I know that when we look at customer service, it's very easy to take note of poor service and sometimes difficult to recognise good service.
I'm in the process of buying a new car at the moment and amongst a number of companies that weren't replying to emails and phone calls, there was one mechanic that was excellent with their responses. I was just calling to get quotes for some work that may be required, and one business answered promptly and one of their (non-mechanic) staff were able to provide a quote, let me know all the information I needed and suggest a time to book it in. Since everything lined up, it just made sense to book it in and if I buy this car, they've earned $3,000 for a simple phone call. I'm still waiting for return phone calls from other companies...
I also needed to call a technical help desk to reset our TV today. The steps in the manual weren't working, so I was ready to throw the remote at it (my technical skills aren't very high), but I thought that I'd give the customer service line a call. The gentleman on the phone was able to clearly step me through what was required and resolved the issue very promptly.
In many businesses electronic communication is a great asset that can help improve revenues. However, they do also create a higher sense of expectation with the customer as many users will simply assume that if it's electronic communication it should be immediate. Being able to respond promptly to phone calls as in these cases goes a long way to ensuring that you meet the customer's expectations.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Grocery Shrink Ray
I was reading The Venture (a blog on The Age website) today about the Grocery Shrink Ray - when companies reduce their product size, but maintain their retail price. While this saves the manufacturer having to increase their prices, it can create a significant consumer backlash.
Along with highlighting some (Australian) cases in which this has occurred, he also offers a list of ten pricing mistakes for small business start ups to avoid.
Along with highlighting some (Australian) cases in which this has occurred, he also offers a list of ten pricing mistakes for small business start ups to avoid.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
My Job Would Be Easy Without Customers
"My job would be easier without customers."
How many times have you heard your staff or colleagues use that phrase (and many would also add "or staff...")? Generally it is when there are problems in our dealings with a client, or the commercial pressures of trying to gain sales when many staff may feel that "sales" is not their thing.
Over the last few days we've been dealing with a situation kind of in reverse to this. Our hot water service wasn't installed correctly by the builder, however none of the service people in the chain required to fix it are really taking any ownership, so I've had to push our position a little more (5 days of no hot water for baths, showers or doing dishes gets a little draining).
The builder isn't interested since the owners (we are currently renting) have paid their final payment, so the builder isn't responsible for the upkeep. The property manager looking after our house has called the appropriate people, so is following her manuals (but not following up). The manufacturer has subcontracted a plumber to check the hot water system (so the company is saying that they've done what they can). Meanwhile, the plumber contracts for a number of different companies, with many commercial contracts amongst us residential clients, so we're pushed to the bottom of his list.
Any time that I try to complain about having it fixed, each person will simply refer me on to the next person, who then will pass the blame to the next person. It all does a loop back to the builder (and given the state of some of the other aspects of the house, it doesn't surprise me that the builder has cut corners with the hot water system).
Thinking about this today, I realised that form a customer's perspective some times it would be easier to deal with organisations if the organisation's didn't have staff.
While many staff do a good job, the customer will often get different information by asking different staff members. Also, when there's an issue, it usually only gets fixed when the customer is left to arrange for it to be fixed themselves. Everyone just assumes that the person who needs to fix a problem knows about the problem, and that the problem will just magically disappear.
Unfortunately, this doesn't happen. I won't get started on the "but that's not my job" line today (I'm already worked up enough!), but if everyone in the organisation simply helped resolve the issues that the customer in front of you (or on the phone etc), then our customer's would be much happier. In this way, they'd be receiving Platinum Class Service.
How many times have you heard your staff or colleagues use that phrase (and many would also add "or staff...")? Generally it is when there are problems in our dealings with a client, or the commercial pressures of trying to gain sales when many staff may feel that "sales" is not their thing.
Over the last few days we've been dealing with a situation kind of in reverse to this. Our hot water service wasn't installed correctly by the builder, however none of the service people in the chain required to fix it are really taking any ownership, so I've had to push our position a little more (5 days of no hot water for baths, showers or doing dishes gets a little draining).
The builder isn't interested since the owners (we are currently renting) have paid their final payment, so the builder isn't responsible for the upkeep. The property manager looking after our house has called the appropriate people, so is following her manuals (but not following up). The manufacturer has subcontracted a plumber to check the hot water system (so the company is saying that they've done what they can). Meanwhile, the plumber contracts for a number of different companies, with many commercial contracts amongst us residential clients, so we're pushed to the bottom of his list.
Any time that I try to complain about having it fixed, each person will simply refer me on to the next person, who then will pass the blame to the next person. It all does a loop back to the builder (and given the state of some of the other aspects of the house, it doesn't surprise me that the builder has cut corners with the hot water system).
Thinking about this today, I realised that form a customer's perspective some times it would be easier to deal with organisations if the organisation's didn't have staff.
While many staff do a good job, the customer will often get different information by asking different staff members. Also, when there's an issue, it usually only gets fixed when the customer is left to arrange for it to be fixed themselves. Everyone just assumes that the person who needs to fix a problem knows about the problem, and that the problem will just magically disappear.
Unfortunately, this doesn't happen. I won't get started on the "but that's not my job" line today (I'm already worked up enough!), but if everyone in the organisation simply helped resolve the issues that the customer in front of you (or on the phone etc), then our customer's would be much happier. In this way, they'd be receiving Platinum Class Service.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
New Aircraft Interior to Improve Customer Service?
From an academic perspective, marketing of services can be broken down into what is referred to as the 7 "P's", which builds on the traditional 4 P's of marketing. I'll cover these in further depth at a later stage, but the 7 P's are described as:
Product
Price
Promotion
Place
People
Process
Physical Evidence
Physical evidence is sometimes a major tool that can be used to demonstrate how well an organisation delivers customer service, especially since many services may not (usually) have a tangible "widget" to demonstrate to a customer. Many companies then need to rely on physical evidence to demonstrate that they provide excellent service.
Today I was reading this article on United Airlines. The airline found that passengers in refurbished aircraft gave higher customer satisfaction results than customers in non-refurbished aircraft. As such, they have a major program underway to refurbish all their aircraft.
This highlights to me the importance of perception to the customer. Newly refurbished planes (and for other businesses consider their office, website, staff uniforms, vehicles etc.) create a perception to the client that they are travelling on a new plane and therefore getting a higher standard of service - even though it is essentially the same service as any other flight.
Product
Price
Promotion
Place
People
Process
Physical Evidence
Physical evidence is sometimes a major tool that can be used to demonstrate how well an organisation delivers customer service, especially since many services may not (usually) have a tangible "widget" to demonstrate to a customer. Many companies then need to rely on physical evidence to demonstrate that they provide excellent service.
Today I was reading this article on United Airlines. The airline found that passengers in refurbished aircraft gave higher customer satisfaction results than customers in non-refurbished aircraft. As such, they have a major program underway to refurbish all their aircraft.
This highlights to me the importance of perception to the customer. Newly refurbished planes (and for other businesses consider their office, website, staff uniforms, vehicles etc.) create a perception to the client that they are travelling on a new plane and therefore getting a higher standard of service - even though it is essentially the same service as any other flight.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
So you think you can be a customer service agent?
Sometimes even businesses wanting to give the highest level of customer service will find that there is some sort of shortcoming in their service to a portion of their customers. A common occurrence is in the telecommunications industry, which are renowned (at least from the customers viewpoint) of being unhelpful.
I read this interesting article on the Chicago Tribune website today, giving a look at the inside workings of the call centre of Comcast, a cable TV and internet provider in the Chicagoland region.
One of the staff that the reporter followed was Bridgette Carter. I especially like her approach to dealing with customer issues, especially such as rectifying problems created by other staff members.
In giving customers Platinum Class Service, we need to take this approach on board. Rectifying customer complaints is actually a great way to provide great customer service, if it's done correctly.
I read this interesting article on the Chicago Tribune website today, giving a look at the inside workings of the call centre of Comcast, a cable TV and internet provider in the Chicagoland region.
One of the staff that the reporter followed was Bridgette Carter. I especially like her approach to dealing with customer issues, especially such as rectifying problems created by other staff members.
In giving customers Platinum Class Service, we need to take this approach on board. Rectifying customer complaints is actually a great way to provide great customer service, if it's done correctly.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
I was reading this tonight on the New York Times website, by Bruce Buschel. While the blog is written with restaurant staff in mind it does give some great tips that can be used in most industries.
I've put in bold his suggestions, but then have written some examples underneath of the banking industry to show relevance to another industry.
1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting. Nor enter your branch without a warning. As a more detailed example, the home mortgage lender could let the front of house staff (personal bankers, managers etc) know who their appointments are that day. Then when those customers come into the branch, there is a bit more of a connection immediately (and helps build loyalty straight away).
4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right. If the branch staff are running behind, offer something to your clients (eg. have filtered or bottled water available for clients).
14. When you ask, “How’s everything?” or “How was the meal?” listen to the answer and fix whatever is not right. Put simply - listen to your customer. Just because you ask if everything was alright, doesn't mean that you've provided great customer service. It could simply be amplify bad service.
34. Do not have a personal conversation with another server within earshot of customers This goes without saying, but I'd also highlight - especially while customers are waiting. You'd think that this would be a given, and that all staff would follow this rule, but sadly it doesn't always happen.
38.Do not call a guy a “dude.” Talk up to your clients, not down.
39. Do not call a woman “lady.”
63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right. I was told in my very first job that a good tradesman never blames his tools. While the problem may not have been created by you, since the client has raised the issue with you, it is your job to correct it.
I've put in bold his suggestions, but then have written some examples underneath of the banking industry to show relevance to another industry.
1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting. Nor enter your branch without a warning. As a more detailed example, the home mortgage lender could let the front of house staff (personal bankers, managers etc) know who their appointments are that day. Then when those customers come into the branch, there is a bit more of a connection immediately (and helps build loyalty straight away).
4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right. If the branch staff are running behind, offer something to your clients (eg. have filtered or bottled water available for clients).
14. When you ask, “How’s everything?” or “How was the meal?” listen to the answer and fix whatever is not right. Put simply - listen to your customer. Just because you ask if everything was alright, doesn't mean that you've provided great customer service. It could simply be amplify bad service.
34. Do not have a personal conversation with another server within earshot of customers This goes without saying, but I'd also highlight - especially while customers are waiting. You'd think that this would be a given, and that all staff would follow this rule, but sadly it doesn't always happen.
38.Do not call a guy a “dude.” Talk up to your clients, not down.
39. Do not call a woman “lady.”
63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right. I was told in my very first job that a good tradesman never blames his tools. While the problem may not have been created by you, since the client has raised the issue with you, it is your job to correct it.
Platinum Class Service
I thought that I'd follow up the introduction piece with some thoughts on Platinum Class Service.
The analogy starts with many credit card companies and airlines. Generally you'll have a silver level above the basic level, rising through gold up to platinum. Thus, Platinum Class Service is the highest level of customer service.
It also happens all the time - frequent flyers on the highest levels don't get once off privileges to use each year. They fly so frequently that simply quoting their frequent flyer number allows them use of their privileges with every flight. Likewise, Platinum Class Service is giving the highest level of customer service - all the time.
The textbook definition of platinum service would be exceeding customer's expectations in the service they receive. I'll relate this to ordering a pizza. There's a well known pizza restaurant in Chicago that is considered by some as the home of Chicago-style pizza (well, one of the restaurants laying claim to that fame!). My wife and I have eaten there on many occasions but decided one night to order take out via their website.
On placing our order, we were advised that it would take up to 45 minutes. While this is significantly higher than what a chain store pizzeria could cook a pizza in, it is well worth the wait. After 45 minutes I turned up to the restaurant and was shuffled to three different areas before finding out that the pizza was going to be another 30 minutes away (since the store uses a third party to process the order there is an additional 30 minute lag).
The pizza store has fantastic pizza and even a 45 minute wait (since I was warned on the website) didn't upset my wife and me, however it then gave me a new expectation on the store's service. When I then turned up at that stage and was told that it wouldn't be ready for another 30 minutes, my expectations weren't met, and thus I didn't receive Platinum service.
We probably will still visit this restaurant as we've dined in their restaurant on a number of instances without issue, but if we'd been a first time customer I would have been looking for another pizza store.
I'll compare this to an experience with Singapore Airlines a few years ago, on my first overseas trip. My wife and I had flown on an around the world ticket with Star Alliance, and as a result had been on a number of different airlines. At the time, our only knowledge of Singapore was that they had seat back entertainment (only a handful of carriers had this during this time). Aside from that, we had no idea of their service.
A few hours into a 12 hour flight from Frankfurt to Singapore, I was having trouble resting as the seat I was sitting in was broken. I let the attendant know about it, simply so that when we landed they could look at having it fixed for the next passenger. Soon after, he returned with a replacement cushion which fixed the problem, and a small bag of merchandise as an apology for the discomfort. While it was only a minor inconvenience, it exceeded my expectations. Shortly after this, he then delivered two piping hot mocha's from the business class galley for my wife and I!
In future posts I will go into more detail about the "hows" of Platinum Service, this is to help give an idea of a baseline.
The analogy starts with many credit card companies and airlines. Generally you'll have a silver level above the basic level, rising through gold up to platinum. Thus, Platinum Class Service is the highest level of customer service.
It also happens all the time - frequent flyers on the highest levels don't get once off privileges to use each year. They fly so frequently that simply quoting their frequent flyer number allows them use of their privileges with every flight. Likewise, Platinum Class Service is giving the highest level of customer service - all the time.
The textbook definition of platinum service would be exceeding customer's expectations in the service they receive. I'll relate this to ordering a pizza. There's a well known pizza restaurant in Chicago that is considered by some as the home of Chicago-style pizza (well, one of the restaurants laying claim to that fame!). My wife and I have eaten there on many occasions but decided one night to order take out via their website.
On placing our order, we were advised that it would take up to 45 minutes. While this is significantly higher than what a chain store pizzeria could cook a pizza in, it is well worth the wait. After 45 minutes I turned up to the restaurant and was shuffled to three different areas before finding out that the pizza was going to be another 30 minutes away (since the store uses a third party to process the order there is an additional 30 minute lag).
The pizza store has fantastic pizza and even a 45 minute wait (since I was warned on the website) didn't upset my wife and me, however it then gave me a new expectation on the store's service. When I then turned up at that stage and was told that it wouldn't be ready for another 30 minutes, my expectations weren't met, and thus I didn't receive Platinum service.
We probably will still visit this restaurant as we've dined in their restaurant on a number of instances without issue, but if we'd been a first time customer I would have been looking for another pizza store.
I'll compare this to an experience with Singapore Airlines a few years ago, on my first overseas trip. My wife and I had flown on an around the world ticket with Star Alliance, and as a result had been on a number of different airlines. At the time, our only knowledge of Singapore was that they had seat back entertainment (only a handful of carriers had this during this time). Aside from that, we had no idea of their service.
A few hours into a 12 hour flight from Frankfurt to Singapore, I was having trouble resting as the seat I was sitting in was broken. I let the attendant know about it, simply so that when we landed they could look at having it fixed for the next passenger. Soon after, he returned with a replacement cushion which fixed the problem, and a small bag of merchandise as an apology for the discomfort. While it was only a minor inconvenience, it exceeded my expectations. Shortly after this, he then delivered two piping hot mocha's from the business class galley for my wife and I!
In future posts I will go into more detail about the "hows" of Platinum Service, this is to help give an idea of a baseline.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Welcome to Platinum Class Service!
Over the past few years I have been completing some post graduate studies and through this have researched many companies, especially in regards to customer service. Most companies either within their vision or mission statements will have some link into customer service, believing that this statement will lift the service levels within the organisation leading to higher revenue and profitability.
Unfortunately, I am sure that you have experienced a phenomenon much distant to excellent customer service. Most of the time the message from the CEO becomes so diluted when received by the shopfloor worker, that there is not the same sense of urgency in delivering customer service.
Responses such as "that's not our policy", or staff asking "how is your day" when clearly not interested reaffirm to most customers that customer service in reality is not held highly.
As an example, an old episode of Mad About You saw the ditzy waitress Ursula provide her customer service to Paul and Jamie in the restaurant they visit regularly. After a serious confrontation at the table with Paul and Jamie's friends Mark and Fran the whole table is clearly on edge with each other. Ursula then walks up asks if everything is OK, and without giving anyone a chance to respond, she walks off with a "good to hear...".
I am sure you can recall similar instances in your own dealings with businesses. Staff members who say the "right" thing, but have no real interest in what your response will actually be.
So, this blog is all about trying to help with ways to improve customer service, as well as marketing of your business to get traction (increased revenue) as a result of your customer service. Simple tips that may help improve service directly, ways to market your services to your customers, how to rectify service breakdowns are just some examples of topics that will be covered.
Unfortunately, I am sure that you have experienced a phenomenon much distant to excellent customer service. Most of the time the message from the CEO becomes so diluted when received by the shopfloor worker, that there is not the same sense of urgency in delivering customer service.
Responses such as "that's not our policy", or staff asking "how is your day" when clearly not interested reaffirm to most customers that customer service in reality is not held highly.
As an example, an old episode of Mad About You saw the ditzy waitress Ursula provide her customer service to Paul and Jamie in the restaurant they visit regularly. After a serious confrontation at the table with Paul and Jamie's friends Mark and Fran the whole table is clearly on edge with each other. Ursula then walks up asks if everything is OK, and without giving anyone a chance to respond, she walks off with a "good to hear...".
I am sure you can recall similar instances in your own dealings with businesses. Staff members who say the "right" thing, but have no real interest in what your response will actually be.
So, this blog is all about trying to help with ways to improve customer service, as well as marketing of your business to get traction (increased revenue) as a result of your customer service. Simple tips that may help improve service directly, ways to market your services to your customers, how to rectify service breakdowns are just some examples of topics that will be covered.
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