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"Your customers do not care about your vision.
They only care about what they see." —
Christy Schmidt
I wonder what would happen if we changed the way we create
company vision statements. What if we turned the whole process
on its head? What if we asked our customers what they thought
our company vision was? Would they come up with the same thing
we did?
It’s easy to understand why so many people complain about
poor customer service. It is truly rampant. However, my belief
is that much of this problem stems from the fact that many
businesses focus on their internal processes to the detriment
of the customer experience.
To illustrate this point, here is what the vision statement
of a business that provides poor customer service would look
like – if it were written by a customer of that company:
"We exist to serve ourselves first, our stockholders
second and our employees and customers when we get around
to it. Our goal is to provide poor to mediocre service every
time and to ensure that customers leave each interaction with
us completely exasperated and thoroughly disgusted. If someone
complains, our goal is to nod our head, repeat the policies
we put into place for our benefit and hold out until the complainer
gets tired and goes away."
Of course this is ridiculous. No one would dare write such
a vision statement. But sadly it describes the customer experience
many companies deliver.
Every company wants to deliver good service. We all know
that is what drives our business. Conceptually, good customer
service really isn't that hard. Granted, some customers can
be difficult, but what most customers really want is to know
that you care about what's important to them. To use one of
my favorite acronyms, they want you to CARE© – to be
Concerned, Amiable, Responsive and Empathetic.
So what does that kind of CARE-ing behavior look like? Following
are 10 things customers wish their service providers would
do:
- If I have a complaint, don't recite policies or
reasons.
These sound like excuses. Everyone knows policies can be
broken, and an upset customer doesn’t care about your reasons
(someone called in sick, etc.). Simply apologize, validate
his or her feelings and solve the problem.
- Feel my pain before you solve my problem.
Angry customers want you to feel their pain. And with many
automated telephone systems, it is easy for already disappointed
customers to become frustrated by the time they reach a
live person. Acknowledge their emotion and listen to their
story before you move to solving the problem even if you've
heard the same story before.
- Give me choices not ultimatums.
People like to make their own decisions, and they will usually
be more committed to the decisions they make rather than
those that were made for them. If possible, offer your customers
options and let them choose the one that works best. Don't
ask them what they would like. They may choose something
you can't deliver, which puts you in the awkward position
of saying "no" again.
- Follow up.
Whenever possible, follow up. There is nothing more impressive
than receiving a follow-up phone call from a business. Even
if there is nothing to report, call back and let the customer
know you are still working on the problem. It may be one
of 100 problems for you, but it's the most important one
to her. I've received unsolicited follow-up calls twice
in my life. Once from Nordstrom and once from a doctor.
I am a very loyal customer to both.
- Take responsibility.
If a call comes to you, take responsibility to see that
the caller’s problem is resolved. If you have to transfer
the caller, wait until a live voice answers, then provide
that person a synopsis of the problem so the customer doesn't
have to tell his or her story again. If you must take a
message or put the caller into voicemail, follow up to ensure
that the message is received and acted upon.
- Eliminate the word "can't" or at least
follow it with "Here's what I can do."
If you’ve taken one of my customer service workshops, you
are familiar with this illustration: If you don't have the
shoes I want in the correct size, humor me. At least pretend
you are looking in the stock room for them. Don't say, "No"
or "I can't do that" and stop there. There is
always something you can do.
- Remember that the way you talk to me speaks volumes.
Customer service representatives often say the right things
in the wrong way. Communication studies have shown that
body language, tone and inflection influence communication
more than actual word choice. So answer the phone with an
upbeat tone, use positive body language and articulate your
thoughts so that the customer can understand you.
- Avoid over used phrases.
Well meaning customer service trainers have drilled the
following phrases into the repertoires of many people who
handle customer complaints. The problem is many upset customers
know that they are memorized phrases and assume that the
person helping them isn’t being genuine. For instance:
- You say: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
(Your customer hears: “You shouldn't or you have no
right to feel that way.”)
- You say: "I understand." (Your customer
thinks: “No you don't, unless you are here in my situation.”)
- You say: "If you'll calm down, I can help
you." (Your customer hears: “You're out of control!”)
- You say: "No one else has complained about
this before." (Your customer hears: “You're a
big whiner. No one else cares.”)
The key is being conversational, not “canned.” Instead of
responding with "I'm sorry you feel that way,"
acknowledge the emotion or experience. Say something like,
"It sounds like you haven't had a good experience with
us. Hopefully I can change that," or "Sounds like
we haven't met your expectations. Let me see what I can
do to help."
- Don't get defensive.
Complaints really aren't about you even if they are directed
at you. Put yourself in the customer's place. Lashing out
at someone (you) is often the only way customers believe
their concern will get the attention it deserves. Angry
customers want to be heard. Listen, be respectful and do
whatever you can to fix the problem.
- Get rid of 100% automated telephone greetings.
Everyone complains about “voicemail jail” yet it still exists.
Personally, I don't mind automated greetings as long as
there is a way to reach a live voice. But it is getting
ridiculous. Even my five-person dental office now has an
automated phone system. I am given two automated choices,
and if I don't choose one the system disconnects me. I am
changing dentists. Need I say more?
When you demonstrate that you care about your customers,
chances are the vision statement they would write for you
is the same as the one you would create for yourself. That’s
a great goal for any business!
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