company example)

Sales reps accept orders for steel

Bracket - a common spare parts order. 1

Brainstorm the natural pairings that

go along with the ordered item. 2

Include the customer’s benefit

and the investment. 3

Write script suggestions using

the three-step template provided. 4


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Upselling & Natural Pairing Matrix Templates


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Situation:

UpSell Strategy:

Possible Script:

Situation:

UpSell Strategy:

Possible Script:

Situation:

UpSell Strategy:

Possible Script:

Upselling Script Templates


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Common Phrases that Customers Should NOT have to Hear

1. What’s your name? (should be: Who am I speaking with?)

2. You’re confusing me. (should be: I am confused.)

3. If you want my help, then you’ll have to … (should be: I can help, and here’s what I need to do first…)

4. What did you say? (should be: Pardon me, I missed that last part.)

5. You broke it. (should be: It wasn’t designed to work like that.)

6. We don’t give prices over the phone. (should be: Our experience is that phone quotes are often

inaccurate. . We can have a plumber arrive today. May I schedule you for today?)

7. No problem. (should be: My pleasure.)

Situation:

Service Strategy:

Possible Script:

Customer calls and demands a quote for a leaky faucet.

Remain calm, speak slowly and with a positive tone of voice. Convey

that phone quotes are often inaccurate and that visual confirmation

is required to properly assess the problem. Ask to schedule for today.

Our experience is that a phone quote is almost always inaccurate,

so instead of Low Balling a price to get in the door, our customers

have come to prefer a price based on us accurately inspecting the

situation and making a recommendation. We can have a plumber

come this morning. May I schedule you?

Writing a Script for Price-Shopping Customers

A scripting template enables front line employees to brainstorm ideas using a three tier script-writing

strategy. The script should include three components: (1) the situation, (2) the service strategy and (3) a

possible script. Scripts should not make employees sound robotic. Instead, a script is a guide to enable

employees to convey a positive message within your company’s standard operating procedures.

General Script Writing

What is the situation? 1

What is the strategy? 2

What should you say? 3


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Situation:

Service Strategy:

Possible Script:

Situation:

Service Strategy:

Possible Script:

Situation:

Service Strategy:

Possible Script:

General Scripting Templates


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Why Establish Expectations?

An employee’s enthusiasm and commitment to doing a job or a task well, comes from knowing that their

performance has a positive effect on the organization’s success. With an understanding of the big picture,

an employee sees how their work connects with the work of others. This broad perspective helps avoid

the limiting tunnel vision that says: “This is my job and that’s all I need to know.” Employees can’t

collaborate and link their efforts to larger goals if they can’t see past a single task or set of responsibilities.

Employees can’t hit the bulls-eye unless they can see the target. As obvious as this may be, many

managers and supervisors often neglect to “nail down” specific performance criteria with their employees.

Explicitly determining what is needed, when it is needed, and how much, prevents the second-guessing

that commonly plagues many manager-employee relationships.

Managers need to “paint a picture” for the employee of what the work looks like to effectively perform well.

This kind of description helps employees visualize themselves doing the task successfully, which in turn

helps their learning process go more quickly and smoothly. Managers should spell out as clearly as

possible, in terms of observable behaviors, what is expected from the employee

Using a published list of mutually agreed performance expectations is a vital management resource. In

the absence of a published document all that exists is the vapor of a conversation which will evaporate

afterwards. Conversations are subject to ambiguity and misunderstanding whereas a published document

is absolute.

A printed expectation sheet also helps an employee visualize what success looks like and it helps a

manager when meeting with an employee whose performance is slipping. With published performance

criteria, employees can also avoid falling prey to “performance anxiety” later, when they are in the midst of

the task and are wondering if they are doing it right.

Both managers and employees have ideas on the best way to get the job done. Because it takes

advantage of the skills and knowledge that both have, constructing a plan of action together is usually the

most efficient way to proceed. It also means the manager has built realistic parameters around the job,

thus preventing misunderstandings later.

Managers are urged to do the following:

• Write performance expectations for each job title and ensure mutual agreement on the job parameters • Determine job steps to take and in what order • Develop reasonable time frames for specific tasks • Suggest resources that are available: tools, manuals, schematics, staff and training materials • Determine when decisions can be made by the employee (without a manager’s help), and when the

manager must be involved • Take corrective action when an employee does not meet the agreed-to expectations Taking Corrective Action

By highlighting the difference between what an employee is presently doing and what they are supposed

to be doing, a manager can take corrective action. This corrective action will be easier for both manager

and employee if it is approached from a problem-solving viewpoint. Managers should take action early,

define the problem clearly and focus on the situation, issue, or behavior, not on the person.


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In most cases, the problem will be resolved however, in situations that are repetitive or serious or that require

formal disciplinary action, a manager must inform the employee of the actions that the company must take, as

well as any further action that could result if the employee does not correct the situation promptly.

Managers should clearly state disciplinary actions. The disciplinary actions must be appropriate, are

consistent with company policy and the manager must make sure the employee understands the company’s

intentions.

Failing to document evolving performance problems is a mistake. Managers must be able to rely on facts and

specifics. By documenting the discussions, managers fortify their case for performance improvement.

Without documentation, the impact of the corrective actions is weak or often forgotten. Documentation is

especially critical if the employee does not correct the problem and their employment must eventually be

terminated.

The expectation templates on the following three pages can be implemented in your organization. Both the

employee and the manager should sign the form to minimize subsequent confusion about what is expected.

Reasons To Take Corrective Action 1. An employee has not responded well enough to prior coaching, and

performance is still below standard. 2. You receive a serious and justifiable complaint from customers and/or

coworkers about an employee’s performance or behavior. 3. An employee has violated the organization’s dress code or rules of conduct,

and disciplinary action is required. 4. An employee’s behavior is so seriously off track that it must stop immediately 5. An employee is behaving in a way that is detrimental to their safety,

performance or credibility.

Manager’s Focus During Employee Meeting 1. Point out the difference between present performance and agreed upon

expectations. 2. Describe specifically the negative impact of the employee’s performance. 3. Get the employee’s view of the situation. 4. Ask for ideas on how the employee can correct the situation and add your

own. 5. Explain any steps you plan to take and why. 6. Agree on an action plan and a date for follow-up. 7. Express confidence that the employee can correct the situation.


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1 I have constructive outlets for my aggression.

2 I frequently visualize soothing scenes in order to relax.

3 Breathing is a very hard thing to control.

4 I'm aware that some of my beliefs are probably irrational.

5 I keep an up-to-date list of things I'm supposed to do.

6 I always spend a few minutes each morning planning my day.

7 I keep an up-to-date list of things I love to do.

8 I try to avoid destructive ways to dealing with stress.

9 I frequently manipulate my environment to improve my mood.

10 I try to make sure that my meetings end early or on time.

11 A computer can be a great tool for relieving stress.

12 I have trouble prioritizing.

13 I'm comfortable asking other people for help.

14 I very rarely stretch my body.

15 I regularly tense and relax my muscles as a way of relaxing.

16 I wish I got more exercise.

17 I try to fight stress before it starts.

18 I try to keep my desk clear of junk.

19 I have trouble delegating.

20 I sit and stand in special ways to help me stay relaxed.

21 Distractions are inevitable during the work day.

22 My calendar isn't always available when I need it.

23 I frequently use special breathing techniques to help me relax.

24 I waste time trying to find misplaced files and documents.

25 I frequently post reminder notes to keep myself on track.

26 I regularly use massage or self-massage to keep me relaxed.

27 I often try to use humor to diffuse tension.

28 I regularly examine and try to correct my irrational beliefs.

EPSTEIN STRESS-MANAGEMENT SURVEY

Please use a pencil to fill in the bubble that represents your reaction to each of the statements below.

This survey will measure your ability handle stress and provide insight into which competencies need to

be strengthened.


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Self-Scorer for Epstein Stress-Management Survey

To score your test: Generate your total score by listing a 1 or a 0 in the blanks in the left-hand

column below. Give yourself a 1 if you filled in a bubble in the shaded areas; otherwise give

yourself a 0. Count up the l’s and fill in your total score at the bottom of the column. The highest

possible score is a 28. If you scored lower than that, you can probably improve your stress-

management practices. To focus on specific competencies, complete the four boxes below by

circling item numbers for which you received a score of 1. In each box, count the 1’s, and fill in the

blank with the total. If you scored below the maximum, you may need to strengthen your skills

within that competency area.

1) Management or reduces sources of stress.Management or reduces sources of stress.Management or reduces sources of stress.Management or reduces sources of stress. You routinely

manage or reduce sources of stress, both real and possible, in your

life.

6 9 10 11 12 13

18 19 21 22 24

2) Practice relaxation techniques.Practice relaxation techniques.Practice relaxation techniques.Practice relaxation techniques. You regularly practice a variety of

relaxation techniques to prevent or relieve stress.

1 2 3 14 15

16 20 23 26

3) Manages his or her thoughts.Manages his or her thoughts.Manages his or her thoughts.Manages his or her thoughts. You manage your thoughts in order

to reduce the likelihood that you will perceive events as threatening.

4 27 28

4) Plans and analyzes to minimize stress.Plans and analyzes to minimize stress.Plans and analyzes to minimize stress.Plans and analyzes to minimize stress. You practice self

management techniques, avoid destructive methods of stress

management, and take a proactive approach to stress management.

5 7 8 17 25

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Self - Assessment: Handling Difficult Customers

"Steve's training materials really help our Technicians understand the

customer's point-of-view which has grown our referral revenue. It teaches

our Technicians how and why they are Customer Service Reps too, and that

they are the face of our company!"

Matt McElhaney, Service Manager Middleton Heat & Air, Bryant AR

“We have used many of the training materials provided by Steve Coscia to

improve our Customer Service Department over the past couple of

years. Our revenue is increasing as we become more efficient, our

instances of negative interactions is decreasing and our CSR’s are generally

more productive because they feel in control and more respected. ”

Joel Heller, Service Manager

Estes Heating & A/C, Atlanta GA

“Our employees really learn from the Coscia Training System. Residential

HVAC revenue is up 30% in the first 6 months after we started using Steve’s

materials. It's easy and very engaging. I do the training myself."

Connie Dice, Service Coordinator

The K Company, Akron OH

What Companies Say About Our Customer Service Training Resources!

Get yours today!

There’s no risk - 100% Money Back Guarantee

go to

www.coscia.com

Companies Who Invest in Our Training Materials Abram Refrigeration Systems, Sarnia, Ontario Air Assurance, Broken Arrow, OK Air Force One A/C, Garland, TX Air Specialist, Pearland, TN Air Systems of Sacramento, Sacramento, CA Airco Commercial Services, Sacramento, CA Americool Heating & Cooling Inc, Richmond, VA AN Roth Company, Louisville, KY Anderson Mechanical Associates LLC, Dayton, OH Anderson Services, Stanfield, NC Andor Inc., Watertown, SD Arbuckle's Heating & Cooling, MANTENO, IL Area energy & Electric, Sidney, OH Assured Comfort, Winston, GA Atlas Service Company, Mississauga, Ontario Auer Steel & Heating Supply co, Milwaukee, WI BayBreeze Heating & Cooling, Davidsonville, MD Behler-Young, Grand Rapids, MI Blue Flame, Berkeley Springs, WV Boyer Heating & Cooling, Flagstaff, AZ Boykin Air Conditioning Services, Sumter, SC Brandywine Valley Htg & AC, West Chester, PA Branesky Sheet Metal, Fort Bragg, CA Brockman Furnace Co., Springfield, OH Buffington Company Inc, Highspire, PA C.T.R. Supply, Duncansville, PA Campbell Soup, Camden, NJ Canella Heating & AirConditioning, Conover, NC Central Heating & Air, Atlanta, GA Central Minnesota Refrigeration Inc., Sauk Rapids, MN Century A/C Supply, Houston, Texas Christian Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., Southampton, PA ColonialWebb Contractors, Richmond, Va Cool Breeze Refrigeration, Silver Spring, MD Copeland & Son Service, Inc., Nashville, TN Countryside Propane, Bethel, PA Custom Mechanical, Inc., Bethany Beach, DE Doc Dancer Inc, Fort Wayne, IN E. Smith Air, Marietta, GA Estes Heating & Air Conditioning, Atlanta, GA Florida Cool, Inc., Nalples, FL Frymire Services, Inc., Dallas, TX GA Bove Fuels, Mechanicville, NY Global A/C & Heating, Palmhurst, TX Great Lakes Heating, South Bend, IN Griffith Energy Services, Inc, Edgewater, MD H & C Inc., Laurel, MD Hafer Petroleum Equipment, Ltd., Reading, PA Haffners Service Stations, Lawrence, MA Hall Oil & Propane, Walnut Cove, NC Hallmark Air Conditioning, Inc., Houston, TX Haly Oil Co., Malvern, Pa Harkins Air Conditioning, Denham Springs, LA HEAD'S HEATING & A/C SERVICE, Theodore, AL Hiller Plumbing, Nashville, TN Homesmart from Xcel Energy, Denver, CO

Honeywell, Golden Valley, MN Howell's Heating & Air Conditions, Ashland, VA Innovative Air Solutions, Tuckahoe, NY J N Comfort, Bowersville, GA John's Refrigeration, Mesa, AZ Jonle Heating & Cooling, Cincinnati, OH Lanz Heating & Cooling Inc, Strawn, IL Larry & Sons Plumbing Heating, Hagerstown, MD Lindstrom AirConditioning, Coconut Creek, FL M.E. Flow, Inc., Leesburg, VA McCarthy's One Hour Heating and Cooling, Omaha, NE McCown Company, Greenville, SC Meyer & Depew Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ Michael Bellantoni, Inc., White Plains, NY Mid-Cities A/C, North Richland Hills, TX Middleton Heat & Air, Bryant, AR Morrow Mechanical, Spring, TX N&M Cool Today, Sarasota, FL New Comfort Inc., New Paris, OH Newcomb and Company, Inc., Raleigh, NC Northwest Propane, Mt. Vernon, WA Orange Tiger, San Antonio, TX Palmer Gas Co. Inc., North Salem, NH Paraco Gas, Bay Shore, NY Parker Fuel Co., Ellicott City, MD Parrish Services, Manassas, VA Patriot Propane, Ramona, CA Process A/C & Heating, DANA POINT, CA Profit Strategies Inc., Columbus, GA Quickflash, Milwaukee, WI R.E. Michel Company, Jessup, MD R.J. Groner, Inc., Stroudsburg, PA Reliable Propane Corp, Clarence Center, NY Richair Comfort Solutions, Maspeth, NY Robert White Services, , KY Ron's Plumbing, Heating & A\C, Lompoc, Ca Roscoe Brown, Inc., Murfreesboro, TN Sanders Gas Company, Meridian, MS Schaafsma, Grand Rapids, MI Schuler Heating and Cooling, Shorewood, IL Service Now!, Jesup, GA Shelton's Air Work, Sandy Ridge, NC Stack Heating & Cooling, Avon, OH Stan's Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., Austin, TX Suburban Propane, Richmond, VA TEC Mechanical, Redmond, WA Teco Mechanical, Richmond, VA Temperature Control Co., Springfield, MO Tidewater Service Agency Inc, Hampton, VA University Mechanical, Mukilteo, wa Wilhelm Heating & AC, Inc., Ruskin, FL Wm Brockman & Sons, Dayton, OH Wood Air Conditioning, Mt Pleasant, TX Woodstock Gas, Woodstock, GA Wooldridge Heating and Air, Lynchburg, VA

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