| |
|
|
|
|
A Guide For Customer Service Training Tools
Let's face it, good customer service can make or break a
company. Even if the product is top-notch, if the sales
representatives don't have great customer service skills, it
doesn't matter. Customer service should be a number one priority
to any...Continue
Check Yourself for Outstanding Customer Service
How many times have you heard something similar to this in a customer service situation? Customer: “Why don’t you just do it this way, and it will take care of the situation.” Customer Service Person: “I understand what you are saying, but we can to do it...Continue
Customer Service - A Lost Art?
Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that question, take a moment and think about the last few times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now that you have really thought about it, is your answer any different?
Why is it that...Continue
Delivering Great Customer Service - 10 Tips
It almost goes without saying that good customer service is essential to sustaining any business. No matter how wonderful a job you do of attracting new customers, you won’t be profitable for long unless you have a solid customer retention strategy in...Continue
Silly Service has its Serious Side: Test Your Customer Service Knowledge!
Who says service is serious? Customer service can be silly too. Take this fun quiz to test your customer service knowledge. You may be a service ace if you both pick the correct answer to each of these ten questions, and understand why...Continue
What is Great Customer Service?
In almost all cases customers come to your business because they have a problem and believe that you may have the solution. Whether you do, or whether you can build enough trust with the customer to let them solve their problem is up to you.
In the day...Continue
|
|
|
Customer service lessons from Tony Soprano and Club Med
Whether you work one-to-one or deal with customers in groups, you identify a target market of customers most likely to value what you can offer. You develop processes that work best with those clients. You learn to anticipate their responses and help them feel pampered.
Ideally, you recruit new customers who fit your target customer profile, but sometimes you attract a customer who doesn't belong. These customer misfits can drain your energy, alienate other customers and fail to recognize the value you provide through your service.
A lesson from Tony Soprano
For an extreme example of what happens when you accept a "different" type of client, watch a few episodes of The Sopranos, an HBO mega-hit. You can rent videotapes of the first two seasons.
Almost every episode includes scenes between mob boss Tony Soprano and his psychiatrist, Janet Melfi. These scenes are so realistic that professional psychotherapy associations have included them in training programs.
From a customer service perspective, the psychiatrist seems overwhelmed by her notorious client. She can't resist hinting at his identity during a dinner party.
And Tony in turn is dangerous to his therapist. His curiosity about her background goes well beyond the average client's harmless fantasy, as he orders a wayward cop to follow her around for a few days.
Tony means well. When the therapist's car breaks down, her patient simply "borrows" the car and arranges for a repair at one of the "family" garages. He brushes away the therapist's concern about boundaries.
Your client will most likely be less connected, less violent and less persistent. But you may find yourself dealing with someone who is equally determined not to play by your rules.
A lesson from Club Med
The wrong customer can harm everyone and experienced service companies know it. Suppose you signed up for Club Med with the idea that you were going on a retreat, where the "wild night out" would be a fireside poetry reading. As soon as you realize your mistake, Club Med will fly you back home and refund all your money. Bad attitudes are contagious.
You may not be as focused as Club Med, but your process will most likely work best with a certain type of client. A cynical client will challenge your value. A client who trusts without questions will easily feel betrayed.
In summary
Service businesses thrive on established processes and systems to serve clients, rather than relying on ad hoc "whatever happens" policies. The "wrong client" drains energy and can drive away "right" clients. By staying focused you can direct energy to building relationships with customers who enjoy each other's company and help you find others who, like them, will value what you offer.
About the Author
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., author of Making the Big Move, helps midlife
professionals navigate career and business transitions. "How Smart
People Can Derail Their Transitions" complimentary Special Report
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html . Contact:
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/feedback.html Phone: 505-534-4194
|
| |
|
|
