Archive for Customer Service

Successful People Go Above and Beyond!

August 31, 2011 Eric Deschamps No comments

 

One day, Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden looking rather sad. So God asked him if anything was wrong. Adam replied that he was lonely because he didn’t have anyone to talk to. God told Adam he would make him a companion and that the companion would be called woman.

God said, “This person will gather food for you, cook for you, and when you discover clothing she’ll wash for you. She will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you’ve had a disagreement. She will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever you need it.”

Adam asked God, “What will a woman like this cost?” God replied, “An arm and a leg.” Then Adam asked, “What can I get for a rib?” And the rest is history.

You get what you pay for. You reap what you sow. Or put another way, you get out of life what you put into life. Successful people understand this principle. That is why they go above and beyond what is expected! They are anything but average.

The importance of possessing a clear and compelling vision of your future cannot be understated. But consider this: successful people don’t just DREAM about extraordinary things. They DO extraordinary things! A vision must be followed by determination, discipline and DOING in order to become a reality. Those who invest much will reap great rewards.

Think of Olympic athletes. They are at the top of their game because they do more than is expected of them. They go above and beyond the call of duty to win the gold. They are not average in any shape, way or form. We admire them for this very fact. (It’s important to note that these athletes also understand the power of working with a coach!)

Successful people get the raises and the promotions because they come to work early and stay late. When they run out of work to do, they find out what more they can do to add value to the people around them. This gets them noticed, and leads to further advancement.

Successful people go above and beyond!

Understand this clearly: you can’t enjoy the many benefits of success without paying the price to get there! You must be on the lookout for opportunities, and seize them when they appear. It has been said that the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity. I couldn’t agree more. Thomas Edison once said,

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Successful people understand that not only should you strike while the iron is hot, but you also MAKE IT HOT BY STRIKING. Don’t just wait around for opportunities to come your way! Create new opportunities by taking action now and going above and beyond! Approach life in this way and you will discover that opportunities find you!

Don’t settle for anything but the best in life. And remember that “good” and “better” are often the greatest enemies of “best.” Successful people pursue excellence and refuse mediocrity. They stand out from the crowd because they refuse to be average and to simply go along with the flow. They do more than expected! It’s as simple as that.

Someone has written that there are four kinds of bones in the world:

  • Wish bones who spend their time wishing someone else would do the work;
  • Jaw bones who do all the talking, but very little else;
  • Knuckle bones who knock everything that anyone else is trying to do, and
  • Back bones who shoulder the load and get the job done!

In any organization or team, aim to be the back bone. Strive to be that individual who stands out from the crowd and goes above and beyond the call of duty. Don’t give in to mediocrity!

A recent article revealed a football coach’s tactics for getting the best out of his players. He reminds his team regularly that if they aren’t careful, it is an easy slide into complacency. Winning the last game is no guarantee that they will win the next one. His players know that if they want more play time – more minutes on the field – they have to go above and beyond. They have to study more film, practice more plays, and endure more drills. In other words, they have to do MORE! And they have to expect more out of themselves, as individuals and as a team.

Great companies go above and beyond for their customers. They do more than expected, and that is why they succeed over the long-term. Take a moment to identify the last time you were impressed about a company’s service. What made them stand out? If you own your own business, how can you do more than expected for your clients? Look around you and take advantage of opportunities to go above and beyond, and you will reap the rewards of success.

By being passionate about the work you do, you will deliver more in quality service than you expect to receive in payment as compensation. This, in effect, is a way to keep money or value chasing you, rather than you chasing money. By always going above and beyond and doing more than expected, you’ll always be underpaid!

Consider this: if you’re paid more than you’re worth, eventually you will be restructured, re-engineered, replaced, fired, declared obsolete and disposed of. Overpaid individuals are over-drawn on their knowledge and skills bank account. Individuals who are underpaid for the level and quality of service they provide are always in demand and always ahead of the pay scale in terms of knowledge and contribution. So money and opportunity are always chasing them.

Take your cues from the successful. Refuse to be average. Stand out from the crowd. Go above and beyond!

Next on the agenda? Successful people take risks!

 

Eric Deschamps – Business Coach/Advisor, Ottawa

Business Effectiveness, Customer Service, Personal Effectiveness, Success, Uncategorized , , ,

Creating a WOW Experience for Your Customers!

July 12, 2011 Eric Deschamps No comments

 

Any business can provide good customer service. But if you want to build a highly profitable and successful enterprise, make sure your customer service is “beyond industry standards.”

While numerous factors are responsible for success, by far the easiest way to expand your business is to provide customers with customer service that creates a “wow” experience. This is akin to planting money seeds that will grow and yield harvests of profit.

Sadly, many business owners don’t provide the level of service they are capable of. Remember that all success in business is by design. It isn’t random. Give careful attention to how your business services your clients, and you will see more repeat business and increased referrals for your products and services.

One of the simplest strategies for improving your customer service is to listen to your clients. Your customers are the best source of ideas and inspiration available to you. Welcome compliments and criticisms. Make use of customer satisfaction surveys, which can be performed in person, on the phone, or online. Small businesses can learn a lot from their customers, so listen carefully to what they are saying, and more importantly, listen to what they are not saying!

Failure to follow up and to stay in touch with clients will kill repeat and long-term business faster than anything. People want to know they are valued. They want to hear from you and to feel that they have a relationship with you. Don’t forget! If you don’t connect with them regularly, your competition will. With customer loyalty being at an all-time low in most industries, people are most likely to buy where they feel the most valued and appreciated.

Develop a system of touch points to stay in contact with your client base. Post purchase follow up calls, company newsletters and promotions, greeting cards for birthdays and holidays are just a few of the many ways you can improve your follow up with your customers.

Provide a WOW experience that makes you stand out from your competitors!

The best philosophy to adopt when it comes to customer service is to under promise and over deliver. Although this catch phrase is often overused, the concept is often missed by many businesses. In an effort to make more sales, many companies promise the stars, only to deliver the moon. This may give them a short term win, but it is truly a long term loss, as a disappointed consumer will think twice before buying from that company again. However, if you build a system where promises are made, and then exceeded, your clients will appreciate the “added value” that you provided them.

For example, if upon purchasing your product, the client is promised a 48 hour delivery cycle and receives it a day late, you have an unhappy customer. However, if the client is promised a 72 hour delivery cycle and receives his order in two days, you have earned serious points with that customer. Always under promise and over deliver, in every area of client interaction and you will increase repeat sales and client loyalty.

Consider preparing scripts for every client interaction. Scripts for phone conversations, face-to-face interactions, and email communications. Prepare scripts for every client important interaction. Consider these examples:

  • They ask for help when you are busy
  • They ask for help when you’re not busy
  • They ask a question that you need to get more information on
  • They want something you don’t have
  • They want something that someone else in the company provides
  • They are looking for something they can’t find

Prepare scripts and train your employees to use them. Every business owner has struggled with the varying degree of customer service offered by different employees. Level the playing field! Write down what you want them to say, and then train them to say it. Don’t leave it to chance. Put your most outgoing staff members in customer contact roles. When hiring for such positions, look for attitude first. You can always train for aptitude. And make sure that your staff understand the power of a smile and a friendly attitude.

Finally, how you handle client complaints can set you apart from your competitors. Mistakes happen in business. One can mitigate against them with the proper systems, but you can never eliminate them altogether. What is your fall back plan? How is your staff trained to handle customer dissatisfaction? An unhappy client is an opportunity to build trust and loyalty, if the situation is handled with care. To better handle customer complaints, teach your staff the following concepts:

  • Listen attentively to the complaint without arguing or becoming defensive.
  • Affirm that the complaint presented is a problem that needs resolution.
  • Restate the complaint to the customer in your own words to ensure you understood them correctly. Ask clarifying questions if necessary.
  • Apologize. This is so simple, yet often overlooked. There are few people who are unwilling to accept a sincere apology for a mistake or oversight. This demonstrates that you truly care and are committed to making it right.
  • Provide a solution, i.e. a refund, a replacement, etc. Solve the problem at hand.
  • Thank them for bringing the matter to your attention so that you can improve as a business. By making you aware of the problem, they have helped you better your company and its products and services.

There are many other strategies that can be deployed to create a “wow” customer experience. The key is to take an honest look at your business and evaluate how you rate in terms of your ETDBW (easy to do business with). Consider enlisting the help of someone who is a stranger to your staff to do a mock run-through of your customer experience. What you find might surprise you!

Exceed your customers’ expectations, and you will keep them coming back.

“My business creates a “wow” experience for my clients and regularly exceeds their expectations.”

(Rate yourself 1-10)  

 

Eric Deschamps – Business Coach & Advisor, Ottawa

Customer Service, Uncategorized