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BUSINESS LEARNINGS
"The best way to consistently deliver customer service is to put yourself in the customer's shoes."
The Power of Customer Service
by Mark Blumsky (published in InBusiness Wellington)
There is no better way to destroy customer service than to simply say no. Customers don't want to know why their requests cannot be met even if there are some actually very good reasons why they can't. Frankly, a customer is not interested in the internal process, they are interested in themselves and that is fair enough. Good customer service involves working through to a solution.
I've spent plenty of time on both sides of the counter. I have been a retailer and a business owner but every day I'm also a customer for someone else. This has given me a clear perspective on the importance and power of customer service in every single transaction. It can be impossible to ever rectify one poor piece of service.
My first piece of advice is that people have to be positive when they are dealing with customers. Being positive puts you in a mindset to find solutions. Positivity will not always work but it gives your business the best chance of achieving results.
The best way to consistently deliver quality customer service is to put yourself in the customer's shoes. Perhaps it is my background in selling shoes but I think this is a hugely powerful metaphor. The trick is to put yourself on the other side of the counter or the other end of the phone and try to see issues from their perspective. Everything immediately looks different.
Ask yourself the hard questions - am I approachable? Are these forms really user-friendly? Can I process this request any quicker? Do I really need all that paperwork? Are customers being required to do things just because that is the way we have always done it?
At a basic level, we know these questions make sense because we have had the frustrations of being on the wrong end of bad customer service. People remember when their messages went unanswered or they were endlessly transferred between teams. We all know the sheer frustration of being told that something can't be done because 'the system' won't allow it or 'it's not my role'. If the staff member can't understand why the process won't work then the poor customer has no chance of getting it.
Now, how often are you or your staff doing those exact same things to your customers? The answer is probably a bit more than you care to imagine.
Try to identify all the little things that you do which might harm customer service. During my days in the shoe business, we found it could be something as simple and common as saying "can I help you?" There was something about that traditional phrase which immediately made people say "no thanks, just looking". We banned it - if anyone heard our staff say it they got a voucher. This concept applies to the big and little things - if something in your business process isn't fair or isn't optimal for the customer you have to do something about it. Lots of little improvements can make a big difference from a customer's perspective.
This can be something straight-forward like going the extra mile to help the customer resolve any issues as quickly and as simply as possible. As a wise and wonderful man once said, "it is the putting right that counts." Help your customers do what needs to be done to get a result.
Improving customer service takes honesty and a willingness to change. People need to strive to lead in everything they do and not accept things that plainly aren't working for the customers. It is challenge for everyone to step up and make a difference in their work. A positive mindset and a constant focus on customer service can make a huge difference. Chances are, you already knew that from being a customer.
by Mark Blumsky (published in InBusiness Wellington)
There is no better way to destroy customer service than to simply say no. Customers don't want to know why their requests cannot be met even if there are some actually very good reasons why they can't. Frankly, a customer is not interested in the internal process, they are interested in themselves and that is fair enough. Good customer service involves working through to a solution.
I've spent plenty of time on both sides of the counter. I have been a retailer and a business owner but every day I'm also a customer for someone else. This has given me a clear perspective on the importance and power of customer service in every single transaction. It can be impossible to ever rectify one poor piece of service.
My first piece of advice is that people have to be positive when they are dealing with customers. Being positive puts you in a mindset to find solutions. Positivity will not always work but it gives your business the best chance of achieving results.
The best way to consistently deliver quality customer service is to put yourself in the customer's shoes. Perhaps it is my background in selling shoes but I think this is a hugely powerful metaphor. The trick is to put yourself on the other side of the counter or the other end of the phone and try to see issues from their perspective. Everything immediately looks different.
Ask yourself the hard questions - am I approachable? Are these forms really user-friendly? Can I process this request any quicker? Do I really need all that paperwork? Are customers being required to do things just because that is the way we have always done it?
At a basic level, we know these questions make sense because we have had the frustrations of being on the wrong end of bad customer service. People remember when their messages went unanswered or they were endlessly transferred between teams. We all know the sheer frustration of being told that something can't be done because 'the system' won't allow it or 'it's not my role'. If the staff member can't understand why the process won't work then the poor customer has no chance of getting it.
Now, how often are you or your staff doing those exact same things to your customers? The answer is probably a bit more than you care to imagine.
Try to identify all the little things that you do which might harm customer service. During my days in the shoe business, we found it could be something as simple and common as saying "can I help you?" There was something about that traditional phrase which immediately made people say "no thanks, just looking". We banned it - if anyone heard our staff say it they got a voucher. This concept applies to the big and little things - if something in your business process isn't fair or isn't optimal for the customer you have to do something about it. Lots of little improvements can make a big difference from a customer's perspective.
This can be something straight-forward like going the extra mile to help the customer resolve any issues as quickly and as simply as possible. As a wise and wonderful man once said, "it is the putting right that counts." Help your customers do what needs to be done to get a result.
Improving customer service takes honesty and a willingness to change. People need to strive to lead in everything they do and not accept things that plainly aren't working for the customers. It is challenge for everyone to step up and make a difference in their work. A positive mindset and a constant focus on customer service can make a huge difference. Chances are, you already knew that from being a customer.
