BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures

Why is customer care important ? Increasing market competition BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Why is customer care important ? Increasing market competition Globalisation Rise of consumerism Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) as important an asset as capital and labour Reflects on how well staff themselves are treated

Why are customers valuable ? BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Why are customers valuable ? Think of customers as an income stream e.g. how much is spent over 12 years by a family spending £80 per week on groceries 60% customers are repeat business Much cheaper to retain customers than attract new ones

Gabrielle Battista, President of Cable and Wireless BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Succinctly… “We had a simple goal, find the right customers, learn what they want, sell it to them, service all their needs” Gabrielle Battista, President of Cable and Wireless

But central problems to be solved are: BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures But central problems to be solved are: Enterprise information and customer information must be integrated into a single whole New kinds of customer behavioural information must be captured and processed Customers and employees must share a common knowledge base

The product (e.g. mortgage package, meal) The process (how handled) BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Aspects of service The product (e.g. mortgage package, meal) The process (how handled) The programmes (when dealt with) The plant (types of equipment and particular usage) The people (trained, motivated, rewarded)

Characteristics of service industries… Consumed at point of production BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Characteristics of service industries… Consumed at point of production Customer is present Mistakes cannot be hidden Greater importance of ‘right first time’ Process is hard to control with customer there Customers react to situations

Lucy Gaster, Quality in Public Services BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures “Almost all services depend, in one way or another, on other services, as part of the input, throughput or output and sometimes all three “ “Quality.. applies as much to the relationships along the chain as it does to the ultimate link” Lucy Gaster, Quality in Public Services

Have a well established and speedy procedure BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Complaint Handling Help customers to complain accurately (know exactly what has gone wrong) Have a well established and speedy procedure How are ‘customers from hell’ dealt with? How do we interpret numbers of complaints?

Web-based Customer Care Historically, we use a cost-free call-centre BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Web-based Customer Care Historically, we use a cost-free call-centre Virtually every area of customer support (information, support, maintenance, warranties, upgrades, status) can be handled over the Internet. E-commerce allows possibilities for accessing information for life-time value

Customer Relationship Marketing… BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures Customer Relationship Marketing… Creates dialogues with customers to supply needs rather than sell products Not meant to be a ‘quick fix’ but a change in marketing strategy Long term aim is to build customers for life Be capable of delivering real solutions

10 Good Customer Habits to Develop BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures 10 Good Customer Habits to Develop Be on Time Follow Up on Promises Under-promise,over-deliver Go the extra mile Offer Customer Options Express Sympathy Give Customers highest priority Treat co-workers as customers Give Customer your name and number Develop good telephone manner

10 Good Ways to be a role model BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures 10 Good Ways to be a role model Start the day right Discuss Feelings Do the Right thing Support Staff’s decisions Be willing not to know the answer Learn to listen Take time to socialise Good telephone etiquette Thank staff often Say what you mean (mean what you say)

10 Major Don’ts (and Do’s) BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures 10 Major Don’ts (and Do’s) ‘I don’t know’ ‘No’ ‘That’s not my job’ ‘You’re right – this stinks’ ‘That’s not my fault’ ‘You need to talk to my manager’ ‘You want it when?’ ‘Calm down’ ‘I’m busy just now’ ‘Call me back’

BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures De Bono’s ‘Six Hats’ White Objective info (facts and figures) What facts do I need ? How do I get them? Red Feelings, emotions, non-rational feelings How do I feel about this ? Black Why ideas will not work What are downsides ? Yellow Opportunities, possibilities Advantages? Best possible outcome ? Green Creative new ideas Fresh innovative approaches, creative Blue Control of the thinking process – ‘Cool’ Review thoughts, think of next logical step

BS1036 Quality Management & Customer Care 2: Customer Care: philosophy and procedures How would you plan a customer care programme for a library/information centre ?