AGCCP Annual Conference Charlotte, North Carolina Customer Service as an Experience AGCCP Annual Conference May 13-15, 2014 Charlotte, North Carolina Cory Fleming, Program Director ICMA 311/CRM Technical Assistance Services

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. Mahatma Gandhi

Discussion Questions What do you see as the difference between getting a coffee at Starbucks vs. McDonald’s? What about staying at Westin Hotel vs. Super 8? Do you like going car shopping? Why or why not?

Excellent customer service creates a great customer experience.

Data and information enter the right side of the brain before proceeding to the left side of the brain which governs logic. In other words, we feel before we think.

Emotions are: Untidy Unstructured and complex Very difficult to measure BUT….

Research shows that at least 50% of the customer experience is driven by emotions. In other words, how did the experience make the customer feel?

Creating positive customer service experience requires engaging a person on an emotional level. Part of your goal is to make people feel… good, happy, amused, satisfied, accomplished, pleased, heard, understood, respected, valued, etc. Most important thing for you to take away from today’s conversation…. Use of humor Be willing to address mistakes Resolve issues on initial call if at all possible

Emotions are much more powerful than logic. Emotions are consistently with us as humans.

Discussion Questions What emotion(s) do you want your customers to have after an interaction with your staff? Do you know? If not, why not? How do you convey that message to your staff?

Key Skill Sets for Customer Service

Trust

Build Trust & Credibility Caring and Empathy Actively listen Give feedback, ask questions, acknowledge Acknowledge importance of the issue for all stakeholders State why this issue is important to you on a personal level People believe those who are trusted and credible. During a crisis the callers needs to know you care and understand. Actively listen to the caller. To demonstrate you are listening restate the callers question or statement. Restating their question gives you an opportunity to decide how you will respond to the questions or statement. Try to personalize the conversation stating why the callers issue is important to you and/or the University.

Building Trust & Credibility Openness and honesty Tell people what you do know Admit it if you do not know the answer to their question Always respond as if there is no such thing as a bad or unimportant question Explain openly and honestly what you know. Only share approved information -It’s appropriate to admit your don’t know and encourage the person to monitor website, social media for updates. • Be patient and explain your responses so that everyone can understand. Don’t be condescending.

Showing Empathy Recognizing emotions in others Using tone of voice and body language to convey empathy. Phrases that demonstrate empathy I understand….. I’m sorry…… I can appreciate….. Basically you need to be able to put yourself in the other person’s shoes

Caring/Empathy Statements I’m a parent too. I care about this issue too. I have asked myself some of the same questions. That’s a very important question to me also.

Statements to Avoid I know how you feel. I think you have a right to be concerned. I’m glad you asked that question. Thank you for that question. That’s a good question.

Building Rapport Use the resident’s name. *** Say “please” and “thank you.” Do not say, “No problem.” Show your interest in the resident’s needs. Be empathetic to the resident’s feelings. Explain your reason(s) for saying no. Let the resident know his or her options, i.e., what you can do for him or her. *** - Depends on your relationship as to whether you use first name or more formal salutation. TSA

Face-to-Face 55% body language 38% tone of voice 7% words used Telephone 82% tone of voice 18% words used

The Smile Test http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/

Face-to-Face Skills Appearance Eye contact Smile Open body language Patience Listening

Verbal and Vocal Skills Remember that your body language may say more than you do. Maintain a positive attitude Remember that there’s a difference between educating someone and teaching him a lesson. Make everyone feel important.

Verbal and Vocal Skills 2 ears & 1 mouth - listen more than you speak. Speak up and speak clearly Be aware of how fast and loud you’re speaking. Avoid using professional jargon and lingo. Confirm your understanding of the situation by repeating or rephrasing what you’ve heard.

Multi-Channel Skills Phone E-mails Texts Mobile apps Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Avoid multi-tasking whenever possible and give your full attention to customer whether face-to-face or over the phone. Recognize that emotions/tones do come through e-mails and texts are subject to misinterpretation. Always, always stop to re-read hastily written e-mails, texts, and social media postings. Once the message leaves you screen, you can’t take it back. Don’t text during meetings. If you receive an emergency phone call, excuse yourself and take the call out of the room. On the phone, repeat phone numbers back to the listener and confirm your understanding of the message.

Cory Fleming cfleming@icma.org 207-854-1083 (land) 202-468-3253 (cell)