“Delivering EXTRA Special Customer Service”

Why are you here? Take a moment, right now, and do something that most people rarely (if ever) do: Think about the purpose of your job- Why does your job exist? The fact is, your job – everyone's job – exists for one primary purpose to either make or do things for other people. Those “other people” are our customers. As such they are the real source of your income, they are the real reason you are blessed with employment.

It starts and ends with you Ask don’t Tell By doing this you not only demonstrate that the right person (the customer) is in charge, you also extend a common courtesy that lets them know they are valued and appreciated. Use phrases like “Do you mind waiting while I find out for you” instead of “Wait here and I’ll find out for you” Never end an interaction with a negative- your inability to act (I can’t) Next time you find yourself needing to tell a customer “I can’t do that” tack on this service phrase, “but here is what I Can do”

It starts and ends with you Watch your body language To interact with customers effectively you need to not only use the right words, but your body language needs to show that you really mean what you are saying Do something extra After you meet a customer’s needs, look for one more thing – something EXTRA – to do for them or give to them. Under promise and OVER DELIVER

It starts and ends with you Develop an “attitude of gratitude” Be thankful you have a job- not everyone today can make that claim, and that makes you one of the lucky ones! Attitude is infectious Treat you customer how you would like to be treated. Listen, care, and act.

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” -ROGER STAUBACH

Keeping Your Customer Avoid making the customer feel WRONG. Never ever ever EVER tell your customer they were stupid / wrong to call / email for assistance. That’s the best way to LOOSE that customer- and possibly many more!

Keeping Your Customer Be Patient. A customer who’s having to deal with an issue or problem getting fixed is going to not be on their best behavior. Understand this beforehand and you're ahead of the game. Know that it's not personal - it's stress and anxiety. This is not really the normal person it's the reactionary part of the psyche

Keeping Your Customer 3. Be Empathetic Being Empathetic means you'd like to help- you understand their position / opinion. It doesn't mean you have to agree with it. Just hear them.

Keeping Your Customer Take time to Listen- really listen It takes time to win a customer, but it only takes seconds to loose one Its OKAY to say “I Don’t Know”. As long as… You follow up with “but I will find out for you!” Follow through and Follow up You have shown them respect and they will respect you and your business!

“If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.” -UNKNOWN

Keeping Your Customer 6. Treat Them With Respect. 7. Never EVER lie. Don’t talk “up” to them. Using big words is not going to help! Don’t talk “down” to them. You won’t make friends treating them like a two year old. 7. Never EVER lie. It will come back to bite you!

Keeping Your Customer 8. Be Positive a. A real smile goes a long way 9. Understand the customers reality Bad customer service is often a result of not understanding what the customer really needs.

Keeping Your Customer 10. Make customer service a standard practice Cultivate a business culture where excellent consistent and part of your core business function customer service training is constant. 11. Make customer service real. Find out what your staff is thinking. Finding out what they think is cheaper than finding out from ex-customers!

“Here is a simple but powerful rule - always give people more than what they expect to get.” -NELSON BOSWELL

Keeping Your Customer 12. Enlarge your idea of service Anyone who interacts with customers MUST be trained in customer service. Role distinctions are meaningless to customers- If any employee is untrained, customers may make harsh and often immediate evaluations. 13. Internal customers are just as important as external ones. Your business type does not matter- anyone who needs or uses what you provide is a customer

Keeping Your Customer 14. Don’t get comfortable Business is cynical. Do something well and soon your competitors do it just as well- or better! Excellent Customer Service gives you an edge.

Excellent Customer Service is a serious, strategic investment that warrants constant focus, follow-through and review.

Customer Service?

Training Tips Teach the art of listening. In situations where customers are not generally upset over an issue, good listening skills will show the customer that your business cares about her as an individual. There are a number of activities that you can do to increase listening skills among your staff members. Role playing in a group setting can be used as a tool to develop these much-needed skills.

Training Tips Resolve to instruct your staff in all aspects of your business. Customers can get easily irritated standing in a long line when there are other employees around who could help. If all of your staff members are able to carry out all functions of your business, such as operating the cash register, then the chances of customers becoming impatient are decreased dramatically.

Training Tips Create a culture of helping. If your staff members are in the habit of helping people, it will come as second nature when dealing with customers. Attitude is a key component of customer service. If you train your staff to check their attitude each and every day in order to stay in the right frame of mind, they will be less likely to offer poor customer service. One way to do this is to create an atmosphere where helping is the norm. Emphasizing the need for employees to help one another will have a contagious effect that will carry over to the realm of customer service. Eventually, helping people will become second nature.

Top Five Hot Buttons for Customers Training Tips Top Five Hot Buttons for Customers 5. I can’t I don’t know I’ll be honest with you You’ll have to AND 1. I’ll try

Handling an Angry Customer Use the EAR method E – Empathize A – Acknowledge/Apologize R - Responsibility

“Delivering EXTRA Special Customer Service” “Washrooms will always tell if your company cares about its customers.” -Unknown “Delivering EXTRA Special Customer Service” The End