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 SLIDE 1 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Service Statistics Only 4% of customers ever complain For every complaint, there are 26 other customers with unresolved complaints and 6 with serious problems Up to 95% of customers who complain will do business with you again if they feel you acted quickly and to their satisfaction. SLIDE 2 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Service Statistics A dissatisfied customer will tell up to 10 people… approximately 13% will tell up to 20 people Happy customers will tell between 3 and 5 people about their positive experiences Costs 5-6 times more to attract customers than to keep old ones SLIDE 3 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Why Customers / Clients Stop Doing Business 1% die 3% move away 5% other reasons 9% competition 14% don’t 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. SLIDE 4 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 don’t agree with Jumping to conclusions Emotional and physical health SLIDE 5 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 SLIDE 6 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 SLIDE 7 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Customers Evaluate Service Quality on Five Points Reliability Assurance Tangibles Empathy Responsiveness SLIDE 8 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Reliability Perform and live up to promises Dependable Accurate SLIDE 9 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 SLIDE 10 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Tangibles Quality in what can be seen or felt Physical facility Equipment Staff Letters SLIDE 11 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Empathy Caring and individualized Available when customers need help SLIDE 12 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Responsiveness Willingness to assist customers Prompt service Resolve problems quickly SLIDE 13 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Telephone Reminders Greet the caller pleasantly and promptly Identify yourself and your department to the caller Use the caller’s name Every call is an important one Stress what you can do, not what you cannot do. SLIDE 14 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

More Telephone Reminders Take the time to be helpful Say, “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome” Keep all your promises; return calls promptly Treat all callers as customers Treat all customers as friends SLIDE 15 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 SLIDE 16 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

When a Customer is Angry Don’t argue Listen carefully Apologize and use reflective communication skills Show empathy SLIDE 17 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

When a Customer is Angry Thank the customer Make restitution Do what you promise Follow up Give them something SLIDE 18 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Service Related Phrases SLIDE 19 “You’re right.” “I agree with you that…” “I respect that...” “I understand...” “I respect that...” “I respect you for...” “I appreciate that...” 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 SLIDE 20 Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge