Teri Yanovitch

5 Things to Do When You Make a Mistake

2011-11-30T20:32:00.000+05:00

Following are five things you should do when your business has made a mistake with a customer.

1. Quickly admit to the mistake and not try to cover it up. When you come forward and admit a mistake, customers are more forgiving.
2. Take ownership and don't try to blame it on others. Notre Dame School teaches their students to not ever deflect blame on someone or something else, but to always accept the wrong and take responsibility.
3. Apologize. Saying you are sorry that the situation occurred can go miles in retaining the relationship. Sometimes a sincere apology is all the customer really wants.
4. Tell how you will fix the problem. Clearly communicate what you are going to do to remedy the situation.
5. Follow through with any promises made and follow up!

$37.7 Billion Lost While "Waiting"

2011-11-15T10:00:00.001+05:00

According to a CNN report, we Americans spend hours and hours waiting for technicians, furniture deliverers, and the cable guys to show up. In 2011, this time spent waiting on services cost American workers $37.7 billion! The average wait time has been 4.5 hours and the average number of times a year for waiting for an in-house appointment was three. 50% of the respondents said they used a sick day or vacation day to wait. The cable guy was number one in who keeps us waiting the longest at 57%.

Interestingly, 70% of the people responding to the survey said they would recommend a company simply because a representative was on time! That dropped to 43% who would recommend a company if they had to wait an extra 15 minutes. Why? Customers say they think the reason that companies who aren't showing up on time is because they "don't care about my time".

Bottom line cost: study found companies lose an average of $330 for each customer who decides to stop doing business with them. I'm sure it gets much larger than that if you figure in lost referrals.

The question becomes: do you look through the lens of the customer when designing your delivery processes or only through the lens of the organization? Great customer service must come after the sale too - its all part of the customer experience.

Five Actions to Keep Internal Customers Satisfied

2011-10-25T10:15:00.001+05:00

When you think of a business, it is really composed of many customers and suppliers internally within the organization itself. In a manufacturing company for example, the sales department usually starts the process by getting an order from a customer. They pass this order to the Purchasing department, who sends it to the Engineering department and from there it goes to Manufacturing and then is passed on to Shipping. Each of these departments has certain things they need from the prior department or “internal supplier”. Therefore each department is a supplier and a customer to each other.

There is a domino effect between internal customer satisfaction and external customer satisfaction. In order to produce happy external customers (the ones who buy your product/service), it is important and imperative to build customer satisfaction between the internal customers.

How to do this? Start by having each department:

1. Identify an internal customer and an internal supplier.
2. Talk to this internal customer and ask them specifically what is needed for them to do their jobs that their department provides.
3. Ask this internal customer what they currently do that disappoints them in delivering what they provide.
4. Ask this internal customer what they could do that would delight them and make their jobs easier.
5. Go to supplier and ask what you can do to help them deliver what your department needs.

Continue to repeat these five actions with all of your internal customers and internal suppliers. Keeping internal customers satisfied and happy is the first step towards creating external customer loyalty.

Monkeying Around with Culture

2011-10-18T10:00:00.004+05:00

An experiment conducted in the early 1960’s involved placing a pole with a bunch of bananas every day in the center of a monkey’s habitat. The monkeys would climb the pole to get the bananas, because that is what monkeys do. One day, as a monkey climbed the pole, the researcher sprayed it with water and got all the other monkeys wet too. Every time thereafter, when a monkey tried to climb the pole, the researcher sprayed it. Soon, the monkeys learned to stop climbing.

The researcher removed one of the monkeys from the habitat after a period of time and replaced it with a new monkey to see what would happen. When the new monkey saw the bananas at the top of the pole, it started to climb up to retrieve them. The other monkeys pulled the new monkey down. After a while the new monkey learned that it shouldn’t climb the pole.

Over time, the researchers replaced every monkey in the habitat with a new monkey so that none of the original monkeys remained. Still, none of the monkeys climbed the pole.

This experiment reminds me of the Gallup survey and other HR research surveys that show out of 100 employees in an organization, 25 will be actively engaged in the vision and mission, 59 will not be engaged, and 15 will be actively disengaged. Think of the new employee who comes excitedly into this culture and wants to do a great job and deliver an excellent customer experience. They may be an exceptional recruit, but if they are taught not to climb the pole, not to truly care about the customer, not to know how to deliver on the service standards and service philosophy – nothing else really matters. The culture will trump and take over.

A poor culture can kill the customer experience. On the flip side, a great culture can positively enhance and impact the customer experience.

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Honesty Matters at Holiday Isle Properties

2011-10-11T10:00:00.003+05:00

When you are helping people create memories, you must be honest. And that's the driving value at Holiday Isle Properties, Inc. in Destin, Florida. Patrica Denny, the owner, and her staff all work hard to ensure their guests have the best possible experience for that special occasion when someone wants to get away and enjoy the beautiful beaches and area of Destin. By being honest up front with guests, the staff believes they can ensure the vacation rental that is ultimately selected, will be the one that will make their guests happiest. And happy guests turn into repeat guests!

How many times have you been misled by sales staff who are so anxious to make the sale? When the moment of truth arrives, you, the customer feel manipulated, misled, and deceived. Chances of you recommending or going back to do business with that organization is zero to slim. Why? You feel you can't trust them!

Holiday Isle Properties go out of their way to ensure you know what you are getting with the vacation rental property you are booking. They will spend time actively listening to your desires and needs, send 3 dimensional pictures, advise you of what's what - all so that when you book and when you arrive, there are no surprises. Of course, this means that all their employees are competently knowledgeable on each one of their properties.

Not only have they survived the recession and Gulf oil spill, they have doubled their repeat business in the last year by creating loyal customers. Superior customer service pays and that includes being honest about your product!

If You Have Time to Lean...

2011-09-28T19:34:00.000+05:00

Then, you have time to clean. This was the slogan, founder Ray Kroc, made sure all employees of McDonalds knew by heart. He had seen and eaten at a lot of "fast food" places and he knew the three essential ingredients for a successful dining experience would be Quality, Service and Cleanliness. Its interesting too, that most employees will remember this no matter how long ago they worked for McDonalds. My neighbor's first job, forty years ago was at a McDonalds and when I asked her what she remembered most about her work there, she quickly quoted "if you have time to lean, then you have time to clean". Words of wisdom she is now passing on to her daughter who is currently working at a high class restaurant but was admonished by her supervisor recently that she should never just be standing around even when there were no customers and she didn't know what she should be doing.

Cleanliness will always make a difference in the experience. Walt Disney, himself, said the three reasons why guests would keep coming back to Disney is because it was Clean, Friendly, and Fun.

Everything Speaks. Are you facilities "clean"? Do you employees clean when they have time to lean?

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Are You a Butterfly?

2011-09-20T19:23:00.001+05:00

What does a butterfly have to do with customer service? The “butterfly effect” refers to the idea that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. If the butterfly had not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different.

You don’t need to wait to see if the whole organization is going to get on the bus to improve customer service. You can be a catalyst by flapping your wings and begin creating great customer experiences within your area of influence. By making a small change for service excellence in your area, it can lead to a chain of events that may determine the direction of the organization culture. Because while the butterfly does not “cause” the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the tornado, it does “cause” it in the sense that the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado, and without that flap that particular tornado would not have existed.

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Don't Say These Things to Customers

2011-09-15T19:26:00.000+05:00

There are certain words and phrases that are best avoided when looking to build great relationships with customers. Here are a few:
1. "That's our policy." If the customer wasn't aware of the policy (it was one of those unstated policies) look for another way to help them out and handle their issue. If the customer was aware of the policy, but is hoping you will waiver it for them, use the wording "in order to protect you" or "in order to benefit you" and remind them why the policy was created in the first place.
2. "Are you sure?" This sounds like you are doubting the customer and puts them on the defensive. Instead, ask more clarifying questions and really seek to understand the concern looking through their lens.
3. "No problem". This phrase implies the customer is causing you a problem. The better response is "Yes, I can take care of this for you."
4. "I'll try and see what I can do". Customer doesn't want you to just try, they want you to do. Tell them what you know you can do and will do. This takes away the time period of uncertainty and unknowing of what may happen.
5. "I will get back to you as soon as I can". This really leaves the customer in a spot because "as soon as I can" is so indefinite. Instead, give a specific time and date when you will get back to the customer and then, even if you don't have the final answer for them, call and let them know what the status of the situation is.

Building customer relationships through delivering great service builds customer loyalty. What you say and how you say things to your customers makes a difference.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Are You Easy?

2011-09-07T10:00:00.002+05:00

Are you easy to do business with or are you difficult to do business with? The processes that organizations create for their customers to buy from them or communicate with them, many times makes the customer experience such a negative, that the customer goes somewhere else next time.

For example, when was the last time you ordered a piece of furniture to be delivered to your home? As I write this blog, I am waiting on a call from the furniture store to let me know when they will be delivering my new recliner chair tomorrow. Its 4 p.m. and I have no idea of what the window will be for their arrival; therefore, my whole day tomorrow, is held up and can't be planned. This is looking through the lens of the organization and not the lens of the customer.

Processes impact the customer experience and if they are too cumbersome, complex, or difficult to navigate through - it really doesn't matter how nice and friendly your employees are, because you've already disengaged the customer by the time they get to them.

Talk to your employees and ask them what are the processes that customers complain about the most and start looking at those. Many times processes are in place because that's the way it has always been done. And maybe now is just the time to do some updating!

Nordstrom's Knows Its the Little Things

2011-08-30T10:00:00.003+05:00

This past week while shopping in downtown Chicago, I got to experience once again why Nordstrom's stays on top of the companies known for their world-class service. Yes, they have an incredible return policy I hear, but what wowed me this visit was "three little things".

1. The floor rep in the women's department asked if I was looking for anything in particular. When I said "yes", she knew exactly where to take me to find it. Then she introduced herself and asked my name. From then on, she called me by name and helped me through my shopping experience.

2. When she completed the ringing up of my new items, she folded them neatly into the bag and walked around the cash register counter, handed the bag to me, and thanked me for shopping with Nordstrom's.

3. As I walked around the other floors, I was approached by several floor reps who asked if I needed help. When I responded "no", they cheerily wished me well and quietly walked away. No sulking, no badgering, no pushing for me to buy more.

I observed these behaviors all across the store on every level and every department. It is the consistency in these little things that make shoppers feel welcome and happy to shop at Nordstrom's. The key is to find what makes your customers feel welcome and happy to do business with you and then ensure the consistency of these behaviors - so you can benefit from repeat business and loyal customers just like Nordstrom's.

Waiting in Line Can Be Fun?

2011-08-16T10:00:00.001+05:00

Most everyone dreads the long wait in line to receive a product or service. Some people will just leave when they see a long line and if possible go elsewhere. Whether its waiting in line for a theme park ride, buying a computer, getting an oil change, eating dinner at a favorite restaurant, most successful businesses will have to deal with the customer waiting.

Last week's Wall Street Journal posted an article on Fun for the Whole Family: The Long Wait in Line that shared examples of what businesses have done to embrace the "wait" and make it a fun part of the experience vs. an evil necessity.

Companies are equipping waiting rooms with computer tablets, free Wi-Fi, and arcade games. The notoriously insufferable wait at the local DMV, has been defused at one location in Kansas with a text-messaging service that alerts customers when it's their turn. Users join the line by text, phone, going online, or just walking into the office. Some customers now go grocery shopping while waiting in the virtual line or come in closer to their estimated appointment time.

It takes creativity, but Disney has always considered the "wait" part of the experience and continuously looked for ways to engage the guest before the REAL ride begins.

Gather your employees and brainstorm with them and other loyal customers what you could do to make the wait for your business a fun part of the experience. Great customer service considers all the possible customer touch points. How you handle the "Wait" touchpoints can certainly help create a more memorable experience.

Does Customer Service Pay? Apple says YES!

2011-08-04T10:15:00.005+05:00

A man remarked that Apple Computer's customer service is ridiculously great. At each point of contact he always received consistently great service. He wanted to see how far they would go.

He went into one of their stores, sat down, pulled out his cell and ordered a pizza. When the pizza was delivered, the Apple employees offered him napkins.

So, the man told his wife to get all dressed up, that he was taking her out for a date. He put on his best suit, hired a violinist and took his wife to an Apple store. The violinist began playing and the man asked his wife to dance. While they were dancing, an employee asked if they would like to have their picture taken.

The man thought and thought as he wanted to really push the Apple employees to their limits on this unbelievable customer service he was experiencing. He found a goat and took it into one of their stores and started shopping around. An employee came over and asked if his goat would like some water.

Most business owners would be shaking their heads over how absurd this level of service seems to be. Yet, this week, it was in all the news how the U.S. Government has cash reserves of $74 billion dollars, but Apple exceeds this amount in whereas they have $76 billion in reserves.

Superior customer service pays and it must be engrained into the culture. Apple knows this and works very hard at keeping and protecting their culture.

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Is Courtesy Dead?

2011-07-26T10:00:00.001+05:00

Where did being courteous to a customer go? This past weekend attempting to complete some household projects, I encountered employees in different businesses who really didn't seem to care one iota about me as a customer and how I felt about them and their company.

It started with the computer store. After spending a nice sum of money on a new computer, the cd drive didn't work. Having to unhook and rehaul the computer back to the store, I was met with a clear sense of indifference by the "experts" at the Help desk. Took five minutes just to get one's attention and then their facial expressions were very visible as to how much they really didn't care about my problem or feel any sense of urgency in getting it fixed.

Next stop was my favorite big box hardware store. Needed seven different items and was in a hurry. Three clerks were standing in the front of the store carrying on a conversation with each other when I asked if one of them could help me find the items on my list. Once again, it was obvious in body language and facial expressions that this was not what they wished to be doing. I felt I was an imposition, not a person that ultimately was giving them their paycheck!

The last straw was the phone call I had to make to the pest control company to come out and see why there were still bugs in my house even though they had serviced it a couple of weeks ago. The expressed exasperation in the voice of the
scheduler who made it seem like it was my fault the roaches and ants were appearing and the curtness in the way she quoted the appointment times, was enough to make me believe that courtesy is slowing dying in our society.

Here's a Courtesy Checklist for your employees of the essential elements of courteous behavior:

a willingness to discover opportunities to exceed the customer's expectations
sincerity
a friendly smile (even over the phone)
using the person's name when possible
a neat appearance
proper use of language
exceptional listening skills (attentiveness)
a relaxed and natural tone of voice
appropriate eye contact
clear communicatin at the customer's comprehension level
knowledge about the product or service

How customers are treated is often the difference between organizations that succeed and those that fail.

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Service Standards Make the Job Easier

2011-07-13T10:15:00.001+05:00

Companies that have service standards are not strict and rigid. Companies that have service standards are not stifling creativity in their service delivery. Companies that have service standards are not restricting innovation in the customer experience. Service Standards are empowering and make the job of the employee and the manager so much easier. Why? Because they make it very clear as to the behaviors that are accepted and not accepted in how one treats a customer, both internal and external.

Employees want to know what is expected of them. In fact, NOT knowing what is expected, is in the top six reasons as to why employees leave a company, according to Gallup. Employee want to be held accountable and for their colleagues to be held accountable to the same standards. When service standards have not been defined, this is impossible to do. Without service standards, employees make up their own or adhere to the standards they learned from a previous place of employment.

Service Standards create a consistency across an organization because they should be the same for all departments, 365 days a year and 24/7. Service standards are essential for a seamless customer experience. They should not change with the time of year, day of month, or the economy ups and downs. It becomes confusing to employees when they do.

You don’t need to have a lot of service standards. The key is to choose three, four, or five, that will have a significant impact on how customers will feel about their experience with your organization. For example, Ritz Carlton has three service standards, Walt Disney World has four service standards.

For managers, the job of managing becomes easier too. The service standards are freeing in that they let the manager manage the behaviors and not get sucked into becoming the “mean, tough, old manager” just because they are the one who is willing to call an employee out when they are exhibiting bad customer service behaviors. With clear service standards, managers are simply making sure that employees are adhering to the standards that were agreed upon in their hiring and are a part of the culture of the organization.

Winning Moments for the 4th of July

2011-07-06T10:15:00.002+05:00

Reflecting on this past Fourth of July weekend, there were several moments that caught my attention that I believe exhibit the values and actions of great customer service.

The first was the Casey Anthony case. Such coverage, such a spotlight, not only on the judge, attorneys and Casey, but also upon our local Orlando courthouse. According to the Orange County Clerk of the Courts, they were able to provide typewritten documents of each morning's testimony by the afternoon for those requesting such information. That's efficiency of service at its finest! Great customer service is paying attention to the details and that was certainly one of the details that was thought through and a process designed to ensure it could happen. It was a detail that certainly made the lives easier for those who needed that data.

The second was the Wimbledon finals. As the Wall Street Journal's article describe "A Loser's Winning Moment", its easy to be a winner, but if you really want to prove yourself to be an all-time great, lose beautifully with class and humility, like Rafeal Nadal. When you as a company make an error, don't try and blame it on everything and everyone else, accept the error and be gracious. Give your best in service recovery to make the customer happy and keep your respect and dignity.

And finally, the public service announcements from individual soldiers serving overseas. It was interesting that each one in their 15 second television moment, thanked us (the American people) for our support and wished us a Happy 4th of July. That's Trust and in keeping customers for life, it's all about the trust.

Paying attention to the details, great character, a servant's heart, and trust. How many of these traits does your organization exhibit on a day-to-day basis? Ask your employees to give you examples of when they have shown these traits and managers can do the same.

Looking Good at 40!

2011-06-29T10:00:00.001+05:00

I've had the opportunity several times in this past month to ride Southwest Airlines and each time it has been a great fun-Luving experience! They have started celebrating their 40th birthday this month and are taking the occasion to reinforce the foundation of their culture and what they are all about. Southwest Airlines started with an idea on a cocktail napkin: cheap flights between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

The two founders were determined to invent their own differentiating crazy culture and decided while their main goal was to fly safely between these three points, they wanted to make the experience FUN for their passengers. They wanted their passengers to feel special and loved, yes, "loved". So, LUV became the core of their culture and they put a top person in charge of the culture. Colleen Barrett is the airline's former president and she worked to create a Heartfelt culture. She crafted the tone and spirit that defines Southwest today, from the legendary annual Halloween party to the way a gate agent treats a Customer.

As Southwest flourished, imitators tried to copy the operation and business philosophy: United Shuttle, Continental Lite, Delta Express and US Airways Metro Jet - yet they all failed. Culture can't be faked. Southwest founders settled disputes by an arm-wrestling match and who would ever think of painting"Free Bags Fly For Free Here" on their plane? If the culture is set from the top, led by the top, sincere, woven into the interview, on-boarding, performance appraisals, and recognition systems - it will be successful. In Southwest's case, that means 38 years of consecutive profitability!

What kind of culture does your organization have? Have you defined it? As a leader do you promote it, live it and breathe it? Culture beats strategy any day of the year. Happy Birthday Southwest and best wishes for another profitable and FUN 40 years.

Apple Computer: Secrets of Genius Service

2011-06-16T23:27:00.000+05:00

Did you know that more people now visit Apple’s 326 stores in a single quarter than the 60 million who visited Walt Disney Company’s four biggest theme parks last year? According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is a pioneer in many aspects of customer service. Sales associates are taught an unusual sales philosophy: not to sell, but rather to help customers solve problems. Their job is to understand all of the customers needs – some of which they may not even realize they have.
To outline the approach, the acronym APPLE is used to define their guidelines of successful service:

A: Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome
P: Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs
P: Present a solution for the customer to take home today
L: Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns
E: End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return

Apple knows great service is not just luck, but must be planned and managed. Employees must be trained to know the service standards and approach.

Have you made it clear to your management staff and employees?

Stomping Out on the Rise - Don't Be a Victim

2011-06-08T21:52:00.000+05:00

According to an article posted in the Orlando Sentinel today, 64% of Americans are fed up with the service they receive and have stomped out of a store in the past 12 months because of poor treatment. Interestingly, 67% have hung up on a call before their problems are even addressed. Sounds to me like the customer got caught up in a voice mail system that just fueled their anger.

The survey results show that the most annoying gripe is: not being able to get a person on the phone at all. How many times have you yourself experienced the round-about some companies put you through and waste hours of your time, just to reach a human being who might be willing to help? The second biggest gripe is that once you finally do reach a human being that they are rude.

(If you'd like to see what are all the shoppers biggest complaints), go to the graphic of the survey.

So, don't be a victim, rather than spending all your marketing money on the front end getting new customers, maybe you better look at training customer service skills to your employees in order to keep the customers you have.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Service with a Heart

2011-05-31T10:15:00.001+05:00

I just spent the past week in Oregon working with my friend Joe Tye, the Values Coach and the Veterans Health Administration. Watching the employees care for our veterans brings real meaning to the phrase “service with a heart”.

Customer Service is a series of actions intended to exceed expectations, pay attention to the details, and look for opportunities to create a WOW with the customer.
Service as a value is the attitude and spirit in which the actions are delivered. It encompasses helpfulness, charity, and compassion.

As we come off the Memorial Day celebrations, there is nothing more important than taking care of our veterans with both customer service and service with a heart. Wouldn’t it make a difference in our businesses if we treated our customers like this too?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Culture of Service is Not Magic

2011-05-24T10:15:00.001+05:00

A culture of service doesn't just happen. It must be planned and managed. First it starts with the leadership defining the vision of what Service will look like in your organization and then what are the behaviors/standards to deliver that level of service with every customer.

Customer workshops for everyone from the senior management to the frontline management should then be conducted to ensure everyone has a clear understanding of what the vision is and how to achieve it. Customer service skills should also be taught because not everyone knows these skills and many times employees just bring the skills they learned at their last job with them. These may or may not be at the level you desire.

To engrain a culture of service, it then must become a part of all your major processes and systems starting with your interview and selection process. Followed with reinforcement during orientation and refresher training classes. Measurement of customer satisfaction keeps it on the forefront of what people are paying attention to and recognition is the best way to reinforce the behaviors. Management must be committed to making it part of job descriptions and performance appraisals, as well as continuous coaching and counseling.

Creating and sustaining a culture of service is not magic, but it is hard work and an intolerance for mediocre or poor service. Unleashing Excellence - The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service is an organized logical approach outlining how to create such a culture.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Tires Ain't Pretty but at Tire Kingdom "Service" Is

2011-05-11T20:12:00.000+05:00

"Tires ain't pretty" proclaimed the television commercial that played so long in Central Florida. I had to buy a couple new tires last week. Not fun, but you got to have them! Someone recommended Tire Kingdom in Altamonte Springs, Fl. so that's where I went. (The power of referrals!)

Great experience from start to completion. The staff followed what I call the ACT approach:

A - Accurate (did what they said they would do right the first time)
C - Complete (replaced my tires but were also proactive and noticed my brakes were metal to metal and brought it to my attention)
T - Timely (finished the job in the time they told me they would)

Not only were all staff pleasant, friendly and helpful, the place was clean and smelled good. And, I even noticed that they provided "Advice" which is on Gallup's survey of one million customers as the highest form of customer service. On the front counter is a nicely printed sign that says if you are only buying two tires, it is best to have them placed in the back of the vehicle for better traction. Now, that's not something I would know or even think to ask about and obviously it creates more work for them as if you are buying two front tires, they know they will be asked to move up the current ones to the front. But, its that little bit extra, that provides the added value that creates loyal customers. And loyal customers refer others....

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

2011-05-05T20:04:00.000+05:00

I took my car into a transmission shop for work. Usually the office where you check into for auto work smells oily, is dirty, old magazines, uncared for, etc. This place had fresh flowers in a vase, a small desktop fountain, immaculate floors/counters, and smelled good. I made a comment to the gentleman writing up my diagnostic paperwork about how "everything speaks" in the physical environment and makes an impact on the customer experience and I wanted him to know that his environment spoke volumes!
He pointed out that his wife was the one responsible for the front office and she knew this intuitively. The icing on the cake: she observed that most people coming into the office to have their car worked on were angry. Angry the car broke down, angry that it was taking longer to fix than they wanted, angry they were going to have to spend money to get it fixed - just angry! So, she put up a mirror in the little sitting area where they could see their angry faces. He said it had worked wonders in changing attitudes because people don't want to look ugly and when you are angry, you are certainly not looking your best.

What a clever idea!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Office Depot Looks Thru Customer Lens

2011-04-26T10:00:00.001+05:00

According to an article in today’s Orlando Sentinel, Office Depot is reconnecting with their customers. They realize they need customers more than customers need them. With competition from Staples, Office Max, WalMart and Amazon, Office Depot needs to step up their game in the customer experience. My experience is similar to Kevin Peters, the retail division leader, who donned a baseball cap and became a mystery shopper going to their stores and talking to customers. He stopped to look through their lens to find out why they weren't buying. What he found is that customers weren’t being helped.

My last experience with Office Depot was when I was looking for speakers for my laptop. After looking around for a few minutes I asked a worker if they had any. “I don’t know” was the reply. No attempt to find out, no attempt to ask another employee or manager, just an “I don’t know”. So, what did I do? I left, just like all the other customers Mr. Peters talked to.

Today’s customers want knowledgeable employees and a consistently outstanding customer experience. If you hire someone, train them on your products/services and then, give them customer service skills training. You've got to be customer-focused. Customer service is not an inherent skill, it is learned. It is an opportunity for your company to distinguish itself over all the others. Kudos to Office Max to recognizing and doing something about it before they had no customers.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

USAA Meets Florida Cat

2011-04-20T10:00:00.001+05:00

Two weeks ago, my house was hit by a small twister that ripped the roof off the back half of the house. I have lived in Florida all my life through hurricanes, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and never really had much damage to deal with; now guess it was my turn.

For years, my husband and I have dutifully been paying our USAA home insurance premiums. Would they live up to their name, image and reputation at the time the rubber hits the road? We called Florida Catastrophe Corp. as soon as we realized water was coming in the ceiling. Within hours they were at the house laying tarp and rolling in blowers to keep mold from growing in the roof insulation. USAA was our next call and we verified Florida Cat was an approved contractor to them, then let USAA take the ball from there.

What a great customer experience in a bad situation! Don Spence, a long-time rep from USAA and Reggie Bergeron, co-president of Florida Cat, worked the project together. It was wonderful to see such a professional relationship between what could have been two adversarial companies looking for best resolution from his company’s standpoint, to two companies looking through the lens of the customer.

The roof is already replaced and I am not worried about the rest of the repairs, because I know I can trust USAA and Florida Cat. It is in times of crisis, you often find out what people are made of. Watching the interaction with a vendor, as well as being the customer of the experience, USAA proved what they are renowned for: honesty, integrity, loyalty and service. Don and Reggie both made it quite evident they not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.

Chuck's Fans Breeds Fans

2011-04-05T10:15:00.002+05:00

I have a fan in my master bedroom that came with the house when we bought it 10 years ago. Over the years, it has stopped working a couple of times and in each instance, I have called Henry's Electric company. Scott Henry, the son's owner, has always made me feel that this fan is the most special fan he has ever worked on. He describes each component and feature with reverance and respect for its once glory days and always has brought it new life.

A couple of weeks ago, the fan died again. I called Scott and was told he was out on extended medical leave and would not be able to work on my fan. I knew that Scott had said he was one of the few people who had the knowledge and training to work on this fan and so I was hugely disappointed. And here is where the magic and this story begins....

Chuck Henry, the owner, comes out to my house and gingerly takes down my fan dusting off and carefully placing each piece in order. He says he has talked to Scott and Scott remembers my fan (last visit was 2006) and has said he would be delighted to work on it from his home that weekend. (I find out that Scott has cancer and is in a wheelchair).

The following week, Chuck returns my fan, placing tarp over my carpets to make sure nothing is messed up and once again carefully restores the beautiful fan to its center stage in the room. He makes sure everything is clean and in place before he leaves and then kindly thanks me for my business and remembering them.

I, am the one now "thanking them" for a job well done and how much excellent customer service stands out in a world of such mediocrity service.

Thank you Chuck and Scott!

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Customer Service Isn't Rocket Science

2011-03-30T10:00:00.019+05:00

According to Paul Simon, of Sharper Content, customer service is not rocket science, but common sense. In his blog, Common Sense Customer Service That Isn't Always So Common, he shares an experience he had of waiting in line at Target and being virtually ignored while a dozen other employees stood around not making any effort to speed up his experience. And, he's right! So, why does it seem so difficult, if its suppose to be common sense?

I believe it comes down to training employees to be aware and training through examples of scenarios. It is one thing to tell employees to be helpful to customers, it is another to give specific examples of how to look through the lens of the customer. Obviously, Wal-Mart has done this. Whenever I shop at a Wal-Mart, if a cashier has no one in her line, she walks out from behind the register and stands in front of her entire station and waves customers heading to that area to her register. Is that a natural common behavior? I think not. It is a behavior that is trained. If you look through the lens of most customers, you know they don't like long waits in line, no matter where they are. Therefore, whatever you can do to speed up that process or keep them occupied while in line (see Disney line interactions), the happier they will be when it is "their turn".

Common sense isn't so common as Paul says, and that's why businesses that work hard at it, will leapfrog their competition in the years to come.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Churn and Burn Through Customers

2011-03-27T20:46:00.001+05:00

Its amazing how many businesses don’t recognize the money they lose when they churn and burn through customers. In The Loyalty Effect, the author Frederick Reicheld shares his research that in most businesses, only 5% of the customer base is considered to be loyal customers. Loyal customers are the ones you can count on for repeat business, referrals and retention. That leaves 95% of customers that a business churns and burns through. The sad part is how hard and how much money was spent to get those customers into the door, but couldn’t be kept.

Walt Disney World knows their true measure of success is to have guests keep coming back; therefore, they are continually looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction. For many years, the one area that keeps haunting them is the “wait in lines” guests have before getting into the main attraction. Continuous improvement has been made over the years from pre-entertainment shows, misting of water to cool guests down in the heat, and snake lines to wind vs. straight lines. Now, they have come up with interactive engagement activities for the guests while they wait to get into the center of the ride. Just one more attempt to increase guest satisfaction ratings and make guests happier.

If an organization can increase its loyal customer base by only an additional 5%, Reicheld says that revenues and profits can grow by 85% or more. Why wouldn’t all businesses be looking to do everything they can to keep their customers? Looking through the lens of the organization vs. the lens of the customer, not training employees to be competent and customer service friendly, making processes difficult to do business with you – are all sure ways to churn and burn through the customers currently coming in your door.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

2011-03-22T10:00:00.002+05:00

This sign is posted in the purchasing department of a large hospital in Pennsylvania. While one would assume it is intended to be humorous, does it not convey the choice we as customers so many times face? Why must a customer make a choice between Quality, Cost, and Schedule? If the job is done right the first time, it can stay within budget and meet schedule. It is when the job is not done right the first time, that it costs more because it has to be done over and the schedule is delayed because the "redo" takes extra time.

The key is to establish clear requirements between customer and supplier and then make sure the process is capable of delivering those requirements 100% of the time. Too often, the low bidder wins the contract, but does not have the process in place to deliver what was promised. When that occurs, we have what is seen in the sign above!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

We Reserve Our Worst Service for Internal Service

2011-03-08T20:30:00.000+05:00

Do you think of the person sitting in the desk next to you as a customer? Do you see yourself as a supplier to the next department? Most employees don’t view themselves in their organization as customers and suppliers to each other and therefore, don’t work as hard at delivering good customer service internally. In fact, it is usually much less than good service, it is bad service.

Unreturned phone calls, no response to email requests, abrupt telephone answering, and slow follow-up to urgent needs from colleagues are all behaviors of poor service. There is a direct correlation between internal customer service and external customer service. It is a ripple effect between how one is treated and that is passed forward. It is much more difficult to delight the external customer when internally there is tension, lack of teamwork and “not my job” attitude in helping each other.

Secret: Customer doesn’t care how much hassle, frustration, and backstabbing takes place within an organization. All they care about is: did you give me what I was promised. Wouldn’t life be much more pleasant if everyone treated each other internally as their very best customer?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

How to WOW!

2011-03-02T20:16:00.000+05:00

4 things you can do to WOW your customers:

1. Look through their lens. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. What are they wanting, desiring, expecting? Identify with their emotions, then meet their needs. This will make them feel as if they are not just “next” in line and another transaction, but that they are special to you.

2. Everything Speaks. Everything your customers see, hear, smell or touch in your environment is making an impact on your customer’s experience, so take a look around and see what your physical location is speaking. What kind of message is it sending: professional or casual, organized or cluttered, clean or dirty, innovative or mundane, etc.? Is it the message you want it to be sending?

3. Exceed expectations. If you just meet your customer’s expectations that is all well and good, but that is what they are paying for. If you really want to add value, do something a little bit more than what they expect. Doesn’t have to be huge, but something unexpected. Pay attention to the details, it’s the little things that count.

4. Make it easy to do business. Take a walk through your processes as though you were a customer. Is it easy to do business with you or is it difficult? Did you have to go through 10 voice mail prompts to find the person who could help you? Did you have to go from one department to another department to get what you needed. How can you streamline and make it more pleasant to meet customer needs in the way you set up your processes and procedures?

In today's world you may only get one chance to WOW a customer before they choose to go somewhere else. Make the most of their experience with you and don't leave it up to chance. Excellent service delivery is the competitive edge.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Do You Have Bi-Focal Vision?

2011-02-24T00:29:00.001+05:00

I saw a catchy ad in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal by Franklin Templeton Investments that says “Investing today requires bi-focal vision”. Great phrase that can be used in another way from an organizational standpoint: “Investing today requires bi-focal vision looking at both your customers as well as your employees”. Superior customer service is essential to retaining customers, getting referrals and generating repeat business. Looking through the lens of your customers and identifying with their emotions and meeting their needs, is one of the key elements to building loyalty that will become a walking billboard for your organization.

The other half of the bi-focal vision is looking through the lens of your employees. According to a recent Gallup poll, 25% of employees are fully engaged, 60% are not engaged and 15% are aggressively disengaged. Therefore, in most organizations, 75% of employees really don’t care about the customer and the level of service that is given to them!

What does it take to obtain employee engagement? Two powerful fundamentals that I found in my experience as an employee that ignited my engagement were:

1. Understanding the higher meaning of my work

As a cast member as Walt Disney World, it is made very clear in the interview process and reinforced in the orientation, that the true product of your work is to “create happiness” for their guests. It gives a higher meaning to the job whether you are a waitress, gift shop clerk, or street sweeper, etc.. It helps wake you up in the morning and get excited about your job because it identifies a higher purpose beyond the routine of many tasks. This higher meaning increases employee engagement because you now look for ways to deliver that connection (happiness in this case) from the viewpoint of your specific job assignment.

2. Understanding what motivated me and those around me (my co-workers, customers, managers).

I learned there were four basic personality styles, learned my primary style, and then learned to read the styles of others. Most people recognize that they feel more comfortable or seem to relate better to particular people, but may not know why. Using a profile assessment, an individual can explore their personal motivators and stressors, but also begin to identify the styles of others so they become more accepting and also better able to adapt. By adapting one’s primary style to that of a customer, an employee will be able to build a more comfortable relationship that may result in increased sales, by adapting one’s style to a co-worker, an employee will be able to work better together as a team, by adapting one’s style to a manager, an employee can build a better working relationship.

These two fundamental concepts provide a foundation for employee engagement. Leaders who have bi-focal vision make certain they understand what the customer is really buying from the business and communicate that to their employees. They also get to know their employees and what is their primary behavioral style so they can relate and motivate them to higher engagement.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

6 Steps to Delivering Bad News

2011-02-17T20:31:00.000+05:00

He had to do it. He just had to. There was no way to avoid it. He (my air conditioning technician) had to tell me (his customer) that my a/c unit was history. The compressor was locked and after 14 years needed to be replaced. While the news was not pleasant nor what I wanted to hear, Scott did a great job in delivering the message.

1. He said in a sincere manner, "I'm sorry, I have bad news for you."
2. He gave a brief explanation of the problem and then stopped talking.
3. He let me rant and rave, vent my feelings and talk my way through the news.
4. He asked if I was ready to listen to options and if not, he could call me back tomorrow.
5. He matter-of-factly explained my options and gave his advice.
6. He apologized again and reassured me of a wonderful future with an energy efficient a/c and cool home.

No one likes to receive unpleasant news, but by looking through the lens of the customer and applying a couple techniques of good communication skills, Scott demonstrated excellent customer service!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

The 3 R's of Great Service

2011-02-09T02:12:00.000+05:00

R + R + R

Someone once told me the 3 R’s of a great basic education were: reading, riting, and rithmetic, something I have never forgotten. On the subject of service excellence, I believe that referrals, retention, and repeat business are the 3 R’s of great customer service.

Referrals come when customers have consistently received great service from you and know you can be trusted to deliver the same with their friends and family.

Retention happens when you have built a relationship with a customer and they feel comfortable in doing business with you and have such loyalty that even if something goes awry once in awhile, they won’t desert you.

Repeat business occurs when you have earned your customers trust and therefore, you can cross-sell, up-sell much easier since you have already proven yourself.

Studies show it costs 5 to 7 times more to get a new customer vs. keeping one you’ve already got. The power of the 3 R’s shows why that is the case. So, whether you are a hotel, retail business, non-profit, college, manufacturing company or any kind of organization – get back to the basics!

Tiger Mom Service

2011-02-01T21:23:00.000+05:00

I recently read the controversial “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" and as many, my attention was caught by the story the mother, a Yale law professor, Amy Chua shared regarding her parenting style. As she relates, her family had forgotten it was her birthday and at the last minute they took her to the local Italian restaurant that she characterizes as mediocre at best. After they order, the father announces that their 7 year old daughter Lulu has something for her and presents her with a handmade card. It is evident that the card was prepared quickly as it was not carefully folded and had only a picture of a smiley face on it. To the horror of all, Chua announces "I don't want this”. She then adds that she expected to receive a drawing that Lulu had "put some thought and effort into." Throwing the card back at her daughter, she told her, "I deserve better than this. So I reject this."
Chua continued on telling her daughter that she had been very good mother to her and felt she should have taken more time in her preparation and drawing to show her appreciation back to her mother vs. a quickly scribbled picture just to give her something.

As customers, how many times have you felt like this? That the business just wanted to get you in and out? That there was no time and effort into making you feel appreciated for giving them your business? That they had done no preparation in distinguishing you from other customers and wanting to make you feel special?

What is the culture of your organization? Do you have the Tiger Mom mentality to ensure your employees are delivering the very best they can? Check out my recent video clips on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRFSdEkcIrA to see what leaders need to make certain are a part of their culture to have customers never say “I deserve better than this. So I reject this.”

Bright House Wowed Me!

2011-01-26T00:29:00.001+05:00

Have you ever gotten off the phone with an operator of a cable company and said “Wow”! Well, that just happened to me. I had a situation that I wanted to discuss and dreading the phone lines and wait, I was pleasantly surprised when I quickly got right into a human. His name was Stephen. It was obvious he had a sinus cold and was having a hard time talking through the congestion, but he appeared in no hurry to get me off the phone. After the initial details as to why I called, he quickly said, “I know I can help you and you will be pleased”. As he began to search through his information and share different options on my situation, he interspersed with small talk about the football game last night, a funny clean joke, and advice on which channels I would really enjoy.

At the end of the call, when we had worked through the situation and I was ready to go, Stephen offered to walk me through the website to print out for my husband all the new channels he would be getting. Wow! For a low tech person, that was a big added value. I concluded the conversation by telling him how glad I was to have gotten him on the phone and wished every time I called Bright House, I could get him. And that’s when he floored me with his response. He said that was his goal with every call he took. He wanted his customers to feel they were glad they got him, because that in turn, would make them feel glad they had chosen Bright House. Well, Stephen certainly met his personal goal and I made sure to complete a “kudos” for him. (customer compliments are called “kudos’ and will go into his file).

Wouldn’t it be great if every employee in every organization had that as a personal goal – to make their customers glad they got him or her!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Where's the Beef?

2011-01-18T21:58:00.000+05:00

In reading Seth Godin’s blog on “Raising Expectations (and then dashing them), I am reminded of the popular Wendy’s ad of “Where’s the Beef?” The commercial showed a group of women surrounding a huge hamburger bun, taking the top off of it and peering down at this little tiny piece of meat. One older woman exclaims “where’s the beef?” and begins repeating this mantra over and over. The slogan quickly becomes an iconic phrase to mean “where’s the value?”

Over the years, 50% of Catholic schools have closed. Catholic education used to be inexpensive compared to private schools as the teaching force mainly consisted of nuns who required little to no pay. Now, that is no longer the situation. One solution has been to focus on how to step up the marketing to attract parents and students. Marketing without creating true value is not effective. Customers in this case, families and students, will quickly reply “where’s the beef?”

Same lies true today with colleges and universities who spend enormous sums of money attracting new students, while providing little attention to the students they already have. The true solution lies in looking through the lens of your customer and creating a culture and experience that delights, develops and delivers on the product that was promised.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Your Blackberry or Your Life?

2011-01-13T20:53:00.001+05:00

In yesterday’s Wall Street Journal the title was “Your Blackberry or Your Wife”, I believe these high tech gadgets as well as other technical devices are taking away a part of our lives. As a customer service speaker and trainer, I constantly hear from employees and employers how they feel ignored, left out, unimportant compared to the gadget in the palm of the hand. It seems the messages on these devices are more significant than an actual person standing in front of you with a question or request. Co-workers don’t call each other by phone or go talk to one another in person anymore, they email or text. Training classes are preferred to be done on-line through webinars. Company meetings are encouraged to be conducted virtually… no wonder our kids don’t have the social skills those of us in older generations expect as general courtesies in today’s business world.

Giving eye contact, using inflections in one’s voice tone, expanding on a conversation vs. one word answers, smiling and saying “hello”, reading emotions and establishing a connection…. all customer service skills to engage with a customer and build a relationship. Tough to do, when the gadget in hand seems to dictate and have more power than the personal touch.

Establish a culture of balance in your organization, family, and life. While blackberries, i-phones, laptops, i-pads are all wonderful advances, let’s not forget the nurturing of how we treat people and the simple day to day courtesies. The personal touch will be remembered longer than the mechanical touch. And, I’ve never heard of a blackberry attending one’s funeral.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

I'm Really Good, Right?

2011-01-08T02:21:00.000+05:00

My husband just received a call from a trash removal company on one of his commercial sites asking the question “don’t we provide great service?” As the account had provided nothing but problems in the past few years, the question seemed out of place. After asking if there was anything they could do to improve their service, the caller was frustrated as my husband started providing a litany of things on the account that needed to be addressed. It quickly became apparent that they had no interest in actually improving any services, but were worried because their corporate offices had retained the Nielson Company to survey customer satisfaction. It was ironic the caller requested specific contact information for the account in order to send the survey, but did not have a specific representative for my husband to call, had used a restricted line blocking their number, and could only provide a general department number for them to be reached. Obviously, they wanted all communication to be outgoing, not incoming.

Is it good customer service to allow employees to solicit high scores to meet service initiatives, when service excellence is clearly not part of their culture?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

A Letter to the Manager

2010-12-28T20:13:00.001+05:00

Dear Manager,

As this year’s holiday season is drawing to a close, I hope you will remember to thank your frontline staff. I encountered so many wonderful employees this year who were really under pressure and maintained their composure and friendliness during some trying circumstances. In one instance, a woman shopper was clearly upset over not receiving the coupon discounts she expected and really started to blast the employee (who was not the employee who forgot to apply the discount) and this employee handled her superbly! She acknowledged her emotions first “I can see you are very upset” and then she proceeded to help satisfy the concern, “let me see how I can correct this”. In a matter of 60 seconds, the woman had calmed down and actually started to smile and apologize to the employee.

What a wonderful example of great service recovery.

I saw a lot of patience in your frontline staff as they worked till the bitter end. You should be very proud of so many of your employees as they really tried hard to delight their customers.

You have to know that internal customer service results in external customer service and it is all a reflection of your culture. So pat yourself on the back, but please, please remember to personally and creatively thank each and every one of your employees, because believe me – your frontline is your bottom-line!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Champions of Customer Service

2010-12-21T07:21:00.000+05:00

Bloomberg BusinessWeek shared its top 20 Customer Service Champions for the year and what I found interesting is its always the companies that are already doing great that keep looking for more ways to stay on top. During a recession year, they all realized they needed to up their games to keep customers coming back and here again are what the best of the best did:

American Express began hiring employees with a hospitality background to work in their call centers vs. call center experience. They recognize the importance of customer friendly representatives working their phones. I recently had the need to call them and I will testify it was a delightful experience that helped me with my needs and much more.

Nordstroms continues to wow their customers. This past year they set up instore pickups for online orders to really raise the bar on their current level of service.

Publix grocery stores installed a new inventory software system so they can stay on top of customer favorites and be more efficient.

Southwest Airlines kept its policy to not charge customers on checking up to two bags - about the only airline left that is not charging for luggage these days. They also will email a voucher out within 24 hours as a gesture of goodwill when passengers are inconvenienced with a long delay on flights. I will also vouch for Southwest on thinking out of the box to deliver excellent service: last week when in Houston airport waiting for my flight they were offering free pictures with Santa and a $20 future flight voucher!

Customer Service champs are champs because they want to be winners and will never rest on their laurels. Are you stepping up to the plate?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

4 Tips to WOW Customers Back After the Holidays

2010-12-07T20:36:00.000+05:00

Shoppers are venturing forth into the stores this holiday season after two years of holding back. Don’t lose this opportunity to WOW them so they will keep coming back after the wreaths are taken down and the Christmas carols have stopped playing.

Here are 4 simple tips that will make them want to come back:

1. Smile – A smile is a welcoming gesture. A smile and nod of the head conveys meaning that “I’m glad you came into my store”.

2. Be Available - You know how it feels when you are looking for an item and can’t find it, you know how it feels to be ready to pay for an item and not be able to find someone to check you out. Don’t let that happen to your customers. Be visible and available.

3. Be helpful – Anticipate customer needs and look through their lens. Ask if they are looking for something in particular. If you know any tips or advice regarding the item you can share with the customer by all means, DO SO! This will be remembered and appreciated. Zappos.com, an online shoe order company, teaches all their call reps to be sure and tell the customer where they can find the shoes they want if Zappos doesn’t have them. Customers are shocked that the company will send them to the competition, but they remember the helpful gesture and come back the next time to Zappos first.

4. Thank – Thank the customer for coming into your store whether they bought or not. Maybe you didn’t have what they were looking for at this moment, but if you do the first three actions listed above, they will be more willing to come back after the holidays and they are more apt to refer you to others.

Simple tips, definitely. But, they can be magical if practiced by everyone on your staff throughout this holiday season.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.

Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Thanksgiving Week in April?

2010-11-23T02:45:00.000+05:00

Philip Crosby believed in the power of "Thank You". And so he created Thanksgiving Week at Philip Crosby Associates and it was celebrated in April. Why April? it was something to look forward to between all the holidays and was tied into a recognition event called the Thanksgiving Ball that was held every year for employees.

Thanksgiving Week gave special "thanks" to someone different each day of the week:

Sunday - Thank the Lord (a moment of prayer on the lawn of the Quality College)
Monday - Thank the Board of Directors (a special luncheon)
Tuesday - Thank the Suppliers (thank you letter of appreciation for their help)
Wednesday - Thank the Community (names of all those businesses in one page ad in Orlando Sentinel)
Thursday - Thank the Clients (small token gift to students in the Quality College that week)
Friday - Thank the Families of employees (an ice cream social)
Saturday - The Thanksgiving Ball for employees (black tie affair with spouses/significant others)

An organization is made up of many different components. You rely on your suppliers to give you quality input, you rely on the community to support you, you depend on your clients to give you business, you rely on your employees to deliver on the promises made. We were a very successful company and we all knew we were much appreciated. We knew our "true product" was to change mindsets and attitudes about quality from "that's close enough" to "do it right the first time". It was a process. It was a culture of internal and external customer service

Phil Crosby knew his people were his greatest asset and that's why he always found ways to say "Thank You". It has not been forgotten.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Two Powerful Words

2010-11-17T21:53:00.000+05:00

CONSISTENT and INSISTENT

If leaders are serious about creating a culture of excellence, they must be CONSISTENT in their follow- up and INSISTENT in their performance. The foundation of a culture begins with defining the acceptable Behaviors and Standards that are expected to be performed in day-to-day interactions. Every employee must know how these Behaviors can be exhibited in their interactions with others and their job tasks. These Standards must be clearly defined and communicated to everyone in the organization, top to bottom. Once this has occurred, the leaders must be CONSISTENT in ensuring adherence to these Standards. It is not okay to ignore or walk by someone who is not exhibiting the Standard and let it go without saying or doing something. If so, the leader is saying in effect “I didn’t really mean I was serious about them”. It is also not okay for leaders to allow some employees to not follow the Standards for whatever reasons. I have heard managers say “well, that’s Joe and we know Joe never follows the rules” or “she’s been here a long time and we’ve given up trying to get her to follow our ways, we just work around her”. If you really are determined to create a strong culture of excellence, then you must be CONSISTENT.
Secondly, leaders must be INSISTENT. Sure, it may be tough with long-term engrained employees or maybe even your superstars who think they are above the fray in following certain Standards, but you must be ready and willing to persist in their adherence to the Standards too. Otherwise all the other employees become resentful and may only follow the Standards when they think you are looking and paying attention. Another challenging time may be when a difficult situation arises and it would be easier to forego following the Standards “just this once” – DON’T DO IT! Because once you are not INSISTENT in performing in the agreed to manner and Behaviors, be ready for the next excuse, and the next, and the next. Till no longer is there really a Standard.

CONSISTENT and INSISTENT - two powerful words in creating a culture.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.
Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

It's Not My Job

2010-11-08T20:07:00.000+05:00

Last week I was in one of my favorite retail stores when I noticed they had merged lines with another brand and one side of the store sold the regular merchandise and the other side displayed the new brand merchandise. It looked like a great idea as all items were quality clothing items and complimented each other well.

My salesperson in the “new” brand side was very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and I was delighted with my findings. When it came time to purchase, I asked if she would HOLD my items for an hour as I didn’t want to carry them around till I was ready to leave the square. There was only one checkout counter for both brands in the entire store and she gladly wrote my name on the items to be purchased and set them behind the counter.

Coming back an hour later, I looked around for my salesperson but didn’t see her. Not thinking this was an issue, I directly went to the checkout counter and asked the woman working the register if I could pick up and pay for my items being held. I got an annoyed look, but didn’t know the reason for it. I said I had been there earlier and pointed to the items lying in the back of the counter. She carelessly picked them up and started to ring them into the register. I mentioned that a couple of things had been on sale and to please make sure that they were rung up with the discounted pricing. Guess that’s all she could take, because it was now very obvious she was extremely agitated to be ringing up another salesperson’s sale. With a roll of her eyes, she said she was not aware of the discounts from the other brand and made no effort to suggest how we could get this done correctly. I was ready to say “forget the entire purchase”, but at that moment, my salesperson came over and immediately welcomed me back. She mentioned she had been in the dressing room area with another customer and had not seen me come in. She reviewed the rung up items, made sure I received the proper discounts, and thanked me for my business. Meanwhile, the other woman who obviously had been quite put out, made it visible there was animosity in having to cover for my salesperson.

Very clearly the management team of both brands have not created a culture of teamwork. I am sure the compensation process has a big role in creating the divide. Excellent customer service must be planned and managed and many times it is the processes that end up affecting employee’s attitudes. Processes must be customer-focused and not foster the attitude of “It’s not my job”.

Customer Service Meets Cancer Head-On

2010-10-26T21:53:00.000+05:00

Last week I gave a speech to the leadership team at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville. Prior to the presentation, I was offered a tour of a new facility called the Proton Therapy Institute. A place that is changing the way cancer is treated, and the way cancer treatment is experienced.

From the moment you enter the facility, Everything Speaks to build trust and confidence. The lobby design, the registration desk design, the flow design for patient treatment were all carefully thought out looking through the lens of the patient.

Exceptional customer service is displayed throughout the patient experience at the Institute. There is a new patient orientation and hosted weekly luncheons (for patients, family members, caregivers and guests) to discuss the treatment process, other topics and give support. Piano concerts are held in the main lobby which is set up without a television set to encourage the patients to talk with each other while they wait for their daily treatment. They have found this helps to create a bond among those patients and helps in the healing process. Reduced YMCA discounts were acquired by the Institute to give patients and their families the opportunity to keep fit during their 6 month stay in the Jacksonville area. They have set up a department to help the patient and/or their families find a place to stay during the treatment. Paying attention to the details throughout the patient experience has resulted in one patient saying “Proton therapy did more than help me survive cancer. It helped me live my life.”

Trust is a huge factor in cancer treatment. The Proton Therapy Institute knows that it is their true product and makes sure that every element of the patient experience speaks “trust” loudly and clearly. Cancer in itself is scary enough, the Proton Therapy Institute wants you to feel comfortable and trust them so you don’t have to worry about the treatment process as well.

Has your organization identified its true product? Does “Everything Speak” your true product throughout the customer experience? Excellent customer service makes everything easier, no matter what the situation.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading international speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service excellence and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.

Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Overpromise and Overdeliver

2010-10-18T23:33:00.001+05:00

Last week was the week for service repairs at the Yanovitch home. Doesn’t it seem when one thing goes, everything starts to go? I know you all know what it’s like to have service people come into your home. You know who I mean…the guys to take care of the air conditioner, the plumbing, installing things, etc.

Well, I had some great service people who I found very memorable because they understood the power of customer service. It started with their confidence and competence. I’m talking about when I called the pest control company to see if they could take care of an intermittent problem with ants. My phone call was answered promptly by a live human being and I was promised someone would call me back later that afternoon. Much to my delight, they called right back and we set up an appointment for later that afternoon. Overpromise and overdeliver.

The kitchen sink pipe had burst and when I called the repairman in a panic because I was hosting a dinner party that evening, he promised he would be able to complete the repair in plenty of time for my preparations. Not only did he repair the pipe, he cleaned out my cupboard below the sink and neatly organized my kitchen supplies and then mopped the kitchen floor area around the sink. When I shared my appreciation for his thoughtfulness, he said “I always leave a customer’s home looking better than it was when I came.” Its paying attention to the details. Overpromise and overdeliver.

I have a twice a year air conditioning service and of course it was their scheduled time to come last week. They called and looked through my lens to ask me when I would like them to come out and then reminded me that I had not put in a new filter the last service call. Since it is a special order filter, it would save a second trip so I placed the order. The repairman arrived in uniform and introduced himself by name. He politely referred to me by name as Ms. Yanovitch and told me not to worry that he would complete the inspection and ensure everything was in top shape condition. After he completed the work, he asked if there was anything else he could do and I mentioned an air flow problem in my son’s room. He looked at the vents and then identified several recommendations and advice for resolving the problem. He delivered on the 4 things customer value most and he added in a dose of cheerfulness and courtesy. Overpromise and overdeliver.

Competition is tough out there. You want to consistently deliver outstanding customer experiences.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

4 Things Customers Want

2010-10-11T22:56:00.000+05:00

According to a Gallup survey of one million customers, the four things customers want most are: accuracy, availability, partnership and advice. There is also a hierarchical order to these expectations which means that the lower-level ones must be met before the customer is ready to pay attention to the levels higher up.

Level 1: Accuracy is the lowest level. If the job isn’t done correctly, then customers don’t care how courteous or friendly the employees are, they will defect. Quality trumps service.

Level 2: Availability is the second level. Customers expect that employees will be responsive and accessible when they need them. They expect convenience in the flow of the buying process and that the organization is easy to do business with.

Level 3: Partnership is the next level. Customers don’t want to feel they are in an adversarial relationship with the organization. They want to feel that you understand them and are on the same side of the fence with them. By looking through the lens of the customer, you can begin to see their perspective.

Level 4: Advice is the fourth and highest level. When a customer feels they have learned something from your organization that they didn’t know before, they form their strongest association with you. Advice breeds customer loyalty. Ways to offer advice may come in the form of teaching customers how to use your product better, additional information or insights, an inside tip that is not advertised to all. The key is to ensure your employees be knowledgeable.

If your business has the goal to create loyal customers who will become fans and advocates, start by looking for opportunities in each of the above 4 things that has been validated by customers as to what they want most.

www.retainloyalcustomers.com
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Phil Crosby Breakfast of Values

2010-10-05T19:50:00.000+05:00

I had coffee with Joe Tye, the Values Coach last week when he was in Orlando. Joe writes a great newsletter called The Spark Plug and we found we have many of the same thoughts and ideas on culture and how important culture is to an organization.

He really loved my story of my relationship with Philip Crosby who was one of the top three gurus in quality management back in the 1980’s and 90’s. Phil started his own company in 1979 and it was called Philip Crosby Associates. Inc. Under its banner was The Quality College where thousands of managers learned the basics to creating a culture of quality. But what I remember the most was the culture internally within our own organization and it all started with a Breakfast.

Philip made it a point to have breakfast with every new employee quickly after they were hired. He was a very casual man and made you feel quite at ease quickly even though he was the CEO and a world-famous author of “Quality is Free”. He would ask questions to find out about you, your likes, dislikes, family, hobbies, etc. After breakfast had been eaten, you were given a gift, a wooden box with a Cross pen inserted into the box and the word ADEPT engraved next to the pen. Then, he would begin his explanation of what ADEPT stood for:

A – Accurate – he expected you would do your job right the first time

D – Discreet – he expected you would keep the clients’ proprietary information confidential

E – Enthusiastic – he wanted you to come to work and look happy to be there

P – Productive – he hired you for a reason and expected you would produce an output

T – Thrifty – he wanted you to treat the company’s resources as you would treat your own

Joe was amazed that after 25 years I could remember these so easily. Values establish a strong culture and Phil Crosby the CEO made sure he instilled those values into his employees from day one. How clear are the values in your organization? Will your employees remember your organization’s values 25 years from today?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

First Impressions Don't Count

2010-10-01T02:11:00.000+05:00

First impressions don’t count or at least that’s what most companies must think when they design their orientation process. From what I’ve seen in most cases, you have an excited new employee who is very happy they have been hired by you and they are ready to get started! The employee is sent to a new hire orientation class and is inundated with so much information their head begins to swim.

For hours they hear about what they can get fired for, what does and does not constitute sexual harassment, how to clock in and clock out, and all the insurance benefits and copayments allowed. Paperwork is thrust in front of them to sign that they may or may not understand well, but they are asked to complete it right then and there. Who has stopped to look through the lens of the customer? Right now, the new hire is your customer and they don’t want to be going through all this boring minutiae on their first day.

This is when first impressions count. This is when the organization has the opportunity to capture the new hire’s attention and reinforce what is really important to their success and to the organization. This is the moment to share the company’s values and Service Philosophy. The orientation should contain these three elements:

1. Pride – why the employee should be proud to work for the organization

2. Service Philosophy and Standards – how the internal and external customers are to be treated and what is the higher purpose of the organization

3. Clear expectations of their job

First impressions do count! While it was your decision to choose the employee, it was also the employee’s decision to choose you. Make the most of this prime time moment to start building their loyalty and reinforce the culture of excellence within your organization. A culture begins with the people you hire.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

3 Simple Ways to Delight Customers

2010-09-27T23:33:00.001+05:00

1 - 2 - 3

It doesn't take alot these days to delight customers. Customer expectations have gotten so low, that the slightest bit of attention by an employee to make our buying experience better, goes a long way.
Here are three simple ways that I have experienced as a customer in the last few days, that made me feel like I was a valued customer.

1. Be friendly. In fact, be aggressively friendly (in a nice manner). Be the first to draw the customer into a conversation. Be the first to make eye contact and smile. Example: Doing my grocery shopping in the produce department at Publix yesterday, the manager of that department started up a conversation on apples as he noticed me trying to make a decision on which ones to purchase. He gave me a quick rundown on the differences and shared his favorite kind.

2. Be helpful. Look for opportunities to go out of your way to be helpful. While on my way out of the Costco store, I dropped a carton of raspberries I had just paid for on the floor as I was struggling to balance all my items. Not expecting any help, I set my other items down and started picking up each raspberry so no one would possibly slip and fall on one. A Costco employee came over and told me not to worry, but they would handle the mess and then asked if they could go back and get me a new carton of raspberries to replace the now incomplete one.

3. Be knowledgeable. Know other jobs or what other job positions related to yours do. Cross-train whenever possible. The AT & T employee who helped my daughter with her new i-phone purchase was fantastic. Whatever question my daughter had, she knew the answer or where to go get it. The entire experience was so much more delightful because we were able to deal with just the one person.

Customer Service matters. Stop and observe your employees to see how often they exhibit these three behaviors. If they are not, you are missing simple ways that are guaranteed to delight your customers.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

How to Keep Your Cool

2010-09-22T18:57:00.000+05:00

One of the toughest jobs for most workers is how to keep their cool when customers are complaining. In today's Wall Street Journal, there is a great article on ways to keep your head while others around you are losing theirs. The key is to show emotional leadership in responding so you don't become angry and mad too. Three steps to showing emotional leadership are:

1. Acknowledge the customer's emotions. Let the customer vent, listen and be empathetic. Say things like:
"uh huh", "ok", "hmmmm" so they know you are listening. If face-to-face, give eye contact and focus on the person - don't be distracted by other things. Actively listen so you can begin problem-solving in your head.

2. Apologize for the situation. You can say "I'm sorry this happened." or "I apologize for the situation".

3. Promise confidently to try and help. Saying "We will resolve this" or"Let me see what I can do to fix this situation for you" or "I can help you take care of this" will let the customer know you will take control of their concern and they can begin to relax.

The key is not to become emotional yourself because once that happens, it will be impossible to look critically at the issue and move into the problem-solving mode. And don't take personally the rage or criticism coming from the customer, they are angry about the situation, not you.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Tribute to Dad and Culture

2010-09-20T21:37:00.000+05:00

It will be three years this week since my father passed away. Remnants of the family culture he created still remain in my two brothers and me. We continue to be early risers as Dad made sure everyone was out of bed by 7:30 a.m. everyday including weekends. He truly believed the cliché “the early bird gets the worm” and couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to waste any part of the new day. We are still hard workers. On Saturdays, my brothers had to help mow, rake and weed in the yard, while I was expected to change beds, clean bathrooms and pick up in the house with my mother. Only after the chores were done, could we run play with our friends for the rest of the day. Sundays were for fun. After getting us all to 7:30 Mass, Dad would pack us into the car and we headed off to the beach for a full day of waves, sand and hot dogs cooked on the hibachi. It was all part of a way of life and we knew the expectations of behavior and aligned ourselves to share in the family and be a part of this family culture. We wanted to belong.

L.L. Bean bases their success upon their culture. The NRF recently interviewed their president, Chris McCormick to share their secrets to top-notch customer service. He says their culture goes back to 1912 when his grandfather started the company on the cornerstone of superior customer service as the cultural attribute that would differentiate their company from the rest of the pack. He considers it his duty to make sure this legacy lives on. They just won the distinction of being the only retailer to win top ranking in the Customer’s Choice Awards for three of the five years it has been given.

For many years in my role at Hertz, as the regional trainer for the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean, it was my job to visit each of the Hertz rental facilities and ensure consistency in the image and customer service each offered. I could tell from the moment I walked up to the counters as to what their culture was. It was easy to read the clues: Did the rental agent look up and smile as I approached? Were the counters organized and neat? How was the collateral material of brochures and marketing materials set up? Were there coffee cups and soda cans in view of clients? Did the rental agents speak in friendly courteous tones or did they sound repetitive and robotic? All these elements spoke loudly as to the culture set by the manager of that facility.

Culture begins from the top down, whether that top is your parent, president of an international business or manager of a small local unit. It starts with establishing the expected behaviors and then the reinforcement of those behaviors through Seven Leadership Actions:

1. Communication of the expectations

2. Interviewing and Selection for employees willing to perform to the expectations

3. Orientation and Training on how to deliver on the expectations

4. Measurement to the expectations

5. Recognition of performing the expectations

6. Removal of the obstacles in meeting the expectations

7. Accountability by everyone to “live” the expectations

In retrospect, Dad carried out all these Leadership Actions in the way he created our family culture. Other than the Interviewing and Selection step… he got to choose my mother, but was stuck with us three kids.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Paying Attention to the Details

2010-09-14T01:14:00.000+05:00

I was doing a convention program at a very nice resort hotel talking about Service Excellence, of course. Afterwards, a gentleman came up to me and asked if he could share his story of excellent service.

He proceeded to tell me that he usually attended his company’s conventions accompanied by his wife… and he had a very good reason for this. It was obvious in looking at the man that he had only one arm. So having his wife along on the trip helped him out in many ways. But on this particular trip, circumstances had prevented her from accompanying him.

As he continued, he told me that on the previous evening, he had gone out for dinner with a group of people from his company to a top rated fine-dining steak house. Everyone was seated at the table and the waiter came up to take their orders. The gentleman ordered a steak and it wasn’t until after the order was placed and the waiter left, that he realized his wife was not sitting next to him and he would not be able to cut his steak on his own. On every trip with his wife, he could count on her to cut his steak for him, but that wasn’t true for this trip. This caused him to become rather concerned as he anticipated the embarrassment of having to ask one of the people seated with him to help him cut his steak. He said he was not sure what he was going to do.

The waiter soon came out with all the steaks and proceeded to place them, one by one, in front of each person seated at the table. The gentleman looked down at his plate and to his surprise, he saw that unlike all the other steaks being served, that his had already been cut up into bite size pieces.

How much did it cost that restaurant to make this gesture? How many times do you think that gentleman has told this story? All because a server took the time to pay attention to the details and communicate that information to the chef. Didn't cost the restaurant a dime, but the rewards of pay off are huge.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Hertz and Staying #1

2010-09-07T19:13:00.000+05:00

My first job out of college was working for the Hertz Corporation at the Seattle Airport. It was 1978 and the country was coming out of a major gas crisis and still feeling the pain. I was hired to be a manager for the company that espoused to be #1 in the car rental market. I had applied to the company that advertised “We’re Number 2 so We Try Harder”, but I was thrilled when I received the job offer from the company that dressed in black and gold.

All new counter personnel and managers were sent to San Francisco for a two week new hire training. The first two days were spent building pride on why Hertz was #1 and what set it apart from its competition. It was exciting to feel a part of a dynamic, innovative organization that was determined to stay ahead in the market and claim the largest slice of market share.

To do this, the company was always looking for how to gain the competitive edge. There is not a lot of difference between a Hertz Ford Focus and a National Car Ford Focus. So the key differentiator was going to be in the customer experience. And this is where Hertz jumped ahead to make its mark and determine its dominant position in the industry.

Looking through the lens of the customer and the breakdown of their two main customer categories, it became the first rental car company to create a #1 Club line at the rental counter to separate business car renters from vacation renters. This allowed the businessman who wanted fast, quick, efficient service to be served and get on his way. Vacationers could be served in the manner they preferred with prolonged dialogue on where to go in Seattle, best restaurants, and of course, conversation on the weather.

This concept was quickly innovated to become a service experience called the #1 Express Club. Targeted for the business market, it offered the business woman to bypass the airport rental counter and go straight to a kiosk in the garage and pick up her keys and go to the car. This was enhanced by another innovation offered with the pre-printed rental agreement. Hertz was the first car rental company to collect frequent travelers data and have it preprinted at the city of rental so the customer didn’t have to take the time to give the same information over and over.

Innovation combined with competence and confidence in the implementation and execution of the continuous improvements in the customer experience let Hertz maintain its #1 position for many years. Today, you can literally go straight to your car from the plane, keys are in the ignition and you are ready to go.

While it has been many years since I’ve put on the black and gold uniform, every time I see the Hertz logo, I am reminded that in business you can never be content with the status quo, you must continually push the bar on creativity, and listening to your customer is the most important thing you can do.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Please Don't "Transfer" Me!

2010-08-30T22:57:00.000+05:00

Last week, I spent alot of time on the phone with different companies. The reasons varied from looking for a dryer repairman to requesting new bids on my healthcare insurance. What I discovered is that I HATE to be transferred! Why? Because inevitably I was either dropped before I got to someone, was sent to another person who did not know how to help me, or had to tell my story for calling over and over to each new person. Bottom line, by the time I got to someone who could help me, I was angry and frustrated. From my perspective as the customer, I was wasting my time waiting on a company to figure out who I needed to speak to, so that I could spend money with them.

So, here are a few tips for you and your business when it comes to answering the phone and helping your customers get to where they need to be.

1. State what you can do, not what you can’t do.
(“I can help you by letting you talk to someone in accounts receivable.”)

2. Avoid using word transfer.
(“Let me put you in touch with…”) ("Let me connect you with....")

Before transferring, ask for customer’s phone #. If accidentally cut off in process, call him/her back.

3. Pass along customer information.

4. Stay on the line. Make an introduction, if possible
"Ms. __________, I have Susan on the line with us and she knows she can help you. I am going to bow out of the conversation now. Susan, meet Ms. _____________."

5. Follow up.
If the customer had an issue, call back to see if the situation was handled.

6. If you’re uncertain to whom to transfer the call, don’t guess.
(Collect as much info as you can and tell caller you will get back to him/her).

Telephone customer service is as important as face-to-face service in the whole customer experience. Sometimes it may be the only human interaction a customer has with your organization. Make it a great reflection because it may make the difference between the customer doing business with you again or not!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Do Your Employees Rent or Own?

2010-08-24T00:08:00.000+05:00

If you have ever been a landlord for a rental unit, you probably worried at some point or other about how well the tenants would take care of your property. The premise is that if we are not the owner, we won’t care as much and therefore we won’t use the same precaution and concern for the well-being of the property as much as if it belonged to us. While this is not true of everyone, I must say it has crossed through my mind many times when renting out a vacation home on the beach that I may retire to at some time. I want to post signs everywhere to remind the renters to wipe off their feet at the door, not to smoke inside the house, be careful of wet clothes on the sofa, and treat the house as if it was their “own”.

Same concept applies in the workplace. Do your employees feel as if they are just renting the space at your place of business or are they truly engaged and feel ownership? According to Gallup polls, only about 25% of workers feel truly engaged with their work, with their co-workers, and with the customers their employer serves. Employees who are there only to rent, will just do what they have to do to get their paycheck and nothing more. Double standards of waste, errors and inefficiencies will emerge. Those actions that would never be acceptable in their personal lives such as wasting things, paying late fees, over-budgeting, seem to be totally okay when they are on the job . There is no sense of “ownership”.

According to Joe Tye, the Values Coach, he suggests Five Actions to promote an engaged culture of ownership. It starts with defining the core values of your business, creating a cultural blueprint, telling the start-up story over and over to inspire, establishing behavioral expectations and becoming intolerant of toxic emotional negativity. When employees feel ownership they will help you build a stronger organization because they will care. They will watch your budget, they will look for opportunities to improve the operation, and they will find ways to ensure they deliver what was promised and make customers happy. That is the difference between “owning” and “renting”.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

When Does Customer Service Training Start?

2010-08-20T21:01:00.001+05:00

As I look around this week at the extra traffic on the road, I realize schools started up and the school buses are back on the road. This week, I also have received a couple requests from companies asking me to come in and do “Courtesy” training for their employees. This leads me to thinking, how is it that children grow up and become employees, yet they don’t know how to be courteous?

Courtesy training must start with parents using the words “please” and “thank you”. Courtesy training must start with those in role model positions exhibiting the behaviors of good customer service. For example: as a child starts elementary school they start interacting with other adults besides their parents. The first and last person they meet in their school day is the bus driver. Therefore, courtesy begins with the school bus drivers thinking of the students as their customers and looking thru their lens. Part of looking through the lens of the customer is to identify with their emotions and then meet their needs. Think of the different emotions a bus driver encounters with his customers: the anxiousness of the kindergartener’s first day at school, the nervousness of the parents, the excitement of the football players on game day…. Courtesy is the bus driver carefully pulling up to the side of the road avoiding puddles, acknowledging with a greeting or nod of the head as students embark, driving safely to steer clear of bumps and unnecessary jostling, arriving timely, and wishing the students well in their day as they disembark.

Everyday interactions reinforce courteous actions throughout our lives. Whether teacher, restaurant server, bank teller, store clerk, realtor, convenience store attendant, it doesn’t matter, what matters is the little niceties that we each do for each other that ultimately becomes a part of how we treat others. Being courteous should be second nature, shouldn’t it?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Do Your Customers Fall Through the Cracks?

2010-08-18T02:58:00.001+05:00

Many businesses work so hard to attract customers. In fact, studies show, the marketing and advertising costs for a new customer is 5 to 7 times more than the cost of retaining an old customer. Yet, most businesses don't take care of their customers once they get them, they fall through the cracks and don't come back. And many times, because a business has branded themselves as the expert, the customer blindly follows, much to their loss. In today's world, businesses must take responsibility for their customers and watch out for them... if they wish for continued success in their future through referrals, retention and repeat business.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Can Your Customers Trust You?

2010-08-09T21:59:00.000+05:00

TRUST is a huge factor in building loyal customer relationships. What does it take to create Trust? A simple acronym you can use to assess the level of trust between your business and customers:

T - TRUTHFUL: Are we honest in the information we share with our customers? Do we act with integrity even when there may be opportunities to not be so "above board"?
R - RESPECTFUL: Do we recognize that our customers have differences, opinions, needs and desires that may not match ours and yet we respect their wishes and deal with accordingly?
U - US: Do all employees think of the relationship between the business and our customers as a "partnership"? The employees know their job is to work with the customer to ensure they get what they were promised and in a supportive and helpful manner?
S - SILENCE: Do we respect the privacy and confidentiality of information that our customers may share with us?
T - TIMELY: Do we always meet the due dates and deadlines we give our customers so they know they can count on us and not have to worry about whether we will be on time.

In doing the above behaviors, you can earn your customers Trust over time. Once you earn that Trust, the customer is more apt to give you referrals, repeat business and their retention. The key is the consistency of all employees in exhibiting these behaviors. Trust in a customer relationship is.... priceless.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

How to Drive Away Customers

2010-08-04T22:18:00.000+05:00

Spirit Airlines CEO suggested the idea of charging passengers to receive customer service from its airport employees (see Orlando Sentinel). While I know Spirit tends to have lower fares than most value airlines, I personally, don't like the feeling of being nickeled and dimed. At a time when most businesses are looking to attract and retain customers, it almost seems as if Spirit is seeing how far they can go before driving away customers.

This week, they implemented their new carry-on bag fee for bags that don't fit under the airplane seat. So, if you want to bring clothes with you wherever you go, either don't pack much, or you'll pay to check your bags whether you check them through baggage or carry with you. If you want a seat assigned in advance of your flight, you will pay extra, as well as if you want a specific seat (aisle, more leg room) you will be charged additional. All this starts to add up and by the time you get the final total for the flight, it is nowhere near the price advertised that attracted you in the first place to call them.

Customers don't like to feel tricked, manipulated or taken advantage of. Airlines want to confuse passengers by unbundling services so it makes it harder to do comparison shopping, but how far will all this go? Guess Spirit Airlines is willing to push that envelope.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

3 Tips to Have Customers Raving About You

2010-08-03T00:51:00.000+05:00

So many choices, yet why do I keep going back to the same businesses I always do? Because I know they can deliver what they promised and they make me feel good about my choice. I am willing to rave about those businesses and have from time to time in my social media and personal interactions, but I also am willing to write testimonials that will help sell their business offering to others. 7 Tips to a Perfect Customer Testimonial helps you as a business capture comments from customers like me.

But, before that happens, you have to create the "raving customer". Three simple tips:

1. Listen to the customer and determine upfront what he is really looking for. Ask questions to clarify and verify. Share advice and knowledge you have that he may not know in making his decision.
2. Deliver on the requirements that you both agreed upon in step #1. Conformance to requirements is critical to your integrity as a business. If you find external circumstances are preventing you from meeting the requirements, call or visit the customer immediately to explain the situation and offer an alternative. Never knowingly agree to the requirements upfront if you know you can't deliver.
3. Treat the customer as you would a fine glass of china throughout the entire sales process and delivery process. Don't drop them at the end. Make them feel important and special at every touchpoint along the way, because they are!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Do You Have "Jetitude"?

2010-07-29T21:21:00.000+05:00

Jet Blue is on the offense. They are determined to be strong competition for Southwest Airlines and they are quickly becoming my favorite airline. They know the value of the customer experience and actually have a position titled “Customer Experience Executive”. The purpose of the position is to ensure employees of the importance of having the right attitude, something they call “Jetitude”.

According to their definition of “Jetitude” it consists of 5 behaviors:
1. Always be in the blue
2. Be personal
3. Attempt to solve a problem right away
4. Be engaging
5. Be thankful to every customer

Jet Blue also knows the impact of the entire experience. They have provided the TSA agents that work in their areas, upgraded padded seats, padded mats to stand on and their break room has free drinks. While the airports normally pay for these types of things, Jet Blue negotiated to pay extra to make the TSA agents happy. Their thinking: the passengers have to pass through the TSA agents before getting to them and if they are happy and give a good experience, then when the passenger gets to the Jet Blue gate area they are going to be happier”. Good attitudes are contagious!

Has all this paid off for Jet Blue? You bet it has! They have consistently been ranked in the top 5 for all airlines in customer service, usually has the number one spot for value airlines, and have the highest score of any airline in measure of customers likely to give referrals. Most of all, they have made money in past several years when so many other airlines are in the red.

So, check out the “Jetitude” in your organization and see if it needs kicking up a notch.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Competency and Confidence - Two Essential Ingredients

2010-07-16T02:02:00.000+05:00

I had just gotten a new cell phone, but still didn’t know how to work all the features. This was not a major problem until I was traveling out of town and saw on the display that my daughter had called and left a message… but I didn’t know how to retrieve the messages.

Normally, I would have called my daughter back, but I was waiting in line at the car rental counter and had a busy day planned. I decided that I couldn’t put off learning how to get my messages indefinitely, so I contacted my mobile carrier and asked for help. The representative came on the line… “Hello, my name is Steve, how can I help you?”

I explained my situation and he said that he could not help me. But, then, he added, he KNEW EXACTLY WHO COULD. He then asked if I had four minutes.

I said “yes”.
He asked if he could put me on Hold.
I said “yes”.

After about two and a half minutes, Steve came back on the line and said “Ms. Yanovitch, I have Susan on the other end of the line. I have explained your situation and she KNOWS she can solve your problem. I will bow out of the conversation now and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day”.

Training employees to be competent allows them to be confident and the end result is the customer feels taken care of!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

The Government and Customer Service

2010-07-10T02:04:00.003+05:00

Recently I had the pleasure to work with the Register of Deeds (ROD) and Auditors of the County of Greenville. They were interested in raising the bar on the level of customer service they were offering to the taxpayers and citizens of Greenville, SC. Knowing that their customers mostly have no choice in doing business with them, I asked the staff why customer service was important? The responses I heard were: people will be nicer to us if we are trying to be nice to them, feeling of pride in who I work for, goodwill in the community, better image of who we are and it helps to enjoy our workday more.

Tim Nanney, the director of Register of Deeds, was elected to the position six years ago. While this was his first foray into government work, his passion has always been customer service and he saw no reason why it shouldn’t be applicable to a government office. His goal is to be recognized as the best ROD in the state. The first steps were to clean up the office area. Recognizing that Everything Speaks in the physical environment, he saw no positive impact to having their area look like a “government office”. Clutter was organized, years of deeds were compiled and labeled in bound notebooks, post-it notes were taken down, computers/printers were moved to be more user-friendly and the waiting area was rearranged to be more inviting.

Without a budget, Tim had to look for ways to enhance the physical environment without spending much money. Discovering a summer intern had artistic talent, he asked if she would be interested in painting a wall mural of key points of interest in the city of Greenville. As citizens are looking for their deeds, they also get to enjoy the colorful mural.

Both departments recognize that the reasons their customers come to see them are not always pleasant events (for example: paying vehicle, boat licenses at the Auditors office) so the employees know how important it is to be extra courteous and respectful. The true product they believe they are delivering to their customers is “trust”. They want taxpayers and citizens to walk away knowing they can trust the amount of taxes they were charged is fair and correct, the documents are accurate, the information is safe, confidential and secure. They see their behaviors must exhibit competency, accuracy, helpfulness and advice. Whether it is making sure they know where to send the customer next, answering questions or sharing helpful information and advice, they try to empathize and look through the lens of the customer.

Wouldn’t it be great if all government organizations shared this philosophy and outlook on serving their customers? I wouldn’t mind my next trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles office!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Buttons

2010-07-07T19:23:00.003+05:00

For 3 years, I had been taking my husband’s shirts to a cleaner near my house. But after awhile, I noticed that the shirts kept coming back with buttons missing. Well, actually it was my husband who noticed, but I was the one who got to hear about it. He would be running late, hurrying to get ready to go to work in the morning, start buttoning up his shirt and get to a button that wasn’t there! He’d have to take that shirt off and change into another one, making him even more late than he already was. Needless, to say, he found this rather irritating… and he shared that irritation with me.

So, I decided to pass that irritation along to the source of the missing buttons. The next time I was at the dry cleaner, I mentioned the problem to the owner. And this was his response: he said “I do thousands of shirts every day. There are always going to be a few missing buttons.” Well, that is not the kind of answer you give to someone who makes a living talking about service excellence and quality!

Needless to say, I changed cleaners to one a little farther away, not quite as convenient as the other. The first time I went there, the owner greeted me and asked my name. He commented that my last name – Yanovitch – was intriguing and he inquired about its nationality. He asked when I needed the shirts, promised they would be ready on time and he thanked me for my business.

When I went to pick up the shirts a couple of days later, the owner greeted me by name. This made quite an impression because the entire time I went to the other cleaner, he never knew my name and had to ask every single time. The new cleaner went on to say, “I noticed there were several missing buttons on the shirts. I always have extra buttons around, so I went ahead and sewed them on.” With this one simple action, this man had won my business! Even though I had to drive a little bit further, I became a loyal customer.

The best moment I have shared with this cleaner came about a year later.

I had a speaking engagement scheduled, but because of a busy week, was not able to get to the cleaners to pick up the suit I wanted to wear until the day before the event. It was 5:59 when I walked in and the cleaner closed at 6 p.m. The owner was in the back, so a part-time worker I had not met before, got my suit and several other hangers of clothes and hung them on the rack while I paid. In my hurry to get out the door, I picked up all the clothes, but forgot to take the suit that I wanted to wear the next day.

As I was driving home, there was an accident on the road and I wound up going out of my way and taking a circuitous route in and out of several parking lots. It was not until I reached a major intersection some distance from the cleaners that I realized I had forgotten the suit. Knowing the cleaners was probably closed, I still decided to head back even though I had little hope. As I was waiting at the next red light, I glanced over to the car next to me and saw a young man in the car frantically waving at me. After a moment I realized it was the part-time worker from the cleaners and he yelled to me “You forgot your suit! I was hoping to catch you because I thought you said you needed it for tomorrow.”

I followed him back to the cleaners where he opened the door and handed me the suit. This experience only served to further reinforce my loyalty. The worker had gone way out of his way to ensure I was going to be prepared for my meeting. He had read my emotions, anticipated my needs and was proactive in his actions. In other words, he was truly focused on his customer.

How much did all the above actions cost this cleaner? A few minutes of time and some extra buttons. How much did it cost the other cleaner to not keep my business and retain me as a customer? Maybe you should take a few minutes and figure out the life-time value of a customer and share that figure with your employees. Great service doesn't cost too much, but the lack of great service does!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

How Do You Stack Up Against Christopher's Lemonade Stand?

2010-07-01T01:02:00.001+05:00

Walking my dog through the side streets of a little beach town on a very hot afternoon, I met Christopher. I was pretty hot myself and Christopher had just the right product at the right moment - a lemonade stand. Now, this was no ordinary lemonade stand as Dad had obviously helped build it and Christopher was serious about his business.

He greeted me with a pleasant “hello” and told me what a pretty dog I had. I asked if I could buy a cup of his lemonade and he said “sure, for a dollar”. While Christopher was putting my dollar into a coffee can that was wrapped in paper that said “Christopher’s Money”, I looked over his operation setup: clean, neat and organized.

It was interesting watching the six year old maneuver his high stool to reach under the counter and pull out a Tupperware bowl filled with liquid. Then, using a big ladling spoon, he dipped into the bowl and poured out a nice sized cup, spilling only a little... but, he was prepared and wiped up the spill with a nearby towel. I was expecting the drink to be rather lukewarm, sticky sweet and watered down, but, much to my surprise, it was filled with the most delicious tasty ice-cold slushy lemonade!

He told me “thanks” and to come again on another day and bring my dog too, that he might start selling water for them.

Great service, capable processes, excellent product quality, clean facilities, good salesman, courteous and friendly employee – how do you stack up against Christopher’s lemonade stand?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Surviving the Recovering Recession

2010-06-21T20:34:00.000+05:00

jmadrigal17

Does it feel like things are getting better? Some businesses say “yes”, some say “a little bit” and others say “no”. In fact, as I continue to look around our town, there are many retail and office sites that continue to have signs up: “For Lease”. What can a business do to survive this recovering recession?

It will come down to the basics of quality and great customer service. While you may have a commodity product/service that you are selling, you will not even be in the race if you don't give your customers what you promised. Is it accurate? Does it conform to the requirements? Will it do what you promised? Quality is first and foremost the key to retaining customers.

Secondly, will be how you deliver that product/service. Great customer service builds relationships and relationships create loyal customers. A key to surviving this recession is to create loyal customers who will stick with you for as long as they can themselves continue to do business. Treat your customers like gold. Make first impressions count. Be proactive and exceed expectations.

If we want to come out of this recession with smiling customers and be smiling yourself, it is going to take a major effort by every employee, starting with top management, to realize that with each interaction, you can build up your name, image and reputation or you can tear it down. A business today cannot afford to tear one customer interaction down.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

What Do Customers Really Want?

2010-06-18T21:49:00.001+05:00

According to the Gallup survey of one million customers presented in the book "First, Break All the Rules" they want:

1. Accuracy - Give me the correct information. If you don’t know, then go find out. Give me the product that you promised, don’t shortcut me or change it without telling me.

2. Availability – Be available when I need you to be there. If that means 24/7, then set up your operation to accommodate this. Be responsive, if I have a question, problem, or concern get back to me quickly.

3. Partnership – Act like a partner vs. an adversary. Show concern for my needs and look for a win-win solution. Build a relationship of trust and let’s work together.

4. Advice – This was identified as the highest form of customer service. Share with me some unsolicited information or help that makes me feel like you shared an inside secret that not everyone else knows about.

By communicating these standards with your employees to ensure they understand the ways they can exhibit these behaviors with their customers, you will be well on your way to making sure your customers are really happy. Why? Because they got what they want!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

How to Deal With Generation Y Customers

2010-06-15T00:28:00.000+05:00

I am very pleased to have this special guest blog from Darion Miller at The Service Coach.

Generation Y or referred to as the Millennial Generation, Generation Next, or Echo Boomers is probably the most misunderstood generation classification; made up of 60 million Americans born between 1982 and 1995. Being a “Generation Y’er” myself I can certainly attest that we are a different breed of customer. We expect a lot, fast, and it must be what others recommend. Thirty years ago customer service was dealt with over the phone or even snail mail and recommendations were given by neighbors. With the advent of the digital age getting customer service can come in many different forms and Generation Y expects those different forms. We are also finding reviews from sites like Yelp.com and Angieslist.com, good or bad.

Here are five tips, strategies and things to think about in dealing with Generation Y Customers:

They will use Social Media Outlets: Engage with your Customers

Generation Y is all about social media and they will use it to investigate companies and voice their opinions. Social Media tools like Twitter and Facebook are not only outlets to connect with your customer but they can also be used for customer service. If you think about it, the cost to have one person monitor your twitter account answer questions is far less than having a call center.

Although I’m not a huge fan of Comcast because of their service, I think they do an excellent job of connecting with their customers on twitter. Here is a great Example. Note how they use this guy “Frank” as a figurehead for their twitter customer service account.

They Will Shop Around 2.0 Style

Generation Y is not a generation that settles for anything. They will shop around using multiple channels. You want to make sure that your company is visible on all of these different channels. They more they see you the more they will convince themselves you are the right company.

Generation Y Does Not Like Talking On the Phone

Generation Y loves the newest and latest gadgets. They also find it awesome to use the latest forms of communication to get in contact for customer service. One new form, other than Social Media, can be Liveperson.com . Live person combines real time chat with professional customer services over the internet. You can attach live person to your site and communicate with prospects and customers from your website.

Another form of customer service communication you can try and text message. Have people text to a specific number and answer questions directly to their phones. I’ve used this a few times and I think it is a great way to communicate to customers.

Be careful about what you Say They will Write a Blog Article or tweet about it

Thirty years ago when a customer was upset they would tell one person and that one person would than tell another person and so on. Nowadays, when one person, let’s take a digital native Generation Yer, is upset all that person has to do is tweet about it or write a blog article. By tweeting about it all of their followers now know how they feel about it. The average person has 130 twitter followers, which means 130 people will know how that person feels. If one of those people tweets that persons tweet and they have 10,000 twitter followers now 10,000 people knows how that person feels about your company. And it happens that fast.

The moral of the story? You can’t please everyone but make sure you do everything in your power to make customers happy. It’s a lot easier to make one customer happy then having to spend hours on damage control.

Being able to understand your customers will give you the advantage over your competitors. Communication is changing and if you are not willing to adapt it will be hard for you to position your company for the long term.

See other great blogs for the service industry at http://blog.theservicecoach.com/

Customer Service is an Engine

2010-06-09T23:40:00.001+05:00

The job of an engine it to propel or move something forward and according to the Wall Street Journal article on Monday June 7th, Customer Service is an engine to grow one’s business. Major companies such as Walgreens, Comcast and American Express are shifting more of their resources to help staff build better relationships with customers and improve loyalty.
It is also an opportunity to woo customers away from the competition. According to one survey of 5,000 customers, 69% said they had switched at least one provider because of poor customer service. This was 2 percentage points higher than in 2008 and 10 points higher than 2007!

For so many years companies have focused on efficiency especially in the call center industry. Now the senior executives are training their employees to focus less on resolving calls quickly and more on building customer loyalty. It is more about the quality of the customer service now than the quantity of calls handled. Interesting shift in mindset that companies like Disney and Zappos learned long ago.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

7 Leadership Actions to Facilitate Change in an Organization

2010-06-02T20:58:00.000+05:00

Companies today are rapidly having to change to keep up pace with new markets, new technology and new ways of doing business. How do you facilitate the changes within the organization to keep everyone on board, up-to-date, and engaged? Here are 7 actions that leadership can take to facilitate the new direction with greater ease, less frustration and pain for everyone involved:

1. Communication - Identify the WIIFM (what's in it for me) and create the awareness for the need to change. Explore various means of communication that can be used for a constant sharing of information, status and progress. Keep it fresh.
2. Orientation and Training - Introduce the change of direction in the orientation of new employees - perhaps show a bridge of the old way on one side and the new way on the opposite side. Let new hires know a transition is in place and why it is important they are a part of the future. Conduct on-going training for everyone to reinforce the change, reasons for change and how to make the change successful.
3. Recruitment - Since change is a constant and will always be for most organizations today, interview and select people who are resilient, flexible and adaptable. Behavioral interviewing will be most helpful in identifying these individuals.
4. Recognition - Recognize employees who take the first dip in the water of the change. They will become the leaders for the rest of the organization. By publicly rewarding these employees, it may motivate those who are sitting on the fence to get off and face the change.
5. Management Accountability - Implement day-to-day mechanisms that will ensure the change takes place. Coaching, counseling, performance appraisals, and promotions will send the message stronger than anything else that the change is important to the employee's success in the organization.
6. Measurement - Identify ways to measure the success of the change and display the information for all employees to see. Sharing the information strengthens the buy-in and ownership to the change.
7. Corrective Action System - Anticipating there may be obstacles that pop up in transitioning to the change, set up a methodology that all areas can use to identify the problem, communicate the problem to the appropriate person/department, and develop a solution to those problems.

Change is not always easy, but by having a systematic approach to executing Change, it gives a structure and process to ensuring the change stays in place - till the next change comes along.

Is There a Price for Nice?

2010-05-18T00:08:00.001+05:00

In today’s world of airline travel, you are lucky if you get that bag of peanuts anymore. It has almost become a joke among frequent flyers about how much worse can it get? For me, the most brutal cut came in the removal of the blankets. I always get cold on flights, so now I wear a warm-up suit whenever I fly even though I know it must look out-of-place walking through the Orlando airport in July with temps of 100 degrees outside. But, what’s left? Does it make a difference with all the cuts, if the flight personnel try to be friendly, helpful and have a positive attitude? A mystery shopper has decided to fly ten of the busiest airlines and report back on AOL their findings. See AOL Mystery Flyer

As I look through the first report out on AirTran, it is interesting to see what the mystery flyer constitutes as being nice. He/she has literally taken a service walk through each of the various touch points in the flying process and analyzed them as to whether it was an okay/mediocre point of contact or if it was a “feel good” moment that scored the airline a point.

Is there a price for nice? Not when you look at what it took to get points:
• help getting a seat changed by toll-free operator in a pre-flight request
• friendliness of ticketing agent at check-in noted by patience and helpfulness
• efficiency of gate agent at end of flight

Do these actions really cost the airline anything extra? No, yet, they have an impact on the pleasantness of the experience of the passenger.

What was noted as not being nice?
• robotic voice tone answering questions
• neutral attitude, no eye contact, annoyance at questions
• overheard employee conversations of complaints and frustrations
• lack of cheer

When it comes down to all things comparable and considering airlines today are mostly a commodity service, the only competitive differentiator is going to be the passenger experience. As passengers start to make choices for choosing the airline who not only gets them from point A to point B on time, but also on “Niceness”, there will be a price to those airlines who lose their business.

Whether you are in the airlines or some other industry, every business has customer touch points. The customer experience is made up of the points of contact and possible points of contact that surround the “product” (in flying, the actual product is the flight itself). The key is to map the process looking through the lens of the customer and determine what mediocre service would look like at each point and then to describe what excellent service would look like at each step. There are usually many opportunities throughout the experience for improvement. The culmination of the exercise is outlining an approach for employees to deliver an outstanding customer experience for that process. See Service Mapping for more details on how to do this with your staff. What is the cost to be nice? The better question is how much is it costing your company to not be nice?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers/

My Fair Lady Teaches Lessons in Customer Service

2010-05-12T05:27:00.001+05:00

This past weekend for Mother’s Day, I was taken to what has been touted as the “perfect musical”. The production of My Fair Lady with the cast from Mad Cow theatre and live music from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra certainly exceeded and delighted all my expectations.

Looking through the lens of the customer was thoroughly taken into consideration by the producers of this show. Everything we could see, hear, smell and touch became an integral part of the experience. The orchestra was placed on stage and the conductor could be seen throughout the production leading the notes and direction. While the stage scenery was minimal, it only seemed to put more emphasis on the actors and the musical lyrics.

What lessons in customer service were learned? Lesson One was the production itself. Obviously great care and preparation was taken to ensure the audience would be wowed by the show and all the details that it takes to create a seamless experience. Lesson Two came from within the story of the play itself. Eliza Doolittle is a poor Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so she can pass as a lady. After she has become quite proficient with the English language and mastered the characteristics and behaviors of a lady, she confronts the professor for not treating her any differently than he had when he plucked her off the streets of London.

She tells him “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to you Professor Higgins because you always treat me as a flower girl and always will. But I know that I shall always be a lady to Colonel Pickering because he always treats me as a lady and always will." How do we treat our customers? Do we treat each one of them as a VIP or do we treat some better than others? People will remember how they were treated far longer than they will remember you or the transaction itself.

5 Ways to Deliver Red Carpet Service

2010-05-07T21:35:00.001+05:00

I am very pleased to have a special guest post from Steven Teneriello - The Service Coach!

As a business in the service sector, you know that customers are the lifeblood of your organization. Without customers, you wouldn't have a business. That's why you need to make sure your customers are satisfied at all times and keep them coming back to your business for red carpet service time and time again.

That's especially true in today's struggling economy. You and your competition are constantly fighting for every last dollar your customer has to give. How terrible would you feel if you lost some of your highest paying customers to your competition simply because you or your employees weren't concerned about proper red carpet service?

So, how can you make sure you keep your customers impressed with your customer service and become faithful and regular customers from now into the foreseeable future? Here are 5 red carpet service tips:

1. Set clear expectations of your processes. Your customer wants to know exactly how you are going to fulfill their needs. They don't want any surprises. Lay out a step-by-step process where you outline the process of the appointment from the time they make their appointment until after the service is completed. Make that readily available at your office, maybe even posting signage that explains it in the customer area of your office.

2. Along with setting clear expectations, make it a rule to keep in constant contact with your customers during the service process. They want to know when they can expect you to fulfill their appointment or customer service request and if any problems arise during the service call. A good rule of thumb: confirm the customer's appointment the day before and call again once in route to the service call. Keep in touch with the customer during the call if the customer is not at home (common since some customers will be at work.) Finally, touch base with the customer after the call is completed to make sure they are satisfied and that all of their needs were addressed. This makes the customer feel like you really value their business and want to make sure they are satisfied with your work.

3. Design a guarantee program to stand behind your work. Customers feel better when they know that they won't be wasting their money by using your service. Let them know, again by signage and verbally telling them, that you stand behind your work and will not rest until they are 100% satisfied with the work your company completed.

4. If you have a website, consider making it more interactive for your customers. Customers like to feel like they are a part of the work you are doing. Have your web designers make a customer portal where they can go to quickly schedule and confirm their appointments. Maybe even make it so they can see the progress of the service call from start to finish. This again will help those customers who can't be there while the service call is completed.

5. Differentiate yourself. Companies with some of the best customer service track records go above and beyond to make their customers feel special. Why not give them the VIP celebrity service or red carpet service and lay out a red carpet before entering their home or office? Or, invest in boot covers to show that you are concerned with keeping your customers' homes and offices as clean as when you started? All of this will immediately make your company stand out from the crowd and make the customer remember your company when looking for service again.

See other great blogs for the service industry at http://blog.theservicecoach.com/

Does Disney Win the Race?

2010-05-03T20:14:00.000+05:00

They say it is a race of "survival of the fittest" in most cultures. And in today's culture and economy, the cliche still holds true. According to the Orlando Sentinel, as Sea World and Universal struggle to hold onto market share, Disney widens the gap. When you are on top, you don't want to give it up easily. It may require doing things you may never have considered before. Such is the case with Disney.

Recognizing the downturn in spending and discretionary funds for the extras in life, like vacations, Disney started offering promotions to keep drawing visitors. Reducing costs though doesn't mean reducing service; in fact, it is even more important the high level of service is maintained because people will remember how they were treated long after they have forgotten the price reductions.

Innovation and creativity plays a big role in "survival of the fittest". Coming up with new ideas and new ways of doing things to attract customers. The set-up of a process offering guests complimentary airport shuttle and luggage service is a huge factor in widening the Disney gap.

What can you do to win the race? If you are lowering your prices to entice new customers and continued business by past customers, make sure you are still offering the same high value of service. Don't slack on service! Secondly, ask employees for ideas on how to be innovative and creative. Develop a process that allows input of suggestions and ideas from all levels of employees and then LISTEN to them. Who knows where the next best idea will come from that allows you to stay on top and widen the gap between you and your competitors!

A WOW a Day Keeps the Competition Away

2010-04-26T22:24:00.002+05:00

I remember back in the early 90’s and I was a consultant doing leadership training for Disney managers, when, then CEO, Michael Eisner announced the “Take 5” program. He commented that it was very costly to keep building new theme park rides every year to keep guests engaged and coming back, so he was asking each cast member for help. Being in the entertainment business and using movie set language of the number of takes for a shoot, he empowered each cast member to Take 5 minutes out of their shift to do something that would WOW a guest. Can you imagine the effect of 50,000 cast members all doing at least one thing in their day to make a guest say “Wow”. He then asked for them share their WOW stories with all the parks and areas so it would give ideas to other cast members of what they could do.

One of the best stories was of a housekeeper who after cleaning the hotel room of her guests, noticed several plush animals the family had purchased strewn on the floor. She picked them up and placed them around the dinette table in the room and gave each a hand of playing cards she found on the dresser. The next day, after cleaning the room, she placed the plush animals under the covers of the freshly made up bed and turned on the television to the Disney channel. The family wrote a note to Mr. Eisner after their visit, that it was as much fun coming back to the hotel room to see what the housekeeper had done as it was going into the park for the day. What did it cost? Nothing, just a little creativity on behalf of the housekeeper and the empowerment to “Take 5”.

I got Wowed this week by my local family physician and his office staff. My 23 year old daughter who lives and works in Ft. Lauderdale contracted a virus. Sunday evening she called and said the symptoms were getting worse and could I please come down. So, I left Orlando at 2 in the morning and arrived to her place at 6 a.m. She did look bad, but I thought I could nurse her back to health by giving her lots of fluids. By 8 a.m. she still didn’t seem better so I called back to Orlando to our family physician and explained to the nurse the situation. Without hesitation, she said “get your daughter to the hospital, she could have severe dehydration”. Thank goodness, I did. After an IV, her appearance improved dramatically and she was on the path to recovery.

The best was yet to come. Two days later, the nurse called me back and said they wanted to know how my daughter was doing. Recognizing they weren’t even going to get an office visit out of this since my daughter was in another town, I personally felt they truly cared – we were not just another transaction. What did it cost? A couple of minutes of a phone call, but they gained a loyal customer who will share this story with everyone she knows. While I have many choices for family physicians, Dr. Baxley and his nurse Jennifer created a WOW that will keep me from going anywhere else.

And isn’t that what you want your customers to say?

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Excuse Me! You're Not Listening!

2010-04-10T00:44:00.000+05:00

Recently I had a problem with a product that had been shipped to me that I had not ordered. Trying to find a phone number for the company was next to impossible! While their website had 7 pages of information and background, not a one contained their phone number. Obviously, they don’t want to talk to anyone, much less their customers. There was an email address listed, but the thought of trying to explain the whole situation in a written format didn’t seem viable.

Why do companies make it so difficult to listen to what their customers are saying? Do they not know that it is through listening that they will become better than their competition? Businesses should be begging their customers to come talk to them and tell them if they are having problems. Out of 100 customers, only four will share their complaint. The other ninety-six will walk away and maybe tell thousands through the Internet: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. Smart companies know that if they keep their ears open, listen and act quickly to customer complaints, up to 96% of customers will do business with them again and will probably refer others.
Listening is a skill. It is also the highest form of recognition you can give another person. It is a key ingredient to delivering superior customer service. There are three steps to active listening:

Active Listening

1. Focus. Focus on the person by stopping everything you are doing and give them full attention. If physically present, mirror your body to their body and give eye contact. If on the phone, don’t try to multi-task such as reading your email, blackberry, paperwork, etc. Don’t interrupt.
2. Acknowledge. Nodding your head, smiling or using other appropriate facial gestures, saying “ok"
“ un-huh”, “hmmmm” are all gestures that show acknowledgement. Take notes if needed.
3. Paraphrase. Rephrase back in your own words what you heard the person say. This gives them the opportunity to either verify that the message you received is what they intended or to clarify if it was not.

Best Value in Florida

2010-03-29T04:16:00.001+05:00

Whenever I finish work in a city that I don’t know well, if I have the time, I will take a trolley bus tour. My experience has been they usually give a pretty good overview of the city and help me get my bearings, as well as learn a few interesting facts. Last week, I was in Ft. Lauderdale and decided to take a “trolley boat” tour. Not only did I get to know Ft. Lauderdale, but what a great experience it turned out to be! And coming from a Disney background, what impressed me most was how much they appeared to truly understand and implement the power of the “experience” and the value of the “surprise” factor.

The friendliness of the captain and staff was immediately apparent and genuine. Once everyone was seated comfortably, island music began playing softly in the background to add to the ambiance. We were taken down the Riverwalk canal supported by historical and current information of what we were viewing. As the cruise headed back through the city river canal, a crew member walked around the deck asking if we would like a snack from her basket of assorted chips. Of course, we started reaching for our wallets, but she pleasantly announced “Complimentary”. (Surprise #1) We headed out to the ocean followed by a huge cruise ship which added to the excitement and then proceeded down the coast of the Ft. Lauderdale beaches. At this point, the crew member came around with a choice of soda drinks/water and once again reaching for our wallets for at least $3 knowing and comparing this to most previous “tourist” expenses, we were told they were only $1. (Surprise #2)

The Tropical Adventure Cruise was advertised as an estimated one and ½ hour trip, we were well over the two hour mark (Surprise #3) when we pulled up to dock and disembark. Jimmy Buffet tunes, smiling crew, sunshine made-to-order…. a perfect trip! The guest next to me said aloud to everyone on the boat – “this is the best deal in Florida!”

Once again, from past experience on tours like these, I pulled out my wallet expecting the tip box for the great staff to show our appreciation – but (Surprise #4) the staff stood along the plank helping guests off the boat and gave each one of us a $1 bill coupon for our next ride or to give to a friend!

Breaking the stereotypes, creating an entire experience around the product of the RIDE itself, building an emotional connection and ensuring value are all the elements to a successful business. I encourage you to take a look at your business and see how well you’ve done in these elements.

Buyers are Liars

2010-03-16T23:33:00.001+05:00

Businesses should not fool themselves that they have a service excellence program or even more delusional that their “customers all love them”, because they ask the perfunctory check out question “how was your service?” At this stage of the transaction most customers are looking for a quick exit and not interested in arguing over best management practices. Most men know or learn quickly that when a girlfriend or wife asks, “does this outfit make me look fat”, a lengthy critique of her weight is not being solicited.

A true Service Excellence process starts with a commitment by top management to create a culture that prioritizes customer service. An assessment of the total organization is conducted with a plan to bring about lasting change. It must be integrated into every aspect of the business including the recruitment process, orientation and training, recognition and performance appraisals. Continuous communication of the importance of excellent service on a personal level to all employees and their involvement in measuring an aspect of service they can control must be included.

Research shows 10 – 30% of an organization’s customers annually leave due to poor service. Most businesses don’t recognize this fact because they are so busy masking it by bringing in new customers. They also don’t recognize it because most customers don’t shout, yell and make a big deal about the poor service they received, they just don’t come back!

So, don’t trust buyers to tell you the truth at the end of a transaction. Start calling your best customers now and ask them why they continue to do business with you. Also, ask what annoys or hassles them in doing business with you. Then, go back to your organization and look for ways to “inculturate” the excellent service and remove the barriers that create the poor service.

5 Tips to Great Service

2010-03-11T01:37:00.002+05:00

Delivering GREAT service should not be difficult. It should be woven into the job so that it is not an either/or choice, nor an add-on, but simply the way one does his job. I find acronyms make it easier to remember the key components of GREAT service, so the five tips I’d like to share are:

• Greet the customer with appropriate enthusiasm. Make them feel welcome and appreciated immediately. Walt Disney referred to customers as “guests” because he believed most people treat guests in their home a little more special than they even do other members of their family. Is it not typical to clean the house, stock the refrigerator and get prepared for guests to visit your home? Same analogy can apply to a business. Are you “show ready”, clean, stocked and prepared for your “guests”?

• Respond quickly to the customer and be available to assist when they want you. The customer may have questions immediately or they may wish to educate themselves alone until they are ready to purchase your product or services. Be accessible whether by phone or in person and competently prepared to help them. You may also anticipate their needs and be proactive by observing their body language, voice tone or facial expressions to know if you can assist even before you are asked.

• Engage with the customer in a manner that relates to their emotions. For example, a patient in a hospital who is very sick, is not looking for excitement and enthusiasm by the employee taking care of them. They want concern and empathy. However, a patient who has just had a new baby may very well want to see some of the same delight and thrill they feel by the hospital employee taking care of them.

• Accuracy in delivering what was promised. It doesn’t matter how well you smile or give good eye contact if you don’t give the customer what you said you would whether this is answering their billing questions or filling their food order at Burger King correctly. Doing the job right the first time is key to developing trust with a customer.

• Thank the customer for their business. For most products and services offered in today’s world, your customer has several choices of where to go. Just as you showed your appreciation for their business when you greeted them, don’t let them get out your door or end the phone call without another reiteration of your appreciation for them choosing you and your business.

What's Most Important to Customer Loyalty

2010-03-01T01:37:00.007+05:00

George Miliotis was the General Manager of the California Grill restaurant in the Contemporary Hotel at Walt Disney World. After hiring a dishwasher, he arranged for them to have a nice breakfast or lunch at the restaurant to discuss job responsibilities, expectations, and ask questions the new-hire might have. A nice meal is arranged – one that would exceed the expectations of the employee. The food presented is excellent and attractive. George has done a little pre-work, however. The dishes that are set on the table have dried food on them. Lipstick coats the rims of the water glasses. Forks, knives and spoons are spotted and dirty. George watches for the reaction of the new dishwasher and when he sees the look of surprise (or disgust), he makes his point. “It doesn’t matter how great our food is, how beautiful the setting of the table and restaurant, if you don’t pay attention to detail, the customer experience is lousy. Your job is critical to our restaurants’ success.”

Through 15 minute training sessions every day educating all California Grill employees (front-of-the-house and back-of-house) George would cover short sessions on wine, food and service. George trained servers from all works of life to be world-class food and wine experts. Every employee on every shift knew how to describe all menu items in a way that highlighted the reason that it was special. Did all these efforts pay off?

• Wine revenue represented 30%+ of total sales at the California Grill. Beverage sales in similar restaurants average only 10 – 15% of sales
• USA Today food critic wrote that the single best meal he had that year in the United States was at the California Grill
• 65% of the original staff (7 years at the time George left) were still with the restaurant. This is in an industry that averages nearly 200% turnover per year

As my new friend Penelope Tsalderi of the “Art of Serving Well” says in her blog:
“Retraining, retrenching and revitalizing, the best-of-the-best, food servers they possess, is the only way to retain customers.” For her full blog, go to: ptsaldari.posterous.com/tag/developcustomerloyalty

Don't Miss an Opportunity to Deliver Great Service Recovery

2010-01-21T07:38:00.002+05:00

Just when you think you’ve got everything in place for the perfect execution of your service delivery, something goes wrong and a customer becomes unhappy. How important is it to do something about it?

According to the Research Institute of America in a study they conducted:
• 90% of customers who are dissatisfied with service they received will not come back or buy again

• Only 4% of unhappy customers bother to complain. For every complaint heard, 24 others go uncommunicated to the company, but not to other potential customers

• Of the customers who register a complaint, between 54% and 70% will do business again with the organization if their complaint is received. That figure goes up to 95% if the customer feels that the complaint was resolved

So, obviously it pays to have a good service recovery strategy in place! If you don’t already have a formal one you may want to consider the following:
STRATEGIES FOR SERVICE RECOVERY

1. LOW FAULT, LOW SEVERITY
If the issue is on the low scale of being your company’s fault and you would consider it low on the scale of being a huge problem/inconvenience to the customer, then: APOLOGIZE

2. HIGH FAULT, LOW SEVERITY
The problem is directly caused by your organization, but it is deemed low in seriousness to the customer. APOLOGY/FIX IT+

3. LOW FAULT, HIGH SEVERITY
This approach is for the issue that is low on your company’s fault or maybe had nothing to do with them at all, but is high on seriousness to the customer in causing hassle, frustration or pain. Become a HERO.

4. HIGH FAULT, HIGH SEVERITY
It is obviously the fault of your company and it is causing a very serious problem for the customer. The employee should roll out the RED CARPET, which means doing whatever he can to correct the problem and to comfort the customer.

These four approaches can be tailored to any organization. The key is to identify examples of each in your business, then train and communicate to all employees. Great service recovery cannot be underestimated!

For examples click here

Customer Waits a Necessary Evil?

2010-01-15T21:04:00.000+05:00

Most every successful organization that attracts customers finds the need to balance between overstaffing to handle all customers immediately or understaffing and have a wait period. The job of the manager is to determine the “right” staffing and I hear the question over and over from banks, grocery stores, retail stores, doctor offices – what is an acceptable wait time?

Some of the answer lies in what can you do in that idle time to provide value to the customer if there is a wait? Walt Disney World uses the time to provide more story to the main attraction and ride. The wait is fun and becomes a part of the entertainment. A blood center uses the wait time to educate the potential donor how and where their donation will be used. A doctor’s office connects during the wait time with digital viewing brochures to show her clients about the variety of treatments and services she offers. Custom on-hold messages can enliven and enlighten your customers’ telephone wait time.

But, the most innovative and creative use of wait time I’ve seen in a long time, can be seen at www.flixxy.com/christmas-lisbon-airport.htm provided by the employees of TAP Portugal and All Nippon Airways. Now that’s a wait period you won’t forget soon!

Ordering Online - Nightmare or Dream?

2009-12-22T06:26:00.000+05:00

This is the first holiday season that I decided to try and order a variety of gifts from the Internet. In the past, I have been the customer who has to touch and feel the product before making a purchase, but this year I couldn’t pass up all the online discount ads that kept popping up in my email box.

Most of the companies that I chose to do business with were familiar names with whom I had shopped in their physical locations. So, it was with high expectations that I entered most of their website domains. The degree of ordering online ranged from “this is a dream” to “what a nightmare!”. The easiest website by far was also the most attractive, appealing and reinforced the image that had been branded by the company in all their other forms of advertisements. I felt comfortable and at ease. Upon entering the website I didn’t have to sign in with a user name and password immediately, but could take my time, browse and actually even upon ordering did not have to become a registered user, but could stay as a guest. Finding detailed descriptions of the product, clear visuals that could be zoomed larger and even product reviews from bad to great were available on the easier sites. The best was when actually ordering; it was simple to process from the shopping cart to the credit card transaction and receive an immediate follow-up email confirming my order.

On the opposite hand, I experienced a couple of websites that were so difficult to navigate that I ended up calling in the order if I still felt I had to have the product. In one case, I bought from a competitor who had an easier site. As more and more customers are using the Internet to make buying purchases, companies need to recognize that everything speaks on your website just as strongly as it does in your physical location. Businesses need to ask three questions regarding their site:

1. Does it reinforce the brand and image we want it to?

2. Does the customer or browser feel welcome on the site?

3. How easy do we make it to purchase one of our items?

A Service Map is a tool to help a business walk through the online ordering process looking through the lens of the customer vs. the lens of the organization. Each point of contact is explored to see what would be mediocre service and what could be done to raise the bar to make it excellent service. For example: Is it clear when being asked for a phone number to use dashes between numbers or not? Is it easy to backtrack to a previous page and not lose all prior information? Is it possible to do business if you have forgotten your password? Is there a phone number easily found to call for assistance if needed? Go to http://bit.ly/5b0uMn to download a Service Map template to apply to your website ordering process.

As website ordering becomes more the favored way of buying by many people in the future, now is the time to take a critical look at your site and determine is it a dream for your customers to do business with you on the Internet or another nightmare?

Excellent Service in Bad Economy More Important than in Good Economy

2009-12-11T00:09:00.000+05:00

When we are in a thriving economy, everyone is busy and there is usually plenty of business for everyone. Those businesses that give less than stellar service are many times forgiven or accepted because the customer knows they have choices and they are choosing to overlook the way they are treated in lieu of other factors such as price, convenience, location, etc.

However, in a bad or slow economy, the customer is less forgiving when it comes to customer service. They know they still have choices but they have chosen YOU; therefore, the expectations of how they want to be treated are high. This is the time your business must work hard to create Wow's and build relationships that will result in emotional connections to your organization. Excellent service provides the value-added ingredient that will keep these customers attached to you no matter what kind of economy we are in.

New edition to Unleashing Excellence

2009-11-27T23:45:00.000+05:00

The second edition of my book, Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service, co-authored with Dennis Snow was recently released. You can find it in bookstores or at http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

We believe this book will help speed your journey to service excellence as it offers additional tools and approaches developed since its original release in 2003. We’ve included best practices from many organizations who have successfully implemented the Unleashing Excellence approach.

One of the book’s elements we’re most proud of is the ability for you to access downloads of the tools described throughout Unleashing Excellence. You can instantly customize the tools to your own operation.

Unleashing Excellence is a step-by-step guide that covers:

• The “DNA” of Service Excellence
• Creating a Service Improvement Team

• Developing Your Service “Non-negotiables”

• Communicating the Service Strategy to Your Team

• Service Training and Education

• Hiring for Service Excellence

• Developing Effective Service Measurements

• Recognition and Reward Systems

• Implementing a Service Obstacle System

• Building a Culture of Accountability

High Touch Wins over High Tech

2009-11-24T20:00:00.002+05:00

After weeks of stalling, I finally went out this past weekend to purchase a new computer and a new phone. Both rather challenging purchases because with all the various options and features on each product, I knew it would be a difficult decision in both cases.

The first stop was Verizon Wireless early Saturday afternoon. Upon entering the store, I was quickly greeted and asked if I needed help. I was taken under the wing of the salesperson who began asking pertinent questions as to my needs and usage for the phone. Within minutes, it was easy to make a choice after which I was escorted to the checkout counter and introduced to Kim. Kim processed the purchase and before I could even form the question, she asked if I’d like her to transfer my contacts. Within minutes, she had activated my email, transferred my contacts, provided all the information to receive a rebate and I was out the door – a very happy customer with a brand new fully functioning Blackberry.

Now charged up after such a wonderful experience, I headed to Best Buy for the computer. I received my greeting upon entering the store and was shown to the computer section. A salesperson asked if he could help. With his knowledge and expertise, I felt comfortable and confident in choosing the right fit computer. He processed the transaction, gave me my receipts and thanked me for my business. I felt great again about this experience! What do people mean: high tech, no touch? Well, it was about to begin…. I asked if the information from my old computer could be transferred to the new one. Certainly, was the response – our Geek Squad can take care of that for you.

Promises made of 2 hours became 2 days. In trying to determine the status of my computer, I found that reaching someone in the department was nearly impossible. Questions that should have been asked were not, so the process was dragged out even longer. Finally, I went to the store and sat in the waiting area (they now have chairs provided so you don’t have to stand while waiting). Six people were waiting, one employee was working. After 20 minutes the line hadn’t moved, the gentleman next to me stood and said to no one in particular “OK, you win, I’m outta here”. I slide over one spot – all I wanted to do is pick up my computer! 45 minutes later out the door I walk only to be stopped by the greeter to “check” my purchase . A bad final taste was left with me, the high touch definitely missing after the product had been sold and ended up tainting the entire experience.

A Service Map is a tool to examine all the points of contact throughout the entire experience one has with an organization. Its purpose is to identify what is mediocre service at each point and how to raise the bar to make it Excellent at all possible and potential points, not just the "sales" point. See example Service Map

Recognition Can Make Dreams Come True

2009-11-16T01:54:00.003+05:00

I was just sent a wonderful blog that came from the Journal of Wawa CEO Howard Stoeckel.
Values Day to Remember Wawa is a chain of highly specialized convenience stores located over a 5 state area in the upper northeast United States. The company’s first store was opened in 1964 and their core purpose is to “simplify the lives of our customers”. They offer superior quality foods, fresh brewed coffee, gasoline and ATM’s.

Their core values include:
Value people
Delight customers,
Embrace change
Do the right thing
Do things right
Passion for winning

CEO Stoeckel walks the talk to instill these values and shares news and event s to all employees through regular blogs. This one in particular is giving recognition to a highly deserving employee by the name of Samantha Eller who was awarded Wawa’s 4th ever Dream Maker award. The recognition was presented to her in front of 150 cheering associates, her parents and family. Yes, it was quite a dream come true as Samantha’s colleagues, friends and family all helped craft the perfect dream package which included a salon and spa trip, new wardrobe and a 5 day Disney cruise!

While extravagant, the CEO says the reward is trivial in comparison to the impact Samantha has had on her fellow employees. Every month, associates submit stories about their co-workers who exemplify the 6 core values. Samantha was selected from among 16,000 employees for her deep compassion and commitment to these values and her colleagues.

Recognition is just as important to “inculturate” the Service Philosophy and Service Standards into an organization. Showing employees you appreciate and value the behaviors leads to repetition of the behaviors and they become contagious. Employees participating in acknowledging fellow employees allow their input and lets management free itself from the blame of favoritism that sometimes accompanies recognition that is always chosen by management alone. While wonderful to offer extravagant Dream Maker awards, the key is really about the acknowledgement and “presentation” of the award. Simple recognition cards can be just as effective if done properly and sincerely. See example of a Sample Recognition Card

Spend Money on Advertising or Training?

2009-11-10T07:15:00.000+05:00

In the fight for customers, businesses today are looking to cut prices, innovate processes and spend money on advertising to woo you to come purchase from them. KMart and JC Penney have already announced they will be spending more advertising dollars this holiday season on marketing their low prices and great buys. In fact, they are starting now to get the word out so shoppers will want to get in their stores soon and take advantage of these deals.

It is going to take more than advertising, low prices and creative displays to win over the business these two stores in particular have lost over the years. The lack of knowledgeable and helpful employees, short staffing, disorganized and cluttered product setups, have all contributed to the decline of their businesses. The hyped up advertising may draw customers back into the stores, but unless they are preparing their stores and employees to be customer-focused and show they care customers are coming in to do business with them, it will be money lost. How many times have you gone to make a purchase for a product or service and the employees were either nowhere to be found or displayed such an attitude of indifference - that you left?

It will be the businesses that train employees to be competent and knowledgeable on their products/services, exhibit a customer service friendly manner and deliver what they promise that will build repeat loyal customers. These customers will then do the advertising for them because they will be so pleased with the experience.

Is It Really About the Jelly Beans?

2009-10-19T23:14:00.002+06:00

I just received this note from a client who runs an incredible art gallery – the Art Gallery of Ontario. One of their volunteers was leading a tour showing off the recent renovations for the artistic director of a local theatre. She mentioned that she and her family had been enthusiastic subscribers of his theatre for many years. However, she couldn’t resist the opportunity of sharing how disappointed she and her family were that they no longer sold jelly beans in his lobby.
The director explained apologetically about the crackly mylar packaging in a quiet theatre and its annoyance to other theatre attendees, but the volunteer dismissed the explanation. The tour was successful and they all parted their ways.

The next week the volunteer approached the Will Call at the local theatre to pick up her family’s season tickets. She gave her name and the response from the young woman behind the counter was “Oh! These are for you!” Her jaws dropped as the young woman proceeded to set four large bags of jellybeans on the counter each enclosed in a sheer silk purse tied with satin ribbons and accompanied by a lovely note from the artistic director. When the volunteer commented on the incredible packaging, the young woman proudly said “these were made by our costume department”.

Truly an excellent and memorable experience and YES, it was really about the jelly beans and making someone feel special.

Survivial of the Fittest

2009-10-04T21:54:00.001+06:00

Yesterday, I took a stroll down Park Avenue in downtown Winter Park. Having lived in Orlando for most of my life, it has always been my favorite place to go for a walk, relax, shop, dine and just enjoy the day. Walking by the street shops, I noticed how many were empty or had signs of Coming Soon.... Most of the restaurants were new and different. The memories of my favorite stores and places to eat that were now gone and replaced with others reminded me of the stark reality of "survival of the fittest". Only two restaurants have stood the test of time: Brandywine's and The Briar Patch. What do they have that the others didn't?

Brand, quality of product, customer service and price. Brandywine's is a deli sandwich shop that caters to all ages. From businessmen and women looking for a quick bite to eat and good food or young mothers meeting other young mothers with their children in strollers who like to sit at the outside tables and enjoy a sandwich or salad. It is casual, friendly, quick and the price is fair. Customers feel they get good value from the ambiance, efficiency and healthy portions of food.

The Briar Patch about a block away, offers a different ambiance. More branded for a great breakfast dining experience, the tables are crowded close together for an intimate feeling. The friendly hustle and bustle of the staff, the quality food and competitive pricing, keeps customers coming back.

In both of these dining places while each is very different, the customer feels they get value from the dollar spent. With dollars tight in today's economy, customers are thinking twice about how they will part with their hard-earned money. So,whether they have chosen the restaurant for its setting, quality food, price or brand, for years customers have continued their patronage in good times and bad because they know they will get what they were promised. And when you add in customer service and are made to feel welcome and appreciated as you are in both of these restaurants - that's when you have an unbeatable organization and survive all the others!

Nickel and Diming Doesn't Pay Off

2009-09-27T19:49:00.000+06:00

After spending the last two weeks dreading the arrival of the postman delivering another overdrawn postcard announcement from the bank on my daughter's account, I see in the newspaper that Chase and Bank of America are changing their approach. One way banks have chosen to make up falling profits has been charging exorbitant fees for each withdrawal when the account goes below the balance and calling this overdraft protection. In the case of my daughter this amounted to nine $36 fees and one for $45 over a weekend period. No item she purchased on her debit card was over $25.00, mostly $2.50 and $4.00 sales, but because the domino effect was in place, each purchase added one more to the notch.

Obviously, according to the bank, it was not "bank error" that my daughter had gone over her balance; it was her error for not keeping better track of her debit charges, therefore the justification for the charges was there. And I agree, she definitely needs to come up with a better system for withdrawals and tracking, but $400 in fees! We both would have preferred that her debit card was denied vs. the "overdraft protection" of which she had not signed up for, but was automatically given. It gets even more complicated because even though you may check your online balance and see that you have money in your account, you may not, as banks process the larger charges first then the smaller ones. And these charges don't come through immediately, so while you think there is money in the account, that $4 Chick-Fil-A sandwich might just cost you $40 if it is the charge that triggers the overdraft "protection".

If they are at all customer service oriented, the banks will change to a more customer friendly approach. This nickel and diming on a bigger scale is infuriating customers to look for another way or place to do their business banking. The banks that come up with a method that will help customers instead of hurting them, will be the winners in the end.

Exceeding Expectations - Is the Ritz Living Up to its Reputation?

2009-09-11T23:03:00.000+06:00

When you set yourself up to be the best of the best, you fall even harder when you don’t meet the basic expectations. I was part of a group that went to have lunch at a Ritz on a weekday last week. Not having been to the hotel before, we decided to take a walk around the property and see what we had been missing. Obviously, this being a top of the line hotel with such a reputation for fine service and exquisite settings, we had very high expectations. The bellman opened the front door with a friendly smile and made us feel quite welcome… but that was where it ended. Throughout the rest of the hotel as we walked through the grand lobby, the beautiful ballroom halls, the great smelling spa, we were only given a glance or cursory “hello” from the employees. Walking on the hotel grounds which were gorgeous in the landscaping, several of us noticed the trash can that was overflowing and obviously had not been dumped in a couple days.

Once in the restaurant, we expected first class service as the Ritz brand touts. But, were disappointed again when we had to ask for black napkins vs. the white ones at the table as many of us were wearing dark colored pants and didn’t want the lint that white napkins tend to leave. Do I expect this at every restaurant , “No” – but this was suppose to be the premiere of customer service and so “Yes” I expected that the servers would have noticed this detail. We even had to ask for soup spoons when several of us ordered soup as an appetizer. The delay in the delivery of the main entrée was embarrassing, especially as there was only one other table in the entire restaurant. So, needless to say, at the end of the experience, we all walked away with a very different impression of this hotel than what all the advertising and marketing dollars have been promoting.

I was sharing this experience with a colleague and she mentioned that she had just spent the weekend there with her husband and daughter celebrating a key anniversary and birthday. She said “ you know it is rather pricey and we usually don’t spend that kind of money for a weekend, but because this was double celebration, we wanted to do something special”. She mentioned they too had noticed the lack of indifference from the employees and that many of them were overheard complaining about how slow the hotel was. She was surprised with that being the situation that they were not treated with more attention vs. a lack of it. In fact, she doubted they would go back again.

Bottom line, now is not the time to sit back and rest on your laurels waiting for business to come back. Now is the time, to be making an extra special impression on those customers who are coming to you to reinforce your reputation and build their loyalty to bring you referrals, references, and repeat business. And if you have set high expectations, you better be living up to it. You will fall much harder and faster if you have set high expectations and don’t meet them vs. setting low expectations and exceeding them. But that’s why a Ritz can charge $499.00 a night and others can’t. So use this down time to talk with your employees to be looking for ways to continue meeting and exceeding those expectations and not risk losing current and potential customers.

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Slow boiling the Customer Experience

2009-08-29T20:46:00.000+06:00

Everyone is trying to reduce costs to stay in business in this economy. But how do you know when too much cost cutting will be the tipping point for your customers not to want to come back? That was the topic of the Orlando Sentinel article http://bit.ly/D62cs regarding cutting expenses but not trimming the fun at three of the top ten theme parks in the country. The experience is really what the theme parks are selling and slowly whittling away at the experience to cut costs can be like the slow boiling of a frog - over time it kills the experience.

Loyal customers will stick with you as long as they can because they recognize the difficult times and know you have to do things to survive, but even they will start to stray when you go too far. With new customers, you usually only get one chance and if you've whittled away the "magic" for their first visit, it will be real hard to change their perspective to give you a second chance.

Whether you are in the business of theme parks, banking, retail, healthcare, transportation, etc. - it's all the same. The customer is looking for an experience that creates an emotional connection. Beware of the cost cutting to the point you lose that opportunity to build a new loyal customer and retain the ones you've got.

Quality trumps Service

2009-08-25T01:59:00.000+06:00

If you don't give your customer what you promised, right the first time, then it really doesn't matter how nice you smile or what kind of good eye contact you have. The customer doesn't care whether you are short on employees because someone called in sick, the customer doesn't care that you got slammed all at once, the customer doesn't care that your vendor is late in shipping product to you - all they care about is "Did you give me what you promised, on time, and correct".

If you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. Quality is Job One as Ford use to say. Nothing else matters if you don't have quality. The service becomes the icing on the cake!

But what is quality, how do you get it, what is the performance standard for quality and what does it cost when you don't do it? These are all lessons I learned early in my career from my association with the author of Quality is Free - Philip Crosby. Mr Crosby started the Quality College in Winter Park Florida in 1979 and executives from all over the world came to hear his approach to creating a culture of DIRTFT (Do It Right the First Time).

The 4 Absolutes of Quality Management made quality simple to define and clear to know when you had it and when you didn't. The product/service either conformed to requirements or it didn't. The Price of Nonconformance measured just how much organizations were losing when they chose not to do quality work. By putting this measurement into dollars, executives paid attention. By having a performance standard of zero defects you knew quality was not negotiable because "that's close enough" wasn't good enough. And finally Prevention was the way to achieve quality, not through appraisal.

By following these 4 Absolutes you can assure quality becomes the cornerstone of your business. Service excellence in the customer experience of how you deliver this quality product/service is what will separate you from the rest!

Read more: http://bit.ly/14q09O

Knowledge Comes, but Wisdom Lingers

2009-08-08T02:50:00.000+06:00

The English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson said “knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers”. This is especially true with Customer Service. Most organizations know that taking care of their customers is their future, yet wisdom lingers in the adaptation.

In today’s difficult economy, do not fall into the trap that “it is too expensive to provide superior customer service”. Now it is more important than ever to be proactive and ensure your organization has the culture to bind the customer to you. Do not make it easy for your customers to leave you. Fight for them! Superior customer service is a culture and does not cost you, it pays you. Customer service does not mean adding new work, it means doing what you are already doing better.

Be proactive. Don’t sit around and wonder if your customers are coming back. You must be out talking to them, finding their needs and concerns. Make sure your processes are in place to give your customers the experience your competitors won’t. For more tips, go to http://bit.ly/E8HI3

Branding Your School

2009-07-29T20:21:00.000+06:00

In order to market and promote a product or service Branding is essential.
· Attract and retain loyal employees and customers/families
· Your employees and families are your best marketing force
· Repeat business and retention is the best
· Provides an instant identity
· Allows for a premium and you are not forced into being the lowest price provider
In order for the brand to take hold you must perform. If you “talk the talk” you must “walk the walk” and be recognized in the market place as such.
A program is needed to deliver the promises in addition to advertising the results.

Surviving the Recession

2009-07-29T06:34:00.000+06:00

Every day in the paper we see another business closing shop, not making it in this historic downturn. With the shrinking demand for total goods and services, there is a major shake-up of winners and losers. Customer loyalty is a key to being one of the winners. Loyal customers will keep coming back as long as they can afford to use your products and services because you have developed more than a transactional relationship with them. You have created an emotional connection. Loyal customers will expand your customer base by becoming your sales force.