Move UP from a Customer Service to a Customer Focus Mentality

The Computer Won't Let Me Do That

2011-10-24T03:32:00.000-07:00

The next time a customer service rep says, "The computer won't let me do that" or "The system tells me what to do," remember this:

Behind every such phrase is a set of processes designed, or at least endorsed, not by computers but by human beings somewhere in the corporate hierarchy. The system may tell the reps what to do, but someone told the system what to do.

So poorly conceived technologies take decisions away from employees, disempowering them and turning them into script readers. Any chance of a dialogue vanishes. The real decision-makers — the people who designed or endorsed the system — are hidden away in the corporate labyrinth, invisible to both the customer and the agent and accountable to no one, invisible to both the customer and the agent.

The Blame Game

2011-05-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Too often, we blame bad service on the people who actually deliver the service.
Sometimes it’s not their fault at all, yet they get the blame!

Sadly, the complaints rarely make it as far as the (possibly overpaid, often overworked) executive who made the poor decision in the first place.

Three quick tips for organisation who cares about this:

1. Require decision to sign their work and take responsibility. Who decided to make it the way it is?

2. Run a customer service audit on the process. Walk step by step through the office, the software, the phone system or the customer contact points and list out what’s not right.

3. Make it easy for complaints (and compliments) about each decision to reach everyone, especially the boss who made the decision in the first place.

Many bosses train their staff to be mediocre!

2011-05-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Find out what the boss wants, and do that, just barely!

Figure out how to do exactly what they want, with the least amount of effort, and with the least amount of risk of failure and you are a 'great employee.'

This attitude is a matter of self-preservation.

Raise the bar, the thinking goes, and the boss will work you harder and harder. Take initiative and you might fail, leading to a potential reprimand or even termination. Your team is probably full of people smarter than you, why hold them back?

The opportunity of this age is for the boss to change from taskmaster or limiter. When you are seen as a coach, as a resource, as a supporter, as a cheerleader then you will be amazed at the outcomes.

Have you got the courage to change?

I am no longer an idiot!

2011-05-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this old "Customer Service" poem which has been updated for the 21st century, think you might get some useful tips here.

"I am your customer"

I am no longer an idiot. In fact, I never was, but now I will no longer be treated as one.

I demand to be told the truth, and even when you do, I will still assume that you are keeping something from me.

I am fully aware of the influence that my dollar has on your business, and I know of your competitors.

I will not run from conflict as I have seen my parents do. In fact, I will sometimes seek conflict - I have a right to express my importance.

Do not open your doors and assume I will be there. Others open their doors and offer me a reason to be there.

When I arrive at your premises, do not assume that I will purchase. Ask me to.

I am the single most important facet of my life. Therefore I am always the only ME to enter your business. Treat me as such.

Give me exactly what you claim to offer everyone else. If I do not receive it, I will also know that no-one else does.

I am expected to absorb millions of messages every single day. If yours is to be one of the few retained, make it different, make it exceptional, make it retainable.

If you annoy or upset me, it is my responsibility to inform my friends and for them to inform their friends.

My strongest attribute is my ability to purchase. It is all I have to offer and I cannot offer it to all of you.

I am a 21st Century Consumer. There are millions of us. Although we are unfamiliar to so many, when we are out to purchase, we are as one.

It is in our Worst Moments that we are Judged!

2011-05-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

That's how people judge you and how they remember you, not how you handle the normal and easy days of our lives.

You are presumed to be showing us your real self when you are working to a major deadline, have a headache, are facing a customer service meltdown, haven't had a good night's sleep, are facing an ethical dilemma, are momentarily in power, are caught doing something when you thought no one else was looking, are irritable, have the opportunity to extract revenge, are losing a competition or are truly overwhelmed.

Remember, you may need to become a “different person” to become a more successful one. It's not just who you are, but what you do that people will judge you on.

What a great opportunity to demonstrate our emotional maturity.

Many people either ignore your organisation or they judge it, usually it's with too little information.

When they judge it, they judge it based on the actions of the loudest, meanest, rudest most selfish member of your team.

When a member of your Team is rude all of you can be seen as rude.

When a member of your Team is intolerant all of the organisation can be seen as intolerant.

When a member of your Team is flippant then all of your organisation can be seen as seen as flippant.

When a member of your Team shows no respect then all of the organisation can be seen the same.
When a member of your Team is so obviously damaging your reputation I wonder why the loyal and dedicated members hesitate to discuss, discipline, ostracise or expel the negative.

"You're hurting our reputation, this is wrong, we have standards and we expect you to meet them.

It is not just up to "the boss", surely each person partly bears responsibility for your reputation.

What do you stand for?

Something special or nothing?

8 Behaviours to determine.... Are YOU SMART?

2011-04-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

Dr. Bill Lucas of the Talent Foundation understands what it means to be smart in today's complex world. He lists 8 key behaviours that "Make You Smart" however it is crucial to his notion that being smart is situational; behaviour that is effective in one situation could be decidedly ineffective in another. Nothing makes sense without an initial grasp on the circumstances that made up the situation. Being smart, just like leadership and management styles, is definitely situational. Do you demonstrate these behaviours?

Knowing how and when to use your intuition

Sensing other people's emotions and responding accordingly

Extracting meaning from experience

Applying expertise gained in one situation advantageously in another

Judging when taking risks is likely to be beneficial

Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses and playing to them

Recognising and channelling your emotions effectively

Bouncing back after a setback.

Focus on what you can do, not what you can't do!

2011-04-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? We all have some habits we would like to change, sounds easy but consider how often you have been successful? Rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves the question we need to ask is how will you replace the poor habits with good ones? Research on thought suppression (eg "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that tyring to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behaviour - by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get stregthened rather than broken. If you want to change your ways, ask yourself, what will I do instead?

Focus on getting better

2011-03-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hoping we have the ability to improve and reach our goals is important, but believing you can get the ability is so much more important. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed - that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills. Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong - abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices and reach your fullest potential. Amongst many things we can set goals about is getting better at important aspects of our lives, taking difficulty in our stride and appreciating the journey as much as the destination.

In Dead Poet's Society

2011-03-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

Robin Williams claimed...Carpe Diem!...Seize the Day!

Every day YOU and I have the opportunity to decide how we will use our time. Will we fritter it away - being too scared to act?

Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid!

Triggers and Red Flag Words

2011-03-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone of us has times when it seems someone else is causing us angst.

Often it is as simple as a look on their face or a word they use... perhaps it's the tone, the tempo or volume.... it can seem as if they are waving a red flag right in our face.

It is in those next microseconds when you decide how to react. Yes! You can decide! The question is how are you programmed to respond? Have you actually decided what would be a good response or do you simply respond without even thinking? Most of us have had circumstances where later we realise we should have handled it differently. The good news is that you can change if you want to!

I suggest you learn to recognise your triggers and decide how you will respond next time, then practice the response.

You can employ people...

2011-02-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

You can employ people and hire hands to work for you, but you will have to win their hearts to have them work with you.

William J. H. Boetcker

Do you have any crazy system/rule in your organisation that needs changing right NOW?

2011-02-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

How long is it since you considered what YOUR clients are looking for? As I talk with more and more people it strikes me that they are looking for one thing, consider this following report.

Dalby hit the news with a record flood in the Condamine River that damaged the water treatment plant. And water needed to be trucked in the middle of floods. Truck drivers worked hard to get us water. And what happens? In the middle of the crisis officers from QLD Transport book the truck drivers for so-called over-loading.....????

A farmer is crossing a road with a tractor to feed starving, flooded stock, they were pulled up, the tractor is measured, and he is booked because the tractor was slightly too wide! [Then] the farmer was forced to abandon the tractor and go to town to get an over wide permit. And this happened on an already closed road where the farmer was the only person around.

Another farmer was booked for driving down a closed road to check livestock that were reported out on the road. His house is 50 metres past the "Road Closed" sign.

So what are your customers looking for....Common Sense!

Just check! Do you have any crazy system/rule in your organisation that needs changing right NOW?

Have a Winning Smile!

2011-01-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

"Smile and the world smiles too."

There's nothing like a smile to create a good first impression. A warm and confident smile will put both you and the others at ease. So smiling is a winner when it comes to great first impressions. But don't go over board with this - people who take this too far can seem insincere and smarmy, or can be seen to be "lightweights".

Be Positive

2011-01-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

Your attitude shows through in everything you do. When you are hiring new staff remember you can teach the how to of a role but attitude comes from the person and only they can change it. So surround yourself with people who possess a positive attitude, you will be well rewarded.

Planning for First Impressions

2011-01-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

You have just a few seconds to make a good first impression and it's almost impossible to change it. So it's worth giving each new encounter your best shot. Much of what you need to do to make a good impression is common sense. But with little extra thought and preparation, you can hone your intuitive style and make every first impression not just good but great.

There's no doubt about it. Exceptional customer service is the lifeblood of any business.

2010-12-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Sure you can offer plenty of promotions, discounts, freebies or go on a sale and slash prices to bring in new customers, but unless you provide great service, customers won't come back and purchase items from you.

Getting people to buy, pay attention and spread the good word about your business is indeed the goal in sales and marketing. But more than the sales figures, we all know that it's the relationships we create with people that truly matter.

And this is where exceptional customer service come in. You can throw in a flashy website, impressive marketing materials and use the latest technology, but if your customer service is lousy, you can say goodbye to sales.

Now when we think about customer service we instinctively think about a brick and mortar business. These tips also apply to every online business, because you obviously have customers and clients too. Most of these people you don't meet face to face, but still, they are your customers, so treat them well. For every business, online or offline, exceptional customer service is crucial.

So, take time to reassess this aspect of your business. How do you treat and deal with customers? (I'm happy to help you with this assessment, just contact me).

In the end, you have to make sure that you send them away a satisfied customer, enough to pass along their positive feedback about your business to others. this is the classic word-of-mouth advertising that you can always rely on.

And it's always priceless.

THE FIVE PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVENESS

2010-11-29T18:43:00.000-08:00

I was recently reading some articles by the famous Peter Drucker regarding effectiveness, I thought you might like to read them too!

By Dr. Peter Drucker

All that effective people have in common is the ability to get the right things done - here's how

The effective executives I have seen differ widely in their temperaments and abilities, in what they do and how they do it, in their personalities, their knowledge, their interests – in fact, in almost everything that distinguishes human beings. But all effective executives I’ve known perform only necessary tasks and eliminate unnecessary ones.

Five practices have to be acquired to be effective:

Effective executives know where their time goes. They work systematically at managing the little of their time that can be brought under their control.

Effective executives focus on outward contributions.

Effective executives build on strengths - theirs and others. They do not build on weaknesses.

Effective executives concentrate on superior performance where superior performance will produce outstanding results. They force themselves to stay within priorities.

Effective executives make effective decisions. They know that this is a system – the right steps in the right sequence. They know that to make all decisions fast is to make some wrong decisions.

Whenever I have found a person who – no matter how great in intelligence, industry, imagination, or knowledge – fails to observe these practices, I have also found an executive deficient in effectiveness.

Leader or Manager?

2010-11-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

One of the on-going challenges for managers is how to get the best out of their staff. Most aim to have people “do more” or “go faster”, some even aim to design more efficient systems.

However I think a better strategy is to encourage people to do better rather than more.

It will require more skill, coaching and patience however creating a team of people who are better far outweighs doing more, and the leader will automatically “get more” as a side benefit.
Learning to make the transition from Manager to Leader may be challenging but is ultimately very rewarding.

Training

2010-11-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

Regularly arranging customer service training programs for your staff does much more than entertain them! We usually include simulations of various scenarios designed to keep people skills sharp – we all fall into poor habits without regular reminders – much like a knife needs regular sharpening so do we!

Recruiting staff

2010-11-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

When recruiting new staff look for good attitudes and people-loving people. This may sound too simple, but employees who like people are often more outgoing and friendly and tend to be more empathetic concerning their problems. Intelligence and problem solving skills are also a plus.

Are your clients raving fans?

2010-10-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Try catching your customers off guard. Pleasantly surprise them with an unexpected bonus product along with a hand written thank you note. You will be amazed with the results.

Give employees authority

2010-10-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Why not give your employees the authority to make decisions without referring to a supervisor? Customers love it and when employees make good decisions you can congratulate them and, in turn, encourage further customer-oriented decision-making.

How do you measure the success of your Customer Service Staff?

2010-09-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Many Customer Service staff are measured by quantitative indicators, things such as the number of calls handled, the wait time, the number of customers served, and the average time per service transaction, the number of hang ups etc.

While this is useful data I would like to suggest a different philosophical approach, one of being fully customer focused and pro-active in the area of customer satisfaction.

I suggest you measure staff on their abilities to deliver complete satisfaction to customers.

Rather than being reactive and process driven in determining customer needs, teach your people to be more acute listeners and observers. While you are doing this, give them authority to fix problems when it seems reasonable to do so.

Hmmmm, I hear you thinking…how will I measure that? What about using Common Sense? Surely that would be too simple!

What is your culture towards complaints?

2010-09-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

When customers try to make a complaint they often run into hurdles and barriers just trying to find someone to voice their complaint. Often they get angrier and angrier.

The result is a small problem that develops into a larger one, simply because the customer cannot find an easy way to channel their concerns, anger, fears, worries, questions, or complaints to your organisation in a timely and convenient manner. Frequently it seems no one REALLY wants to listen!

The initial reaction to a customer complaint is often defensive (trying to push the blame back onto the customer) or process driven. Few things seem to infuriate customers more than this attitude. And not being able to find the right contact details for lodging a complaint, or being forced to speak with a call centre "service rep" makes it even worse.

Another example of this is when your e-mail auto responder system sends out the highly depersonalizing "thank you for your enquiry, we will get back to you promptly" message when an e-mail of complaint is sent via the organization's web site.

Please note: an e-mail (or letter) of complaint is not an enquiry, it is an attempt to get a humanized and customized resolution to a situation.

Make it Easy For Customers to Complain!

2010-08-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

One of the components of a good Customer Focus Strategy is to make it easy for customers to complain.

"What?" I can hear many of you saying. "Make it easier for customers to complain, so that we are actually likely and happy to get more complaints?"

YES!

That's exactly what your mindset should be --- not just to get more complaints, but to be very open, customer complaints are great opportunities to learn, and opportunities for your entire organisation to improve.

After all, if you don't hear about the problems your customers are having with your products, services, or staff, then how would you know to improve them?

Inspire your staff

2010-08-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

How often do you review and inspire the people in your business? There are studies out showing the more time you spend in a focused review the more performance is likely to improve.

So do you take 15, 30 or perhaps 60 minutes once a year?

A recent study of someone who leads her team very successfully uncovered some interesting facts. She has 25 people reporting to her…yet finds 100 full days a year, yes, that is four full days per person per year…to review and guide them.

After all, what is more important than developing the people and culture in your business?

You can’t manage people!

2010-08-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

The problem is that many Managers seem to think their role is to closely monitor or “manage” performance… however you can’t manage people! You can manage processes, a fleet of cars however you need to lead people, not manage them. How sad and ineffective it is that many Managers think that their role is to be the police officer. I suggest you look for people doing things right…. and then congratulate them!

Why not set a goal to look for the good in people and to congratulate a specific number of people every day?

People! Always an interesting topic, for me anyway!

2010-08-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

The conversation at a business breakfast took many different turns before eventually leading to how this person finds people interactions difficult and dealing with staff and customers even harder.

At his invitation I went to visit his office a few days later and, like many of us, I watched the behaviour and interactions between he and his staff. Interestingly as he commented on the performance problems of each of his staff it became obvious that he was the one causing all the drama in his own office.

Are you really aware of how you affect your Staff and Customers?

Imagine This!

2010-07-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

You discover your Doctor stopped attending the Professional Development Conferences years ago, and no longer even sees the Medical Reps! When questioned she says I’m over it! Never ending things to learn, constant change you know! Who needs it?
Would you be happy to continue using the same Doctor?

So what is your Professional Development track record like?
Think about what you have done this year? Make a list of the workshops, the webinars, the books, the clear thinking people you have spent time with.
Is it an impressive list? Are you proud of it or embarrassed?

Productivity

2010-07-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

A little boy asks his Mum why his Dad is always doing extra work at home; Mum replies that Dad just can’t keep up with the workload. After thinking for a moment, the little boy responds…
Why don’t they just put him in a slower group!

My mind turned to how busy the world is and how the speed and demands of life seems to be continuing to increase dramatically. While there are so many questions worth asking one question must surely be is this pace making us happy?

While some work places seem to expect 50 to 60 hours or even more others believe that if you can’t get it done in 40 hours you are doing something wrong! Some countries even have a 30-hour work week!

The big point here is to decide how many hours and what activities you want to spend your working life on.

Ideally it’s doing something that doesn’t seem like work at all!

On stupidity

2010-01-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

If stupidity was painful - there'd be a lot of hurting people out there.