Are You Making Customers Feel “Tolerated” or “Welcome”?
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Dennis Snow
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Entries Tagged as 'Tips for Better Customer Service'
Creating Magical Customer Experiences
This video post discusses the importance of “expanding the product to include the entire customer experience.”
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Customer Service Wows – It’s About Consistency
Constantly being on the hunt for creating new and better customer service wows is an admirable quality for any organization. But it’s not about the quantity of customer service wows; success is more about consistency. This video describes what I mean.
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Customer Service Excellence – It’s the Small Things
The last three cars I’ve purchased have all been from the same dealership, Orlando Infiniti. I might be able to get a better deal somewhere else and I’m pretty sure I could have the car serviced cheaper(!!), but I plan to buy my next car from Orlando Infiniti. Why? Because I trust them completely.
They do the little things that make a difference. When it comes to auto repair, two of my pet peeves, and I know these will sound petty:
1. When an auto repair shop puts the driver’s seat as far back as it will go and leaves it there.
2. If they have to disconnect the car’s battery, they leave the radio stations in a mess.
Orlando Infiniti’s repair shop ensures they reset everything to the way it was when they received the car. There’s no having to readjust anything, or having to remember what my favorite radio stations are. They also start the car and get the air conditioner going while I pay the bill, which makes a difference when you live in Florida.
Yes, they service the car properly and do all of the big things right, too. But these small touches make a difference and solidify my trust in Orlando Infiniti, giving them a loyal customer.
Something to think about: What are the little touches that can impress your customers?
Customer Care Versus Prospect Care
A comedian on the Comedy Channel was talking about the differences between dating and marriage:
“When you’re dating… You picture yourself growing old together.”
“When you’re married… You wonder who will die first.”
“When you’re dating… He knows what a ‘hamper’ is.”
“When you’re married… The floor will suffice as a dirty clothes storage area.”
“When you’re dating… He loves to discuss things.”
“When you’re married… He develops a blank stare.”
(It was a female comedian)
While watching and laughing, maybe a bit sheepishly as some of the comments were clearly directed at me, it struck me how easily you could substitute the differences between marriage and dating with the differences between being a prospect and a customer.
When you’re a prospect… The company promises outstanding quality.
When you’re a customer… The service rep tells you the quality would’ve been better if you’d only purchased the “Platinum Package.”
When you’re a prospect… The company promises instant responsiveness.
When you’re a customer… Getting someone to return your calls or respond to your emails becomes an exercise in frustration.
When you’re a prospect… The company promises you’ll be treated like family.
When you’re a customer… You realize the family they were talking about is the Osbournes.
Some purchases, of course, are more like speed dating in that they’re more transactional in nature. You need to buy a wrench, so you go to the store, find the wrench you need, pay for it and you’re pretty much done. But other purchases are more extensive, and typically more expensive. Home remodeling, hiring a lawn care service, contracting IT support for your business, or any type of consulting arrangement usually involve a longer sales cycle and there is typically a lot more on the line than with a simple purchase.
When you’re in the role of prospect, the salesperson is usually promising the world, making you feel like you’ll be the most valuable customer the company has the privilege to serve. As soon as you sign the contract and send in the check, however, everything changes. All the promises of quality, responsiveness, communication, and personal attention evaporate. And you’re left scratching your head over what happened.
The best companies know that the critical time in the relationship is what happens immediately after the contract is signed. They make sure that what they said would happen DOES happen. They make sure that everything is as good as promised or even BETTER than promised. The best companies know that the loyalty factor is never more fragile than that moment between signing the contract and delivering the service or product.
A company can follow three simple rules for demonstrating that a customer is as valuable to them as a prospect:
1. Do what you said you were going to do, with the quality you promised.
2. Do it when you said you would do it.
3. Show that you care about me as a customer.
If you do these three things, I’ll sing your praises to anyone who will listen. I’ll be your best salesperson and you don’t even have to pay me. If you don’t do these three things, I’ll still talk. But it won’t be the kind of talk I think you’re looking for. And the bigger the gap between how you treated me as a prospect and how you treat me as a customer, the more likely I’ll end up the eager prospect of one of your competitors.
Something to think about: Are you treating your current customers with the same care and attention as with prospects? Because in fact your current customers are prospects and they’re your best prospects; you don’t want to lose them.
What is Your Organization’s Environment Communicating?
In my customer service speeches and workshops I stress the principle of “Everything Speaks” – every detail of a company’s physical environment is communicating a message (positively or negatively) about the company’s brand. I’ll often show photographs of Everything Speaks examples, such as stockroom doors left open in full view of customers, dirty or dusty shelves, messy desks, etc. I usually get some pretty sheepish looks from audience members as they recognize that some of these examples are prevalent in their own organizations.
The CEO of one hospital client took this approach to heart and he started carrying a digital camera with him, taking pictures of good and bad Everything Speaks examples (primarily bad) throughout the hospital. As a part of his regular Friday staff meetings, he would have a short photo presentation highlighting what he’d seen during the week. It wasn’t always the most popular agenda item of his meetings, but it certainly made his point clear and problems were quickly taken care of.
A while back, he sent the photograph shown below. What you’re seeing is an employee suggestion box, and right underneath the suggestion box is a container for paper shredding. Not quite the message I think the hospital meant to communicate to their employees.
So why not take a walk through your operation with a digital camera and do the same thing? Yes, it could rub some people the wrong way, but I guarantee the Everything Speaks message would get around pretty quickly.
Something to think about: How can you creatively drive home the Everything Speaks message with your team?
Aspects of Value
Check out this excellent post written by Bob Burg (author of The Go-Giver): “Ernesto Would Be Proud, Part 2.” (Read Part 1 also, but Part 2 is the one I want to highlight here). The recommendations Bob presents are appropriate for any organization that wants to deliver excellent service to its customers.
Bob highlights four “aspects of value” – Consistency, Attention, Empathy, and Appreciation. He makes a compelling argument for how focusing on these four elements can create a great customer experience.
Something to think about – In your job or in your organization, what three behaviors would demonstrate excellence in each of Bob’s “aspects of value”?
Speaking of Service Excellence – Your “True Product”
What is Your “True Product?”
Customer Service and the Telephone
For many businesses (my own included), a good portion of our customer interactions involve the telephone. Whether we’re actually having a conversation, leaving a message, trying to get past a “gatekeeper,” or recording our own voicemail message, the customer only has the quality of our phone skills for making judgments about the quality of our organization’s customer service.
As customers, most of us have suffered through:
- Employees answering the phone with an indecipherable greeting.
- Being put on hold without being asked.
- Explaining our needs only to be transferred and having to explain them again.
- A bored, disinterested voice on the other end of the line.
- Lengthy voicemail messages that never seem to get to the point.
I recently read a helpful article that provides some good reminders for all of us when conducting business over the phone. I hope you find the article to be helpful and, if appropriate, pass it along to other members of your team.
Company Vehicles – Everything Speaks!
For many organizations, their company vehicles (delivery trucks, service vans, etc.) are seen by more people than any other type of advertising they do. As those vehicles drive through neighborhoods, cruise the highways, or wait at stoplights, they are mobile billboards for the organization. The question for the company to ask themselves is, “Do our vehicles reflect our brand in the way we want it reflected?”
I recently saw the pictured Truly Nolen Pest Control stretch limo driving through a neighborhood, along with three of their traditional “bugs.” Talk about capturing attention. I even followed the limo until I got them to stop for a photo! The driver told be he gets stopped all the time for photos, and sometimes people even ask if they can rent the limo for a prom or wedding (which they don’t do).
I’ve also seen company vehicles like the other one pictured, which I cannot imagine reflects the brand im
age the company desires. But desire and execution are two different things. When that vehicle shows up at a customer’s home or business, an impression is instantly made regardless of the company’s desires.
If you have vehicles in the field, what brand message are they communicating to your current and potential customers? Just take a moment to think about how many people will see your company’s vehicles TODAY.
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