Customer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relationships
?>
Download eBooks and Software
 Fully Verified Winning System Since 1999 & Vip Club Picks!
Winning Sports Picks & Predictions By Zcodesystem.com - Nhl, Nfl, Mlb And Nba Predictions And Picks From The Best Experts In The Industry + Fully Automated System Proven Since 1999 Awesome Conversion 5.26% And Recurring 60% Commission!
The Lotto Black Book
This Radical Approach To An Online Sales Letter Converts In The 3-5%... We've Never Seen Something Like This Since The Early Days Of 2004-2005 And I'm Sure You Haven't Either... We Convert More Than Our Competition And We Pay Out More... Try It!
Paleo Recipe Book - Brand New Paleo Cookbook
Brand New Paleo Diet Cookbook With Over 370 Recipes. Pays 70% Commission On This High-quality, Easy To Sell Product. Get Banners And Promotional Material At Http://paleorecipebook.com/affiliates.html
Articles > Business and FinanceCustomer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relationships
by: Lora J Adrianse
If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with this recorded message "This call may be recorded or monitored for quality purposes." I immediately think to myself, "Oh great, here comes the game of 20 questions."
Now don't get me wrong. I spent many, many years training Customer Service Reps. (CSR's). I'm all for making sure customers receive the best possible service. What I'm not for is the pre-scripted list of questions CSR's are required to ask, regardless of whether they are applicable to the situation at hand. I've seen some checklists with as many as 25 pre-scripted "call quality" standards that CSR's are required to use. If they don't, and someone happens to monitor the call, they get marked down. Ludicrous I say!
Let me give you a few highlights from a recent call I made to my well-known auto club:
CSR: What is the year, make and model of your vehicle?
Me: 2000, GMC, Yukon, Denali
CSR: There is no 2000, GMC, Yukon, Denali (obviously it couldn't be found in her list of computer options so she needed to tell me I was wrong)
Me: Yes there is, I drive it every day
CSR: What's wrong with your vehicle?
Me: I don't know. It won't start.
CSR: Does it need to be towed or jumped?
Me: I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with it.
CSR: Well do you think it needs to be towed or jumped?
Me: I have no clue.
CSR: Where is your vehicle?
Me: In my garage.
CSR: Can you push it out of the garage into the driveway or the street?
Me: No. It's a full size SUV. I can't push it anywhere.
CSR: Is there another way you can get it out of the garage?
Me: No. It won't start.
Eventually, after I'd jumped through enough hoops, the call finally ended.
Chances are it wasn't the CSR's idea to get her laughs for the day by asking me stupid questions. Instead, her own company sabotaged her ability to quickly and efficiently take care of her customer, by requiring she use a scripted questioning process.
What Could Have Gone Better? For starters, rather than telling me that the make and model of my vehicle didn't exist, she could have said that she was having trouble finding it in her database, and then asked for verification. Next, instead of asking me twice about whether the truck needed to be "jumped or towed", she might have asked if I had any ideas about what could be wrong with it.
And finally, considering that she already knew the vehicle wouldn't start, asking a woman to push a truck out of a garage seems a little unreasonable.
What Needs To Change? First, re-think your call quality standards. You may have too many standards; they may be too focused on internally created "shoulds", with very little focus on what matters most to your customers. Involve your CSR's and customers in the process.
Secondly, empower and train your CSR's to think, act and personalize service to best accommodate the given situation. One size does not fit all, or even most! Teach your CSR's how to recognize different communication styles, and then how to adapt their personal style so they can best relate to the customer as an individual. In other words, teach CSR's how to treat customers how THEY want to be treated.
And thirdly, continually ask for feedback from CSR's as well as customers. Make time to find out what's working and what's not working. Pay attention to what they have to say. Make ongoing improvements that benefit everyone. Repeat the cycle.
Companies spend thousands, if not millions of dollars each year to acquire new customers, yet sometimes they forget about how to best take care of the customers they already have.
Everyday your customers and your CSR's make decisions about whether to stay with your company or go to your competitor. Loyalty is built on good, solid relationships. Your company relies on the loyalty of your CSR's to service your customers. And great customer service can set you apart from your competition. Take action now! Stop sabotaging those relationships with unnecessary standards that don't really matter to your customers. Your customers and your CSR's will love you for it.
About The Author
As the owner of Essential Connections, Lora Adrianse is a catalyst for clients who aspire to create dynamic business relationships with their colleagues and customers. She authors a free monthly newsletter, "Relating@Work". Go to her website to subscribe now! www.connectionscoach.com
coach@connectionscoach.com
|
?>
News on Business and Finance
The Business Finance Store Discusses Business Incubators
The Business Finance Store discusses business incubators and how entrepreneurs can find the right one to develop their ideas into a successful business.Santa Ana, CA (PRWEB) May 20, 2012 Pinterest, the online virtual pin board, raised $100 million in a round of financing this week, The Wall Street Journal reported. The venture-capital funded tech startup is reportedly valued at $1.5 billion ... The Business Finance Store Highlights Considerations for Upgrading a Credit Card Terminal
The Business Finance Store highlights some things to look for when considering upgrading a credit card terminal.Santa Ana, CA (PRWEB) May 19, 2012 VeriFone’s SAIL credit card swiper might be a little too close to Square’s mobile technology, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. While VeriFone’s SAIL looks physically different, the agreement and usage terms are remarkably similar, such that Square ... Bring Your Own Device: Smart Move For Businesses?
Editor of CNBC.com's Small Business section, has covered business and personal finance for more than 20 years. She loves to shop local. "If your mother hasn't called you crazy yet, then you haven't graduated from the school of entrepreneurship." Premji says his son Rishad may succeed him eventually
An MBA from Harvard Business School with work experiences in global firms like Bain Consulting and GE, Rishad joined Wipro in July 2007 as a business manager in the banking and finance division. IBFIM partners with FPAM for financial planning conference
KUALA LUMPUR (May 22): The Islamic Banking and Finance Institute of Malaysia (IBFIM) said Islamic finance market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 25% while Islamic assets are expected to g
|
