This Ebook – Executing Great Customer Service, is a practical guide that can be used as an off the shelf hand book to all employees , especially frontline staff that directly interact with external customers. The book is an easy read organized in three ‘easy to read’ sections that covers the Basics of Customer Service, Managing The Moments of Truth (10 Action Ready Strategies) and The Triple Win Reward System. Click here to view the Table of Contents.
Get this ebook for only $49.95. Click here to view Table of contents. Click here to purchase.
Target Readers: All Mangers, Supervisors and Frontline Staff involved in Sales and Customer Service.
Read below some facts about how important customer service is to an organization ability to survive:
Customer service is everybody’s job, because every individual and team within an organization contributes to the products, services or general impressions that customers, clients and visitors take away with them.
Customer service is defined as ‘the management and identification of moments of truth with the aim of achieving customer satisfaction’, Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Companies of all sizes are realizing that their strongest selling point can sometimes boil down to treating customers as they would like to be treated or even better. Today customers who feel their needs are not being met are walking away either quietly or with considerable noise, and taking their business elsewhere since there are there are so many options available to them. Companies have begun to realize that service is really a competitive factor and have begun to view it as an integral part of their product or service line.
The growing significance of meeting or exceeding customers’ expectations has implications for small businesses. For it is in this arena that small companies can, in the least expensive way set themselves apart from the competition. In fact, recent studies have shown that small businesses that place heavy emphasis of customer service and handling these moments of truth, were more likely to survive and succeed than competitors who emphasized such advantages as ‘better price or type of product’.
If the definition above is true, then it’s safe to say that all employees that come into contact with people from outside the organization are ambassadors to the organization, as well as members of internal staff.
To make Customer Service key to your organization, the following Golden Rules is a must:
1.A strong Customer Ethic must guide your organization. Quality customer begins with all employees, especially your frontline staff where the customer complaints can come from. ‘If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers’. Set guidelines, set standards, solve employee problems, provide training and most of all, reward them for meeting and exceeding expectations.
Employees also need to understand that despite any grievances or annoyances they may have with an employer, the service offered to a customer must never be affected. For any company to achieve excellence, its employees must possess a high degree of professionalism, competence, self confidence, and most importantly the required skills and proper training to effectively carry out their duties.
Conversely, if your staff is not customer oriented, no standards implemented or goals set will change that. When you set out to employ an individual, that person must embody the quality of service that you are striving to achieve or that you have already implemented. It is difficult to teach someone to be helpful and serve others if he or she is misanthropic to begin with.
2.Stay Close to your Customer and Managing the ‘Moments of Truth’ - Stay Close to your Customers. In the smartest companies, asking questions and listening carefully to the answers is an important part of Customer Service. These companies train their employees to focus on what the customer is saying and then tailor products or services to not only meet the needs of the customer, but to amaze them. “Knowing what’s on your customer’s mind is the smartest thing we can do.” It is even cheaper than attracting new customers, if done properly; it is proven that 65% - 70% of a company’s business comes from existing customers and it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one satisfied.
Losing a customer is even more expensive. According to studies by The Technical Assistance Research Programs Institute, 91% of unhappy, unsatisfied customers will never conduct business again from a company that has displeased them and will also voice their dissatisfaction to at least seven other people. This responsibility to be receptive does not lie solely with your employees. If you want your business to be successful, the Management of the business must listen to customers problems and Manage these Moments of Truth. The employee my know how to deal with difficult situations such as, what to do when the customer:
Appears, calls or inquires
Is angry, defensive or insultive
Makes a special request
Can’t make up his mind
Raises obstacles or objections to buying
Gives buying signals
Buys
Refuses to buy
Complaints
Is disappointed
This book is actionable. You can read it, and take action immediately. Your are going to get an edge that will help you improve levels of customer service and customer loyalty.
There is no substitute for getting out “where the action is” to learn from customers how you might serve them better. The best business owners are not only committed to staying close to their clientele, but can also identify them. They give the level of service they themselves would expect to receive.
Moreover, a good relationship with customers necessitates paying attention to every link in the distribution chain. This simply means listening to everyone who helps get your products to market and asking them for suggestions on improving your service. Always ensure to take advantage of feedback from employees, especially those interacting with customers on a daily basis, as they can serve as tremendous reservoirs of information.
3.Pay attention to little details. Many business owners search for that niche that will set them apart from the competition. Discount coupons, longer hours, home delivery or even free coffee while you wait, all of which show customers you really want to take that extra step to please them.
Some of the most effective “extras” are really basic adages of conducting good business, although customers are often surprised when they take place. These include answering the phone by the third ring; treating customers respectfully and courteously at all times; greeting them by name; promptly answering their questions and, if you can’t assist right away, always getting back to them with an answer as quickly as possible; and manufacturing high quality goods and services that work the first time and continue to work.
If you want to keep your existing customer coming back and entice new customers, practicing the Golden Rules has never made better business sense.
Get this ebook for only $49.95 . Click here to view Table of Contents. Click here to Purchase.
