Transcript idealmedia.co.za

Customer Satisfaction Workshop
Welcome to the Customer Satisfaction Workshop
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Customer Satisfaction and Customer Service
go hand in hand - however they are
two completely different things.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Customer Satisfaction can be
defined like this:
Customer Satisfaction is a measure of how
products and services supplied by a company
meet or surpass customer expectations.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Customer Service can be defined
like this:
Customer Service is the provision of service to
customers before, during and after a purchase.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
You could say that Customer Service has a
direct impact on Customer Satisfaction.
Therefore if you can get the Customer Service right
in your business it would have a positive
direct influence on Customer Satisfaction.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
So now we have established what
Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction mean,
but what do they really mean to you and your business?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Well in short – they mean
“Do you want to stay in business or not?”
This might sound very harsh but in fact it's the truth!
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
As our technology market expands it is clear
that more and more people can
voice their opinions on the Internet.
We all know about HelloPeter.com, but
to be honest that is just the tip of the iceberg.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
People also talk to each other and
refer services and products which
they are satisfied with to their friends,
family and co-workers.
This is called Word of Mouth, and it's important
to remember that a negative experience is
usually shared with more people than a positive one!
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Imagine your business was getting bad reviews on
all of these platforms! What would the outcome be?
Fewer people would want to do business with you.
Plain and simple, they would probably
go to your competitor.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
On the other hand, imagine that
your customers were using all these platforms
to tell their friends about their
positive experiences with your business what would the outcome be?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
You wouldn’t be worried would you?
Business would be booming.
And when that happens it means you can expand,
hire more employees, you have better
growth opportunities within your company and
a bigger slice of the pie.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
A big part of getting Customer satisfaction right is
making sure that everyone in your business knows
what they personally stand to gain from it.
Customer Satisfaction is not a once-a-month idea,
it needs to be practiced on a daily basis.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Customer service
To identify the areas where
we can improve customer service
we need to ask this question:
Who are our customers?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
A customer is anyone relying on you
for products or services.
We can classify them as Internal or External customers.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Internal Customers
This could be the business owner, the CEO,
the Accounts department, any Employee.
Any time you ask for something from one of your
employees or colleagues you are a internal customer.
If you ask Joan from the accounts department to e-mail
you a statement and she never replies or is rude to you,
would you phone Joan again if you need something ?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
In order for us to be successful in Customer Service
we need to sort out the kinks and quirks
within the organization.
Customer Service can only be implemented
successfully if it is implemented and
adhered to from the top of the organization.
A standard needs to be set and
be continuously improved upon.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
External Customers
These could be your paying customers, walk ins,
or anyone relying on your services.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Let's take a simple example:
The CEO of your company (Tim) phones one of your
suppliers. He gets through to the sales manager's
secretary, Laura, and asks her to please get Robert,
her boss, to phone him back with an urgent quote
on products as he, Tim, is about to close on
the biggest deal ever.
However Tim never receives a reply after speaking
to Laura and after leaving several messages on
Robert's cell phone.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Tim is an external customer.
Robert and Laura are both colleagues and therefore are
both internal customers of each other.
Both rely on each other for them to do their work.
How would Tim feel about Robert and Laura after he
lost his biggest deal ever?
Would Tim still want to deal with Robert, Laura or
the company, for that matter, in the future?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The point is the following :
Businesses do not do business with other businesses.
It is the people within a business who do business with
people from other businesses.
It is important to think of it in that way to make sure
you get that part of Customer Satisfaction right.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Let's say Tim phoned Laura, and 5 minutes later he
received a e-mail with the quote from Robert.
Tim closed on the deal.
How would Tim feel about the service he
received from Laura and Robert?
Ecstatic! And he could now place a huge order with
Robert. Robert is also ecstatic. Both companies benefit.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The above example also demonstrates how important
effective communication is within a business and
also when dealing with other people.
We have identified who our customers are,
now we need to look at how they want to be treated.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
How Customers Want to be
Treated
Think of a time when you were at a supermarket
emptying your trolley on the till conveyer belt and
preparing to pay.
Did you get acknowledged?
Or were you just another face passing through?
Were you ignored while the till attendant had a
deep conversation with the bag packer?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Customers want to be treated as human beings,
not as just another wallet.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
There are several simple things a person can do
to make each visit a pleasant one for each customer.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The point of impact: The first contact your
customer has with your business
The point of exit: The last contact your
customer has with your business
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact
It could be a phone call
It could be when they enter your store / business
It could be when a sales rep spoke to
them at a promotion
It could be a simple ad in the newspaper
It could be a review, a blog post or
a referral from a friend.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
You need to ask the following
questions:
When someone phones the business –
who answers the phone?
Do they speak clearly?
Do they greet the customer?
Do they state what the business name is and
do they mention which location or branch it is?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Think of a time when you phoned another company
and ended up at the switchboard.
Could you hear what the person was actually
saying on the other side?
Could you hear the other person
saying their name clearly?
Did they speak like a person or like a robot?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
In certain professions some task are repetitive and
it's important to make people aware of this!
The person speaking in a monotone,
rambling off the words for the millionth time
on the other side of the telephone
probably does not even realize they are doing it.
Make your staff aware of it.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact :
Phone Calls
Here are a few telephone etiquette ideas a person can
use to show professionalism on the telephone
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
It is important to state the following when
answering the telephone:
Greeting + Company name + location / branch
+ Person answering
Good morning , ABC Distributors , Edenvale,
Walter speaking. How may I help you ?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
If the person is asking to speak to someone
other than the person who answered the phone
you might want to do it as follows:
Sure Sir, would you mind holding
while I see if Kevin is available ?
The person on the other side of the phone
would say yes or no.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
If he said yes, you would put him on hold and
see if you can get hold of Kevin.
Great so now you've found Kevin and he's
in his office waiting for you to put the phone call through.
It is best to do it as follows :
Hi there Sir, I have found Kevin, I am putting you through.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
NOTE: At no point in the conversation did Walter ask
what the call was regarding, or in connection with.
It is not polite to screen phone calls – because if Kevin
could not be found to take the phone call it would have
looked as if Kevin was avoiding the call.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
So let's say Walter could not get hold of Kevin.
Kevin just went on lunch, maybe he is in the loo or
on a nicotine break.
This is how the conversation would have looked:
Hi there Sir, I could not locate Kevin, is there something
I could assist with? Or could I ask him to phone you?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
NOTE: Walter did not say exactly where Kevin was.
It is better to be as vague as possible, as you do not
need to disclose his actual whereabouts, and
it is better not to say he's in the loo,
on lunch or having a smoke.
Also note that Walter offered his assistance.
In Retail it often happens that a customer may have
spoken to Kevin but could have been
assisted by Walter with regards to
the information the caller sought.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
In most cases the caller will say,
No, it's all right, I’ll phone back a bit later.
If the caller opts to leave a message,
you need to proceed as follows:
Sure Sir, Can I have your name and telephone number ?
Tip: Always repeat the person's name and number
before you hang up, to make sure
the information is correct.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
At this point you can ask what the call is about, as this
would give Kevin the opportunity to get
any relevant information he would need to
assist the caller as fast as possible.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
How to end the call:
After you have repeated the caller's information,
you can proceed like this:
Thank you Sir, I will make sure that Kevin
gets the message as soon as I track him down.
Goodbye or thank you for calling.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Note: There were no endless transfers of the phone call,
and the caller did not get frustrated by
repeating himself over and over to different people.
It is important to keep transfers to a minimum.
How many times should you let the phone ring
before you answer a call?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
(Role play)
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact :
Entering your store or business.
If you walk into a store and it's neat and clean & crisp
you immediately have an expectation of the service
you are going to get.
A tidy, neat and crisp looking store gives
the impression that the staff take care of
their work place and is proud of it.
Subconsciously you feel that people are organized and
pay attention to detail. So the service must be good.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The same applies if it's dirty, untidy, and
looks as if a sand storm hit inside.
Subconsciously you would feel negative and
perhaps doubtful of any service or advice you might get.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact :
The appearance of your staff
This is a touchy subject and needs to be
handled with understanding but also
keeping in mind your rights as a owner or manager.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
If you walked into a retail store and you saw the following
characteristics in a staff member you would conclude that
they are professional and dedicated to their work.
Neat hair, ironed clothes, pleasant smelling,
clean shoes, walks with pace.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
If you saw someone with untidy hair, clothes not ironed,
smelly, dirty shoes who walked by dragging their feet
this would give you the impression that
the staff member is not there for anything but
the salary at the end of the month.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
It should be easy to deal with these issues as
most companies have a dress code people must
adhere to, and which is usually stated in
the contract of employment.
There are several other topics which could
be discussed such as:
Tattoos, piercings, new age style jeans (torn) etc.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
This all depends on which industry you are in.
Some retailers portray these images, and
for them its acceptable.
It mainly depends on your clientele and
how you need your staff to relate to them.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact :
Sales Rep or Promotion
This is where businesses sometimes go horribly wrong.
They spend a fortune on entering and buying space
at exhibitions but then send the wrong people
to represent the business.
In most cases it's the person who the manager
does not mind having out of the store.
In fact it is the person he can do without.
This is the wrong attitude to have as that person will
have the least impact on potential clients.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The key characteristics of a ideal person to
send to such an expo etc. are :
Expert and professional
A extrovert, someone who can talk with ease,
who likes interacting with people, and
who attracts people.
Someone who will represent your company
as if it was his own.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Have you ever seen one of those chefs with a
microphone advertizing a Twister or blender at a expo?
He's loud and funny and he attracts a lot of people.
He creates an interest in the product and creates a need.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
So why would you send a chef and not
a sales person to a expo to sell blenders?
The simple answer is:
The chef's appearance is selling that the product is
the choice of people in his profession.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact: Ads,
Pamphlets, newspapers etc.
If you look through a magazine, newspaper, even
mail in your post box, you will most likely
come across a few ads.
It is amusing how companies throw away money
on adverts which don't achieve their main goal:
Getting New Clients.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
If you're not promoting a special, promising me
a saving of some sort or reminding me why
I shop at your store or spend money at your business,
don’t waste your money on advertising because
I am not interested.
If I have never shopped at your store or
made use of your service, don't hassle me I don’t know you!
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Even television ads nowadays are ineffective. Maybe
you've had this experience - you 're sitting in front of
the television watching Boston Legal. In the middle,
there are a bunch of ads.
Afterward, your spouse or roommate or kid mentions
how funny one of the ads was, but you didn’t notice
it.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Why ?
Because you were thinking of something else?
You were just ignoring it?
You didn't pay attention to it because it was irrelevant?
Your subconscious blocked it out?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
This is where Nando's stand out above the rest...
They promote themselves by reminding people
that they still have a sense of humor, and
the best peri-peri chicken.
They make fun of current events relevant to us and
grab our attention.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
So when advertising – make sure you are not just
advertising your company logo, but something
relevant to get people into your store or business.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Always keep your ad's promises.
If you advertise a item for the wrong price,
make sure you adjust your price to the advertised price.
You will lose credibility if your staff have to tell your
customers that head office made a mistake.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Your company will get known for false advertising and
even your existing customers will leave you.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
In most cases just sending your existing clients a monthly
news letter about a promotion or some news relevant to
them might be more useful. Some retailers or companies
have clubs their clients belong to.
The more you spend the more discount you get.
They send news letters and coupons and
gift vouchers through the mail.
They even go as far as to have special shopping hours
for these clients. They offer discounts for you and
a friend if your friend signs up as a member.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The point of Impact :
Referrals or reviews
Most people would go watch a movie because
it had great reviews and your friends also
said you had to see it.
or...
The movie had such bad reviews that
you had to see it for yourself.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
You do not want to end up getting referrals
due to your bad service, it will yield no income.
You want your customers to refer you to their friends
because you have the best service!
And you want to build personal relationships with
your customers so that they refer their friends
to a specific staff member.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Unfortunately in this day and age the saying,
“Any publicity is good publicity,” is untrue.
News about bad service spreads much faster than good.
With the Internet at every person's finger tips and
with the social networking communities it is easy to
complain or raise awareness of service issues.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
How does your company handle complaints,
suggestions or good reviews?
Does your company encourage complaints,
suggestions and reviews?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
It is important to encourage people by offering a reward.
Google Places is a perfect tool for clients to
voice their opinion and the more reviews you have,
the better your search engine ranking.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
This means that if someone looks for a product or service
you offer, you are most likely to appear first in the results.
People would be reading the reviews before they even
contact you to get an idea whether your business is
suitable and can be trusted with their hard earned money.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
There is one last point of impact to discuss...
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Point of Impact :
Dealing with Clients (face to face)
It is important that you and your staff know
that each person, each client is different.
Their needs are different, they want to be treated
differently and their expectations are different.
To clarify we are going to split our clients into
two main groups, the introverts and the extroverts.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Introvert
Most likely would wave or nod his head
when he is greeted.
Most likely would not want assistance
until he asks for some
Most likely would browse the shelves to find a product.
Most likely would look around to make eye contact or
clear his throat to seek attention from a shop assistant.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Most likely would have done research on
a product before buying.
Soft spoken, does not like drawing
too much attention to himself.
Not one to complain
Does not mind standing in queues for a reasonable time
If he does not find what he is looking for, or is angered
by service levels he might leave the store, lodge
a formal complaint with head office and
rather look for another dealer or retailer.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The Extrovert
Most likely would greet back when greeted.
Would immediately ask for assistance or
state that he is browsing.
Would call out loud for assistance
Would most probably want to test your knowledge
of the product, and listen to advice or suggestions.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Not so soft spoken, would want to
get straight to the point.
Hates standing in queues
If he does not find what he is looking for, or
is angered by service levels he would
immediately seek the attention of the manager.
He would make a scene if angry
Does not want to be irritated
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
In most cases the extrovert is the preferred client as
you know where you stand with them at all times and
they are easier to read and cater for.
However the introvert is your most loyal client
because if they like a place and its service
they will continually be going back there.
The extrovert is easily distracted by bargains but
if the other company does not compare with
your service levels he will come and tell you about it.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
How do we deal with each of these individuals?
Here are a few basic rules you need to adhere to when
you are dealing with either kind of customer.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Always greet a client entering your business or
shop, even if he is busy with another assistant and
you walk past.
Make sure your shop assistants greet customers
rather than asking if they can assist.
This is more useful because no-one likes being asked
by every person in the shop if they need assistance.
If you greet the customer, they don't have to repeat
themselves by saying, “I’m just browsing” and after you
greet them they will usually ask if they need assistance.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Always keep an eye out for clients
who need assistance.
This means if they are looking around
trying to make eye contact or
fiddling with a product or reading a box.
Do not approach them by saying:
“Can I help you?”
Rather comment on the product
as a conversation opener.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Know your products and be honest if you do not.
Do not give false information, there is nothing more
irritating and annoying than to get home to find out that
what you bought is not what the salesman you.
Do not be ashamed to ask for assistance from someone
with more knowledge in that department or
on the specific product.
And do not walk away... as your colleague is
explaining or answering the client's questions,
learn and interact with the client.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Make sure you explain the FAB's
(Features, Advantages and Benefits)
of a product as clearly as possible.
Do not tell a long story!
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Classify your customer's needs by asking questions.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
When talking to a Client you are actually presenting a
product or service to him/her.
There are a few points you need to be aware of
and try to improve on:
Make Eye contact on a regular basis.
Use facial expressions
Do not talk away from the client (no bad breath)
Try using fluctuations in your voice.
Avoid clicking your pen or fiddling with
something in your hands
Use hand gestures
Stand up straight
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
You would do all of the above when you are giving a
presentation, and by doing these things you command
attention and keep the individual's interest.
It also projects that you are interested and
your undivided attention is on your client.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
After Sales Service
After sales service usually comes into play when a
problem arises with a product or service and the client is
trying to fix the problem by asking for help from the
people he bought the product or service from.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
It is important that you treat the client the same way as
you would a new or existing buying client.
Do not alienate the client or blame him for the problem,
and do not treat him as a hassle.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Most of the time, retailers see complaints and
dealing with problems as a negative!
Remember that the client is still a client of yours and
any resolution you might have for them would only make
them a bigger fan of you and your company.
This is actually a positive!
In some cases a client might be willing to be
up-sold on a better product or service.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Complaints
No business is perfect and every business
has probably received at least one complaint.
Complaints are important because they give us feedback
which can help us to improve our selling skills or
our company systems if we pay attention to them.
There are a few basic rules you need to adhere to
when dealing with complaints.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Steps in dealing with complaints
Listen to understand
Respond with empathy
Ask appropriate questions to establish facts
Agree on action
Follow through on actions and promises
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Step 1 : Listen to Understand
In order to listen you need to zip your lip.
Listen completely before trying to answer.
Do not interrupt the client. Give them time to
explain their story and “vent”.
Demonstrate active listening by nodding your head
and maintaining eye contact.
Disregard exaggerations, sarcasm and personal attacks.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Step 2 : Respond with empathy
You are not necessary agreeing with them,
but empathy helps to calm people down,
letting the client or customer know that you
understand how he or she feels.
Use phrases like :
I can see why you feel that way
I see what you mean
That must be very upsetting
I understand how frustrating that can be
I’m sorry about this
I understand
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Saying Sorry!
This does not mean that you or your company have
done something wrong, but merely that you are sorry
that the customer has had a bad
(less than acceptable) experience.
The tone of voice also helps in expressing empathy –
a warm and caring tone is required.
Apologize for any inconvenience
(be specific about the impact on the customer)
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Step 3 : Ask appropriate questions
to establish facts (probing)
Often we assume we know what the problem is and
therefore we jump to conclusions and solutions too soon.
Get to the core problem by using questions
Why, What, When, How, Where
Use open ended questions – that is,
questions which require more than a Yes or No answer.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Step 4 : Agree on action
You need to work together with the client to
come up with an acceptable solution.
Think outside the box, identify alternatives.
Under-promise and over-deliver.
Find things to agree on. Do not argue.
Do not say “that’s company policy”,
rather explain the reason behind it.
Use the words “I suggest” rather than “you will have to.”
Give the customer choices.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Step 5 : Follow through on
actions and promises
Follow up with the customer to check that the solution
has happened and that the customer is happy.
This could be by phone call or email.
NOTE: Choose your language carefully:
People are over-sensitive when angry so
avoid any threatening, negative or demanding language,
and avoid talking down to someone.
You need to use helpful, positive, polite,
reassuring words.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
(Role Play)
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Complacency - the enemy of
customer care
If our goal is constant innovation constantly focused on
customers and their needs, the biggest threat we face is
complacency.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Complacency is what suggests to us that:
“It’s not that bad. It could certainly be worse”
“We’re better than our competitors.”
"Business is good - we do not need to do anything."
"Business is too bad to be able to do anything right now."
“We’ll start on the customer care program next quarter.”
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The best way to combat complacency is to always be
dissatisfied with your standards of customer care.
Let's call it constructive dissatisfaction.
No matter how good you get, you can always do better.
One thing I can assure you is that customer needs
and expectations also increase.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
So now we have looked at what we can do to deliver
customer care / service to achieve customer satisfaction,
but now we need to ask the following questions...
Why did we not practice it before?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
At the end of the day if we ask the most basic question...
why do organizations exist ?
To make profit ?
How do you make profit ?
By selling products and services.
Who do you sell your products and services to?
The customer or end user who needs these
products and services ?
So in fact organizations exist … to
fill a need for their customers.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
These are the basics of customer service.
In many companies, even large corporates,
the staff have lost track of this idea.
They have implemented procedures to fulfill the
immediate needs of their internal customers
rather than catering to their external customers first.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
So if your staff is too busy with what they need to do
and have to do for their superiors...
Who is attending to the customers ?
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Lets take NORDSTROM as a case study.
America’s #1 Customer Service Company –
started as a shoe store in 1901
They had these rules written on a induction
brochure they hand their staff when they join the
company. It only contained 75 words and was
printed on a grey card:
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
These are the 8 Management Principles of the Nordstrom
company:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Provide Your Customer With Choices
Create An Inviting Place for Your Customers
Hire Nice, Motivated People
Sell The Relationship: Service Your Customers
Through The Products And Services You Sell
Empower Employees To Take Ownership
Dump The Rules: Tear Down Barriers To Customer
Service
Encourage Internal Competition
Commit 100% To Customer Service
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
One thing we can learn from Nordstrom is that
Customer Service is of utmost importance and takes
priority over anything else.
A lesson we can take from this is that if we do
what we do the best, we will be more efficient and
have more time to spend delivering services and
products exceeding the expectations of our customers.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Most companies like to think of themselves
as a learning organization.
This is an organization which has the ability to
evoke change and adapt to change.
Such a company would have a Global Goal
everyone is working towards and
would continuously measure
their progress towards their goals.
Like anything customer satisfaction and
customer service must be measured.
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
Planning a effective approach to implementing
such a plan can be done as follows:
1. Review of customer care leading to
the conclusion that action is required
(Initial review).
2. Establish specific, measurable, attainable
objectives with agreed time scales
(Set objectives).
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
3. Initial workshop meetings,
allowing sufficient time for all involved to
realize the importance of customers and
the implications of getting
customer care right or wrong (Workshops).
4. Training programs in the key skill areas
we identified (In particular,
concentrating on training managers and
supervisors in coaching skills
which will maintain momentum.)
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
5. Establishment of customer perception
monitoring systems which will
provide data on next target areas
(Customer Feedback).
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za
The rewards of getting customer care right,
clearly outweigh the problems that are faced
in achieving this goal.
All that remains is for you to put it all into practice
and delight your customers.
Good Luck!
IdealMedia Marketing CC Tel: 011 478 0622 www.IdealMedia.co.za