All customers have certain expectations about what good service should be. It is the personal responsibility of every employee to provide exceptional customer service. Customer expectations differ from one person to another but, basically, they all expect the same things.
Customers expect:
? Value - Fair Prices ? Quality ? Variety ? Pleasant Atmosphere ? Friendly Service ? Interested Employees Who Care ? Attentiveness To Their Needs
There are six keys to excellent customer service.
Key 1: Competence People who enjoy what they are doing usually do it well. Before a person can really begin to enjoy the job, he or she must be confident in his/her abilities to do every aspect of the job correctly. The amount of time we take and the efficiency we display doing our job shows to others our level of competence.
Key 2: Knowledge We can increase our level of competence by learning as much as we can about our own jobs, the functions of other departments and the total organization. The elements of job knowledge include areas such as product information, procedures, problem solving, and the ability to answer questions.
Key 3: Pride The attitudes that we show are very important to excellent service. An attitude of pride is one which gives employees the energy and the incentive to become more knowledgeable and competent. The amount of interest and commitment we bring to the job affects the quality of service that we provide to our customers.
Key 4: Appearance First impressions are extremely important. It tells the customer how we feel about ourselves and our job. Customers notice the care we use in our personal appearance. They also notice the eagerness we show in performing our job and the approach we use when we address customers. We never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Key 5: Courtesy Customers view courtesy as a basic part of service. Courtesy is the single most important behavior a customer expects from us. We demonstrate courtesy by what we say, the tone we use to say it, and the gestures we use. Through our actions and words, we show customers how we feel.
Key 6: Extra-Effort The absence of courtesy makes a lasting poor impression. On the other hand, a little bit of extra effort leaves a lasting positive impression. The extra-effort we extend to customers is the part of service that keeps customers coming back. Do you always go the extra step for your customers?
Rate yourself and your staff in each area. What are your strengths? What areas need improvements?
What action steps will you take? Rate from 1 to 10 (10 being the best)
Excellent customer service doesn't just happen. It happens because you focus on leading by example and following the six keys to excellent customer service. Article written by Norm Bobay of hireMAX (http://www.hiremax.com). For more articles like this please visit http://www.hiremax.com
In their book, Accountability: Freedom and Responsibility without Control, authors Rob Lebow and Randy Spitzer take us on a journey of discovery as they look at a new way to manage our organizations and ourselves. Their fictional character, Kip (Stan Kiplinger) says this: "Accountability is the issue! If you can't find a way to get people to be accountable, you're going to find it hard to make anything else work, let alone your business."
How true it is. At the risk of oversimplification, I have recently been pondering the issue of accountability, and how the lack of it seems to be at the heart of so many of our societal woes. In fact, some time ago, I read an interesting study that had been done in a California prison. When inmates were asked why they were in prison, there were many replies, such as: ?I had a lousy attorney ?My get away car broke down ?My girlfriend ratted on me Only a small minority (less than 10%) said they were in prison because they committed a crime! So what is accountability? It is owning the consequences of our own decisions and actions. As customer service providers, it is the ability to account for our actions, and the willingness to demonstrate an attitude of caring toward our customers. It is the desire to respond to a request for help, or information in a timely manner. It is follow-up, pure and simple. It is a privilege to serve those with whom we interact, whether they are internal or external customers. Accountability is not: ?Smoke and mirrors ?Empty promises ?Lame excuses ?The blame game Perhaps you've heard the story of the late quality guru, W. Edwards Deming, as he was meeting with a group of managers several years ago. One of the managers was lamenting about all of the "dead wood" he had in his organization. Deming looked at him, and calmly said, "Did you hire 'em that way, or did you kill 'em?" That is an interesting question.
Very few people start a new job not wanting to do their very best. But somewhere along the way, they often become cynical, disinterested, or simply complacent. When that happens, service suffers. So how do we create a culture where people are accountable, and where exemplary customer service is the norm, not the exception?
Here are a few ideas: ?If we desire a culture where call center reps, support staff, supervisors, and other individual contributors become more accountable, we must create an environment that encourages and rewards people for being accountable. ?We must have an environment where open communication takes place constantly; where people are not afraid to present their point of view, and where differing opinions are respected and championed. ?We must create an environment where there is a high level of trust, and people are independent, yet interdependent. We have to be willing to share information, give and receive feedback for improvement, and model this behavior as managers and leaders. ?We have to be willing to admit mistakes, and to allow others to make mistakes without being thrown under the bus. If we can't do this, we create a culture where people become "victims" when things go poorly, always looking for someone else to blame. The real "victim" is often our customer. And everyone suffers in this environment. ?We must value a learning orientation, where people can acquire new skills, and practice them in a supported environment. As leaders, we must model these values as well. If we act as if we have all the answers, our associates will not place value in discovering new ideas and new ways of doing things. ?And lastly, we must have an expectation and a belief, that people want to do their best. When we expect good things out of our people, they usually deliver. Sometimes, we have to get out of their way, and let them do just that.
This is very difficult work. It is some of the hardest work we will do. As parents, helping our children become accountable for their actions is difficult work as well. But it can lead to great rewards - in our business, and in society in general. When we create an environment where accountability thrives, where people have a sense of freedom about their jobs, and are responsible in meeting customer expectations, we all win. And we all have a lot more fun along the way.
Both Norm Bobay & Paula Switzer are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Norm Bobay has sinced written about articles on various topics from Customer Service. Norm Bobay founded hireMAX, (http://www.hiremax.com) a consulting firm specializing in employee evaluation and development, in 1991. He brings over twenty-five years of experience to his position. Norm is a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst and a Ce. Norm Bobay's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.
Paula Switzer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Customer Service, Travel and Leisure and Computers and The Internet. Paula Switzer is a business owner, consultant and speaker on leadership, customer service and communication. Get her free audio mini-course, "How to Achieve Your Purpose and Become a Real Leader" at. Paula Switzer's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.