Is your service ‘In’? Are people ‘Into’ what you have to offer them?
1. Invite your customers with a friendly open greeting.
2. Interact with them on their terms. Find out what they would like.
3. Inquire. Ask them what they would like. Ask them how they are doing, how their family is doing. Ask them to help you provide the best possible service experience.
4. Input. Ask for theirs. Help them tell you how you might better serve them.
5. Inform them. Tell them what you offer and the best way for them to get the most from your service organization.
6. Include them in all of your communications with them in regards to their service experience.
7. Involve them by advising them of the steps you are taking and why. Then ask for their acceptance and their Input.
8. Interview them. Ask the easy and the hard questions. Not only the 5 Dubya’s, add the final 3. “Which would you like”, “How would you prefer it” and “Is there anything else?”
9. Invest your time in discovering what works best for your customers, not your organization.
10. Use your intellect to provoke a meaningful and rich dialogue with your customer.
11. Use your intuition to lead you to providing a better overall customer experience.
12. Invoke your customers “Bill of Rights” whenever you have any doubt as to what is the “Right Thing” to do for them.
13. Become invincible when using these Rights to take care of them.
14. Intervene on their behalf between anyone that is not treating your customers with the respect and dignity they deserve.
15. Intercede between your customer and the “Factory” or “Upper Management.” It’s those moments of “caring beyond” that make the difference.
16. Provide intangibles. Like saying “Please” and “Thank You”. Intangibles go a long way in keeping your customers happy.
17. Infrequent use of the word(s) “No”, “I can’t do that”, “You’ll have to” and the ever popular “We don’t do that.”
18. Infuse your customers with your enthusiasm. It’s contagious and perpetual.
19. Become invaluable. Not only good for business, it brings customers back because of the relationship you build with them.
20. Do the best thing for your customer Instead of what procedures and policy state. After you are done, go back and change the policy or procedure.
21. Use your influence to get the changes made. Don’t give up just because “It’s the way we’ve always done it.” If it’s wrong, it’s wrong.
22. Insulate your customers from this change while it’s going on. They don’t need to see how you run your circus.
23. Instill in your staff the desire to provide good service. Provide them training and guidance.
24. Insist on treating your customers like they are your friends. Make sure everyone in your organization does the same thing.
25. Interpret surveys and data from your customers in a positive way. Use these points to make changes that result in a better experience for the customer.
26. Show interest in receiving useful feedback from your customers even if your company does not ask for this feedback. Ask your customers how you are doing.
27. Intensify your search for the Best Practices of your service organization. If your company does not do this, do it for yourself. You might not be working there very long anyways, and wouldn’t it be nice to have a skill set that you can take with you.
28. Become insatiable in your search for these practices. Don’t give up.
29. Interconnect the best practices with your professional habits. Your customer will then get the best of what you have to offer.
30. Invent new ways of providing the service. If you are not creative in this area, start thinking about ways to do the same thing differently. Send me an email and I can direct you to some resources.
31. New ways of doing things will invigorate your staff and your Customers. They might like a fresh approach.
32. Have insight by developing an ongoing communication strategy with your customers. Ask for and be willing to receive timely feedback. True insight is developed by time and dialogue, not one time encounters.
33. Bring your customers inside your circle. Let them feel that they are part of the solution not just a “problem to be dealt with.”
34. Use the word instantly in measuring your customer Service Solutions. Does your staff know what to do instantly in any given situation? Are they empowered to handle customer requests Instantly?
35. Make it easy for you to intake requests or comments. Examine your procedures and policies to see if there are barriers.
36. Be ingenuous in dealing with your customers and staff.
37. Develop ingenious ways of working out solutions to sticky problems. Then evaluate and determine if something needs to be changed permanently.
38. Make self evaluation an integral part of your day. Ask not what went wrong, ask what would like to have done differently or how do you want it to turn out?
39. Inundate your staff with the thought of asking questions rather than accepting a poor result. It’s the first step in becoming unconquerable.
40. Inspect what you expect. Setting the expectation is the second step.
41. If you must make a change in Staff, having ‘interchangeable personnel’ goes a long way to providing a seamless, smooth experience. You can be Interchangeable by cross training and growing your Staff from within.
42. Doing things seamlessly and smoothly will ingratiate your Staff to your customer.
43. Integrate service solutions with good manners and proper language.
44. Initiate all communications if possible. Be the first to extend the hand, provide a friendly greeting and Invite your customer to experience what your service has to offer.
45. Provide interim solutions that bridge gaps, if needed. Don’t wait to provide these interim solutions, just do it.
46. Intentions are worse than not knowing. By intending to do something you are acknowledging that you know what you are supposed to do and haven’t done it for whatever excuse. If a person truly does not know what to do, at least they can be trained. Knowing and not doing is far worse.
47. Keep your relationships with your customers Intact by keeping your Communications open. Even if things have not gone well, you may still salvage the customer.
48. Ingrain into your customer the benefits they can expect in working with you. Infuse them with enthusiasm for your products and service.
49. Practice integrity with your customers and your staff. That way there is never a question as to what you believe.
50. Inspire your customer and your Staff. Inspire them by Leading them. Inspire them by Asking them. Inspire them by Providing them with the best you and your Company have to offer.
About the Author
Leonard Buchholz is a Certified Trainer, Speaker and Author. Seminars include subjects like Customer Service, Management and Communications.
