Imagine a waitress hurrying to serve the hungry dinner crowd. Amid the laughter and bustle she notices the middle-aged man sitting alone in her section. He seems a little sad and somewhat uncertain about being in the restaurant at all. Despite being busy, she takes a little extra time with the gentleman and learns that this is his first visit to a restaurant since losing his wife to cancer.
Over the course of the service she gives him a little extra TLC. She also learns a little more about his way of thinking and realizes that she has a book in her schoolbag that might be of help. Without thinking twice about it, she gives the man the book. His quiet tears and tremulous smile are enough thanks, but the story doesn’t end there.
A few days later the man returned with some of his late wife’s books that were in a similar vein he was given; they were books that his wife had loved. He gave these books to the young woman who had befriended him on that first night out and is now regular customer.
And yes this is a true story. I know because my daughter works at Montana’s with this waitress. How luck the company is to have her on staff.
It also shows how important simple kindness and courtesy are in building long term relationships – and not just in the business world.
This blog is intended to offer some insights into what constitutes good customer service - and what is considered to be really, really bad customer service. Hopefully you’ll find the "bad" examples amusing and the tips of use in improving the level of customer service in your own organisation. Happy Reading... and Good Customer Service!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Garda Gotta Get it Together
The phone rang a couple of days ago. A woman introduced herself as M. ___ from Garda; she was calling to do a background check for one of my students who had given my name as a reference. Now, I have been contacted by this firm before, so I know that what follows is not the normal way in which they conduct their affairs, but I also know that I will no longer recommend their services to clients.
So what is it that has my Customer Service Excellence hackles standing at attention?
When she asked how I knew the young women, I explained that I had been her prof. Ms. M. from Garda responded with a challengingly-toned, “So, she didn’t work for you?” The tone of the question threw me off a bit so, for a moment, I thought I might have been thinking about the wrong person. After a little back and forth, it turned out the call was indeed about student “K”.
At that point, she asked: “So what were her responsibilities to you?”
I reiterated that I knew “K” as a student so she didn’t have responsibilities to me beyond classroom participation and hand-in assignments. At that point, the Garda Gal starting talking to me as if I were mentally-challenged and didn’t understand the whole process.
I really didn’t appreciate it. Nor, I’m sure, would the bank client on behalf of whom she was conducting these interviews.
When I pushed back a bit to try and explain that it was a different situation that the traditional employer relationship, she said in clipped tones, “Yes, but I still have to ask the questions.”
From the way in which subsequent questions were posed, Ms. M. made it clear that she was pissed off with me.... which resulted in me giving shorter answers than would normally have been the case.
Not wanting to hurt my student, I said nice and appropriate things, but it was not the normal way I would give a reference for someone I believed would indeed be an asset to their client.
Not good for my student – and not good for the bank, either as they may miss out on a good candidate as a result.
If I were using this as a teaching case or training example, what lessons would I convey? A couple that come to mind:
• Due diligence is critical when selecting a third-party firm to represent your company in any way. If their employees don’t treat people the way you treat your customers and employees, then you should not work with the firm.
• It’s important to do a good job of training and monitoring the people who represent your company to the public – especially when they are not on your direct payroll. You have the right to request random recordings of the calls, or to listen in from time to time.
• Create separate guides for the various types of people in your target audience (in this instance +90% of the questions could have been identical).
• Structure your discussions guides/ interview questions in such a way that enables the interviewer to choose a different line of questions if necessary, based on the previous answers given.
• It’s as important for your staff to be well-versed on the way you want them to handle out-bound calls as they are on how to handle in-bound queries.
There are other things to have learned from this example, of course, but those of the ones that stick out.
If you’d like to chat about this further, please feel free to leave a comment of drop me a note. JMC
So what is it that has my Customer Service Excellence hackles standing at attention?
When she asked how I knew the young women, I explained that I had been her prof. Ms. M. from Garda responded with a challengingly-toned, “So, she didn’t work for you?” The tone of the question threw me off a bit so, for a moment, I thought I might have been thinking about the wrong person. After a little back and forth, it turned out the call was indeed about student “K”.
At that point, she asked: “So what were her responsibilities to you?”
I reiterated that I knew “K” as a student so she didn’t have responsibilities to me beyond classroom participation and hand-in assignments. At that point, the Garda Gal starting talking to me as if I were mentally-challenged and didn’t understand the whole process.
I really didn’t appreciate it. Nor, I’m sure, would the bank client on behalf of whom she was conducting these interviews.
When I pushed back a bit to try and explain that it was a different situation that the traditional employer relationship, she said in clipped tones, “Yes, but I still have to ask the questions.”
From the way in which subsequent questions were posed, Ms. M. made it clear that she was pissed off with me.... which resulted in me giving shorter answers than would normally have been the case.
Not wanting to hurt my student, I said nice and appropriate things, but it was not the normal way I would give a reference for someone I believed would indeed be an asset to their client.
Not good for my student – and not good for the bank, either as they may miss out on a good candidate as a result.
If I were using this as a teaching case or training example, what lessons would I convey? A couple that come to mind:
• Due diligence is critical when selecting a third-party firm to represent your company in any way. If their employees don’t treat people the way you treat your customers and employees, then you should not work with the firm.
• It’s important to do a good job of training and monitoring the people who represent your company to the public – especially when they are not on your direct payroll. You have the right to request random recordings of the calls, or to listen in from time to time.
• Create separate guides for the various types of people in your target audience (in this instance +90% of the questions could have been identical).
• Structure your discussions guides/ interview questions in such a way that enables the interviewer to choose a different line of questions if necessary, based on the previous answers given.
• It’s as important for your staff to be well-versed on the way you want them to handle out-bound calls as they are on how to handle in-bound queries.
There are other things to have learned from this example, of course, but those of the ones that stick out.
If you’d like to chat about this further, please feel free to leave a comment of drop me a note. JMC
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Now the Flowers are Fresh and Fabulous
My replacement flowers just arrived and they are gorgeous! Not only that, they smell divine. Just looking at them and smelling their wonderful scent makes me feel happy.
I called the florist right away to let her know how much I appreciated the new bouquet – and the way she had handled everything. Callie (the woman who rectified the problem for us) seemed as pleased as me about the way things had turned out... and that as much as anything has totally restored my faith in the Flower Nook.
You can be sure that I will make sure to recommend them whenever anyone in the area needs flowers. Which just goes to show that another of the standard customer service truisms is indeed true:
Namely, that when you resolve disgruntled customers’ problems in a way that makes them feel important to the company, and do so with good grace, they will usually tell twice as many people about what transpired as they would if only recounting the bad experience.
I called the florist right away to let her know how much I appreciated the new bouquet – and the way she had handled everything. Callie (the woman who rectified the problem for us) seemed as pleased as me about the way things had turned out... and that as much as anything has totally restored my faith in the Flower Nook.
You can be sure that I will make sure to recommend them whenever anyone in the area needs flowers. Which just goes to show that another of the standard customer service truisms is indeed true:
Namely, that when you resolve disgruntled customers’ problems in a way that makes them feel important to the company, and do so with good grace, they will usually tell twice as many people about what transpired as they would if only recounting the bad experience.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Fixing Flowers that Flopped
Earlier today flowers arrived that my youngest had sent me for my birthday – they were a day late and more than a dollar short.
Okay, okay. I sound ungrateful. The flowers were nice (read ‘nice’ with that elongated sing song tone men hate so much that really means “good effort dear but no cigar”). Of course I called my daughter immediately and thanked her profusely – after all I was truly touched by the gesture and that she had spent so much on her strict student budget. That part really did move me. Still does.
Then she asked about the flowers themselves. I sort of hedged (okay, except for things related to Christmas gifts and the like, I have a hard time lying to my kids) and she just knew. That finely-honed intuition of hers kicked in on cue and she said, “They’re not the pink, purple, cream and white flowers I ordered, are they?”
I described the bouquet that had arrived: Fall-coloured daisies punctuated with bright purple asters. Ughh. Kat was already groaning knowing that I hate rust-coloured flowers, but when she heard the description her displeasure increased.
Why? I had described a much cheaper bouquet she had seen on the website. It appeared as though the florist has simply added a couple of clashing asters as a token response to her actual online request for spring blooms.
I’ve heard of florists sometimes sending “less-than-fresh” flowers, or less expensive bouquets when they are pretty sure the sender will never see the actual bouquet, but have only experienced such a thing once before.
Knowing that my daughter puts a lot of thought into birthdays and other occasions, I couldn’t let it rest. I called the florist to complain. I remained friendly and started with a gentle, “What I’m going to say is going to sound ungrateful, but...” and went on to explain what my daughter had intended and that the sum involved constituted a major expense for a university student.
While I was on the phone, I learned that my daughter was on their other line. Kat knew who to call because our family has purchased bouquets from this florist on numerous occasions over the years.
Long story short: The florist was upset/ embarrassed by what had happened and will be sending me a new bouquet in the morning. She has also offered to use a few extra flowers in the new bouquet to make up for our collective disappointment.
The genuine concern the florist expressed, the pleasant/professional way in which she responded to our calls and her correct (from both professional and personal perspectives) response to the situation means that we will continue to be loyal customers.
Had the response been different in any way, the retailer would have lost us as customers. Given that my mom, sister, sisters-in-law and colleagues also use this floral boutique, and that we collectively orders many, many bouquets each year, they would have lost a sizeable piece of business.
The reasons I consider the florist’s response to have been correct go beyond the potential business loss from our family:
• The Life Time Value of loyal clients (+$1500 for diapers, +$12,000 for fast-food, etc.),
• The cost to acquire new clients vs. the cost to retain existing ones (5x – 25x depending on the industry),
• The number of people that unhappy customers tell about their experience (the accepted average used to be 16, but recent studies that has increased slightly... even without taking into account public posts on sites such as facebook),
• The potential for online “retribution” when disgruntled customers air their grievances in social media forums (remember what happened to the Motrin advertisements thanks to a mom with 5,000 twitter followers)
• etc.
There are bound to be “Life Happens” moment in every business, but how you handle them can determine whether or not these moment hurt you in the long run. Hopefully we will all be able to fix our flops the way this florist did!
Okay, okay. I sound ungrateful. The flowers were nice (read ‘nice’ with that elongated sing song tone men hate so much that really means “good effort dear but no cigar”). Of course I called my daughter immediately and thanked her profusely – after all I was truly touched by the gesture and that she had spent so much on her strict student budget. That part really did move me. Still does.
Then she asked about the flowers themselves. I sort of hedged (okay, except for things related to Christmas gifts and the like, I have a hard time lying to my kids) and she just knew. That finely-honed intuition of hers kicked in on cue and she said, “They’re not the pink, purple, cream and white flowers I ordered, are they?”
I described the bouquet that had arrived: Fall-coloured daisies punctuated with bright purple asters. Ughh. Kat was already groaning knowing that I hate rust-coloured flowers, but when she heard the description her displeasure increased.
Why? I had described a much cheaper bouquet she had seen on the website. It appeared as though the florist has simply added a couple of clashing asters as a token response to her actual online request for spring blooms.
I’ve heard of florists sometimes sending “less-than-fresh” flowers, or less expensive bouquets when they are pretty sure the sender will never see the actual bouquet, but have only experienced such a thing once before.
Knowing that my daughter puts a lot of thought into birthdays and other occasions, I couldn’t let it rest. I called the florist to complain. I remained friendly and started with a gentle, “What I’m going to say is going to sound ungrateful, but...” and went on to explain what my daughter had intended and that the sum involved constituted a major expense for a university student.
While I was on the phone, I learned that my daughter was on their other line. Kat knew who to call because our family has purchased bouquets from this florist on numerous occasions over the years.
Long story short: The florist was upset/ embarrassed by what had happened and will be sending me a new bouquet in the morning. She has also offered to use a few extra flowers in the new bouquet to make up for our collective disappointment.
The genuine concern the florist expressed, the pleasant/professional way in which she responded to our calls and her correct (from both professional and personal perspectives) response to the situation means that we will continue to be loyal customers.
Had the response been different in any way, the retailer would have lost us as customers. Given that my mom, sister, sisters-in-law and colleagues also use this floral boutique, and that we collectively orders many, many bouquets each year, they would have lost a sizeable piece of business.
The reasons I consider the florist’s response to have been correct go beyond the potential business loss from our family:
• The Life Time Value of loyal clients (+$1500 for diapers, +$12,000 for fast-food, etc.),
• The cost to acquire new clients vs. the cost to retain existing ones (5x – 25x depending on the industry),
• The number of people that unhappy customers tell about their experience (the accepted average used to be 16, but recent studies that has increased slightly... even without taking into account public posts on sites such as facebook),
• The potential for online “retribution” when disgruntled customers air their grievances in social media forums (remember what happened to the Motrin advertisements thanks to a mom with 5,000 twitter followers)
• etc.
There are bound to be “Life Happens” moment in every business, but how you handle them can determine whether or not these moment hurt you in the long run. Hopefully we will all be able to fix our flops the way this florist did!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Kudos re Queue Comments
I had to call Goodlife Fitness the other day and got put in the proverbial queue. I heard a pleasant voice tell me that I was #8 in line. As I sighed, thinking that I could be a while, I heard the same voice tell me that I was now #7. “Hmmm,” I thought, “A company that knows how to treat its callers”.
All too often customers are left listening to sappy music (why can’t they find something good?!!), sometimes waiting in limbo for over 20 minutes. Awaiting your turn to be abused by a customer service rep can be a frustrating experience. Even if you have hands-free and can continue to work while waiting, it’s a pain. If another call comes in, you have to decide if you want to risk losing your place in line to take the call. Ditto if you need a bio break or need to leave the phone unattended for any other reason.
Not great if the person is at work. (Side note: It is estimated that 95% of workers make personal calls from work because of a) queue wait times and/ or b) the ability to do other things while on hold.)
Anyway, back to my Goodlife Fitness call. As I waited, I was told they valued my business and would answer my call just as soon as possible, was informed when I moved up on the queue and got to listen to fitness tips while on hold.
As far as having to wait, it was the best such experience I’ve encountered in a while. Even better, when the rep took the call, he was knowledgeable, helpful, polite and friendly. Kudos to Goodlife; they seem to know how to treat their telephone callers.
Why does this matter? Because research we conducted on behalf of a client in early 2010 suggests that 74% of people living in North America believe that the way customers are treated by telephone CSRs is a reflection of how the company’s employees will treat customers in person. In fact, handling in-bound calls well can have a dramatic impact on customer retention rates.
To quickly recap points from earlier posts and articles (see www.theqgroup.com/articles-a.php):
• Make it easy for a caller to get in the right queue; aim for 3 prompt levels or less.
• Minimize the number of minutes a person has to wait in a phone queue. Aim to have callers talking to a human in under 2 minutes (not always possible, but it’s a great goal).
• Let callers know where they are in the queue and how long it will take for their call to be answered.
• Provide the caller with interesting things to listen to while on hold. In order of consumer preference: Information related to your company’s service or product, news reports, upbeat middle-of-the-road music (not elevator muzak or sleepy/dull stuff).
• Give callers the option of listening without music. With this option you will need to sound a soft beep every 30 – 40 seconds, along with a message every 1 ½ minutes or so, to let the person know their call is "being held in priority sequence".
• Have the calls answered by friendly, professional staff who know the company’s product line, services offered... and who have the ability and authority to make decisions/ take action that can help the customer.
If you would like help in determining the best ways to handle your customer call queues, please feel free to drop me a note (jmc@theQgroup.com) or call me at 416.424.6644.
Either way, I wish you all excellent customer service experiences! JMC
All too often customers are left listening to sappy music (why can’t they find something good?!!), sometimes waiting in limbo for over 20 minutes. Awaiting your turn to be abused by a customer service rep can be a frustrating experience. Even if you have hands-free and can continue to work while waiting, it’s a pain. If another call comes in, you have to decide if you want to risk losing your place in line to take the call. Ditto if you need a bio break or need to leave the phone unattended for any other reason.
Not great if the person is at work. (Side note: It is estimated that 95% of workers make personal calls from work because of a) queue wait times and/ or b) the ability to do other things while on hold.)
Anyway, back to my Goodlife Fitness call. As I waited, I was told they valued my business and would answer my call just as soon as possible, was informed when I moved up on the queue and got to listen to fitness tips while on hold.
As far as having to wait, it was the best such experience I’ve encountered in a while. Even better, when the rep took the call, he was knowledgeable, helpful, polite and friendly. Kudos to Goodlife; they seem to know how to treat their telephone callers.
Why does this matter? Because research we conducted on behalf of a client in early 2010 suggests that 74% of people living in North America believe that the way customers are treated by telephone CSRs is a reflection of how the company’s employees will treat customers in person. In fact, handling in-bound calls well can have a dramatic impact on customer retention rates.
To quickly recap points from earlier posts and articles (see www.theqgroup.com/articles-a.php):
• Make it easy for a caller to get in the right queue; aim for 3 prompt levels or less.
• Minimize the number of minutes a person has to wait in a phone queue. Aim to have callers talking to a human in under 2 minutes (not always possible, but it’s a great goal).
• Let callers know where they are in the queue and how long it will take for their call to be answered.
• Provide the caller with interesting things to listen to while on hold. In order of consumer preference: Information related to your company’s service or product, news reports, upbeat middle-of-the-road music (not elevator muzak or sleepy/dull stuff).
• Give callers the option of listening without music. With this option you will need to sound a soft beep every 30 – 40 seconds, along with a message every 1 ½ minutes or so, to let the person know their call is "being held in priority sequence".
• Have the calls answered by friendly, professional staff who know the company’s product line, services offered... and who have the ability and authority to make decisions/ take action that can help the customer.
If you would like help in determining the best ways to handle your customer call queues, please feel free to drop me a note (jmc@theQgroup.com) or call me at 416.424.6644.
Either way, I wish you all excellent customer service experiences! JMC
Friday, October 8, 2010
Amazing Customer Service = 500% Sales Increase
I don’t normally go to “super sales” – you know the ones that are held at special, warehouse-like venues. Yesterday, however, was different. I was on my way home from the university and heard a radio commercial for Tom’s Place. They were holding a 4-day designer suit sale taking place at the International Centre. I was on the 401 and the next exit was the one I needed. Since the sale had only started 3 hours earlier, I figured the selection would still be pretty good. Before I could tell myself that I had been planning to get a new suit anyway, my car headed for the exit “all by itself”. It seemed like the universe was working with me.
When I got there, the sheer vastness of the place was overwhelming. As I tried to get my bearings and figure out where the women’s clothes were in the sea of men’s suits, a woman named Angela took me under her wing. Angela turned out to be aptly named; she was indeed an angel.
First she led me over to where the women’s suits. What I didn’t realize until later is that she had led me directly to the rack that held suits in my sizes. After I had a couple in my arms she approached my smilingly and asked if she could put them in a “change room” (picture curtains handing from rods) for me. As she lightened my load, I asked her where I could find jackets that were not being sold as part of a suit.
Instead of taking me to another part of the football field (actually, the BMO field would have fit into this place!), the young woman invited me to start trying on the suits I had selected and offered to find jackets for me. After confirming my size and colour preferences, she went set off on her search.
After the first group of things she brought to me, Angela seemed to get a good sense of what I liked and what I didn’t. Over the course of the next hour and a half she took the things I didn’t want from me, kept passing me in clothes and was truly objective and helpful when I came out to peer in the mirror.
A couple of the other sales women would say, “That looks nice” as I grimaced at my reflection. Angela, however, would shake her head and say “It’s too short for you”, or “The other one flattered you more”, or “We can do better”. Politely, but most definitely, she let me know when something was not flattering... but only when I seemed uncertain or asked for input. Somehow she got the others to stop their phony flattery, too. What a relief if was not to have to contend with the insincere sales talk.
Angela’s help resulted in me leaving with multiple suits and tops – when I had only planned to pick up one suit (and maybe only a jacket at that). I spent more than 5 times what I had planned to spend.
When that happens, people often end up with buyer’s remorse. Not me. What I ended up with are suits I love and a jacket I know I would not have tried on if left to my own devices. I’m still excited by my new clothes, and as those close to me will tell you, clothes don’t exactly turn my crank. Shoes yes; clothes no.
Not only did Angela help me with my clothes, but she helped me find a few accessories and things for my daughters’ stockings. She held things up, tried belts on so I could see what they looked like and was generally wonderful.
Did she ignore other customers in the process? No. I heard her taking things to and from the lady in the next “stall” while I was changing. I watched her gently get a dad to agree when his daughter wanted the slightly more expensive suit that clearly looked the best on the young woman (it was for her first job interview). And I saw her greet a woman entering the fray while I sifted through blouses.
I was so impressed by the way Angela had handled things that I asked to speak with her manager after I had paid for my treasures. What I learned is that he often receives compliments on the way she treats customers – and almost always outsells everyone by a significant margin.
He seemed surprised by this given that she is so quiet. I’m not. Angela did a lot of things right:
• She greeted me politely, then escorted me to the right section of the sale. She didn't simply point and leave me to find the racks on my own.
• She greeted me politely, then left me alone as soon as I was in the right area of the “store”.
• She was friendly without crossing the line into “too familiar” (which one of the other women most definitely did!).
• She was helpful – truly helpful.
• She asked questions and heard what I had to say (which goes beyond simply listening).
• She didn’t fawn in an attempt to make the sale.
• She engendered trust by giving me objective feedback when asked.
• She didn’t try to force the sale. When I appeared uncertain, she would say, “If you’re not sure, then don’t take it”.
• She was courteous and treated me with respect.
If Angela helped me spend +500% more than what I had intended to spend - and if she consistently outsells everyone - then there are a few key lessons here about how to sell to professional women.
If this applies to your business, please let me know if you make any changes to how you approach women in business... and what results you experience.
In the mean time, I wish everyone a wonderful weekend. JMC
When I got there, the sheer vastness of the place was overwhelming. As I tried to get my bearings and figure out where the women’s clothes were in the sea of men’s suits, a woman named Angela took me under her wing. Angela turned out to be aptly named; she was indeed an angel.
First she led me over to where the women’s suits. What I didn’t realize until later is that she had led me directly to the rack that held suits in my sizes. After I had a couple in my arms she approached my smilingly and asked if she could put them in a “change room” (picture curtains handing from rods) for me. As she lightened my load, I asked her where I could find jackets that were not being sold as part of a suit.
Instead of taking me to another part of the football field (actually, the BMO field would have fit into this place!), the young woman invited me to start trying on the suits I had selected and offered to find jackets for me. After confirming my size and colour preferences, she went set off on her search.
After the first group of things she brought to me, Angela seemed to get a good sense of what I liked and what I didn’t. Over the course of the next hour and a half she took the things I didn’t want from me, kept passing me in clothes and was truly objective and helpful when I came out to peer in the mirror.
A couple of the other sales women would say, “That looks nice” as I grimaced at my reflection. Angela, however, would shake her head and say “It’s too short for you”, or “The other one flattered you more”, or “We can do better”. Politely, but most definitely, she let me know when something was not flattering... but only when I seemed uncertain or asked for input. Somehow she got the others to stop their phony flattery, too. What a relief if was not to have to contend with the insincere sales talk.
Angela’s help resulted in me leaving with multiple suits and tops – when I had only planned to pick up one suit (and maybe only a jacket at that). I spent more than 5 times what I had planned to spend.
When that happens, people often end up with buyer’s remorse. Not me. What I ended up with are suits I love and a jacket I know I would not have tried on if left to my own devices. I’m still excited by my new clothes, and as those close to me will tell you, clothes don’t exactly turn my crank. Shoes yes; clothes no.
Not only did Angela help me with my clothes, but she helped me find a few accessories and things for my daughters’ stockings. She held things up, tried belts on so I could see what they looked like and was generally wonderful.
Did she ignore other customers in the process? No. I heard her taking things to and from the lady in the next “stall” while I was changing. I watched her gently get a dad to agree when his daughter wanted the slightly more expensive suit that clearly looked the best on the young woman (it was for her first job interview). And I saw her greet a woman entering the fray while I sifted through blouses.
I was so impressed by the way Angela had handled things that I asked to speak with her manager after I had paid for my treasures. What I learned is that he often receives compliments on the way she treats customers – and almost always outsells everyone by a significant margin.
He seemed surprised by this given that she is so quiet. I’m not. Angela did a lot of things right:
• She greeted me politely, then escorted me to the right section of the sale. She didn't simply point and leave me to find the racks on my own.
• She greeted me politely, then left me alone as soon as I was in the right area of the “store”.
• She was friendly without crossing the line into “too familiar” (which one of the other women most definitely did!).
• She was helpful – truly helpful.
• She asked questions and heard what I had to say (which goes beyond simply listening).
• She didn’t fawn in an attempt to make the sale.
• She engendered trust by giving me objective feedback when asked.
• She didn’t try to force the sale. When I appeared uncertain, she would say, “If you’re not sure, then don’t take it”.
• She was courteous and treated me with respect.
If Angela helped me spend +500% more than what I had intended to spend - and if she consistently outsells everyone - then there are a few key lessons here about how to sell to professional women.
If this applies to your business, please let me know if you make any changes to how you approach women in business... and what results you experience.
In the mean time, I wish everyone a wonderful weekend. JMC
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Train Your CSRs – Second in a Series
Tonight I had to go to an electronics store and was not really looking forward to the trip because the people in our local store are usually somewhat unfriendly. I could not, however, resist the siren call of the sale.
To my pleasant surprise, I was waited on by a very friendly, polite and enthusiastic young woman. She did just about everything right. She greeted me pleasantly, but didn’t pounce. She let me browse for a bit before coming over to ask if there was any way she could help me. Then she listened to what I needed in the way of recording equipment – really listened.
After a few minutes she suggested a few options. When I asked what the differences were between the models, she replied, “I really don’t know. I’m so sorry, but this is only my 5th shift and I have not yet been given any training on the products.” As you can imagine, this caught my attention.
I spoke with Linda for a few minutes and found out that everything this grade 12 student knew about the products she had learned by reading labels when the store was quiet and by looking up things online at home. Clearly this young woman wanted to do well and took pride in her part-time job.
Sadly her employers didn’t think it necessary to give her this input. They had been more concerned about making sure she knew how to spot a shoplifter and not to take a break until cleared by her supervisor. No wonder the employees in that store are they way are; they’re working blind.
Contrast that with the people at La Senza. The employees there are trained and given a large binder to study that tells them everything about the products, how to fit under garments properly, how to do just about everything to help the customer. I have always had good experiences in that store – and the women leaving usually have white bags over their arms and smiles on their faces.
In the same vein, let’s look at what happens at Montana’s. My eldest daughter works at this family-style bar and grill after school. She has just been promoted from hostess to expo, which means that she is now responsible for putting the garnishes, sauces and other extras on the plates before they are picked up by the servers.
For a week before she took on this role, Kris had sheets to study that told her what goodies went with what dishes. When she started in this position, someone worked alongside her to help guide her if necessary. Tonight she soloed (and was excited about it as she left the house) and was helped by the servers when needed.
Montana’s trains its staff in all other areas, too. For instance, when a new menu comes out, the managers hold a tasting/ training night where everyone learns about the new items and gets to try them. Making sure their employees know how to do their jobs well makes a big difference in how people feel about working there – and it translates into better morale and a better overall customer experience.
Lesson to employers: Invest in your customer service people and it will pay dividends.
To my pleasant surprise, I was waited on by a very friendly, polite and enthusiastic young woman. She did just about everything right. She greeted me pleasantly, but didn’t pounce. She let me browse for a bit before coming over to ask if there was any way she could help me. Then she listened to what I needed in the way of recording equipment – really listened.
After a few minutes she suggested a few options. When I asked what the differences were between the models, she replied, “I really don’t know. I’m so sorry, but this is only my 5th shift and I have not yet been given any training on the products.” As you can imagine, this caught my attention.
I spoke with Linda for a few minutes and found out that everything this grade 12 student knew about the products she had learned by reading labels when the store was quiet and by looking up things online at home. Clearly this young woman wanted to do well and took pride in her part-time job.
Sadly her employers didn’t think it necessary to give her this input. They had been more concerned about making sure she knew how to spot a shoplifter and not to take a break until cleared by her supervisor. No wonder the employees in that store are they way are; they’re working blind.
Contrast that with the people at La Senza. The employees there are trained and given a large binder to study that tells them everything about the products, how to fit under garments properly, how to do just about everything to help the customer. I have always had good experiences in that store – and the women leaving usually have white bags over their arms and smiles on their faces.
In the same vein, let’s look at what happens at Montana’s. My eldest daughter works at this family-style bar and grill after school. She has just been promoted from hostess to expo, which means that she is now responsible for putting the garnishes, sauces and other extras on the plates before they are picked up by the servers.
For a week before she took on this role, Kris had sheets to study that told her what goodies went with what dishes. When she started in this position, someone worked alongside her to help guide her if necessary. Tonight she soloed (and was excited about it as she left the house) and was helped by the servers when needed.
Montana’s trains its staff in all other areas, too. For instance, when a new menu comes out, the managers hold a tasting/ training night where everyone learns about the new items and gets to try them. Making sure their employees know how to do their jobs well makes a big difference in how people feel about working there – and it translates into better morale and a better overall customer experience.
Lesson to employers: Invest in your customer service people and it will pay dividends.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Train Your CSRs - First in a Series
A tale showing the importance of a) having customer service reps who speak the same language as your customers, and b) training them before you let them loose on customers.
Our company bought two Dell computers recently. When I set up my computer I had chosen Canadian English as my language preference; this resulted in my keyboard converting to the French layout. In case you don’t know, the letters are in different places. For instance, if you type the “Q” key and your computer thinks you are typing in French, an “A” will appear on your page. Type “W” and you get a “Z”. Type “M” and you get a “?”. You get the idea, I’m sure. .
We had paid for three year’s worth of support, so I called the help desk to find out how to keep the Canadian version of English spell check having without having contend with a French keyboard layout.
I was told to change things back to US English and that would sort out the keyboard. No problem.
“Now what?”, I asked. I was told that I didn’t need to do anything because U.S. and Canadian English are the same.
I explained that there were many words that Canadians and Americans spell differently, so I wanted to use the Canadian English option. I was then told, in very broken English, that I was wrong and that the Canadian English option was only for people in Quebec who speak French. “Well, that makes no sense,” I thought to myself. Hmm. I tried another approach only to get a similar response.
Although I was now starting to become frustrated, I kept cool. Well, maybe I started to move into warmer emotional territory, but I know I was still being polite. Trying yet a different tack, I asked if he knew how to have both an English keyboard and an English option that was not American English.
I think he was trying to be kind when he patiently (and somewhat patronizingly) explained that it wasn’t necessary because American and Canadian English are identical.
One last time I tried to explain that there are many differences between the two. I was in the process of asking for a supervisor when he interrupted to say, “Madame, you need to understand about how English is working to know what I am telling to you is true.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
Instead, I hung up in frustration. Between the hold times, the double verification procedure and the inept answers, I wasted over 20 minutes getting nowhere. I had to call back twice more before I got my answer.
If Dell had trained its reps better (i.e. gave them the correct info, or taught them to pass a customer on to a more skilled rep when facing a problem they are unable to address), the company would have saved itself over 30 minutes of customer rep time, plus nearly 60 minutes of 1-800 long distance charges.
And I would have been left with a much better impression of Dell.
According to a December 16, 2003 BBC News article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3323243.stm) Dell had started moving many of its call centre jobs back from India because of “alleged complaints over Indian accents, and problems over solving technical queries over the telephone. There have also been claims by some analysts the move is a temporary one until more overseas staff are trained.”
That was nearly 7 years ago. More recently there have been stories about the efforts Dell has taken to improve its customer service. The fact that Dell is/was aware of the problem, yet seems to have made little headway in truly resolving the matter, sends the message that customer service is not really a big priority for them. Maybe acquiring and maintaining new customers isn’t either!
Our company bought two Dell computers recently. When I set up my computer I had chosen Canadian English as my language preference; this resulted in my keyboard converting to the French layout. In case you don’t know, the letters are in different places. For instance, if you type the “Q” key and your computer thinks you are typing in French, an “A” will appear on your page. Type “W” and you get a “Z”. Type “M” and you get a “?”. You get the idea, I’m sure. .
We had paid for three year’s worth of support, so I called the help desk to find out how to keep the Canadian version of English spell check having without having contend with a French keyboard layout.
I was told to change things back to US English and that would sort out the keyboard. No problem.
“Now what?”, I asked. I was told that I didn’t need to do anything because U.S. and Canadian English are the same.
I explained that there were many words that Canadians and Americans spell differently, so I wanted to use the Canadian English option. I was then told, in very broken English, that I was wrong and that the Canadian English option was only for people in Quebec who speak French. “Well, that makes no sense,” I thought to myself. Hmm. I tried another approach only to get a similar response.
Although I was now starting to become frustrated, I kept cool. Well, maybe I started to move into warmer emotional territory, but I know I was still being polite. Trying yet a different tack, I asked if he knew how to have both an English keyboard and an English option that was not American English.
I think he was trying to be kind when he patiently (and somewhat patronizingly) explained that it wasn’t necessary because American and Canadian English are identical.
One last time I tried to explain that there are many differences between the two. I was in the process of asking for a supervisor when he interrupted to say, “Madame, you need to understand about how English is working to know what I am telling to you is true.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
Instead, I hung up in frustration. Between the hold times, the double verification procedure and the inept answers, I wasted over 20 minutes getting nowhere. I had to call back twice more before I got my answer.
If Dell had trained its reps better (i.e. gave them the correct info, or taught them to pass a customer on to a more skilled rep when facing a problem they are unable to address), the company would have saved itself over 30 minutes of customer rep time, plus nearly 60 minutes of 1-800 long distance charges.
And I would have been left with a much better impression of Dell.
According to a December 16, 2003 BBC News article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3323243.stm) Dell had started moving many of its call centre jobs back from India because of “alleged complaints over Indian accents, and problems over solving technical queries over the telephone. There have also been claims by some analysts the move is a temporary one until more overseas staff are trained.”
That was nearly 7 years ago. More recently there have been stories about the efforts Dell has taken to improve its customer service. The fact that Dell is/was aware of the problem, yet seems to have made little headway in truly resolving the matter, sends the message that customer service is not really a big priority for them. Maybe acquiring and maintaining new customers isn’t either!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
CSRs who insult customers cost you clients!
You might have already guessed from the headline that I had the “pleasure” of being insulted by a customer service rep... again. This time I brought it on myself. I called the company. The telephone company. I can already hear your groans. You know what it’s like; most of us have been subjected to that particular brand of torture. What’s really sad is that we all have such stories – no matter what carrier we use.
Even sadder: Customer Service reps who answer 1-800 lines are often the only people with whom customers interact on a regular basis, so if they don’t do a good job, companies risk losing their clients.
On three separate occasions over the past 10 days, I got off the phone appalled by how the call had been handled. I make it a point to be courteous and friendly when speaking with CSRs (or at least I start out that way) and if I had this many unfortunate experiences, I can only imagine the high numbers of clients across the nation who are being mistreated by call centre employees.
Story #1
I called a company with which I do a lot of business – in fact, my volume has now reached the point where I have been accorded VIP status. Too bad I don’t also get VIP treatment.
The rep who plucked me from the queue had “attitude” from the get go. Instead of asking for my account password, she barked: “Password”. When I replied, “Honey” (the correct answer), the woman with the big southern accent reprimanded me with a “Don’t you ‘honey’ me.” I’m sure that I was not the first person who had to endure this women’s bad mood because when the rep came on the line she was already spoiling for a fight.
Note to marketers:
Make sure that CSRs start their shifts in a positive frame of mind. Do periodic checks and give them enough breaks to help them stay fresh. Things I have used successfully with various call centres:
• Have CSRs and supervisors watch short humorous clips at the start of a shift and during breaks. America’s Funniest Videos and Just for Laugh Gags seem to work well.
• Encourage CSRs to post photos in their cubicle that make them happy. After a trying customer, have reps stand for a moment, shift their visual focus to one of their favourite photos and take a deep breath before taking the next call.
• After a truly annoying customer (I know, most customers can be annoying, but I’m talking about the truly trying ones), have reps read something humorous after their “stand, focus, breathe routine”. I find that 2 or 3 jokes or one of the Reader’s Digest “Life’s Like That” stories can be effective. (Sample stories can be found online at: http://www.readersdigest.ca/laugh_search.html.)
Yes, this means that there will be a 15 – 20 second lag between the calls, but the next calls will go far more smoothly and quickly as a result. (And yes, timed trials we conducted support this assertion.)
Story #2
This time, the rep was unable to resolve my problem and didn’t really understand it anyway. After multiple attempts, I quietly said something along the lines of, “I know from my own work that supervisors often have codes and access to files that other reps don’t. Could you please put me through to a supervisor.”
His answer: “No.”
Thinking he hadn’t understood (his English was not great), I tried it another way. Again, I was told no. No explanation, no apology, just a curt “no”. Then I heard a click followed by a brief silence and then a dial tone. The rep had hung up on me!
I had waited nearly 10 minutes to get to that rep and he had hung up on me!
I dialled again. And waited on hold listening to insipid music. Again. When I finally got through to the company and was able to find someone to whom I could complain, I was told that he had probably hung up on me because the company’s reps had to answer a certain number of calls an hour and I had “probably taken up too much of his time”. I was also informed that CSRs were expected to handle their own calls without having to call upon their supervisors. The implication was that my actions were the reason that the rep had been forced to hang up on me.
Needless to say, we are no longer dealing with that company.
Note to marketers:
• Train your CSRs adequately and do not let them on the lines until they thoroughly understand your product, how it works and how to deal with things that typically go wrong, and how clients should be handled.
• Although you may encourage your reps to resolve customer problems within a certain amount of time, do NOT assign your reps quotas or reward them for getting through calls in shorter and shorter periods of time. Instead, determine how to reward CSRs for how effectively they handle calls and how good a job they do of making clients feel like they have been well-treated.
• Ensure that CSRs know they must never hang up on customers, no matter what.
And now, the tale that promoted this week’s blog post in the first place:
Story #3
Once again, a company insisted it had not made a mistake despite evidence to the contrary.
What happened? The short version: My eldest asked me when her cell phone contract was up. Not realizing that she was thinking of getting her own Blackberry and taking over the payments herself (mom had been footing the bill for the past 10 years or so), my answer was a distracted, “Uh... this August”.
A few days later she came home and proudly showed me her new Blackberry. The twist: My daughter had gone with a new carrier – but had asked to keep her existing phone number. Without speaking with me – the person in whose name the phone was listed and the person who paid the bills – the carrier I had been with for 20 years let the number be ported out. The problem is that there had been 3 phones on a single shared plan.
As soon as I learned what happened I immediately called *** to see if there would be a problem. There was. Someone in “customer retention” (hah!) had taken all three numbers off the plan and had put the two remaining phones on a different, more expensive plan. All without talking to me, the person in whose name had been listed.
At first the rep suggested that my daughter had pretended to be me (which was not the thing to say if trying to ingratiate yourself to a customer). After I explained that was impossible because she had had to show her driver’s licence and another piece of ID in her own name to get her Blackberry, the rep admitted it was their fault... but added there was no way the plan could be reinstated because it no longer existed... even though this had all happened in the previous 90 minutes or so.
After agreeing to move my youngest’s phone to a student plan that was almost (but not quite) as good as the original one, I was told I would have to send them proof of university enrolment and ID. I faxed the papers the following day. 10 days later, I called to make a payment and found that I had been charged over $250: $100 for my eldest daughter cancelling the 1st cell phone 3 days before the contact end date (even though I was told this would be waived because it had only been a few days and because *** had not checked with me) and the rest was “over-minute use” because of the type of phone plan the retention rep had put us on.
When I explained that I had indeed faxed the papers, I got transferred. 7 minutes and 27 seconds later (according to my phone’s timer) I got to explain the whole story again to someone in the hopes of getting the charges reversed. The response, in a supercilious tone: “Well, if you had sent the papers in, then we would have them, wouldn’t we?”
Despite seeing red, and purple and a hazy green colour, I kept my cool and said that I could send a fax confirmation sheet to prove what I was saying. When the rep’s reply suggested that I was making it up, I hung up and tried again.
It took over two hours, but thanks to wonderful rep named Robin – who was the very first person to apologize – it will be resolved at the beginning of next week. (Though I did have to fax the original papers, a new note and the original confirmation notice twice more in the interim.)
Note to marketers:
• Let your CSRs know that it is never, ever, ever, okay to speak in a patronizing tone to customers or to be rude to them.
• Make sure your database can flag customers who repeatedly call in looking for rebates or giving you reasons why bills are not being paid, etc.
Then, when a client calls in, if there are no flags, make sure the CSR takes the customer’s side and tries to help – especially when the client has a long-term relationship with your company.
Even if there is a flag in place, CSRs need to treat the customers with respect (provided the client is not unreasonably rude) and listen objectively to what is being said. When uncertain about how to proceed, CSRs must know to involve their supervisors.
A few other suggestions to help keep the mood right
• Place mirrors next to the reps’ cubicles and encourage them to smile at themselves at the beginning of each call – but not during the call as it tends to distract CSRs.
• Don’t allow your CSRs to work double shifts as their ability to handle calls “nicely” and effectively diminishes the longer they answer calls.
• Provide CSRs with a quiet, phone-free place where they can take their breaks for people who want “silence” and an area where people can watch funny flicks if they prefer.
• Discourage reps from complaining about their callers during their breaks or they will return to their headsets more stressed than before the break. Again, this is supported by blood pressure experiments we conducted in multiple call centres.
• Provide free tea, coffee, pop, water and light snacks in the rest areas. When people return to their stations refreshed, rehydrated and reenergized, their ability to deliver excellent customer service increases significantly.
As mentioned at the outset, the Customer Service Reps who handle your inbound calls are often the only people with whom your customers speak on a regular basis. If these CSRs don’t do a good job, you risk losing customers. On the other hand, if they provide excellent service, you will likely enjoy a corresponding increase in customer loyalty. So... it makes sense pay CSRs well and treat them even better.
If you would like more on info on this topic, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com or 416-424-6644.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
Even sadder: Customer Service reps who answer 1-800 lines are often the only people with whom customers interact on a regular basis, so if they don’t do a good job, companies risk losing their clients.
On three separate occasions over the past 10 days, I got off the phone appalled by how the call had been handled. I make it a point to be courteous and friendly when speaking with CSRs (or at least I start out that way) and if I had this many unfortunate experiences, I can only imagine the high numbers of clients across the nation who are being mistreated by call centre employees.
Story #1
I called a company with which I do a lot of business – in fact, my volume has now reached the point where I have been accorded VIP status. Too bad I don’t also get VIP treatment.
The rep who plucked me from the queue had “attitude” from the get go. Instead of asking for my account password, she barked: “Password”. When I replied, “Honey” (the correct answer), the woman with the big southern accent reprimanded me with a “Don’t you ‘honey’ me.” I’m sure that I was not the first person who had to endure this women’s bad mood because when the rep came on the line she was already spoiling for a fight.
Note to marketers:
Make sure that CSRs start their shifts in a positive frame of mind. Do periodic checks and give them enough breaks to help them stay fresh. Things I have used successfully with various call centres:
• Have CSRs and supervisors watch short humorous clips at the start of a shift and during breaks. America’s Funniest Videos and Just for Laugh Gags seem to work well.
• Encourage CSRs to post photos in their cubicle that make them happy. After a trying customer, have reps stand for a moment, shift their visual focus to one of their favourite photos and take a deep breath before taking the next call.
• After a truly annoying customer (I know, most customers can be annoying, but I’m talking about the truly trying ones), have reps read something humorous after their “stand, focus, breathe routine”. I find that 2 or 3 jokes or one of the Reader’s Digest “Life’s Like That” stories can be effective. (Sample stories can be found online at: http://www.readersdigest.ca/laugh_search.html.)
Yes, this means that there will be a 15 – 20 second lag between the calls, but the next calls will go far more smoothly and quickly as a result. (And yes, timed trials we conducted support this assertion.)
Story #2
This time, the rep was unable to resolve my problem and didn’t really understand it anyway. After multiple attempts, I quietly said something along the lines of, “I know from my own work that supervisors often have codes and access to files that other reps don’t. Could you please put me through to a supervisor.”
His answer: “No.”
Thinking he hadn’t understood (his English was not great), I tried it another way. Again, I was told no. No explanation, no apology, just a curt “no”. Then I heard a click followed by a brief silence and then a dial tone. The rep had hung up on me!
I had waited nearly 10 minutes to get to that rep and he had hung up on me!
I dialled again. And waited on hold listening to insipid music. Again. When I finally got through to the company and was able to find someone to whom I could complain, I was told that he had probably hung up on me because the company’s reps had to answer a certain number of calls an hour and I had “probably taken up too much of his time”. I was also informed that CSRs were expected to handle their own calls without having to call upon their supervisors. The implication was that my actions were the reason that the rep had been forced to hang up on me.
Needless to say, we are no longer dealing with that company.
Note to marketers:
• Train your CSRs adequately and do not let them on the lines until they thoroughly understand your product, how it works and how to deal with things that typically go wrong, and how clients should be handled.
• Although you may encourage your reps to resolve customer problems within a certain amount of time, do NOT assign your reps quotas or reward them for getting through calls in shorter and shorter periods of time. Instead, determine how to reward CSRs for how effectively they handle calls and how good a job they do of making clients feel like they have been well-treated.
• Ensure that CSRs know they must never hang up on customers, no matter what.
And now, the tale that promoted this week’s blog post in the first place:
Story #3
Once again, a company insisted it had not made a mistake despite evidence to the contrary.
What happened? The short version: My eldest asked me when her cell phone contract was up. Not realizing that she was thinking of getting her own Blackberry and taking over the payments herself (mom had been footing the bill for the past 10 years or so), my answer was a distracted, “Uh... this August”.
A few days later she came home and proudly showed me her new Blackberry. The twist: My daughter had gone with a new carrier – but had asked to keep her existing phone number. Without speaking with me – the person in whose name the phone was listed and the person who paid the bills – the carrier I had been with for 20 years let the number be ported out. The problem is that there had been 3 phones on a single shared plan.
As soon as I learned what happened I immediately called *** to see if there would be a problem. There was. Someone in “customer retention” (hah!) had taken all three numbers off the plan and had put the two remaining phones on a different, more expensive plan. All without talking to me, the person in whose name had been listed.
At first the rep suggested that my daughter had pretended to be me (which was not the thing to say if trying to ingratiate yourself to a customer). After I explained that was impossible because she had had to show her driver’s licence and another piece of ID in her own name to get her Blackberry, the rep admitted it was their fault... but added there was no way the plan could be reinstated because it no longer existed... even though this had all happened in the previous 90 minutes or so.
After agreeing to move my youngest’s phone to a student plan that was almost (but not quite) as good as the original one, I was told I would have to send them proof of university enrolment and ID. I faxed the papers the following day. 10 days later, I called to make a payment and found that I had been charged over $250: $100 for my eldest daughter cancelling the 1st cell phone 3 days before the contact end date (even though I was told this would be waived because it had only been a few days and because *** had not checked with me) and the rest was “over-minute use” because of the type of phone plan the retention rep had put us on.
When I explained that I had indeed faxed the papers, I got transferred. 7 minutes and 27 seconds later (according to my phone’s timer) I got to explain the whole story again to someone in the hopes of getting the charges reversed. The response, in a supercilious tone: “Well, if you had sent the papers in, then we would have them, wouldn’t we?”
Despite seeing red, and purple and a hazy green colour, I kept my cool and said that I could send a fax confirmation sheet to prove what I was saying. When the rep’s reply suggested that I was making it up, I hung up and tried again.
It took over two hours, but thanks to wonderful rep named Robin – who was the very first person to apologize – it will be resolved at the beginning of next week. (Though I did have to fax the original papers, a new note and the original confirmation notice twice more in the interim.)
Note to marketers:
• Let your CSRs know that it is never, ever, ever, okay to speak in a patronizing tone to customers or to be rude to them.
• Make sure your database can flag customers who repeatedly call in looking for rebates or giving you reasons why bills are not being paid, etc.
Then, when a client calls in, if there are no flags, make sure the CSR takes the customer’s side and tries to help – especially when the client has a long-term relationship with your company.
Even if there is a flag in place, CSRs need to treat the customers with respect (provided the client is not unreasonably rude) and listen objectively to what is being said. When uncertain about how to proceed, CSRs must know to involve their supervisors.
A few other suggestions to help keep the mood right
• Place mirrors next to the reps’ cubicles and encourage them to smile at themselves at the beginning of each call – but not during the call as it tends to distract CSRs.
• Don’t allow your CSRs to work double shifts as their ability to handle calls “nicely” and effectively diminishes the longer they answer calls.
• Provide CSRs with a quiet, phone-free place where they can take their breaks for people who want “silence” and an area where people can watch funny flicks if they prefer.
• Discourage reps from complaining about their callers during their breaks or they will return to their headsets more stressed than before the break. Again, this is supported by blood pressure experiments we conducted in multiple call centres.
• Provide free tea, coffee, pop, water and light snacks in the rest areas. When people return to their stations refreshed, rehydrated and reenergized, their ability to deliver excellent customer service increases significantly.
As mentioned at the outset, the Customer Service Reps who handle your inbound calls are often the only people with whom your customers speak on a regular basis. If these CSRs don’t do a good job, you risk losing customers. On the other hand, if they provide excellent service, you will likely enjoy a corresponding increase in customer loyalty. So... it makes sense pay CSRs well and treat them even better.
If you would like more on info on this topic, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com or 416-424-6644.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
Friday, August 13, 2010
New Consumer Expectations re Customer Service Contacts
We all know that good customer service is paramount to growing a business and increasing profitability. What many managers are failing to realize, however, is that rapid changes in technology have lead to equally rapid changes in consumer expectations about what constitutes the delivery of quality customer service.
A survey of 750 people of all ages, from all parts of the country reveals seven areas in which companies should pay heed.
1) Preserve me from auto-attendant hell! Customers are becoming increasingly annoyed and frustrated with having to sift through myriad options, and having to listen to multiple prompt levels, only to find out after 2 or more minutes that the information they are seeking is not on the menu.
Worse is hearing a recording say that the desired service of information is only available through the company’s website.
The worst of all, however, is when the auto-attendant uses voice recognition – but doesn’t ‘recognize’ your voice. Those of you who suffered through the days of “Emily” before she was replaced will empathise with that remark.
It’s understandable that companies want to reduce costs by using auto attendants and, there’s no question that these are valuable tools. Yet, people want to connect with human beings; they don’t want to listen to a long list of prompts – especially not if they are having a problem (and let’s face it, that’s what usually triggers the call in the first place).
Three thoughts expressed by about one-third of respondents:
“If I had access to a computer at the time, I would not have called in the first place.”
“If I had wanted to look it up online, I could have – but I when I choose to pick up the phone, I expect it to be answered.”
“When I have a problem, there is no satisfaction in typing something in an online box and hoping someone will get back to me at some point – and that they will actually answer my question properly.”
To keep customers happy...
• Always make it easy for customers to reach a human being – from the first menu.
• Do not program your system so that customers are returned to the initial menu if they hit “0”. When customers try to zero-out, they should either get placed in a queue to speak with a rep, or told what button to push to reach a live person.
• Give people the option of voice prompt or touch prompt.
• If you do use an auto-attendant, limit the number of menus to two rounds of choices before the customer reaches a human being.
• If you have asked the customer to key in account information, make sure the profile transfers with the call.
• If the call has been answered by a company rep who needs to transfer the call to another department, do not put the customer back into a long queue. Instead, make it possible for your customer service rep to be able to jump to the front of the line. The initial agent should also be taught to stay on the call with the client until the next rep has picked up. Once this happens, the first rep should introduce the caller and give rep #2 a précis of the situation so the customer doesn’t feel like he or she is having to start all over again.
2) Don’t make me wait more than a couple of minutes in a phone queue. Many companies are making clients wait 15 minutes or more in a phone queue. Anything more than 2-3 minutes is considered unacceptable by more than 80% of customers surveyed.
During period of high call volumes...
• Have overload capacity – either by having part-timers who work from home (à la Pizza Pizza way), or by engaging another call centre to work on a contingency basis. By monitoring your call patterns, however, you should be able to determine when it is most necessary to have extra staff on hand.
• Let customers know how long they will have to wait to speak with an agent and, if the wait period exceeds three minutes, include the option of having a customer leave a message to be called back – or of keying in the number where they can be reached.
It is important to let customers know their call will be returned within 15 – 30 minutes max. if you are going to opt for this solution. And make sure that this actually happens.
Customers hate being told their call will be returned within one business day. The following thought was articulated by many survey participants: “I hate being told that they will get back to me in one business day. I don’t know if they will or they won’t. Besides, that is telling me that they will return the call when it’s convenient for them, whether or not it’s convenient for me at that time. How arrogant.”
• Periodically update customers as to how much longer they will need to wait to speak with an agent. This one action can have a dramatic impact on how customers perceive the wait time.
• Give customers the option of holding with or without music. If you do include music, ensure that the selection will appeal to a broad range of clients, or is targeted to your customer demographics. We learned of one company who lost over 2% of its client base within 3 months of installing a new phone system. Investigation revealed the problem to be the heavy metal and rap music that played when customers were hold – customers who were primarily seniors!
3) Give me a toll-free number. With longer and longer wait times becoming commonplace, customers truly object to having to hold when they are paying long distance charges – especially when they are calling to resolve a problem they believe you have created for them.
4) Don’t make me quote chapter and verse about my account to get simple information. In these days of increased white collar crime, it is reasonable, and sensible, for companies to protect their customers by ascertaining that they are dealing with the correct person before discussing an account. However, 3 key questions should be the limit. Beyond that, it takes up too much time (costing the company money) and only frustrates your client.
Better yet, consider implementing a password.
Further, if the call needs to be transferred to another department’s rep, make sure the customer is not required to re-verify his or her identity.
5) Employ phone reps who speak English well with and without a strong accent... and make sure they are properly trained. Nearly 70% of participants expressed some level of dissatisfaction with calls that are handled by call centres in other countries when the person on the other end of the line is difficult to understand, or cannot seem to easily grasp the problem to be solved.
6) Give me more flexibility in how I contact you on any given day.
As communication options increase, so should the options that customers have for contacting your company.
• Offer clients the choice of scheduling appointments by going on-line or using their PDA to access a special appointment site.
• Let customers send a text message or e-mail to request that customer service call them within the hour.
• Enable customers to access their accounts on-line – and give them the ability to change billing and service options while there. Create apps that work with new mobile devices.
Giving customers (who want it) the ability to interact more with their accounts will make them happier – and has the added benefit of saving companies money and employee time.
7) Don’t tell me how I have to deal with you. This is similar to the above point, but the respondents’ distinction is that not only do they want the flexibility on choosing how to communicate with companies, but they want choices in terms of the ongoing relationship.
Right now there are multiple generations of customers – which means multiple ways in which people want to interact with companies. Don’t force everyone into the same mold or you risk alienating at least one of the generational groups.
For instance, it makes no sense to tell someone who is older and computer-phobic that they can only get their bills on-line (and yes, a large percentage of people 60 years and older does not trust on-line “banking” and “account management” in any form)… just as it could cost you a customer if you were to tell a Gen Xer that there is no on-line access to their accounts.
The research underscored one key point: More than ever it’s important to know how your customers want to be treated – and to deal with them their way.
If you would like more info on any of the above suggestions, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com or 416-424-6644.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
A survey of 750 people of all ages, from all parts of the country reveals seven areas in which companies should pay heed.
1) Preserve me from auto-attendant hell! Customers are becoming increasingly annoyed and frustrated with having to sift through myriad options, and having to listen to multiple prompt levels, only to find out after 2 or more minutes that the information they are seeking is not on the menu.
Worse is hearing a recording say that the desired service of information is only available through the company’s website.
The worst of all, however, is when the auto-attendant uses voice recognition – but doesn’t ‘recognize’ your voice. Those of you who suffered through the days of “Emily” before she was replaced will empathise with that remark.
It’s understandable that companies want to reduce costs by using auto attendants and, there’s no question that these are valuable tools. Yet, people want to connect with human beings; they don’t want to listen to a long list of prompts – especially not if they are having a problem (and let’s face it, that’s what usually triggers the call in the first place).
Three thoughts expressed by about one-third of respondents:
“If I had access to a computer at the time, I would not have called in the first place.”
“If I had wanted to look it up online, I could have – but I when I choose to pick up the phone, I expect it to be answered.”
“When I have a problem, there is no satisfaction in typing something in an online box and hoping someone will get back to me at some point – and that they will actually answer my question properly.”
To keep customers happy...
• Always make it easy for customers to reach a human being – from the first menu.
• Do not program your system so that customers are returned to the initial menu if they hit “0”. When customers try to zero-out, they should either get placed in a queue to speak with a rep, or told what button to push to reach a live person.
• Give people the option of voice prompt or touch prompt.
• If you do use an auto-attendant, limit the number of menus to two rounds of choices before the customer reaches a human being.
• If you have asked the customer to key in account information, make sure the profile transfers with the call.
• If the call has been answered by a company rep who needs to transfer the call to another department, do not put the customer back into a long queue. Instead, make it possible for your customer service rep to be able to jump to the front of the line. The initial agent should also be taught to stay on the call with the client until the next rep has picked up. Once this happens, the first rep should introduce the caller and give rep #2 a précis of the situation so the customer doesn’t feel like he or she is having to start all over again.
2) Don’t make me wait more than a couple of minutes in a phone queue. Many companies are making clients wait 15 minutes or more in a phone queue. Anything more than 2-3 minutes is considered unacceptable by more than 80% of customers surveyed.
During period of high call volumes...
• Have overload capacity – either by having part-timers who work from home (à la Pizza Pizza way), or by engaging another call centre to work on a contingency basis. By monitoring your call patterns, however, you should be able to determine when it is most necessary to have extra staff on hand.
• Let customers know how long they will have to wait to speak with an agent and, if the wait period exceeds three minutes, include the option of having a customer leave a message to be called back – or of keying in the number where they can be reached.
It is important to let customers know their call will be returned within 15 – 30 minutes max. if you are going to opt for this solution. And make sure that this actually happens.
Customers hate being told their call will be returned within one business day. The following thought was articulated by many survey participants: “I hate being told that they will get back to me in one business day. I don’t know if they will or they won’t. Besides, that is telling me that they will return the call when it’s convenient for them, whether or not it’s convenient for me at that time. How arrogant.”
• Periodically update customers as to how much longer they will need to wait to speak with an agent. This one action can have a dramatic impact on how customers perceive the wait time.
• Give customers the option of holding with or without music. If you do include music, ensure that the selection will appeal to a broad range of clients, or is targeted to your customer demographics. We learned of one company who lost over 2% of its client base within 3 months of installing a new phone system. Investigation revealed the problem to be the heavy metal and rap music that played when customers were hold – customers who were primarily seniors!
3) Give me a toll-free number. With longer and longer wait times becoming commonplace, customers truly object to having to hold when they are paying long distance charges – especially when they are calling to resolve a problem they believe you have created for them.
4) Don’t make me quote chapter and verse about my account to get simple information. In these days of increased white collar crime, it is reasonable, and sensible, for companies to protect their customers by ascertaining that they are dealing with the correct person before discussing an account. However, 3 key questions should be the limit. Beyond that, it takes up too much time (costing the company money) and only frustrates your client.
Better yet, consider implementing a password.
Further, if the call needs to be transferred to another department’s rep, make sure the customer is not required to re-verify his or her identity.
5) Employ phone reps who speak English well with and without a strong accent... and make sure they are properly trained. Nearly 70% of participants expressed some level of dissatisfaction with calls that are handled by call centres in other countries when the person on the other end of the line is difficult to understand, or cannot seem to easily grasp the problem to be solved.
6) Give me more flexibility in how I contact you on any given day.
As communication options increase, so should the options that customers have for contacting your company.
• Offer clients the choice of scheduling appointments by going on-line or using their PDA to access a special appointment site.
• Let customers send a text message or e-mail to request that customer service call them within the hour.
• Enable customers to access their accounts on-line – and give them the ability to change billing and service options while there. Create apps that work with new mobile devices.
Giving customers (who want it) the ability to interact more with their accounts will make them happier – and has the added benefit of saving companies money and employee time.
7) Don’t tell me how I have to deal with you. This is similar to the above point, but the respondents’ distinction is that not only do they want the flexibility on choosing how to communicate with companies, but they want choices in terms of the ongoing relationship.
Right now there are multiple generations of customers – which means multiple ways in which people want to interact with companies. Don’t force everyone into the same mold or you risk alienating at least one of the generational groups.
For instance, it makes no sense to tell someone who is older and computer-phobic that they can only get their bills on-line (and yes, a large percentage of people 60 years and older does not trust on-line “banking” and “account management” in any form)… just as it could cost you a customer if you were to tell a Gen Xer that there is no on-line access to their accounts.
The research underscored one key point: More than ever it’s important to know how your customers want to be treated – and to deal with them their way.
If you would like more info on any of the above suggestions, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com or 416-424-6644.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
12 Tips for Improving Call Centre Customer Service
How many times have you found yourself seeing red because of a rude sales clerk? Or hung up in frustration because a company’s auto-attendant refused to understand your replies? Or been pestered by a pushy telemarketer who interrupted your meal (one of the few you actually get to have with your family in this day and age of jam-packed schedules) or sleep in the most unpleasant manner?
It was one such call that prompted me to start this blog. If you are in business, you know that your customers are your most important asset (next to your employees). You also know that customer service needs to be excellent in these days of social networking if you want to maintain and grow your business. Yet so often companies that should know better, have people on their front lines who act as if the customer is a pain in the butt.
This blog is intended to give people who value their customers some ideas for improving the service they provide (and yes, there are actual tips at the end of this rather lengthy first post).
Okay, back to me having been awakened this morning with “Hi this is a courtesy customer service call from...”
You just know that the moment you hear that phrase that you are about to be harassed by the person on the other end of the phone. In most cases it’s someone whose command of English is less than stellar – which probably explains why he or she cannot understand the words, ‘No thank you’.
In the early 1980s we recommended that clients call customers to thank them for large ticket purchases... and in those days, it was unheard of and customers responded well to the calls.
Then AT&T coined the phrase ‘telemarketing’ when the long distance market exploded. Since then the industry has grown exponentially in volume and bad practices... and all the negative things now associated with the word ‘telemarketing’ represent the reasons why your home number can likely be found on the ‘Do Not Call’ list.
Yet companies continue to use telemarketing because it works. Last year 32% of people in North America (more in the US than in Canada and 34% men vs. 30% women) purchased something as a result of a telemarketing call, with an average cost of $136 USD per transaction. And this does not include all the successful donation solicitations.
In particular, people were persuaded to purchase long distance plans (12.6%), magazine or newspaper subscriptions (11.5%), cable and satellite service (9%) along with lawn care, insurance, cleaning and repair service and others.
Indeed, telemarketing. response rates are over 3%, which may explain why over $900 billion worth of products were sold through teleselling.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadian businesses use telemarketing every year, according to Wally Hill, vice-president of public affairs and communications of the Canadian Marketing Association. He also says that "Telemarketing is far and away the leading source of calls and complaints about marketing that we receive at our organization."
The picture is the same in the US, where the number of companies using telemarketing as a marketing tool numbers in the millions (it’s no wonder consumers are complaining!).
It’s not just violations of the Do Not Call registries that generate the complaints, but scams and rude people on the other end of the line.
If you are one of the companies using telemarketing, here are a few tips to help you be more successful – and to not alienate potential customers in the process. Note: As you read these suggestions, remember that i) they are borne from complaints heard over and over in research and ii) that many complaints are associated with companies who think their call centres behave better.
1) Never start a call by lying to customers with the customer service courtesy call line.
2) Don’t call before 9:00 a.m. At that time people are either asleep (it’s a weekend, they’re home sick, or they’ve just come in from shift work and may be getting ready for bed) or they are rushing out the door to work or school. Either way, the last thing they want is a sales call.
3) Don’t expect your prospective customer to wait to talk to your rep; that’s highly disrespectful. It also prompts respondents to hang up when they hear the silence, and makes the people who don’t hang up 40% less likely to purchase.
Even worse: An outbound telemarketing call recording that asks respondents to wait while their call is transferred to the next available agent. Yes, some companies actually do this!
Instead, program your autodialer so that the call is transferred to a sales person as soon as the ringing starts. Yes, it costs more to do it this way, but the higher closing rates more than make up for it.
4) Make sure your reps speak English (or Spanish, or French, or whatever language your customer speak) well without heavy accents. Many companies outsource their telemarketing to India – yet over 70% of North Americans HATE dealing with customer service reps from India, and even more object to telemarketing calls from people who can barely speak English.
If your customer asks to someone who speaks English, the rep needs to transfer the call immediately to a North American call centre, instead of getting angry and insisting that they do speak English.
5) Train your call centre reps well so that they never cross the line from persuading into high pressure bullying. If you are using an out of country, outbound call centre the reps must be trained in the cultural norms and expectations of the inhabitants in the country they are calling – preferably by someone from that country. What is considered acceptable in some countries is considered to be overly aggressive and downright rude in others.
6) When the respondent says ‘no thank you’, the caller needs to end the conversation immediately and politely. It leaves a very sour taste in people’s mouths when a telemarketer hangs up on them.
7) Make sure the rep knows enough to answer questions without reading from a script, and that they are aware of all promotions being offered by the company.
8) Make sure your outbound telemarketing campaigns dovetail with the rest of your marketing initiatives.
Also, it you are combining telemarketing and direct mail or e-mail, then everyone at the call centre needs to receive copies of the printed pieces or e-mail message at least two shifts before the campaign is launched. The reps need to be briefed and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Their call screens also need to be updates accordingly.
We have found that this simple step makes for better customer/ rep conversations and higher close rates.
9) Train your reps to use the script as a guide and to talk to customers in a normal, friendly conversational tone. This one thing can increase close rates three fold.
10) Use online media as a way of making the initial connection so that your phone contacts are not complete cold calls.
11) Wherever possible use landlines, not cell phones. Over 80% of people surveyed indicate that they view telemarketing calls on a cell phone much more of an invasion of privacy, than they do similar land line calls. Yes, we expect this to change as more and more consumers move towards only having one number... but we’re not there yet.
12) Get your call centre reps to take good notes when they talk with prospects – even the ones who say ‘no’. This will let you better tailor your calls for other campaigns.
Hopefully these tips will help your reps deliver better customer service and speak with prospective customers in a way that makes them want to become clients.
If you would like more info on any of the above suggestions, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
It was one such call that prompted me to start this blog. If you are in business, you know that your customers are your most important asset (next to your employees). You also know that customer service needs to be excellent in these days of social networking if you want to maintain and grow your business. Yet so often companies that should know better, have people on their front lines who act as if the customer is a pain in the butt.
This blog is intended to give people who value their customers some ideas for improving the service they provide (and yes, there are actual tips at the end of this rather lengthy first post).
Okay, back to me having been awakened this morning with “Hi this is a courtesy customer service call from...”
You just know that the moment you hear that phrase that you are about to be harassed by the person on the other end of the phone. In most cases it’s someone whose command of English is less than stellar – which probably explains why he or she cannot understand the words, ‘No thank you’.
In the early 1980s we recommended that clients call customers to thank them for large ticket purchases... and in those days, it was unheard of and customers responded well to the calls.
Then AT&T coined the phrase ‘telemarketing’ when the long distance market exploded. Since then the industry has grown exponentially in volume and bad practices... and all the negative things now associated with the word ‘telemarketing’ represent the reasons why your home number can likely be found on the ‘Do Not Call’ list.
Yet companies continue to use telemarketing because it works. Last year 32% of people in North America (more in the US than in Canada and 34% men vs. 30% women) purchased something as a result of a telemarketing call, with an average cost of $136 USD per transaction. And this does not include all the successful donation solicitations.
In particular, people were persuaded to purchase long distance plans (12.6%), magazine or newspaper subscriptions (11.5%), cable and satellite service (9%) along with lawn care, insurance, cleaning and repair service and others.
Indeed, telemarketing. response rates are over 3%, which may explain why over $900 billion worth of products were sold through teleselling.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadian businesses use telemarketing every year, according to Wally Hill, vice-president of public affairs and communications of the Canadian Marketing Association. He also says that "Telemarketing is far and away the leading source of calls and complaints about marketing that we receive at our organization."
The picture is the same in the US, where the number of companies using telemarketing as a marketing tool numbers in the millions (it’s no wonder consumers are complaining!).
It’s not just violations of the Do Not Call registries that generate the complaints, but scams and rude people on the other end of the line.
If you are one of the companies using telemarketing, here are a few tips to help you be more successful – and to not alienate potential customers in the process. Note: As you read these suggestions, remember that i) they are borne from complaints heard over and over in research and ii) that many complaints are associated with companies who think their call centres behave better.
1) Never start a call by lying to customers with the customer service courtesy call line.
2) Don’t call before 9:00 a.m. At that time people are either asleep (it’s a weekend, they’re home sick, or they’ve just come in from shift work and may be getting ready for bed) or they are rushing out the door to work or school. Either way, the last thing they want is a sales call.
3) Don’t expect your prospective customer to wait to talk to your rep; that’s highly disrespectful. It also prompts respondents to hang up when they hear the silence, and makes the people who don’t hang up 40% less likely to purchase.
Even worse: An outbound telemarketing call recording that asks respondents to wait while their call is transferred to the next available agent. Yes, some companies actually do this!
Instead, program your autodialer so that the call is transferred to a sales person as soon as the ringing starts. Yes, it costs more to do it this way, but the higher closing rates more than make up for it.
4) Make sure your reps speak English (or Spanish, or French, or whatever language your customer speak) well without heavy accents. Many companies outsource their telemarketing to India – yet over 70% of North Americans HATE dealing with customer service reps from India, and even more object to telemarketing calls from people who can barely speak English.
If your customer asks to someone who speaks English, the rep needs to transfer the call immediately to a North American call centre, instead of getting angry and insisting that they do speak English.
5) Train your call centre reps well so that they never cross the line from persuading into high pressure bullying. If you are using an out of country, outbound call centre the reps must be trained in the cultural norms and expectations of the inhabitants in the country they are calling – preferably by someone from that country. What is considered acceptable in some countries is considered to be overly aggressive and downright rude in others.
6) When the respondent says ‘no thank you’, the caller needs to end the conversation immediately and politely. It leaves a very sour taste in people’s mouths when a telemarketer hangs up on them.
7) Make sure the rep knows enough to answer questions without reading from a script, and that they are aware of all promotions being offered by the company.
8) Make sure your outbound telemarketing campaigns dovetail with the rest of your marketing initiatives.
Also, it you are combining telemarketing and direct mail or e-mail, then everyone at the call centre needs to receive copies of the printed pieces or e-mail message at least two shifts before the campaign is launched. The reps need to be briefed and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Their call screens also need to be updates accordingly.
We have found that this simple step makes for better customer/ rep conversations and higher close rates.
9) Train your reps to use the script as a guide and to talk to customers in a normal, friendly conversational tone. This one thing can increase close rates three fold.
10) Use online media as a way of making the initial connection so that your phone contacts are not complete cold calls.
11) Wherever possible use landlines, not cell phones. Over 80% of people surveyed indicate that they view telemarketing calls on a cell phone much more of an invasion of privacy, than they do similar land line calls. Yes, we expect this to change as more and more consumers move towards only having one number... but we’re not there yet.
12) Get your call centre reps to take good notes when they talk with prospects – even the ones who say ‘no’. This will let you better tailor your calls for other campaigns.
Hopefully these tips will help your reps deliver better customer service and speak with prospective customers in a way that makes them want to become clients.
If you would like more info on any of the above suggestions, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
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