With so many automated answering services for businesses out there, customers often find themselves extremely frustrated, wishing they could talk to a live answering service instead. Answering services have gone the route of letter writing – it's all gone to computers in an attempt to make life simpler. However, most customers prefer to talk to an actual person when it comes to their concerns, rather than a cold, unfeeling machine.
From the moment that an actual person answers a call made or transferred to a live answering service, a bond begins to form. Personal interaction begins from the very first greeting, and the feeling that your customer is not just a commodity to be transferred over to an automated recording can be overwhelmingly touching. Of course, with today's busy communications demands, your customers may only receive a friendly sounding voice and an upbeat manner, but that's really all that's necessary to maintain a positive outlook regarding your business.
With the personalized attention and interaction that goes into a live answering service, the needs of the caller are professionally met, but with a personal touch that makes the customer feel as though their concerns, complaints, and questions are truly important to the business.
This should be kept in mind when looking for a service for your business. A live answering service will be received by your customers with open arms, as they will be able to voice their concerns to someone who might actually be able to sympathize and care about what problems they may have. Such a benefit will make your customers feel important and cared for, which is exactly what you want for them. When a customer feels cared for, their opinion of your business is much higher than if your customer was transferred to a cold, unfeeling automated service.
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Labels:
Customer Service
Customer Service Tips That Generate Referrals
How do you define good customer service? Does that simply mean the satisfactory marketing and sale of a product or service to a customer or does it mean something else? Is providing good customer service, good enough?
In these days of below average customer service, you may think providing good service will set you apart from the pack. Well, I am here to tell you that nothing less than exemplary service will help you succeed. By incorporating the "wow" factor into every successful sale, you will achieve greater profits and better customer satisfaction.
To achieve the "wow" factor, you must be honest, knowledgeable, friendly, professional and deliver on your promises. Do not over promise, but do not under promise either.
In addition, you must be able to provide a high level of service to everyone who comes in contact with your business. If you do, you'll also get more referrals from your satisfied clients.
"Wow" everyone who comes into contact with you and your business. You want people to be blown away by the extraordinary level of service you deliver to your clients. Demonstrate your exceptional level of customer service by showing your generosity through gift giving. Your goal should be to deliver such a high level of service that your clients can't wait to tell their family members, friends and co-workers about your company.
Everyone who comes into contact with your business is a potential client or referrer. Reward those who refer people to you by offering them a gift. Send gifts to all business associates in order to gain favor. This is a great way to build relationships with the people you rely on to do business. Look for a reason to send these people a thank you card along with a gift.<
So, what types of gifts should you send? I'll leave that up to your imagination, but here are some ideas to help you get started:
Movie passes
Starbucks cards
Flowers, houseplants
A ticket for a free car wash
Gift candles
Favorite recipes
Gourmet chocolates or gourmet popcorn
Successful sales people always make sure their faithful referrers are regularly and consistently rewarded. Set aside the best rewards for your top referrers. This may include:
Dinner for two at a fancy restaurant
Tickets to the opera or to a rock concert
A gift card
High end fruit or gift basket
Potted plant or flower arrangement
A personally inscribed pen
Yes, when it comes to gift giving the sky is the limit. The more personal the gift, the more likely it will be remembered and it will serve as a thoughtful reminder to your best referrers the next time someone is in need of your exemplary services.
For more referral generating customer service tips, visit our article directory:
http://Mortgage-Training.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com
Please feel free to reprint this article as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.
================================================
In these days of below average customer service, you may think providing good service will set you apart from the pack. Well, I am here to tell you that nothing less than exemplary service will help you succeed. By incorporating the "wow" factor into every successful sale, you will achieve greater profits and better customer satisfaction.
To achieve the "wow" factor, you must be honest, knowledgeable, friendly, professional and deliver on your promises. Do not over promise, but do not under promise either.
In addition, you must be able to provide a high level of service to everyone who comes in contact with your business. If you do, you'll also get more referrals from your satisfied clients.
"Wow" everyone who comes into contact with you and your business. You want people to be blown away by the extraordinary level of service you deliver to your clients. Demonstrate your exceptional level of customer service by showing your generosity through gift giving. Your goal should be to deliver such a high level of service that your clients can't wait to tell their family members, friends and co-workers about your company.
Everyone who comes into contact with your business is a potential client or referrer. Reward those who refer people to you by offering them a gift. Send gifts to all business associates in order to gain favor. This is a great way to build relationships with the people you rely on to do business. Look for a reason to send these people a thank you card along with a gift.<
So, what types of gifts should you send? I'll leave that up to your imagination, but here are some ideas to help you get started:
Movie passes
Starbucks cards
Flowers, houseplants
A ticket for a free car wash
Gift candles
Favorite recipes
Gourmet chocolates or gourmet popcorn
Successful sales people always make sure their faithful referrers are regularly and consistently rewarded. Set aside the best rewards for your top referrers. This may include:
Dinner for two at a fancy restaurant
Tickets to the opera or to a rock concert
A gift card
High end fruit or gift basket
Potted plant or flower arrangement
A personally inscribed pen
Yes, when it comes to gift giving the sky is the limit. The more personal the gift, the more likely it will be remembered and it will serve as a thoughtful reminder to your best referrers the next time someone is in need of your exemplary services.
For more referral generating customer service tips, visit our article directory:
http://Mortgage-Training.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com
Please feel free to reprint this article as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.
================================================
Labels:
Customer Service
The Golden Rule of Customer Service
If you think about it, it could single handedly be the most important rule to follow in business. After unpleasant sales encounters, most customers are not most upset with the product or service that they purchased. Sure that may have been the root of the problem. But, most people understand that we don't live in a perfect world and sometimes things don't work!
The reason most people leave these situations upset is because of the way that they've been treated. They feel that they have spent the money for your product or service that for one reason or another did not perform properly. This upsets them, but what really angers them is that they feel that no one cares.
We've all had negative customer service experiences. Those of us in sales have most likely been on both sides of such exchanges.
When we're in the salesperson role, we may be running ragged from an extremely busy day. We may have issues going on in our personal life. We might simply have gotten up in a bad mood that morning. There's nothing innately wrong with any of those things. However, it is our job to find a way to put all of those things aside to help the people we're paid to assist. This is why I feel that sales people should really be required to take Acting 101! Ideally, we would always be able to genuinely be interested in listening to our customers and helping them find the solutions that work best for them. But, we all know that that's pretty much impossible everyday, absent a fairly large prescription of Prozac! Salespeople are just that, people. We're not always going to be at the top of our game, but we must be able to "act" as if we are. Convincingly, act as if we are
On the other hand, being that salespeople are people, we are constantly faced with these situations in which we are the customer. Undoubtedly, you have run into a few salespeople who have irritated you or who may not be quite as helpful as you'd like.
Now, obviously, we will never be able to be perfect in all of our customer interactions. However, if we were to try and keep the good old "Golden Rule" in our consciousness at all times when dealing with customers, I think we'd find our jobs more enjoyable, our customers happier and yes, even our profits growing!
The reason most people leave these situations upset is because of the way that they've been treated. They feel that they have spent the money for your product or service that for one reason or another did not perform properly. This upsets them, but what really angers them is that they feel that no one cares.
We've all had negative customer service experiences. Those of us in sales have most likely been on both sides of such exchanges.
When we're in the salesperson role, we may be running ragged from an extremely busy day. We may have issues going on in our personal life. We might simply have gotten up in a bad mood that morning. There's nothing innately wrong with any of those things. However, it is our job to find a way to put all of those things aside to help the people we're paid to assist. This is why I feel that sales people should really be required to take Acting 101! Ideally, we would always be able to genuinely be interested in listening to our customers and helping them find the solutions that work best for them. But, we all know that that's pretty much impossible everyday, absent a fairly large prescription of Prozac! Salespeople are just that, people. We're not always going to be at the top of our game, but we must be able to "act" as if we are. Convincingly, act as if we are
On the other hand, being that salespeople are people, we are constantly faced with these situations in which we are the customer. Undoubtedly, you have run into a few salespeople who have irritated you or who may not be quite as helpful as you'd like.
Now, obviously, we will never be able to be perfect in all of our customer interactions. However, if we were to try and keep the good old "Golden Rule" in our consciousness at all times when dealing with customers, I think we'd find our jobs more enjoyable, our customers happier and yes, even our profits growing!
Labels:
Customer Service
The 5 W's of World Class Customer Service Training
The preamble to the United States Constitution begins, 'we, the people.' I feel strongly that we, the people, are what make the difference in life, both personally and professionally.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your employees, including you, gives a customer-- whether current, potential, internal or external--an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours. I'm not just talking about call centers here. All technical support or help desk personnel are included as well. As a matter of fact, anyone who is in the customer service business period.
With continued focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customer's experience. For the customer, the person on the other end of the phone is the company. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contact is through the center. And it's been reported that 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, having nothing to do with technology. State of the art technology is a necessity today, but it is meant to enable human endeavors, not to disable them.
I often talk about taking customer service and 'kicking it up a notch.' In the food industry, the word 'lagniappe' is often used. Its definition is "a small present given to a customer with a purchase. For example, when you go to the bakery and buy a dozen donuts or bagels, you oftentimes get a 'free' one or a baker's dozen. That's what customer service should be about--giving the customer more than they expected! Let's bring lagniappe into the contact center industry.
If we're going to speak about world class customer service, let's have a working definition it so we're all on the same page. Customer service is those activities provided by a company's employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made, thereby leading to satisfaction and repurchase.
Let's look at the first W which is Why?
The state of customer service today is not good, be it over the phone or self service. Because 92% of people feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, this reinforces the importance of centers in branding the image of their companies.
In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, here's what happened because of poor customer service:
60% cancelled accounts with banks
36% changed insurance providers
40% changed telephone companies
35% changed credit card providers
375 changed Internet service providers
Are you one of these statistics? I certainly am.
In a study done by Purdue University and BenchmarkPortal.com, in answer to (1) how did agents satisfy your needs and handle the call, and (2) based on any negative experience, would you stop using this company in the future? the findings reveal a strong correlation between the participant's age and the tendency to stop using the company after a bad experience.
What does this mean? Younger participants were less tolerant and more likely to move to the competition. People over 65 were found to be more demanding than those in middle age.
What can you do? Give younger callers a 'wow' experience--maintain their loyalty. People over 36 probably have more of an 'emotional bank account' with the company they are dealing with–maybe had some good experience and therefore are more willing to 'forgive.'
In a recent study (CRM Magazine/PeopleSoft Web Seminar on How Usability Helps to Drive a Profitable Contact Center), the number of applications required for agents to access customer inquiries were:
3.7% just 1
81.5% 2 – 5
7.4% 5 – 10
7.4% more than 10
As you can see, the majority of applications are 2 - 5. The goal, of course, is to link every point of contact to one central location for a customer-centric, synchronized approach satisfying customer experiences with every interaction.
Strategies for success for world class service should include:<
Respond promptly
Handle requests through the customers' choice of medium
Be brief and clear
Reduce back and forth communications (especially in writing, i.e., email, kick it up to a phone call if it goes beyond two)
Personalized service
Delight the customer
What do we mean by delighting the customer?
Inform and educate them
Establish your expertise and professionalism
Offer options
Diffuse upset, anger, when and if necessary
Escalate, if required
Take Ownership of the call
Remember we're still on the first W – the Why. Today's pressures on agents are different than in the past. They are asked to handle more customer, more volume, more complex and/or complicated calls. After all if we could handle our issues with self service, we probably would not call. But if we tried self service and it didn't work, now we're upset and it's an escalated call from the get go.
They're asked to provide more information, do it faster and be available and accessible. But they are to lower costs, generate revenue, incorporate new technologies, ensure closure and commitment, deliver 'great' service and when? Yesterday, of course.
As a matter of fact the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has said that the causes of death for people under 65 are:
21% - environment – war, accidents, crimes
9% - health care system – doctors, hospitals, medications
17% - human biology – not because of lifestyle
53% - because of the way people choose to live their lives!!!
This is the good news and the bad news. It's bad news because it's more than half. However, the good news is that this is something we can do something about, it's about choice.
The #2 W is Who should be trained?
We suggest front line agents/representatives, supervisors, team lads, managers, assistant managers, internal customers and other departments – anyone who is a touch point so that they can learn to speak the same language, and more importantly, not be in an adversarial position, but rather, together they are serving the external customer or end user.
The #3 W is Where should the training take place? Offsite vs onsite, and there are advantages and disadvantages for both.
Certainly it is most cost effective to have training on site. However, distractions are rampant as is the participant's availability to a person or problem.
Offsite is more costly. However, there are no distractions and the participants are unavailable to other departments, their managers, or any issues. I believe there is psychic value in taking people away from their work stations and off site to acknowledge the touch jobs they have.
The #4 W is What should be included in any training? We believe the following modules provide a robust, powerful, and succinct training curriculum:
Quality Customer Service Rapport Building
Customer Expectations
Perception Shifting Conflict Resolution
Language Skills
Anger Management E-Mail Protocol
Stress Reduction Empathetic Responsiveness
Change Management
Communication/Listening Skills Interaction/Role Play
Service with a Smile
Further suggested is university certification to up the ante. The more professionally you treat your employees, the more professionally they will treat your customers.
The #5 W is When. We say for new hires, monthly, ongoingly, consistently, whenever change occurs, when stressors increase, and as needed.
We further suggest that each employee get a minimum of 24 hours per year of ongoing training, spread out over time for the most absorption. We divide our trainings into two four hour sessions per day and deliver 6 days per employee. Therefore, 30 people can participate in the training per day. If there has been no ongoing training, we do four days once a month for four months and then a session three months later, and then another three months later. In this manner, training is customized, in real time, and can address whatever challenges are presented when they occur.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your employees, including you, gives a customer-- whether current, potential, internal or external--an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours. I'm not just talking about call centers here. All technical support or help desk personnel are included as well. As a matter of fact, anyone who is in the customer service business period.
With continued focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customer's experience. For the customer, the person on the other end of the phone is the company. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contact is through the center. And it's been reported that 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, having nothing to do with technology. State of the art technology is a necessity today, but it is meant to enable human endeavors, not to disable them.
I often talk about taking customer service and 'kicking it up a notch.' In the food industry, the word 'lagniappe' is often used. Its definition is "a small present given to a customer with a purchase. For example, when you go to the bakery and buy a dozen donuts or bagels, you oftentimes get a 'free' one or a baker's dozen. That's what customer service should be about--giving the customer more than they expected! Let's bring lagniappe into the contact center industry.
If we're going to speak about world class customer service, let's have a working definition it so we're all on the same page. Customer service is those activities provided by a company's employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made, thereby leading to satisfaction and repurchase.
Let's look at the first W which is Why?
The state of customer service today is not good, be it over the phone or self service. Because 92% of people feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, this reinforces the importance of centers in branding the image of their companies.
In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, here's what happened because of poor customer service:
60% cancelled accounts with banks
36% changed insurance providers
40% changed telephone companies
35% changed credit card providers
375 changed Internet service providers
Are you one of these statistics? I certainly am.
In a study done by Purdue University and BenchmarkPortal.com, in answer to (1) how did agents satisfy your needs and handle the call, and (2) based on any negative experience, would you stop using this company in the future? the findings reveal a strong correlation between the participant's age and the tendency to stop using the company after a bad experience.
What does this mean? Younger participants were less tolerant and more likely to move to the competition. People over 65 were found to be more demanding than those in middle age.
What can you do? Give younger callers a 'wow' experience--maintain their loyalty. People over 36 probably have more of an 'emotional bank account' with the company they are dealing with–maybe had some good experience and therefore are more willing to 'forgive.'
In a recent study (CRM Magazine/PeopleSoft Web Seminar on How Usability Helps to Drive a Profitable Contact Center), the number of applications required for agents to access customer inquiries were:
3.7% just 1
81.5% 2 – 5
7.4% 5 – 10
7.4% more than 10
As you can see, the majority of applications are 2 - 5. The goal, of course, is to link every point of contact to one central location for a customer-centric, synchronized approach satisfying customer experiences with every interaction.
Strategies for success for world class service should include:<
Respond promptly
Handle requests through the customers' choice of medium
Be brief and clear
Reduce back and forth communications (especially in writing, i.e., email, kick it up to a phone call if it goes beyond two)
Personalized service
Delight the customer
What do we mean by delighting the customer?
Inform and educate them
Establish your expertise and professionalism
Offer options
Diffuse upset, anger, when and if necessary
Escalate, if required
Take Ownership of the call
Remember we're still on the first W – the Why. Today's pressures on agents are different than in the past. They are asked to handle more customer, more volume, more complex and/or complicated calls. After all if we could handle our issues with self service, we probably would not call. But if we tried self service and it didn't work, now we're upset and it's an escalated call from the get go.
They're asked to provide more information, do it faster and be available and accessible. But they are to lower costs, generate revenue, incorporate new technologies, ensure closure and commitment, deliver 'great' service and when? Yesterday, of course.
As a matter of fact the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has said that the causes of death for people under 65 are:
21% - environment – war, accidents, crimes
9% - health care system – doctors, hospitals, medications
17% - human biology – not because of lifestyle
53% - because of the way people choose to live their lives!!!
This is the good news and the bad news. It's bad news because it's more than half. However, the good news is that this is something we can do something about, it's about choice.
The #2 W is Who should be trained?
We suggest front line agents/representatives, supervisors, team lads, managers, assistant managers, internal customers and other departments – anyone who is a touch point so that they can learn to speak the same language, and more importantly, not be in an adversarial position, but rather, together they are serving the external customer or end user.
The #3 W is Where should the training take place? Offsite vs onsite, and there are advantages and disadvantages for both.
Certainly it is most cost effective to have training on site. However, distractions are rampant as is the participant's availability to a person or problem.
Offsite is more costly. However, there are no distractions and the participants are unavailable to other departments, their managers, or any issues. I believe there is psychic value in taking people away from their work stations and off site to acknowledge the touch jobs they have.
The #4 W is What should be included in any training? We believe the following modules provide a robust, powerful, and succinct training curriculum:
Quality Customer Service Rapport Building
Customer Expectations
Perception Shifting Conflict Resolution
Language Skills
Anger Management E-Mail Protocol
Stress Reduction Empathetic Responsiveness
Change Management
Communication/Listening Skills Interaction/Role Play
Service with a Smile
Further suggested is university certification to up the ante. The more professionally you treat your employees, the more professionally they will treat your customers.
The #5 W is When. We say for new hires, monthly, ongoingly, consistently, whenever change occurs, when stressors increase, and as needed.
We further suggest that each employee get a minimum of 24 hours per year of ongoing training, spread out over time for the most absorption. We divide our trainings into two four hour sessions per day and deliver 6 days per employee. Therefore, 30 people can participate in the training per day. If there has been no ongoing training, we do four days once a month for four months and then a session three months later, and then another three months later. In this manner, training is customized, in real time, and can address whatever challenges are presented when they occur.
Labels:
Customer Service
Can You Afford What Rudeness Is Costing Your Business?
Have you ever thought about how much rudeness may be affecting your bottom line? What is the cost to your company when you or the people who represent you lack proper manners? Do you know how many clients are turned off by employees who would rather carry on a conversation with each other than with the person who came to purchase your service or product? Can you count the number of people who hang up and call someone else because the person who answered your phone put them on hold without asking permission? How does the client rate your professionalism when the employee who welcomes him to your office looks as if she is dressed for a day at the beach? Do your employees understand that it is more offensive then friendly to call the client by first name unless asked to do so? Are your employees treating each other with courtesy and respect? Do they honor the invisible walls of each other's cubicles? Do they work as a team and help each other or do they act like cast members on Survivor?
In today's fast-paced business world where too many people claim that they don't have time to be nice, it's easy to overlook the details that can help you grow your business, increase your profits and build long lasting client relationships.
Try taking this quick true/false quiz to test your own business etiquette expertise. Then run it by your employees.
1. Business etiquette is based on rank and hierarchy. True/False
2. If the information on your business card is incorrect, draw a line through it and write the correct information on the card. True/False
3. Business casual means dressing down one notch from business professional. True/False
4. In today's relaxed business environment, it is not necessary to ask your clients' permission before using their first names. True/False
5. Callers do not mind holding for information as much as holding for a person. True/False
6. You don't have to smile or make eye contact with your customers unless you feel like it. True/False
7. Handwritten notes are out of place in the business world. True/False
8. A man should wait for a woman to put out her hand in business before offering his. True/False
9. When composing an e-mail message, complete the "To" line last. True/False
10. Small talk around the office is a waste of time. True/False
11. People can hear you eating, drinking and chewing over the phone. True/False
12. If you receive a call on your cell phone when you are with a client, look to see who is calling, but don't answer it. True/False
Answers:
1. True. In business, you always defer to the senior or highest ranking person, regardless of age or gender.
2. False. Handing out business cards with information that is outdated or crossed off is unprofessional. Have new cards printed immediately.
3. True. Business casual is not an excuse to wear your favorite old clothes to the office. It is still business, and everyone needs to look professional.
4. False. Don't assume because our work world has become more informal that you can call clients by their first name. Use their titles and last names until they ask you to do otherwise.
5. True. Clients will wait contentedly while you search for information, working on their behalf. However, if they have to wait more than thirty seconds for you to come to the phone, they begin to wonder how much you value them or want their business.
6. False. This is only true if you are planning a going-out-of-business sale. Every client deserves a genuine smile and eye contact.
7. False. Handwritten notes have become almost as extinct as the typewriter. You will stand out from your competition every time you send off a short note written in your own hand.
8. False. Every woman should be prepared to shake hands as soon as she meets someone in business. For either a man or woman to hesitate could indicate a lack of confidence.
9. True. You can send e-mail without inserting an attachment, without checking for grammar and punctuation and without a subject line; but you cannot send e-mail without an address. If you wait until you have carefully proofed your message and added all attachments before you complete the "To " line, you will never be embarrassed or have to apologize for your mistakes.
10. False. Small talk carried on at the right time, in the right place and on the right subject is a great way to build relationships among co-workers.
11. True. Mouth noises are even louder over the phone. Just because your clients can't see you eating those potato chips doesn't mean they can't hear you munching on the other end of the line.
12. False. It is just as rude to pull out your phone to see who called as it is to have it on and take a call in front of a client. Turn your phone off and check your messages later in private.
If you had trouble with any of these questions, your employees will, too. If you want your employees to be at ease in business situations, to represent you well and help build your business, give them the information they need. If you haven't done basic business etiquette skills training lately, do it now. Don't let rude behavior cost you business.
Make sure that your employees know how to handle clients over the phone, that they understand the importance of being attentive and alert to clients' needs, that the value other people's time and that they can deal with difficult people and situations with grace.
No one is born with good manners. People have to be taught, and from time to time, they need to be reminded of what they already know.
(c)2006, Lydia Ramsey. All rights reserved. Reprint rights granted so long as article and by-line are published intact and with all links made live.
In today's fast-paced business world where too many people claim that they don't have time to be nice, it's easy to overlook the details that can help you grow your business, increase your profits and build long lasting client relationships.
Try taking this quick true/false quiz to test your own business etiquette expertise. Then run it by your employees.
1. Business etiquette is based on rank and hierarchy. True/False
2. If the information on your business card is incorrect, draw a line through it and write the correct information on the card. True/False
3. Business casual means dressing down one notch from business professional. True/False
4. In today's relaxed business environment, it is not necessary to ask your clients' permission before using their first names. True/False
5. Callers do not mind holding for information as much as holding for a person. True/False
6. You don't have to smile or make eye contact with your customers unless you feel like it. True/False
7. Handwritten notes are out of place in the business world. True/False
8. A man should wait for a woman to put out her hand in business before offering his. True/False
9. When composing an e-mail message, complete the "To" line last. True/False
10. Small talk around the office is a waste of time. True/False
11. People can hear you eating, drinking and chewing over the phone. True/False
12. If you receive a call on your cell phone when you are with a client, look to see who is calling, but don't answer it. True/False
Answers:
1. True. In business, you always defer to the senior or highest ranking person, regardless of age or gender.
2. False. Handing out business cards with information that is outdated or crossed off is unprofessional. Have new cards printed immediately.
3. True. Business casual is not an excuse to wear your favorite old clothes to the office. It is still business, and everyone needs to look professional.
4. False. Don't assume because our work world has become more informal that you can call clients by their first name. Use their titles and last names until they ask you to do otherwise.
5. True. Clients will wait contentedly while you search for information, working on their behalf. However, if they have to wait more than thirty seconds for you to come to the phone, they begin to wonder how much you value them or want their business.
6. False. This is only true if you are planning a going-out-of-business sale. Every client deserves a genuine smile and eye contact.
7. False. Handwritten notes have become almost as extinct as the typewriter. You will stand out from your competition every time you send off a short note written in your own hand.
8. False. Every woman should be prepared to shake hands as soon as she meets someone in business. For either a man or woman to hesitate could indicate a lack of confidence.
9. True. You can send e-mail without inserting an attachment, without checking for grammar and punctuation and without a subject line; but you cannot send e-mail without an address. If you wait until you have carefully proofed your message and added all attachments before you complete the "To " line, you will never be embarrassed or have to apologize for your mistakes.
10. False. Small talk carried on at the right time, in the right place and on the right subject is a great way to build relationships among co-workers.
11. True. Mouth noises are even louder over the phone. Just because your clients can't see you eating those potato chips doesn't mean they can't hear you munching on the other end of the line.
12. False. It is just as rude to pull out your phone to see who called as it is to have it on and take a call in front of a client. Turn your phone off and check your messages later in private.
If you had trouble with any of these questions, your employees will, too. If you want your employees to be at ease in business situations, to represent you well and help build your business, give them the information they need. If you haven't done basic business etiquette skills training lately, do it now. Don't let rude behavior cost you business.
Make sure that your employees know how to handle clients over the phone, that they understand the importance of being attentive and alert to clients' needs, that the value other people's time and that they can deal with difficult people and situations with grace.
No one is born with good manners. People have to be taught, and from time to time, they need to be reminded of what they already know.
(c)2006, Lydia Ramsey. All rights reserved. Reprint rights granted so long as article and by-line are published intact and with all links made live.
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Customer Service
6 Tips for Keeping Your Cool When Customers Get Hot
1. Be assertive - not aggressive or passive. My definition of assertion is simple: "Say what you mean, mean what you say, and don't be mean when you say it." Let this rule guide your conversations with all customers and you will always be confident, cool, and in control AND you'll always be professional.
2. Speak more slowly. You'll be amazed at how much more clearly you can think and how much control and confidence you experience when you consciously slow down your rate of speech. Speak slowly and methodically when your emotional triggers are launched and you'll maintain poise during difficult conversations.
3. Wait 1-2 seconds before responding. Responding immediately to difficult or tactical customers could result in you saying something you'll later regret. Before you respond, take a deep breath, wait at least 2 seconds, and think about the best response and the best approach.
4. Take a time-out. When you sense that your buttons have been pushed, take a break. You can tell the customer you need to put him on hold while you review a file, or whatever excuse sounds good at the time. The point is to get away from the customer for a few seconds so you can re-group.
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5. Use positive self-talk. I'm going to sound like Dr. Phil on this one, but I'm quite serious. Instead of saying to yourself, "I don't get paid enough to put up with this ____." Say something more positive like "This guy really needs my help." Thinking more positively helps you respond more positively and professionally. Negative thoughts lead to negative words, and it spirals into a very negative situation.
6. Show your power before you use it. Often, a subtle suggestion of your "power" is far more effective than the outright use of your power. As a customer service professional you may have the power to terminate a phone call. You could say to your customer: "If you don't stop yelling, I will terminate this call." But, believe it or not, you are far more "powerful" if you say, "I want to help you, but when you yell and cut me off, you make it difficult for me to work with you." The latter statement demonstrates your power and your message most definitely gets across. The former statement uses up all of your ammunition and won't usually diffuse an irate customer.
These incredibly simple tips will position you to keep your cool when customers get hot!
2. Speak more slowly. You'll be amazed at how much more clearly you can think and how much control and confidence you experience when you consciously slow down your rate of speech. Speak slowly and methodically when your emotional triggers are launched and you'll maintain poise during difficult conversations.
3. Wait 1-2 seconds before responding. Responding immediately to difficult or tactical customers could result in you saying something you'll later regret. Before you respond, take a deep breath, wait at least 2 seconds, and think about the best response and the best approach.
4. Take a time-out. When you sense that your buttons have been pushed, take a break. You can tell the customer you need to put him on hold while you review a file, or whatever excuse sounds good at the time. The point is to get away from the customer for a few seconds so you can re-group.
<
5. Use positive self-talk. I'm going to sound like Dr. Phil on this one, but I'm quite serious. Instead of saying to yourself, "I don't get paid enough to put up with this ____." Say something more positive like "This guy really needs my help." Thinking more positively helps you respond more positively and professionally. Negative thoughts lead to negative words, and it spirals into a very negative situation.
6. Show your power before you use it. Often, a subtle suggestion of your "power" is far more effective than the outright use of your power. As a customer service professional you may have the power to terminate a phone call. You could say to your customer: "If you don't stop yelling, I will terminate this call." But, believe it or not, you are far more "powerful" if you say, "I want to help you, but when you yell and cut me off, you make it difficult for me to work with you." The latter statement demonstrates your power and your message most definitely gets across. The former statement uses up all of your ammunition and won't usually diffuse an irate customer.
These incredibly simple tips will position you to keep your cool when customers get hot!
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