PROVIDING SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

Transcription

1 PROVIDING SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE Included with this Participant Workbook is the following guidebook, published by Richard Chang Associates, Inc. Success Through Teamwork Providing outstanding customer service is not just a system, policy, or procedure it is a state of mind. The consultative approach to customer service is based on the philosophy the customer s perception is always right, yet their knowledge may be incomplete. This consultative approach emphasizes partnering with your customers to gain a clear definition of your customers real needs and giving them the information they need to make the right decisions. As you begin to develop your partnerships with your customers, your ability to elicit and respond to your customers unspoken needs will help you gain your customers trust and move from customer service to quality customer relationships. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this session, you will be able to: 1. Understand your many roles with your customers and expand upon your role as a partner to your customers 2. Determine your customers real needs and how to respond to them 3. Choose and apply appropriate conflict-resolution strategies to build win-win situations with difficult customers Agenda Exploring Your Role Defining Your Customers The Interaction Process The Quality Service Attitude Understanding Your Customers Responding To Your Customers Responding To Difficult Customers (Creating Win-Win Customer Interactions) Handling Customer Objections 1

2 EXPLORING YOUR ROLE You will wear several different hats in your interactions with your customers. Naturally, the range of possible roles will vary depending on your position and mandates from the customer. Your primary goal is to build and strengthen relationships with your customers. The table below highlights some of the various roles you can leverage to build and strengthen your customer relationships. ROLE Expert Partner Option-er Process-er Catalyst Sales Person Listener DESCRIPTION Provides technical advice to the customer. Collaborates with customer to develop an understanding of their needs. Describes alternatives and consequences to customer. Facilitates customer involvement in problem-solving steps (i.e., diagnosing the real need). Reflects situation so customers can discover solutions. Provides information on additional services and products that would benefit the customer. Actively listens to the customers to build rapport and establish relationships. 3

3 THE CUSTOMER SERVICE INTERACTION PROCESS In each interaction you have with a customer (whether in person or on the phone), you complete the Interaction Process. Your interpersonal skills (listening, responding, questioning, etc.) drive the process and make the difference between a bad experience and a star-quality experience. From the time you Connect with the customer (begin the interaction) to the time you Confirm your understanding of the customers needs and your follow-up actions (close the interaction), you have multiple opportunities to strengthen your relationship with your customer. Connect A. Develop Your Quality Service Attitude B. Set The Stage Confirm A. Summarize The Key Points B. Thank The Customer The The Interaction Process Gather A. Listen Actively B. Overcome Barriers To Communication Reply Decide A. Respond To Customer s Request B. Clarify And Verify The Information A. Analyze And Decide B. Follow Through 6

4 THE QUALITY SERVICE ATTITUDE Quality service simply means seeing each customer interaction as an opportunity to show appreciation to the customer by making the service better than the customer would normally experience with someone else. Quality service is about relationships and people their attitude, commitment, competence, interest, care, enthusiasm, and spontaneity. Your attitude, as perceived by your customers, is to a great extent the product of your level of expertise and skills in service (your touch ), and the systems and tools (available technology ) that help you do your job. You can enhance your underlying attitude and improve your performance in customer service by improving certain skills that help you become high touch, and by obtaining the tools and systems you need to become high tech. Key Aspects High Tech: The clarity, reliability, consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness of internal processes. High Touch: The accountability, responsiveness, and professionalism shown in your customer interactions. T E C H High System-Dependent Hey! Take a number! We ll process you in an hour Ineffective We really don t care Highly-Effective We really care about you and we deliver! People-Dependent We re trying as hard as we can, but we re not sure if it will work cross your fingers Low TOUCH High 10

5 RESPONDING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS In learning to communicate with ease and expertise, we need to understand all the ways in which people receive the message(s) that we send. Look at the following table and think about the implications. Remember, every interaction with the customer is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship. Don t waste them! FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION 55% Body language 82% Tone of voice 38% Tone of voice 18% Word choice 7% Word choice Body Language Your body language is an effective tool to emphasize and clarify your words. It can be your most powerful instrument for convincing participants of your sincerity, depth of knowledge, confidence, and enthusiasm. Take note of the following nonverbal characteristics that communicate a visual message to your customers. If you desire to become a successful customer service representative, it is essential that you understand how your body speaks. CHARACTERISTIC Posture Hand Gestures Body Movements Facial Expressions Eye Contact EXPLANATION Reflects your attitude and conveys confidence, alertness, enthusiasm, and command of self. Stand tall and confidently; sit up straight. Reinforce a verbal message or convey a particular thought or emotion. Respond naturally; use pleasing, smooth, and well-timed gestures; and match your actions to your words. Communicate a direct message (intentional or otherwise). Never move without a reason. Make your message more meaningful and understandable; use expressions that reveal confidence, friendliness, and sincerity. Establishes a bond between you and your customers. Use your eyes to actively seek out nonverbal feedback. 21

6 HANDLING CUSTOMER OBJECTIONS Even after you arrive at a solution, there may be times when you still have not satisfied customer s concerns. Your challenge and your role are to identify these final objections and handle them effectively. Your ability to handle objections can make or break your customer relationship. Remember, a customer is anyone who receives your output. Output any product or service delivered to the customer. TYPICAL OBJECTIONS There is a misconception about your products, features, benefits, and performance, or your capability in meeting their needs. Skepticism exists about what your output will do. A real drawback exists and the customer has a valid point because your output may not meet their needs. A bad experience from the past has left them with an unfavorable impression. A lack of clarity exists because you have not handled objections. POTENTIAL RESPONSES Identify what the misconception is and explain and clarify it by educating the customer. As I understand it, you were expecting me to provide training for your new computer This seems to be a misperception shared by some of our customers. In reality, we install your equipment, but training is provided by Provide evidence, facts, testimonials, and examples that may provide real world proof for the customer. So what you re saying is that you don t believe all the press about this product. If I may share some numbers and testimonials, that may help you with your needs Help the customer identify and compare the advantages and the disadvantages of providing the service. Let s identify the disadvantages to you as you have stated here and let s take a look at all the advantages Can we compare the two in the interest of helping you get the right solution to your needs It looks like the advantages may outweigh the disadvantages If we were able to eliminate that disadvantage then would you be interested in Demonstrate your willingness to listen and to take action to fix the issue for the customer. After all, managing and soliciting complaints are keys to building brand loyalty. It sounds like you are upset about That s unfortunate, and that s not the way we want our customers to feel about us. Let s plan to do the following to handle this issue for you and to make certain it won t happen again Address their objections again, more completely and thoroughly this time. 29

7 Exercise # 7 KEEPING A MOLE HILL A MOLE HILL How do we prevent situations from escalating? How do you keep the customer happy and satisfied? The following are some possible challenges in customer service situations. How might we keep these from escalating? 1. You don t have the answer to the customer s question. 2. You have to say no to the customer s request. 3. Your computer is moving slowly and the customer is getting impatient. 4. The customer has unreasonable expectations. 5. The customer is skeptical about what you re telling him. 6. The customer is angry for no apparent reason. 7. The customer refuses to give you all the information you need. 30

8 PROVIDING SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE Personal Action Plan Key learnings: I need to contact and involve the following: Name How When The specific action steps I will carry out on the job include: What When Additional issues/concerns I need to address: 34