Are You Being Served?

Customer Service. It’s so easy to spot spectacular customer service, isn’t it? Why are we surprised when we’re treated extremely well? We’re vulnerable when we ask for help, and, on the other side, we can be defensive when people start off a conversation by telling us what’s wrong. How can we serve and be served better? Consider these two examples...

Example #1

Brent goes to his local copy center, and attempts to copy a 100+ page document. The rent-a-copier eats part of his document, mixing up the order, and creating a mini-administrative nightmare in 30 seconds flat. Brent asks for help. Sarah, about 20 years old, comes over to fix the problem.

Sarah takes charge, and starts making Brent’s copies on a total of 3 machines. A couple of minutes later, she realizes that she’s hopelessly lost. But she’s doing the best she can to take care of Brent, which he recognizes. He’s patient, and grateful for her determined attention.

When the problem is finally solved, Sarah says to Brent, “thank-you for being nice.” She’d also said that twice during the chaos. She gave Brent a 20% discount for his having been patient and gracious about a job that took 3 times as long to complete as expected. Brent was appreciative, the job got done, and Sarah had fulfilled her true purpose as employee, which is to help the business. Win-win. Even though she discounted the price, she gained a loyal customer.

Example #2

Julie’s internet service was cut off without warning, and erroneously (a bookkeeping error). Email is vital to her business, and it took five days to get service restored. Why? The provider lacks adequate communication channels, and focus on customer service is poor.

It happened twice more that month. Each time that Julie contacted her Internet Service Provider, she had to “hold” for 20-30 minutes before a human being answered the phone. To add insult to injury, she had to listen repeatedly to the recording, “…your call is very important to us.” On two calls, the recording simply said, “our customer service representatives are presently all busy helping other customers. Please try your call again later.” The only way to reach the company is via this telephone number.

It must be very difficult to be a customer service representative for that company. Just think, each time they pick up the phone, the customer has already been kept waiting for 20-30 minutes….

The problem never was satisfactorily resolved, and the company blamed a third party for the error. They sent Julie an email asking her to respond to a customer service satisfaction survey on their website. She noticed again that there was no way to contact management of the company.

The survey left no room for comments. She filled it out and received a “form email” saying, “thank-you for your comments! We’re glad you’re part of our community!”

Julie never felt heard, and actually felt abused by a company to whom she’d paid hundreds of dollars. The company has lost her as a customer. How many more will they lose before they wake up?

What are the components of great customer service? How well do you deliver them in your work arena? Even on your toughest day, try to think of these seven steps when you’re helping your clients/customers:

1. Be friendly and gracious. Always. Period.
2. Listen; make sure the customer feels heard.
3. Restate the issue to be sure you’ve understood the problem correctly.
4. Inform the customer that you intend to take care of the problem.
5. Let the customer know what steps you can take, and if the issue requires more authority/resources than you have at your disposal. Take resolution of the problem as far as you can, and ensure a smooth hand-off to someone else, if necessary.
6. Tell the truth. Customers can smell a dodge or a cover-up a mile away.
7. Take the situation as an opportunity to forge or strengthen a customer relationship. There’s an art to turning a negative attitude into a positive one. Become a consummate artist. Welcome the opportunities that come your way.

Survivalist Skills for Entrepreneurs

I will be conducting a 90-minute seminar on Survivalist Skills for Entrepreneurs on October 23. This introductory workshop is part of Womenfest 1999, and is a great deal at $25 (includes lunch). We’ll be talking about profitability, marketing, business plans, and more. The seminar begins at 10:45 sharp, and will be held at the Escalante School in Durango, CO. If you have any questions, give me a call at (970) 259-4847. I hope to see many of you there!

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