5 Practical Steps to Instill Exceptional
Customer Service
Five customer service practices that will positively impact your bottom line..
Whether in a restaurant, a retail establishment, or
the local post office, we have all experienced a decline in customer
service. Rarely do smiling, happy employees interact with us anymore.
Instead, the person we are dealing with in face-to-face relationships does
not even attempt to feign a smile, but rather greets us with a scowl,
completely avoids eye contact with us, and grudgingly mutters responses to
our requests and questions. When did customer service cease to exist? Why is
it suddenly so difficult for employees to show customers some common
courtesy along with a little friendliness? Have we ventured so far from the
service standards of yesteryear and become so short-sighted that we refuse
to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves?
Today, improving customer service is a top priority in organizations
worldwide. As a result, company leaders spend hundreds of millions of
dollars annually training their employees how to provide exceptional
customer service. Unfortunately, the effort is not paying off. Even with
such vast resources being spent on this simple and obvious problem, few
companies achieve outstanding results. And as their customer service levels
plummet, dissatisfied customers take their business elsewhere and company
profits suffer. Is there any improvement in sight?
The Importance of Customer Service
Purchasing virtually any goods or services is a process whereby the customer
moves from interest to desire to decision. During that process, one of the
primary determinants as to whether the customer completes the purchase, as
well as his or her level of satisfaction in the sales process, is the
attitude of the sales employee. Interestingly, the customer’s attitude
frequently reflects that of the salesperson. Thus, an employee attempting to
close the sale will generally find it much easier to do so if he or she
gives the customer a positive attitude and friendly disposition to respond
to.
Equally important is the post-sale service experience, especially in today’s
environment filled with technically complex products and services. This
trend is likely to continue as technological complexity increases and as our
population continues to age. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the
year 2005 there will be 85 million Americans over age 50, and they will have
cumulative purchasing power of $900 billion annually. The combination of
technical complexity and the aging population will result in an increased
proportion of sales transactions requiring post-sale customer service on a
periodic or continuing basis.
Given the customer service problems we face today, coupled with the growing
demand for increased levels of pre- and post-sale customer service, we need
to begin thinking much more seriously about how our organizations will rise
to meet these growing market demands. Adding to this problem will be the
demographic reality of a shrinking pool of available younger workers to fill
these customer service openings, which frequently are entry-level positions.
The following practical steps can help your company stay ahead of this trend
so you can meet tomorrow’s customer service needs today.
1. Hire happy people. In our haste to find a “warm body” to fill a vacant
position, we frequently miss some of the most obvious indicators of a
person’s likely success or failure. People who are open, approachable, and
generally happy are far more likely to respond in a positive manner to our
customers’ needs. Prospective employees who act guarded or excessively shy,
or who show evidence of having a “cold fish” personality during the
interview process, probably are not good hires at the outset.
2. Train your people thoroughly. When employees thoroughly understand the
organization they represent, as well as its policies, products, and
services, they are far more likely to interact positively with customers.
Realize, though, that training of this sort is not a one-time-for-life event
applicable only to new hires. Today’s organizations, markets, products, and
services are dynamic and changing constantly. Keep your employees up-to-date
with all the latest trends by offering continual training opportunities.
3. Treat your people exceedingly well. Do you treat your employees the way
you want them to treat customers? Most company leaders do not, yet they
expect their personnel to excel when it comes to friendly customer service.
The fact is that employees who are unhappy on the job are not likely to
display a positive, helpful attitude to their customers. Instead, they will
respond to customers with the same attitude and outlook they receive from
managers and supervisors. To foster exceptional customer service skills,
company leaders need to ensure that they treat their employees in the same
manner they want their employees to treat customers.
4. Solicit customer feedback and act promptly upon it. The only way to get a
true reading of your company’s customer service is to actively solicit
feedback from every customer, not just the ones who you know are satisfied.
Equally important is to ask for feedback in a way that prompts more than
superficial responses. Demonstrate your desire for honest opinions by asking
proper questions. Superficial questions return superficial responses, while
thoughtful, insightful questions result in honest, valuable answers.
Carefully formulate open-ended question so the answers can reveal the true
state of your company’s service levels.
5. Ensure that your senior leadership is hearing unfiltered feedback from
both your operating personnel and your first line managers. In almost every
organization, the people on the front lines have a clear understanding of
the true customer satisfaction levels. The problem lies in how accurately
this information moves up the organizational hierarchy. Just as any military
general in the field strives to get an accurate report of what is occurring
on the battlefront, many executives yearn for a clear understanding of the
customer service that occurs at their organization’s front lines. If you
want to know what is really happening in your organization, get out and talk
with your employees and your customers. Then, establish clear and strong
guidelines for information to travel up the ranks. The more accurate
information you can obtain, the better understanding you’ll have of what
needs to change.
Regardless of your industry, if you want your customers to regularly
experience service with a warm, heartfelt smile rather than a scowl, you
must set the example and live by it. Show your employees the vision to
follow so you can instill customer service practices that will positively
impact your bottom line.
