What excuse could any company representative give that would excuse a lack of urgency to meet the consumers' need? How does the lack of a smile impact the customers' experience?
In a restaurant, a patron orders the full rack of ribs.....should the patron have to wait for wetnaps and a bone plate or should it already be on the table when the meal arrives? How low in the glass should the sweet tea be before the server freshes the glass?
In a department store, how long should a shopper have to wait for a sales associate to acknowledge their presence when the customer wants to purchase that new washer/dryer combo?
When calling a business, how many rings should it take before someone answers with courtesy? How long should the caller wait on hold?
A sense of urgency is one of the most effective tools in the arsenal for providing exemplary customer service. How accurately and urgently the server, sales representative, receptionist addresses customer concerns can make or break the customers' experience.
In a restaurant setting, servers who exhibit a sense of urgency give better service than those who do not. A great server will anticipate patron needs before they arise and act accordingly. When the patron orders a meal with fries, the server should have ensured the existence of ketchup in the bottle BEFORE the patron picks it up.
Napkins can be a pet peave...please put some on the table so the patron does not have to request them.
Linguine dishes should come with a spoon for twirling a manageable mouthful of pasta.
Straws! Those should be automatic....and they should NOT look as if they've ridden around in an apron for months.
In a department store setting, sales associates should make eye contact as soon as possible. Many times it is more than obvious the store is understaffed....but acknowledgement will go a long way to ensure the customer is friendlier when it is their turn.
Telephone customer service, as cliche as it sounds, customers really can hear a smile....not so surprising, they can hear nonchalance, poor attitude and impatience as well. Phone reps who are eager to help go the extra step to answer questions. Receptionists whose main function is to transfer calls should do so with a minimum of fuss while wearing that audible smile.
It is a sad reality that sometimes customer service reps are underpaid....dealing with the public is not always easy and is sometimes no fun at all. Customers can be rude or hard to please. The general public is often ignorant of the job customer service associates have to perform and often just don't care.
Understood.
With that understanding, the power to make customer interaction as pleasant an experience as possible is in the hands of the representative. Walk faster, smile sooner, make eye contact....A smile, a sense of urgency....these things are tools of the trade.
Use them.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Knowledgeable Staff
Have you ever entered a store that sells high-tech (or even low-tech) items with product questions?
Maybe you need to know if one product is better than another. Perhaps you aren't certain which of the products will best suit your needs. I'll bet your next step is to look for a sales associate. Who better to tell you what you need to know?
In a perfect store, the sales associate is easily located, friendly, professional, ready to help and filled with a vast supply of knowledge. Your questions are easily answered, the associate offers helpful tips and even suggests new things for you to try with your new gadget.
In reality, you'll probably spend a little time trying to locate a sales associate. When you do, she'll be busy with other customers, agitated or bored, and be less than ready to help you. When you finally garner her attention to ask the question that has been burning a hole in your brain while YOU waited for HER, her answer is: "I don't know. We don't make it, we just sell it."
Who is in charge of hiring and training the associate? Whose fault is it that once again, you are a dissatisfied customer? Who do you complain to? Who will answer your questions?
A sales associate at a different store will more than likely get the chance, as the current store has just lost your business.
One aspect of good customer service is knowledgeable sales staff. Placing a sales representative in a section leads the customer to believe questions can be answered, by the representative, about the products in that particular section.
Knowledgeable sales staff....What a concept!
Maybe you need to know if one product is better than another. Perhaps you aren't certain which of the products will best suit your needs. I'll bet your next step is to look for a sales associate. Who better to tell you what you need to know?
In a perfect store, the sales associate is easily located, friendly, professional, ready to help and filled with a vast supply of knowledge. Your questions are easily answered, the associate offers helpful tips and even suggests new things for you to try with your new gadget.
In reality, you'll probably spend a little time trying to locate a sales associate. When you do, she'll be busy with other customers, agitated or bored, and be less than ready to help you. When you finally garner her attention to ask the question that has been burning a hole in your brain while YOU waited for HER, her answer is: "I don't know. We don't make it, we just sell it."
Who is in charge of hiring and training the associate? Whose fault is it that once again, you are a dissatisfied customer? Who do you complain to? Who will answer your questions?
A sales associate at a different store will more than likely get the chance, as the current store has just lost your business.
One aspect of good customer service is knowledgeable sales staff. Placing a sales representative in a section leads the customer to believe questions can be answered, by the representative, about the products in that particular section.
Knowledgeable sales staff....What a concept!
Who Decides?
There are different levels of customer service. Who decides what is good and what is not?
Some would say service that leaves the customer well satisfied and eager to return is what customer service is all about. Let's face it, in today's market, products can be acquired anywhere...service that leaves the client feeling good about a business can set one business apart from all others.
Others would say that service that allows the customer's interaction with the business to progress without delay is desirable. No obnoxious sales pitches, no pushy sales personnel to hinder the customer from getting what they came for without interference is another opinion.
Service that combines the two appeals to others.
Take the customer who walks determinedly into the store who knows what they came for and has little time to look for it. A customer service representative who points them in the right direction with a friendly attitude and genuine smile gets the job done. A step further? The company representative, with a sense of urgency, leads the customer to the product, offers additional assistance and then departs when the additional assistance is declined has accomplished two things. The first is that the customer's needs have been met. The second is that the customer's good opinion of the business has been confirmed.
Some would say service that leaves the customer well satisfied and eager to return is what customer service is all about. Let's face it, in today's market, products can be acquired anywhere...service that leaves the client feeling good about a business can set one business apart from all others.
Others would say that service that allows the customer's interaction with the business to progress without delay is desirable. No obnoxious sales pitches, no pushy sales personnel to hinder the customer from getting what they came for without interference is another opinion.
Service that combines the two appeals to others.
Take the customer who walks determinedly into the store who knows what they came for and has little time to look for it. A customer service representative who points them in the right direction with a friendly attitude and genuine smile gets the job done. A step further? The company representative, with a sense of urgency, leads the customer to the product, offers additional assistance and then departs when the additional assistance is declined has accomplished two things. The first is that the customer's needs have been met. The second is that the customer's good opinion of the business has been confirmed.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Customer Service. Please!
Lately, I have noticed that the quality of customer service, at least in my little corner of the world, has suffered a crippling blow.
In my humble view, customer service is the life blood of retail. I have discovered, however, that many local companies do not agree with me. Customer service representatives are often very nonchalant about how the interact with customers. Some are just plain rude. How does a company expect to draw new customers and retain previous ones when employees don't make that a priority?
I have 25 years of customer service experience. My first foray into the working world was at a local grocery store in north Miami, FL. Since then I have worked for cable companies, department stores, freight forwarders, a warehouse, restaurants and even a local government agency.
Have I ever given bad service? You betcha.
Do I know how to give excellent customer service? Absolutely.
The driving force behind this blog is to document my experiences, as a CUSTOMER, with various businesses in the Charleston, SC area. I'll highlight good and bad experiences....
Perhaps I can give customer service the vitamin shot in the arm it needs...at least in my own little corner of the world.
In my humble view, customer service is the life blood of retail. I have discovered, however, that many local companies do not agree with me. Customer service representatives are often very nonchalant about how the interact with customers. Some are just plain rude. How does a company expect to draw new customers and retain previous ones when employees don't make that a priority?
I have 25 years of customer service experience. My first foray into the working world was at a local grocery store in north Miami, FL. Since then I have worked for cable companies, department stores, freight forwarders, a warehouse, restaurants and even a local government agency.
Have I ever given bad service? You betcha.
Do I know how to give excellent customer service? Absolutely.
The driving force behind this blog is to document my experiences, as a CUSTOMER, with various businesses in the Charleston, SC area. I'll highlight good and bad experiences....
Perhaps I can give customer service the vitamin shot in the arm it needs...at least in my own little corner of the world.
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