Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Lesson Goals: Realize the relationship between customer service and customer satisfaction Identify qualities of excellent customer service Learn how to handle difficult customers Enhance communication skills Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Is 99.9% Good Enough? 5,516,200 cases of flat soft drinks 2 million lost documents 811,000 faulty rolls of film 12 babies given to wrong parents 1,312 calls misplaced per second Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Service Statistics Only 37% of brands received good or excellent customer experience index scores in % of brands got a rating of OK, poor, or very poor from their customers. Poor customer experiences result in an estimated $83 billion loss by US enterprises each year because of defections and abandoned purchases. 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. Customer power has grown, as 73%of firms trust recommendations from friends and family, while only 19 % trust direct mail Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Service Statistics Over 60% of customer service managers select customer satisfaction as the key metric for determining the success of their support organization. Secondary priorities include first call resolution, average handle time, and wait time. 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience. Only 26% of companies have a well-developed strategy in place for improving customer experience. $289 – Average annual value of each customer relationship lost to a competitor or abandoned. US consumers prefer to resolve their customers service issues using the telephone (90%) face to face (75%), company website or (67%), online chat (47%), text message (22%), social networking site (22%). Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Why Customers / Clients Stop Doing Business 1% die 3% move away 5% other reasons 9% competition 14% dont like the product or service 68% indifferent attitude of sales people Around 95% of the customers that leave will not tell you when or why, they just leave. Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Customers Evaluate Service Quality on Five Points ReliabilityReliability AssuranceAssurance TangiblesTangibles EmpathyEmpathy ResponsivenessResponsiveness Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Reliability Perform and live up to promises Dependable Accurate Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Assurance Trust and confidence in you Possess required skills and knowledge to perform the job well Answer questions Product knowledge Listening skills Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Tangibles Quality in what can be seen or felt Physical facility Equipment Staff Letters Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Empathy Caring and individualized Available when customers need help Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Responsiveness Willingness to assist customers Prompt service Resolve problems quickly Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Barriers to Effective Listening Listening with half an ear Acting as the judge and the jury Tuning in and tuning out Turning off ideas you dont agree with Jumping to conclusions Emotional and physical health Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Ten Tips for Effective Listening 1.Stop talking! 2.Put the customer at ease 3.Pay attention to nonverbal language 4.Listen for what is not said 5.Know exactly what the other person is saying Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Ten Tips for Effective Listening 6. Be aware of tune out words 7. Concentrate on hidden emotional meanings 8. Be patient 9. Hold your temper! 10. Empathize with the Customer Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Telephone Reminders Greet the caller pleasantly and promptly Identify yourself and your department to the caller Use the callers name Every call is an important one Stress what you can do, not what you cannot do. Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

More Telephone Reminders Take the time to be helpful Say, please, thank you, and youre welcome Keep all your promises; return calls promptly Treat all callers as customers Treat all customers as friends Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

More Telephone Reminders When leaving messages, always leave your first and last name and your telephone number Do not leave a caller on hold for more than 20 seconds without coming back on the line Always ask Is there anything else I can do for you? before you say goodbye Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

When a Customer is Angry Dont argue Listen carefully Apologize and use reflective communication skills Show empathy Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Service Related Phrases Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Youre right. I agree with you that… I respect that... I understand... I respect that... I respect you for... I appreciate that...

When a Customer is Angry Thank the customer Make restitution Do what you promise Follow up Give them something Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Rewards for Excellent Customer Service Increased customer loyalty Positive word-of-mouth promotion Happier customers More productive and happier employees Smoother working operations Increased intangible competitive advantage Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge