Customer Service - Isn't It Obvious?
Are all of the features and benefits that your company provides to its customers readily and easily accessible? They should be..
Do all of your employees know what the features and
benefits are? Can they explain them?
Here is a little test for you. In your next meeting ask your employees what
are the features and benefits of your company and why would someone want to
do business with you. Most employees do not even know the company mission
statement let alone the benefits that your company provides to its
customers.
In fact, most of them can only tell you the top 2 or 3 "hot buttons" that
are the flavor of the month in your service organization. They know that
your product/personnel/market has changed and "here is how we are addressing
this situation" today! Anything deeper requires them to get the customer off
the phone or have them wait in the lobby so they can "check with someone
else" and find out that "Yes! Indeed! We do offer a lifetime guarantee on
our widget, and we even provide a loaner while it is being serviced and
repaired."
How about making a list of all the features and benefits that your company
provides and list those on a handy reference guide that is handed to all the
front line, back line and any line that even has a remote chance of
interacting with your customer? Tried it before you say? Too many to list
you say?
Let's see, I would rather A. Have my tongue tied to the back of a company
truck bound for Needles or B. Make a reference guide that has the features
and benefits of doing business with your company that every employee can
read and hang on to and access immediately if needed or C. Just keep doing
what we have been doing because it is so much fun to have our customers (the
people that pay the bills) wait for us to actually bring our business from
the Dark Ages to the present, because we all know that there is a never
ending supply of customers. Right?
Now that you have a handy reference guide for your employees to use when
helping your customers, ask all of your employees if they know the benefits
of working in your company.
Surprise! Half of them don't know anything except the days they get paid and
when "my benefits kick in." Out of the other half, a certain percentage of
them can tell you what is acceptable on the expense form and what is not and
the rest only show up at work because they know the address or that "there
is a mini-mart on the corner where you make the turn into the driveway."
Take the time to make your employees aware of the reason they come to work.
It's not a paycheck and it's not because it's "close to the house." Not only
are they there to make a living, they want to feel like they are part of the
bigger picture. Tell them. Make them a part of the picture and not "just the
people who hang the picture on the wall."
Let them know of the features and benefits of your company. I bet that if
you have a tuition reimbursement plan in your company and you asked 100
employees, 30 to 40 of them would not even know the plan existed. (It's
probably closer to 70) If your employees can get excited about the features
and benefits of your company, they might begin to show some pride. And that
will begin to show up on your Customer's faces in the form of a smile.
And no, isn't not obvious!
People are not mind readers. You cannot expect that because you handed them
the company manual (it's only 120 pages) and that it "explains everything
and if you need anything just read it first before you ask me" that they
know what you have to offer, what type of training you provide and why they
should stay on with the company.
And no, they do not know the mission statement because it's on the back of
their security card or on a plaque hanging in the meet and greet room. If
they can't tell you what the mission statement is (or means), the purpose
for them being there or why they do what they do, how can you expect them to
help your Customers understand why it's in their best interest to continue
doing business with you?
Take the time to break it down, give them small bites of information or have
"re-information meetings" if you need to, just get the word out.
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