We Were Good at Dating, But Terrible at the Marriage Part.  They Left Us For Someone Else.

No, this isn’t part of a marriage counseling session or a relationship reality show, but it is the reality that many of you face.

Complacency is a Profit Killer

Often, meeting agendas focus on issues important to leadership, housekeeping issues, new policies, etc and hopefully – customer issues make it on the agenda before “Open/New Items” if they are mentioned at all.  And, if you are lucky, it won’t get bumped to the next meeting because the time allotted for the meeting has been taken up by the previous items.  This again sends the message that the company or department knows they should be paying attention or discussing customer issues, but can’t quite get around to it.

I challenge you to put “Customer Focus” at the beginning of all meetings.  In doing so, Customer  Focus will never fall by the wayside or get bumped to the next meeting.  Remember, the customer is one of the most critical components of a successful business.  Demonstrate this commitment and importance by addressing customer…

• training
• initiatives
• feedback
• suggestions
• experiences
• priorities

…. at the beginning of all meetings.  This sets the tone and keeps everyone focused on the benefit to the customer at all times.  If you don’t place it as a priority, then how would your staff know that it’s a priority in practice?

Have a Plan for Customer Service Training

As a business coach for companies, both large and small, that want to deliver a customer service experience to bring in more money from their customers, I’m often asked “Where do I begin?”

It’s just like eating an elephant… One step at a time.

Successful companies follow seven systematic steps when

1.  Developing a complete training game plan - Before you start on a cross country road trip from New York to Los Angeles, you would make sure that you have a sound stable vehicle to get you there, you’d map out a route, plan how long you’d like to travel each day, approximately where you will lodge for the night along the way, etc.  The same thing applies here.  There must be a guideline mapped out detailing when the training process will start, who will be involved, what will be covered, approximately when it will be complete, etc.

2.  Onboard for successful fit and service assimilation – The way you bring new hires into your company sets the tone for their training experience and subsequent service.  You must think start to finish in this process.  Welcome them into your organization as a valued member of the team.  Show them how important they and their role is in the overall vision of the customer experience.

3. Set clear and specific service expectations - This is one of the areas that many business leaders complain about the most, yet this is the one area I feel is most neglected.  When you are training someone as to how you’d like them to treat your customers, you MUST be specifically clear.  ”Be Nice” is too general  Nice means different things to different people and is never consistent.  You need to spell out how you’d like your team to engage with your customers at each and every touchpoint and exactly how they can best serve the customer.

4. Have an accountability system for service expectations – Once you’ve set and trained for your customer service expectations, you need to have an accountability system in place.  By not following through on this one step, it sends the message to your team that either your leadership skills aren’t honed enough to follow through on expectations or that the service you deliver to your customers is not really that important.

5. Assess customer service levels from the customer perspective – Feedback from customers and the rest of the team regarding service levels is invaluable.  You can work this into other feedback or survey methods to gain insight as to how your team is treating customers when leadership isn’t around.  The goal is to have customers come to rely on consistent service levels for them to build a sense of trust and relationship with your company.

6. Last impression counts just as much as the first – While you’ve heard the saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” you can actually make as much of an impact, if not more, by focusing on how you bid your customers farewell.  You can say “goodbye” while making sure that you thank them, invite them to come back soon, and by telling them you truly value their business.  Train your teams on how to do this well and you’ll soon be cultivating an extremely loyal customer base.

7. Implement systematic continual customer focus processes into your design – Again, the “shot in the arm” solution rarely works in any business aspect, especially in service.  You know how it goes… everyone gets all exited after a fantastic customer service or experience presentation, but then after a while, it becomes business as usual.  To make sure this doesn’t happen in your group, place the customer focus as a top priority at the beginning of every meeting, every decision, every new idea.  Do this long enough and your customers will soon learn and sense that you truly value their business.

To discover how all of these steps truly fit together to benefit your customers, I’m making my last webinar available here for your review.  This webinar received fantastic reviews from the attendees and I gave so much valuable information that I wanted to make sure it’s available to everyone.

Please comment below on which of these steps you struggle with the most and let me know how I may help.

Thanks for reading!

The world is accelerating. University students getting younger every year (or maybe I’m just getting more… uh, seasoned). And your elementary-aged child is gaining a valuable business education.  Specifically here’s what your 8 year old is learning about business in grade school.

1. Trading sandwiches

This complex transaction occurs daily in cafeterias across this great land. Armed with lunchboxes rather than briefcases young people are conducting high-level negotiations. A bologna/pickle sandwich is traded for peanut butter & banana. Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt is exchanged for an oatmeal cookie. These transactions are not trivial commerce when you’re eight. Yet these little people seem to execute this process with ease. Your friend has something you want. And you propose something to offer in exchange (maybe you didn’t really want it anyway). This is the art of persuasion. This is business.

It’s not about arm-twisting or putting your friend in a half-nelson. Instead you have to deliver a compelling value proposition that prompts your buddy to happily give up what he has.

2. You’re Not the Boss of Me

Ever heard this? Ever said it? Truth is that even if you are the CEO or sole shareholder of your company you have a boss. In fact, you and I have the same boss. It’s our customers.

The next sale depends totally on winning the next customer. It’s true for you. And true for me. I spoke recently with a young technology company salesperson. He was struggling with attracting senior-level customers with his solution. He asked what he could do to convince them his solution was best. Had he actually asked them about their needs and wants, I questioned. Apparently he hadn’t. He didn’t view his customers as being in charge.

3. Color in the Lines

Here are your crayons and coloring book – now, remember to color in the lines, we’re told in school. And this drifts into adult business advice too. But could we agree that the most interesting people and solutions come from outside the lines? Consider Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs. I have a LinkedIn contact who is a well-credentialed leader of two organizations. Her job title with one of them is Chief Rabble Rouser. Do you think she might occasionally color a bit outside the lines.

4. The Buddy System

Who doesn’t like a good field trip! Remember the buddy system? Stay with you partner, students are reminded. There are two lessons here. First, bring somebody along on your journey because two brains and two set of eyes are better than one. You both may view the same experience differently, making it richer.

Second, show someone else how something is done. The benefit is you’ll learn it better by explaining it, and you might be cultivating a future team member or customer.

5. The Unpredictable Will Happen

One day upon arriving home from work, my then elementary-aged daughter was sporting a snazzy, purple cast on her right arm. Recess began normally enough. But somehow, while sliding through one of those large plastic tubes on the jungle gym, she managed to land funny at the bottom. We think. To this day she can’t tell us exactly what she did. Stuff happens. Although, by definition, we can’t predict the unpredictable we should expect that something unexpected will happen. Being prepared is simply good business.

Don Beery is President of BlendonGroup Consulting and can be reached at don.beery@blendon-group.com

Nail Salon Could Use a Little Polish

I walked into a local nail salon today and realized that they didn’t know a thing about giving good customer service or providing a great customer service experience.

My intention was to purchase a gift certificate for a client of mine for her birthday.  When I walked in, there were four nail techs working on customers.  The one closest to me didn’t look up, make eye contact.  She just raised her voice and said “Hello,  pick a color and have a seat.”

So, I turned around and walked out.

It’s not a huge deal and isn’t going to alter my world, but I’m not going to pay $50 to someone who doesn’t have the courtesy to make eye contact, greet me with a friendly greeting, and ask me how they may help me.  She made an incorrect assumption about what I wanted and barked out orders to me.  So, I’ll find something else for my client.

Small businesses have the power to drive the economy and to thrive right now.  But it’s amazing to me how many just fail to understand that it takes a simple focus on the customer.  Treating people well. Engaging with customers. Smiling. Getting to know what our needs/problems/issues/goals are. Asking for feedback.  These are all the simple things that I cover in my 5 Steps to More Loyal Customers emanual.  Large companies can do the same thing, yet customers tend to gravitate toward the smaller businesses because there is more of a personal touch, a connection, that sometimes is lost in the bigger companies and organizations.

Connecting with customers is much simpler than most people and businesses realize.  It just takes a conviction from the leaders and owners that there needs to be a mindset shift on how they serve the customers.  They need to instill this to everyone works with customers, either face to face or behind the scenes.  So, basically, everyone in the company.  Because if you aren’t working face to face with a customer, you are working to support someone who does.

Zendesk CRM

Your goal is to set your small business apart from the competition. If you’ve been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that I’m going to say it’s all about the customer service experience you deliver.  Here’s a lesson I recently gave on how to do just that.

I recently had the privilege of delivering a webinar for Zendesk, a superb CRM software company, and many of their customers.  Because the response was so favorable, I’d like to share the webinar with you.  You may watch it here…

Here are the points covered as well as Zendesk’s summary of them….

1. Asking questions is key to serving your customers
Your customers have a lot to say. Asking them questions is a great way to learn about their likes, dislikes, and pain points. By listening to your customers, you can better understand what they want and how to meet those needs.

2. Give each customer that “one customer” feel
How would you treat a customer if they were your only customer? You would probably make a major effort to ensure that those interactions are positive and genuine. Making small talk, taking time to understand them as individuals, and learning how they use your products and services will go a long way toward providing a personalized customer experience.

3. Answer requests with “I’m here to help”
Many people don’t like asking questions, out of shyness or a fear of sounding uninformed. Saying things like “I’m here to help” and “I’m glad you asked that question” will help them feel more comfortable and make it easier to solve their problems.

4. Think “best / better / next” practices
At staff meetings, take a look at the real world challenges you’ve had helping customers, and pay particular attention to what worked and what could be improved.

5. Hire “nice,” train the skills
Don’t hire customer service professionals that have the skill set you want but aren’t nice people. “Nice” is a skill that should be innate to anyone involved in customer service. You either have it, or you don’t. You should hire nice people and train them how to be customer service superstars.

6. Don’t be afraid to make the decision
Have the guts to make a decision and help your customers. Work within the guidelines you’ve been given, but work with the customer and provide them service with their best interests in mind. More often than not, doing so will be in the company’s best interests. If you make a mistake, reread #4.

7. Make a difference each and every day
Every single customer interaction matters, so you have to make the most of them. When reviewing a call, ticket, or email exchange, ask yourself, “Did I really do absolutely everything I could?” Striving to be the best you can be with every single customer interaction will go a long way toward setting yourself apart as a truly customer-centric organization.

Please leave your comments below as to which resonates the most with you and your business.

Morale Killers Can Be Toxic to the Internal Customer Experience

Last night as I waited for my daughter at dance class, I joined a group of other moms that were waiting.  One was lamenting about how unhappy she was with two of her coworkers.  Apparently, it had been a really rough day…

Customers Just Want You to Answer the Phone

How many small businesses still remember or still operate on the phrase – If you build it, they will come?

This phrase is a sure fire customer service improvement  downfall and profit killer.

Those days are long gone.  Studies show that customer engagement is key and that customers are much more aware and conscious of how businesses treat them.

So here are three ways that businesses fall short on customer expectations and what you can do about it.

1) The company was unavailable – literally.

58% of consumers in a Right Now study from 2011 stated that they were less than satisfied because the company did not answer the phone or respond to email.

What should you do?  PICK UP THE PHONE AND ANSWER YOUR EMAIL

This is so simple and requires minimal explanation.  Be sure that someone is manning your phones and email AT ALL TIMES.  If you really want to stand out from the crowd, then set a goal for your business to answer the phone within three rings and respond to all emails within two hours.  Now, you may not have the answer within 2 hours, but by responding that you are glad they contacted you and that you are working to get an answer or solution, you’ve put their mind at ease that they haven’t “fallen through the cracks.”

2)  The company showed no sense of urgency

56% of customers in that same study said that they found that companies are slow to resolve issues.

 What should you do?  Step on it!

When a customer contacts you with a question, concern, or problem - get moving right away to fix it.  In reality, customers know that there will occasionally be issues with a product or service, but when you don’t make it a priority to fix it for them, you’ve lost your edge in their eyes.  This study suggested that more than half of the time, customers feel like the business just doesn’t care enough about them to take action right away or within the customer’s perception of a reasonable amount of time.  Would you, putting yourself in the shoes of a customer, continue to do business with a company that less than half the time acted quickly to resolve issues?  I would hope not.  Go to their competition and explain why you left business number one.  If the competition is smart, they’ll make sure that doesn’t happen to you again.

3) The staff didn’t have a clue

Imagine the frustration level of the 57% of customers that stated they felt like they knew more about the company and it’s products than the customer service agent that was working with them.

 What should you do?  Do your homework!

Train your teams on everything about your company and the products and service it has to offer.  Give them the history of the company – who founded it, why, when, and where. How has it grown and what has changed over time.  As for your services or products, dive deeper than just the facts stated in the brochure or website.  Anyone can find that.  Your customers are contacting you because they’ve shown an interest already in your product, so give them more information than just a high level overview.  Train your teams on what is the best use of the product and what it wouldn’t be suited for.  Who is the best person to benefit from the service and who wouldn’t be the target market?  Is this a standard item or can modifications be made if needed?  Focus on the benefits of the item or service, not just the features that are listed elsewhere.

I’ve got even a few more tips for you here to learn what you need to know to stay ahead of your competition through service.

Bad Customer Service at the Grammy’s?

Okay, I’ve just got to get it off my chest….  Something has really been bugging me about last night Grammy Awards.

The music was awesome, the dresses and suits were (for the most part) enviable, and it seemed like a party to really celebrate the fantastic songs from the past year.

Now, keep in mind that this is a HUGE event, promoted for months ahead of time, a HUGE expense went into the venue and preparations to celebrate these artists and their accomplishments.

What am I bothered about?  I’m really bothered by the unprofessionalism and lack of courtesy and respect that many of the award winners displayed during their acceptance speeches.  Saying things like “I gotta go pee” and “Yeah, let’s go get drunk now” among others I think devalues the entire event, AND those of us that listen to and pay for the songs that put those artists on the stage.

I’m not saying that they need to be prim and proper, but they certainly need to display some decorum in the public eye and to value the honors they’ve received.

I figure since the Grammy foundation and the public are the customers of these artists, I felt so offended by the lack of common courtesy and respect displayed by some so prominent.

Am I making too much of this?   I’d love to hear your thoughts below…