While no one believes that customers are really always right, CSRs and Sales Reps should believe that customers are always critically important to their jobs and the success of the company. And they should act like that all the time. Problems occur when employees make these mistakes:
Customer Service
Dealing with Angry Customers
Of utmost importance is having a well-defined policy in place that senior management participated in creating and signed off on and that everyone who touches customers understands, embraces and follows consistently. Periodic re-training or review can be helpful. Components of that policy should include:
No BS About BS
‘Your Call Is Important To Us – the Truth About Bullsh*t’, Laura Penny, Random House, NY, 2005 I picked up this book for the title and actually read it while traveling. An interesting study of the steaming piles of BS found in advertising, institutions and government.
Teaching Customer Service Skills
A reporter recently asked my thoughts on teaching customer service skills to employees with no previous experience. Thought you’d be interested in my comments.
Let’s assume the new Customer Service employees have participated in an effective and comprehensive orientation program about the industry, company and community. Then, they transitioned into an orientation about the Customer Service department, its mission, role, etc. Part of that orientation process should include:
Avoid these Customer Service Mistakes
Here’s a summary of my comments from a wide-ranging conversation with a blogger about mistakes employees make that prevent customer engagement and make them unhappy.
Learn From Fred
‘The Fred Factor’, Mark Sanborn, Doubleday, 2004. A delightful and engaging tale about superior customer service, based on the actual simple practices of Fred, the author’s mail carrier. We can all learn a lot from Fred.