Customer Service:
It's Not Just a Department, It's An Experience - October 2009
Welcome to the October issue of "Customer Service: It's Not Just a Department; It's an Experience."
Did you know that October 5 - October 9 is Customer Service Week? In my humble opinion, EVERY week should be Customer Service Week! During this special week, your organization can boost morale, motivation and teamwork, reward your employees for a job well done, raise companywide awareness of the importance of customer service, thank other departments for their support and remind customers of your commitment to customer service excellence!
In this month's newsletter, we'll talk about some symptoms your company might be experiencing and how to make them go away and I'll share an observation with you that could affect your customer's experience.
Welcome to our new subscribers and new clients. Our goal is to help you improve the service you are providing to your existing customers as well as prospective customers, increase customer retention and generate additional revenue through cross-selling, up-selling and referrals.
Make it a great October!
In This Issue:
5 Signs Your Service is Suffering | An Observation
5 Signs Your Service is Suffering
Take a look at your business. Is it experiencing any of these symptoms?
- Customer Complaints (even if there are just a few)
Statistics tell us that only four out of every hundred dissatisfied customers actually complain to the company about a poor service experience. So just because you're not receiving many complaints may not necessarily mean you are providing good service. Also, those four complaints could be presented to the front line staff and you may never even hear about them! A complaint is a gift because if a customer doesn't complain, they just leave and don't come back. Be open to complaints and then learn from them. - Loss of Long-Term Customers When long-term customers leave, that could be an indication that you have a real problem. Once a relationship has been developed between a company and a customer, the likelihood of retaining that customer increases. When customers who would normally give you the benefit of the doubt take their business elsewhere, it could be because of the service (or lack of!). Did you know that 68% of customers stop doing business with a company because of the attitude of an employee? What kind of attitude do your employees have?
- Few Repeat Customers/No Referrals One and out is not a good business strategy. Loyal customers do your advertising for you and are your largest profit potential. When customers routinely go elsewhere after their first experience with you, you have to look for reasons why they did so. What are they experiencing with your company? How are they being treated? Make them feel like they are your only customer and I promise they will come back (and tell others about you too!).
- Complaining Employees, Poor Employee Morale If your employees are dissatisfied, your customers will be too. Poor employee morale is not a result of poor customer service. However, if morale is suffering, you can rest assured that your customers are suffering too. Model the behavior you want your employees to demonstrate. Treat your employees well and they will return the favor and treat your customers well.
- Employees Not Empowered to Handle Problems Everyday customer concerns should be handled by the person serving the customer. The customer doesn't want to wait to get issues resolved. If your employee is not empowered to make a $5.00 decision without consulting with a manager, you've got a problem. Hire the employee with the right attitude and have confidence in the decisions they make. When they have the customer in mind, it will be the right decision. Do you want to save $5.00 or save a customer?
If your service is suffering from any of these symptoms, what are you doing about it? I've got news for you. Ignoring the symptoms and pretending they are not happening isn't going to make these symptoms disappear. When YOU are suffering with symptoms, you go to the doctor and tell him what your symptoms are. He diagnoses what's wrong and he ultimately makes you better and your symptoms go away. Who are you going to call when it's your service that's suffering?? I've got a suggestion: Call Randi Busse at Workforce Development Group. She specializes in eliminating complaints, empowering employees and creating a customer-focused culture. The sooner you call, the sooner your symptoms will go away. I promise.
An Observation
As a Customer Service Trainer and Coach, I spend my days teaching and coaching and getting employees excited about taking care of their customers. However, what happens after I leave is a direct reflection on the leadership of the company. Training is not a one-time event but a never ending process. In the case of customer service, it's so important for the organization as a whole to be customer-centric, starting at the top and going all the way down. In my opinion, the way the owner and management team treat the employees is the way that the employees will treat the customers. It's important for the leaders of the company to model the behavior that they want demonstrated by their employees. If you want your employees focused on your customers, focus on your employees. Listen to them, respect them and involve them. For without your employees, there will be no customers.
In Conclusion...
Thanks for taking the time to read this edition of "Customer Service: It's Not Just a Department; It's an Experience". It is our hope that you not only get the customer or client, but that you also hold onto them! If you have clients, colleagues or friends who want to hold on to their customers too, do them a favor and forward them this newsletter.
Until next time, take good care of your customers, or someone else will! See you in November!
Sincerely,
Randi Busse
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