KateNasser.com

By: SCMikeBurton

It was on a trip through Scranton, PA that we stopped at a Burger King for a quick bite. 
At first my mom said she wanted only a cup of coffee.  I replied, a coffee for you and a fish sandwich for me.  She said, “Oh well, get me a fish sandwich as well — it will be hours before we eat again. But I just want fish, lettuce, and tomato on the bun.”  She then went to grab a table because the lunch crowd was forming. 

I approached the counter to order two fish sandwiches and one cup of coffee.   The Burger King sales associate called me forward and I said:  “Hi, I would like two fish sandwiches. One with lettuce and tomato and one with lettuce, tomato, and sauce.  Also one cup of coffee.”   The sales associate stared back at me and said with a bit of panic in her voice — “What do you want me to hold?”  I didn’t know what to say.  So of course I just started over and spoke more slowly.  She continued to ask me “but what do you want me to hold?” 

Suddenly the manager came over and asked me what I wanted to order.  I repeated “Two fish sandwiches — one with lettuce and tomato and one with lettuce, tomato, and sauce.”  He looked at me and said “Ma’am, we’ll be very happy to help you when we can figure out what you want to order.”  Huh? 

Exasperated that I was stuck in a scripted loop,  I simply replied “I’ll take two fish sandwiches and one cup of coffee please.”  He started again saying they would be very happy to help me when they could figure out what I wanted.  I replied, “You will make me happy if you just give me two fish sandwiches and one coffee.”  I paid, picked up the tray with the fish sandwiches and the coffee, and went to find Mom.

When I reached the table where she was sitting, she said “Wow that was quite a wait.  Long lines?”  I said, “Nope”.  “Well what happened?”, she asked.  I said, “You won’t believe it. In order to get food here, first you have to know how they make it so you can tell them what to subtract.”  She stared at me in disbelief.  I then told her the whole story.  Her reaction was, “Let me in there. I could make 20 special ordered fish sandwiches in that amount of time.”  And well she could!

How many times have you been stuck in a scripted customer service nightmare on the phone?   No matter what you say, the rep continues on a journey without you onboard.  This isn’t just customer service gone bad it is customer service designed badly.   Let’s use some basic logic.  How many customers will know that what you have said to them, you have consistently said to the previous customer?  More importantly, how many customers will care?  Most people want to be treated as if they are special — not as if they are routine.

Yet scripts are designed to do two things: Deliver consistent service and move on to the next customer.  With a chuckle in my voice I say, they sure do that!  It is consistently bad service that pushes customers away from you and toward your competition. 

Scripts create this nightmare because A) They don’t account for the customer’s journey and B) The customers didn’t come to your script rehearsal!  Scripts breed non-listening, non-thinking, robotic reps who replace thinking with reciting and a caring heart with a bar chart on numbers served.

Wouldn’t it be better to use great listening to understand what the customers want?   Replace scripts with ACE – Authenticity, Commitment, & Ease - http://tinyurl.com/cdpxfe.   ACE your next customer service and sales moment and watch your customer referrals and sales soar!

I received an ad in my email box for a customer service training video.  Even after 20 years of teaching customer service, I still learn new things.  So I took a quick look at the sample footage.  What I saw was fake, neutral, and difficult for the customer.

They advise you to give an irate customer something specific - like a  form to fill out!  Tell an irate customer to fill out a form?  If you were the irate customer, how would you respond? I laughed so hard at this video I could barely find the esc key to stop the footage.  And this training video is for sale!

Now that I have stopped laughing, I deal you the ACE for top notch customer service: ACE – authentic, committed, and easy.

Authentic.  Customers want you to sincerely care.  Sincere caring shows in your authenticity.  This is why I rail against call center scripts.  Scripts sound company-focused not customer-focused.    Authenticity shines through when you paraphrase the customer’s request, use a tone of voice that reflects interest not script reading, and validate the customer’s situation including his/her emotion.  If you are face-to-face with the customer, then your body language as well as your courteous words also reveal your level of authentic caring.

To come across as authentic and caring, it helps to first be able to read the customer’s needs.  

Action steps: Take this well-known EQ (empathy quotient) test online free of charge to assess your ability to read others: http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/EmpathyQuotient/EmpathyQuotient.aspx.  I was thrilled with my very high score.  Can you imagine The People-Skills Coach scoring low on EQ?

If you want to test your ability to read others’ authenticity, here is a twenty question quiz based on the work of Dr. Paul Eckman: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml

Committed.  On one of my many trips, I was driving to a smaller city.  I had a terrible headache and no medication.  I spotted a large mall and went in to buy some Tylenol.  Thankfully the first thing I saw was an information booth.  So I asked the young woman, “Where is the closest drug store in this mall?  I have a terrible headache and have never been here.”  Her answer in a flat voice was: “I don’t know (IDK).”

My unspoken reaction was “Then why are you in the booth? Get out of the booth!”  Even if it was her first day, she could make an authentic attempt to help. Customers judge your commitment from your “first” –  first greeting, first response, first facial expression, first tone of voice, first attempt. 

Long pauses, IDKs, blank stares, attention to other people/things show lack of commitment – i.e. not caring.  What would you add to this list as signs of non-commitment?  I would love your comments below.

Easy.  Although customers’ expectations vary, there is one thing every customer celebrates – an easy experience.

Here are 5 things you can do to make it easy for your customer:

• Listen and speak from his/her perspective. http://tinyurl.com/cjbdhl 
• Quickly paraphrase his/her request and take action.
• If you don’t know the answer, find the answer.
• Use words that focus forward not back.
• Spot his/her personality type and treat them that way. http://tinyurl.com/ddfhgq

I would love your comments and insights below.  You are welcome to share the info in this article with others if you will credit me and the URL as the source.

These stories and tips are just a small sample of what I deliver in my sessions on customer service.   Tap me to speak at your next customer service event or for training to ACE every customer service moment. 

Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach