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Customer Service

Customer Service: The Folly of Being Defensive in Business

Posted in Customer Service, Hot Topics and New Bits, People-Skills, Soft Skills on Aug 30th, 2010

National Customer Service Week starts Oct. 4th, 2010. It is a time to celebrate customers, customer service, customer service agents, technical support reps, and to highlight key behaviors for truly memorable customer service.

I will write many posts for the next five weeks in anticipation of National Customer Service Week and today’s topic is — “The Folly of Being Defensive” when customers criticize your service.

Picture It! A customer tells you that your team didn’t get back in touch with them, has been unresponsive, missed a deadline, gave them an incorrect answer, was rude and non-empathetic, or a host of other negative information.


What Some Teams Hear. You are no good. They then explain to the customer why the customer service was bad in an attempt to recover their image. Being defensive like this is pure folly. Why? It has the exact opposite effect.



What the Customer is Really Saying. Help me and rebuild my trust. The truly memorable response includes empathy for the inconvenience, attention to fixing it now, and in some cases, compensation for the inconvenience and trouble. Once you have solved the issue in question, you might provide information on how this error will be prevented in the future if it was a serious error.



The folly of being defensive in business is that it reduces trust, makes working with you difficult rather than easy, and demeans your professional image. Avoid this defensive dribble.

You will regain customer’s trust when you take ownership of your mistakes, offer a sincere apology for the trouble, and fix the errors. It sends out a cheer of integrity, caring, and professional competence. It is worth celebrating. It is truly memorable. It will echo for quite some time. It delivers progress to your business and sets you apart from the average.

What else makes for truly memorable customer service? What do you expect as a customer?



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Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, is widely known for transforming customer service from average to truly memorable. Her workshops, webinars, and DVDs distinguish from others in their ability to activate behavior changes in your global customer service teams. Preview Kate Nasser’s new training DVD on regional customer differences in America http://katenasser.com/training-dvds.

Customer Service in Times of Change – Insights.

Posted in Customer Service, Hot Topics and New Bits, People-Skills, Soft Skills, Thriving in Change on Aug 21st, 2010

In my previous post I chronicled a recent service experience with a promoter of National Customer Service Week to highlight a common problem of mistaken empowerment with disastrous business results. I recount the same story here, now with a focus on the challenges that customer service and technical support teams face in times of great change.  Here is what happened and customer service insights on change, change resistance, and rebuilding trust.



The Service Experience

A company actively involved in promoting National Customer Service Week approached me to be an advertising sponsor.  This was the first year they decided to sell advertising sponsorships. They sent information explaining levels of sponsorship, cost, and what each level of sponsorship gave me.  Initial discussions went well. We agreed on the size of the online logo ad pretty easily.  He asked me to send a short paragraph about myself for their first email bulletin. After receiving my text, he replied that the paragraph looked great and they would run it as is. The service experience was easy and well paced.

Things suddenly changed when he sent a proof of the bulletin. I was shocked to see they used only one line from my write-up. To make matters worse, they changed my verbiage into bland, boring words.  His question to me was “WOW, doesn’t it look great?” No it didn’t. I called him and asked what happened? He said, “Don’t worry we want you to be happy. I’ll get back to you.” Before he hung up, I said if we are limited on the number of words, I will be happy to rewrite it. However, the words must reflect my brand.

He emailed me a new version that was slightly longer. Sadly, the words were modified again. To me this was strange behavior and a blatant downward shift in service. It was after hours so I waited until the morning to call him. I left this voice message. “Since I don’t understand what is going on, can’t get any answers, and have no trust that the remaining advertising activities will be handled appropriately, I am going to pass on the opportunity to be a Gold Sponsor.  I wish you continued success.”

Nimble teams win business. Image:GlobalBusinessPosters

He sent me an email saying the source of yesterday’s struggle was the editor of the email bulletin who insisted the bulletin have the same look and feel as it had for the last 10 years! He offered me a discount on the membership and said they would print my paragraph the way I wanted it.  What he didn’t address was the loss of trust from the daylong confusion. When I asked him if he could assure me that my remaining ads, my time, and my brand would not be affected by their internal struggles, he emailed “Evidently you have a bad taste in your mouth about this and it’s best we terminate this relationship”.   

This company, one of the official promoters of National Customer Service Week, undertook a big change – selling advertising sponsorships. What they apparently did not do was change their mindset from continuity and tradition to the new business of representing sponsors for a fee.

Insights

  • This economy presents sudden and intense changes that require flexible agile teams.  Nimble teams win business. Lumbering, slow teams lose. Teams that are intensely focused on procedures — like many customer service and technical support teams – may find themselves in the lumbering category and ill-equipped to deliver superior customer service.  How agile are your customer service and technical support teams? There are ways to become nimble and the time to learn is well before the change. Software development teams are transforming to be more agile: Agility Community Summary.



    Resistance to Change Hurts Customer Service Image:Jorgempf

  • When struggles erupt internally, think long and hard before pretending to the customers that things are progressing normally while projecting confusion. As you string business customers along you are impacting their businesses. They walk away for the sake of their businesses. Are change resistant employees costing you customers, reputation, and revenue?



  • Rebuilding trust after difficulty requires more than one attempt and is not done well through email. Business customers and consumers will take time to trust you again.  When you have broken the trust, talk to the person – don’t write. He mistakenly chose email to communicate rather than the phone. He claimed he emailed to give me time to think.  Yet his second email immediately terminating the relationship disproved that claim. He wanted to be in sole control of rebuilding the trust. He wanted to define the only issues that mattered – price and verbiage in the bulletin. He wanted there to be only one offer.  When I didn’t immediately say “OK”, he severed the sales and service relationship. You can rebuild trust if you share control of those moments with the customer. Prove your value on the issues that matter to the customer not just those important to you.

Customers remember moments. How do you want to be remembered?

Please share your insights about delivering superior customer service during times of change. I welcome your comments below.

Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, has for 20 years delivered customer service and teamwork training for dynamic teamwork and the ultimate customer experience. See footage of her workshops at KateNasser.com and preview her new customer service and sales training DVD about American regional differences.

The Best Language for Superior Customer Service

Posted in Customer Service, Hot Topics and New Bits, People-Skills, Soft Skills on Aug 6th, 2010

The best language for superior, truly memorable customer service is the language your customer understands. If your reaction is “no kidding”, please give this topic another moment’s consideration. I am not speaking purely about languages like English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Swedish, Arabic, etc… I am not even speaking just about avoiding the use of slang expressions or your company’s many acronyms to ensure superior customer service.

The best language for superior customer service is language that describes your knowledge in ways that the customer can truly understand. It doesn’t matter whether you are delivering internal customer service to employees of your organization or external customer service to those that buy your products/services. If your customer doesn’t understand what you are saying, it isn’t superior customer service. I wouldn’t even call it customer service.

What does describing your knowledge in language the customer understands truly include?

Best Language for Customer Service Image By:Nancy Wombat

A. Explaining everything from the customer’s perspective and interest vs. your expert view.

B. Using online and print forms that speak to the customer not from your software system’s design. Have you seen many well designed forms — those that don’t need explanation?

C. Designing bills and other financial statements that present info a way a non-financial expert thinks. Bank statements often prominently display “average daily balance” at the end. The number I want to quickly see is ending balance not average daily balance. A hotel bill I once received at Mohonk Mountain House resort displayed the information as double entry accounting — credits/debits. My reaction was “Are you joking?”. Most non-financial people don’t think in terms of double-entry accounting and many don’t even understand double-entry accounting. The makers of Quicken financial software built their business around this simple fact.

D. Presenting website information — especially the online buying process — with words that customers understand vs. words that the finance and technology departments use.

Superior customer service requires that you communicate all your knowledge in ways the customer understands.

What other examples would you add to the list?

Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, addresses all the frontiers of communicating with diverse customers for superior customer service. Her newest training DVD Customer Service USA – What They Expect Coast to Coast & Everywhere in Between (click to preview) covers the regional differences throughout the USA and Canada to truly satisfy North American customers.

Sales & Customer Service Success: “Get” Your Customers

Posted in Customer Service, Hot Topics and New Bits, People-Skills, Soft Skills, intercultural on Jul 27th, 2010

As companies try to standardize customer service, customers continue to want just the opposite.   Customers are most comfortable when the sales team, contact center, customer service center, customer care team, or technical support department truly understands them (i.e. “gets them”)!

Think about it.  When you meet someone with whom you share similar mores, accents, cultural beliefs, and outlook, how do you feel? Happier? More trusting? Drawn to them? Witness BP’s action this week to install an American CEO to deal with the crisis in the Gulf. Already we hear comments from the Gulf: “An American in the Gulf intimately understands the real needs of Gulf residents.” Frequently, I am asked to teach customer service/sales to Canadian companies with a large number of American customers. Who better to teach them how to succeed with Americans than an American?

Show Your Customers You Get Them


Comfort and Trust in Similarity

Pundits and critics will debate whether this desire for similarity is good or bad.  Admittedly, when taken to extremes it can lead to groupthink, discrimination, and plagues like racism.  In moderation, it is a positive human desire for bonding and connection. For sales and customer service, showing your customers that you truly understand them produces positive results. Why? It reduces fear, builds trust, and makes interaction much easier. This is a key component. From the customer’s perspective, less to explain means less chance for misunderstanding.


“Get Me” Don’t “Imitate Me”

I am not speaking about the weird attempts of some off-shored call centers to bond with American customers by giving the reps Americanized names.  It was laughable because the strong difference in accents made the names sound very fake.  Rather contact call centers, customer care teams, customer service centers, technical support departments and sales teams with a true understanding of intercultural differences win big.

For example, here in the USA there are vast regional differences across the nation that impact customers’ buying decisions and their expectations in customer service.  Even American based sales and service teams need to learn the regional differences to win over American customers that are from other regions of the USA.


Resources for Intercultural Learning

If you truly want customer loyalty for sales and service, show your customers you “get them”.

  1. You can build intercultural awareness by exposing your reps and sales force to social media streams.
  2. With rare exceptions, the Internet puts worldwide news events at your disposal for learning cultural perspectives and preferences.
  3. Provide intercultural training on that specific country or region. Communicaid Inc. and other firms deliver country specific cultural learning for your sales and service success.
  4. If you are doing business with Americans, learn the regional differences in the USA with the DVD “Customer Service USA – What They Expect Coast to Coast & Everywhere in Between”. (Click for preview.)

How else have you learned about cultural differences to show your customers that you “get them”?

Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, teaches, consults, speaks, and coaches, on bridging the gap of diversity for success in customer service, teamwork, sales, and leadership. See additional footage about personality differences on this site Http://Katenasser.com

The Perfect Apology – the ONE Word That Destroys It!

Posted in Customer Service, Hot Topics and New Bits, IT, People-Skills, Soft Skills, Teamwork on Jul 22nd, 2010

As The People-Skills Coach, I start this post with the assumption that you are willing to take ownership of the impact your actions and words have on others. You are ready to deliver the perfect apology!

Well the perfect apology is found in simple sincerity and the ONE word that destroys it is …

IF

I am sorry IF I hurt you. IF? Do you own it or not? Do you care to rebuild my trust or not?

I am sorry IF that came across as … IF? You are aware that it came across badly so why waver?

We are sorry IF we have not met your business needs. IF? We wouldn’t be discussing it otherwise.

Your intentions don’t matter much if a team member or a customer is offended by what you have said or done. Rebuild the trust with a sincere apology as soon as you are aware of his/her reaction.

Replace IF with THAT or FOR and see the difference.

I am sorry THAT I hurt you.
I am sorry FOR the impact this had on you.
I am sorry THAT came across as …
We are sorry THAT we have not met your business needs. We will …

Why does this little change make a big difference to others? Because it is clear that you are putting their needs ahead of your pride. Simple sincerity makes for the perfect apology.

Are there are other words that destroy the perfect apology?
What apology format have you found successful?

Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach in This Technical World goes far beyond etiquette and body language in her training sessions and DVDs. She delivers insights on human needs that catapult customer care and teamwork to refreshingly new heights. KateNasser.com to see footage, workshop outlines, and other blog posts.

7 Questions to Find the Right Speaker

Posted in Speaking and Events on Mar 4th, 2009

Picture it.  Your organization is planning a live or on-line event.  You need a dynamic keynote speaker who is on target.  Due to budget you are not going after the most famous speakers whose specialty you already know.  

How do you select the right professional speaker from the millions (yes — millions) out there?  There are hundreds of speaker sites with pictures, videos, bios, one sheets, and testimonials.  Before you search these sites, use these guidelines to prepare and save time.

To find the right professional keynote speaker for your live or online event, first answer the following 7 questions:

  1. What is the primary thing you want the audience to  experience? 
    Change in perspective?  
    Fun time?
    Touching moment?
    Deep thought?
    Change in behavior?
    Specific skills?
    Call to action?
  2. Who is your target audience  — specifically?  Sounds like a simple question yet take a minute and describe it more completely.  For example: Our target audience is front-line customer service professionals and their front-line managers in the technology industry faced with the stress of reorganization and possible downsizing or outsourcing.  They are from all over the globe and vary in culture, age, and background.   
  3. What one topic will connect best to your event?
    Leadership?  Customer Service?   Teamwork?   Change?   Finance?   Healthcare?   Sales?   etc….
  4. Given that one topic, what is the ONE message you want your audience to receive? 
    Dig just a bit deeper to highlight some specifics.  Example: If your main topic is customer service, clarify whether you mean selling to customers or serving customers.  This is the biggest area of confusion and often you end up with the wrong speaker.  There is a difference between sales and service!  Is your message how to sell better or how to serve better?
  5. If you are not the decision maker for this event, ask the decision maker(s) what situation would keep them awake at night?  In tough times, this is the topic they will most likely purchase. 
  6. Also ask the decision maker(s), what bright picture do they see for their business or industry.  If they are visionary leaders, they will purchase a topic that will help get them there.
  7. Scope and reach.  Do they picture this event with a local or global focus?  Simply within their industry or across industries?  Does it affect all generations or a specific one?  Will there be different cultures involved? This scope and reach step clarifies the needs even further and puts a spotlight on those speakers you will want.

You will get far better proposals from speakers when you first prepare with this list.   Regardless of your topic or audience, these 7 questions will help you sail through the speakers’ sites with greater speed and *most importantly with the end result of picking the right speaker for your live or on-line event.

I have been a professional speaker and trainer on customer service, teamwork, and change for 20 years.  I ask these 7 questions when planners call me.    It tells me right away if I am the right speaker for their event or if not, who I would recommend.  So I offer these 7 questions for your success in finding the right speaker every time!

I welcome your questions, comments, and contributions in the comments field below.   You are welcome to use this info on other sites if you will credit this site as the source. 

To receive updates and  my new blog posts, please click the RSS feed button.  I look forward to your events when I am the right speaker and helping you find the one when I’m not.

Many thanks and speak with you soon!  Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach

On the Road Again: New Journey w/Each Customer’s Request

Posted in Customer Service on Jan 15th, 2009

On the Road Again: New Journey w/Each Customer’s Request

You have heard them many times – customer service reps that sound scripted and robotic.  Do they impress you?  I doubt it.  In all my customer service consulting work, I have yet to hear a single customer tell me they prefer it. 

Does hearing a script make you feel confident?  No.  Quite the opposite.  If a rep doesn’t sound like a thought-filled caring professional then you wonder what s/he can possibly do for you.  Scripts make companies feel secure that they are controlling the message the customers receive.  Yet each customer wants to feel the service rep is focusing just on them.  The more scripted the customer service seems, the less caring it appears.

Some skeptics shoot back with customer service reps don’t get paid enough to be caring and thought-filled.  My answer to the skeptics:  Inspire and train reps to do an excellent job.  Your customers will reward your company.

 

Finding the Balance.   Give customer service reps the components to cover: in the greeting, for meeting the request, and in the closing and follow-up.  Train and coach them to find the balance on how to deliver all of this without scripting.  The return on the company’s investment is the ultimate customer experience delivered to each customer every single time. 

 

Delivering Consistent Quality Customer Service in Diverse World.  The challenge of excellence is consistency — consistent high quality not repetitious and scripted.  The key to achieving this in a diverse world is to adapt!  Sounds like an oxymoron?  Consistency in customer service does not mean saying the same words to every customer.  Right here in various regions of the USA, there are different expectations of great customer service.  Things you would say in NYC you might not say to someone in Texas or in the Midwest.  Moreover, different cultures vary in their customer service expectations.  To deliver the ultimate customer experience, you must deliver your message in culturally acceptable way.  Listen to  more key concepts on this topic in video footage on this site http://katenasser.com/category/video.

 

(You are welcome to share the text in this blog with other people, on other blogs, on other website, and in articles.  I ask only that you credit me as the source with URL link www.smartpeopleskills.com to continue sharing.)

 

I am interested in your customer service stories.  I am especially interested in any geographic or cultural differences you see as important in delivering great customer service.  Please post in the comment section below.  Many thanks!

  

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Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach

Training and Keynotes for Customer Service, Teamwork, Thriving in Change

908.595.1515 (USA)

Thanks for 20 years and counting …

MA Organizational Psychology

Continuous Learner

Kate Nasser Keynote Footage: Passion for Customer Service

Posted in Customer Service, video on Jan 7th, 2009

Do your customer service and sales teams truly have a passion for serving customers that produces memorable moments and customer loyalty?

In this keynote presentation, I take all your sales and customer service teams On the Road Again to discover The Geography of Customer Service.  America is a very diverse country and even Americans are not aware of the differences in customer service expectations between North, South, East, West, and Midwest. Understanding these differences and adapting your professional soft skills to map to the customers’ expectations produces success and customer loyalty.

To book Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, for your next keynote on professional soft skills for customer service and sales, call or email her directly. Contact info is on this website.  Feel free to leave your comments about this footage in the comments section below.

Keynote delivered at the 10th Annual Signature Customer Service Conference in America. Footage shot by Cid Hunter, www.itvproductions.com, Los Angeles, CA.