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[T36]Talk To Customer Service

by Kevin Dervin, Kev

Customer service is all about the customer's perception. You have to do more than just get the job done. You must deliver on all the things (big and small) that affect the relationship with your client. Consider opportunities for improvement in the following areas.

1. Setting/Reviewing Expectations. Do you work with your client to set clear, appropriate, realistic expectations that you can always meet or exceed? Are you clear about the responsibilities (both yours' and the client's), timelines, and expectations of results? Are you then willing to go back and review these expectations with the client at key points along the way?

2. Communication. Do you have mechanisms in place to ensure you're communicating with clients at every stage of the engagement, from the sales process through to completion of the project? Being clear about where you're at, what's been completed, what's coming up next, who's responsible, what results you can expect, etc.? Has the client ever had to ask you for these things?

3. Organization. Are you organized? Punctual? Reliable? When you show up to work with your clients, have you done the work and are you prepared to make them feel comfortable and taken care of? Even though you've done it hundreds, maybe thousands of times before, do you take the time to organize and prepare to make it the best client experience possible?

4. Committing to the Little Things. Don't ever dismiss the power of all the little things. Together they can make all the difference and really separate you from the competition. Returning calls and emails in a timely manner. Providing useful information to folks on a regular basis. Showing appreciation for your clients through things like thank you notes, exclusive client-only briefings, and open house, etc.

Clearly these are not the only relevant areas for creating great customer service. I'm sure you can think of more. But, pick just one of these areas and create an action plan to improve it in your business today. Make a commitment to continuously improve the level of service you're providing and see how it pays off. When you've done it, pick another area and work on it.

o Company Policy
One of the biggest problems is ?company policy.? Many company policies are structured to protect the company from the customer instead of helping the customer get what he wants and has paid for. Your success will explode when your company, and your employees are structured with the customers? wants and needs in mind.

As a customer how many times have you been talking with a sales person, or a customer service rep and hear ?sorry we can't do that, company policy.? A barrier was thrown up between what you think is only reasonable and the company. For me, I'm out of there.

Is the problem ?company policy? or is it the employee? It can go either way. Often employees are trying hard to do the job the way they understand it, which can often be that they are there to protect the company from the customer trying to take advantage. That isn't saying that employee is a ?bad? employee. Only that he doesn't understand what he should be doing. That's where proper employee training comes in.

o Employee Responsibility
It is the job of the people in your company that are in direct contact with the customers
To discover and understand what the customer really wants, and
Deliver what the customer really wants

When your employee says ?can't'company policy? he has put a barrier up between the customer and you. The customer can no longer get what he wants, at least not from your company.

o Executive or Owner View
I know'I know'I'm hearing the roar from the executive peanut gallery?You've got to make a profit. Well, let me make something clear hear?you aren't going to make a profit, or at least not as much profit if you aren't satisfying the customer. So, what I'm saying is to teach your people how to listen to the customer. Change their perspective from ?protecting the company from the stupid customer? to one of ALWAYS finding a way to help the customer get what he wants.

o Employee Listening to Customer?Communicating Needs to Company
Your employee should be the conduit through the maze of company policies. He knows what the customer needs, he knows what the company policies are, and his job is to take that customer through those company policies to get the customer where he wants to be. He isn't a policeman stopping the customer at the gate. That hampers the customer. The first helps the customer.

o When Company Policy IS the Barrier
What happens if the company policy truly is a barrier? Then the employee should be the conduit to the company policy setters to help them understand how the company as a whole can better serve the customer by changing company policy.

I am in no way saying, ?don't make a profit.? But when company policy is set up to protect the company from the customer instead of helping the customer your profits will decline. A customer usually only wants what is reasonable.

The solution to company policy barrier: Make sure that your employees are empowered

o To solve the customer problem
o To communicate to the company how the company policy can improve the customer satisfaction instead of impede it.

Article Source : Interview Questions Customer Service

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Both Kevin Dervin & Alan Boyer 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.

Kevin Dervin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Marketing Strategies and Small Business Marketing. . Kevin Dervin's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.

Alan Boyer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Small Business, Sales and Negotiation and Hypnotherapy. Come to