©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Service Matters Real People discuss Real Ideas that affect the foundation for customer service issues and challenges.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What motivates you to excel?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Benefits include promotions, accolades and repeat business. Being competitive gives you an edge, helps you to excel. A sincere desire to want to help people Doing a great job results in a high job satisfaction. What motivates you to excel?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What motivates you to excel? Performing at a high level can lead to promotions. At the end of the day, doing your best means no regrets. Our goal is to develop a loyal customer base. Human nature: a positive service experience makes you feel good.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What motivates you to excel? Desire: wanting to provide your customer with a very positive experience. Finding new customers is far more expensive than retaining your existing clients. Build your reputation as a world class service provider.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What’s in it for you?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What’s in it for you? You represent your organization’s name and brand to that customer. Great customer service is all about the desire to assist others. Delivering excellent service is a reflection on the way you choose to live your life. Doing a great job can lead to raises and promotions. Helping others resolve problems can be a strong source of personal satisfaction.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What’s in it for you? Delivering excellent service can lead to career growth and endurance. Work to help your department or team be successful. Personal rewards include paychecks and satisfaction of being employed. Also, financial independence, benefits, perks, vacations, rewards and awards

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What advice would you offer a new person?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What advice would you offer a new person? You’re there to resolve the issue for your customer. Don’t take customer service challenges personally. It’s not what you say, but how you say it that matters most. Demonstrate that you truly care about your customer.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What advice would you offer a new person? You must sell yourself before you sell your service or product. Being successful at assisting customers will make your job easier. Delivering exceptional service is both rewarding and fun. Job satisfaction: you get out of it exactly what you put into it.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What does taking ownership mean to you?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What does taking ownership mean to you? Taking ownership means making a personal commitment to help find a resolution. Ownership means acting and operating as if you owned a business. Your issue is my issue. Follow up means checking back with the customer after the problem has been resolved.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO What does taking ownership mean to you? Be accountable and operate with the highest level of integrity as if no one is listening. Reliability: the customer is counting on you to help guide them to a resolution. Take the ball and run with it, with the customer. Ownership means being responsible for the success or failure of that particular situation.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you build rapport?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you build rapport? Rapport building means establishing a strong connection with that customer that isn’t necessarily business related. Be aware of areas of common interest with your customer. When possible, keep notes concerning your customer. Be aware of Rapport Building Opportunities in client profiles and notes. Clients will appreciate your efforts to build rapport.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you build rapport? Rapport building can lead to more loyal customers. Listening skills are a key part to building rapport. Work to build your customer’s confidence level. First few seconds are critical in rapport building. Enthusiasm plays a big role in delivering excellent service.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you build rapport? Genuine enthusiasm will help you come across as sincere and caring. Customers contact us to get help or get a matter resolved. Improve service by being aware of different customer personality types. Vary your approach to best suit that customer’s needs.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle bad days?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle bad days? It’s not the customer’s concern if you’re having a bad day. Treat conversations as if it’s the only time that client interacts with your organization. Use humor to combat negative emotions. Try to never let a customer know you’re having a bad day. Keep a visual reminder handy to help you mentally counter challenging situations.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle bad days? Visual reminders can include photos of family, vacation spots or something you aspire for. Viewing past awards and accolades will remind you of your excellent performance level. When you walk into the office, leave negative emotions at the door. Compartmentalize personal challenges to keep them from affecting work performance.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle bad days? For high performing service professionals, bad days are simply not allowed. Delivering great service is similar to being on stage. Deliver an excellent performance each and every time you interact with a customer. Excellent customer service should be delivered consistently throughout your day. Your last interaction of the day could be the customer’s first interaction with your company.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle varying customer styles?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle varying customer styles? Mirroring: attempting to match the communication style of your customer. Individual styles can include things like rate of speech, volume, emotions and use of humor. Attempt to relate to your customer and tailor your delivery to their style. Service professionals should be like chameleons: willing to adapt to whatever is needed.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you handle varying customer styles? Process of gaining awareness and understanding by processing information There could be times when mirroring isn’t appropriate. Do your best to relate and show that customer a willingness to assist. Matching your customer’s style can help put you on the same level.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Is the customer always right?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Is the customer always right? The customer is always right – in their own mind. It’s not in anyone’s best interest to tell a customer they are wrong. “No” is one of the most dangerous words in customer service. Learn to convey “no” without actually saying it. Don’t tell customers what you can’t do, tell them what you can do.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Is the customer always right? Strive to find a way to satisfy the customer. Conduct yourself as if it’ll be tomorrow’s headline. Making the customer feel they are right is key. In the customer’s mind, they are right. The artful part of customer service is conveying policy in a fair and measured way.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Is the customer always right? Try to arrive at a conclusion which is fair for both parties. Ask yourself, can I afford to lose this customer? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Be fair to the customer as well as your organization. Explain the “whys” behind the “whats.”

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you demonstrate you care?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you demonstrate you care? Active listening means providing feedback to let the customer know you’re paying attention. Be aware of subtle clues which disclose the true needs of your customer. A smile can definitely be heard through a phone conversation. You are the source of the success of that interaction. Truly caring about that customer is key to providing great service.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO How do you demonstrate you care? Asking lots of questions will help you learn needs and provide the right solutions. Customers appreciate hearing their name when used in a sincere manner. Work to show your customer how important they are to you and your organization. When possible, personalize the interaction with details from the customer’s profile.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO If you were hiring your replacement, which traits would you look for?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO If you were hiring your replacement, which traits would you look for? Ownership means it’s mine. I’ll follow through, find a resolution and keep you in the loop. Communication is key: listen and make yourself understood. Be an advocate who has a vested interest in an outcome which is positive for the customer. Be analytical, a problem solver, a good listener helps to provide solutions.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO If you were hiring your replacement, which traits would you look for? Abstract thinking is important because many solutions don’t go according to plan. Multi-tasking is having the ability to deal with many activities while performing at a high level. Confidence, personality and a great sense of humor are important traits in service delivery. Use your sense of humor to help set the customer at ease. Being enthusiastic and enjoying what you do will help you succeed.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Excellent customer service: Natural or learned?

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Excellent customer service: Natural or learned? Some people are naturals but excellent service skills can be learned. Be willing to work hard and model yourself after people who are already successful. Cornerstones: desire, building rapport, being accessible and offering solutions. People who are open to coaching, teaching and mentoring can learn the needed skills.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Excellent customer service: Natural or learned? The customer service profession offers valuable feedback from clients and managers. Having a great personality doesn’t necessarily translate into providing excellent customer service. Attributes such as listening skills or not taking things personally make a big difference. Desire to do a good job is extremely important.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Excellent customer service: Natural or learned? Having a willingness to assist and serve others is critical. Education, when combined with the desire, will yield excellent results. Role playing and practice will develop and sharpen skills. While some people are naturals, everyone benefits from training.

©Telephone Doctor, Inc, St. Louis, MO Service Matters Get more satisfaction from your job and a brighter future for your organization and for yourself!