BMGT 245- Customer Service Lanny Wilke

Imperative 4 - Become ETDBW

Bad Systems Stop Good People 4 “You can take great people, highly trained and motivated, and put them in a lousy system and the system will win every time. - Geary Rummler 4 Remember, our rules, regulations, and procedures should be in place to help us help our customer.

Our system must help our frontline people better-serve our customers. 4 Our delivery system must be easy to adapt to unusual situations and this flexibility must be available to our frontliners. 4 Make it easy on them and easy for them.

If your customer service stinks, it probably isn’t your people. 4 It may be the system. 4 Remember the blue rules and red rules.

But, whatever the rule, make it a “good” rule.

Good Rules…. 4 Are based on customer expectations and help us meet customer needs. 4 Make you easy to do business with. 4 Are consistent with our service strategy. 4 Provide mutual benefits to our partners (customers). 4 Have feedback as an integral part of the rule.

4 Encourage your people to respond to customers as individuals. 4 Remind everyone that they are guidelines to help us serve better, not additional reasons not to help our customers. 4 Help us remember that it is the needs of the customer that drive us.

Fix the System, Not the People

Warning Signs of a Dysfunctional Service Delivery System 4 I’m sorry. It’s against policy. 4 My computer is down. Can you call back later? 4 Just wait. It’ll show up. 4 That’s not my job. Call accounting. 4 You have to understand how we do business here.

Some Solutions 4 Get out of the office. 4 Call your office/department/store, using the general customer number. 4 Ask for something you know will be difficult or unique, but doable. 4 Count the following: –number of times you’re put on hold.

–Number of times you are transferred. –Number of people who say, “I’m not sure we can do that…” –Number of people who tell you all the reasons why they either can’t help or don’t feel like helping. –Number of people who tell you “No.” –Number of times you have to ask to speak to someone else.

4 The number of times you have to repeat yourself.

So you want to become ETDBW? 4 The best systems are: –Accessible –Accurate –Integrated –Customer-driven –Fast –Totally transparent

So you want to turn your business around? 4 Don’t start with hardware. 4 Don’t hire consultants. 4 Don’t start blaming people. 4 Do: –hold a series of small meetings with customer service and other support personnel. –Ask them two questions:

4 What do our customers like least about doing business with us? 4 What can we do to make it easier for you to serve the customer?

Measure & Manage from the Customer’s Point of View

What does customer- focused measurement look like? 4 It reflects your purpose. 4 It measures customer quality not just technical quality. 4 It should measure what’s important.

Checklist for Measuring 4 Gather information from every useful source. 4 Measure frequently enough. 4 Measure using fair questions. 4 Let employees see the results. 4 Benchmark your delivery system against competitors. 4 Make sure the data you collect is useful.

4 Make sure your measurement is qualitative as well as quantitative. 4 Is there an easily understandable connection between results and consequences?

Add Value: The Milk and Cookies Principle

4 Preplanned Value-Added –complimentary items or services. 4 Spontaneous Value-Addeds –One-time, creative

8 Times to Do Value-Addeds 4 For your non-complaining customers 4 for your complaining customers 4 for your new customers 4 for a customer who has thanked you. 4 For a customer who has been through a difficult time. 4 When you can save a customer from having a problem

4 For a customer who might bring you more customers. 4 For anyone who needs to have their day brightened up.

Make Recovery a Point of Pride

Remember, in even the best system... 4 Things will go wrong. When they do… –apologize –listen and empathize –fix the problem fairly –offer atonement –keep your promises –follow up

There are also 3 modifiers that govern the process... 4 Customers expectations for how service recovery should happen. 4 Customers want to be “fixed,” not just their problem. 4 Effective recovery is the result of planning.

4 “At that point where the customer is most insecure or incensed, you want your frontline people to be the most competent and confident.”

5 ways to make recovery routine. 4 Eliminate barriers. 4 Train their response. 4 Support and encourage. 4 Separate praise and critique. 4 Always back your people in public.

If it ain’t broke, fix it.

10 ways to get information to improve your system. 4 Customer surveys. 4 Focus groups. 4 Employee visit teams. 4 Customer visit teams. 4 Customer advisory panels. 4 User groups. 4 Employee surveys. 4 Mystery shopping services.

Just when you thought it was over…. 4 Not so fast. I’ll be back in a bit.