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!
To receive updates on this blog, click on the RSS feed.
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
