Customer
Service
n part by the Workforce Dev pment Agency te of Mich n, ent Board and ar
Michig Works!, th ugh your lo Workforce Dev of Commissioners. Au aids Muskego r/Programs d
and servi are availabl pon reque to individu with disab s - TTY# - 711.
In today’s competitive business world, it’s sometimes
all too easy for companies to get caught up in
endless examinations of ways to increase
productivity, boost sales, and streamline for
maximum efficiency.
…Sometimes this focus takes away from a focus on
good customer service, and good customer service will
always be the backbone of any business that works
with people—which means all businesses!
“… the ability of an organization to constantly and
consistently exceed the customer's expectations.”
by ACA Group
If we are going to consistently
exceed customers’ expectations,
we have to recognize that every
aspect of business has an impact
on customer service.
Where is Customer Service
delivered?
On the phone
Face-to-face interaction
Taking orders
Social Media
Providing information
Email
Selling or providing products and/or services
Scheduling appointments
Delivering or installing products
Repairing and troubleshooting
The list goes on and on!
How is excellent Customer
Service delivered?
Appearance
Attitude
Positivity is a learned behavior
Use empathy
Put yourself in the customer’s
shoes
Friendliness
Response-ability
Take action to solve the
problem
Go the extra mile
“Customer service is just a day in,
day out, ongoing, never-ending,
unremitting, persevering,
compassionate type of activity.”
Leon Gorman, CEO L.L. Bean
Commitment
A pledge to service and teamwork
Keeping your promises
Team Thinking
“My actions affect everyone
in my organization.”
Communication
Active listening
Positive responses
Empathy
Communication
Get to the bottom of what the
customer is looking for
Really make them feel heard
and understood
Service
A personal commitment to make a
difference
Know your stuff—you should be a
paid expert
Tips for Good Customer Service:
Smile and be friendly
Use a customer’s name if you know it
Welcome the customer to your business
Introduce yourself
Ask “How may I help you?”
Listen!
Focus on the customer and value them
“Treat every customer as if they sign
your paycheck…because they do.”
Unknown
Danger Phrases
1. “I don’t know.”
2. “We can’t do that.”
3. “You’ll have to…”
4. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
5. “No” at the beginning of any sentence.
6. “That’s a good question, let me find out.”
Better Phrasing
7. “Let’s see what we can do.”
8. “The next time that happens, here’s
what we can do…”
4. “It may take me a few minutes to find
out. Are you able to wait while I check?”
5. “While we may not be able to do that,
here’s what we can do…”
Four common traits of great Customer Service providers:
Empathy
Customers need Responsiveness
someone who can relate Customers don’t want
to their problems and to be treated like an
show real interest in interruption. They
helping them. want attention, action,
and to feel important,
no matter how much
Motivation they spend.
You need a strong
desire to
succeed. This gives Assurance
you a better chance at Customers want to feel
employment and that their needs will
promotion. be met and promises
will be kept.
Handling an angry customer
1. Keep calm
2. Listen carefully to the complaint
3. Repeat the complaint back to make sure you
understand the problem
4. Apologize that it happened
5. Acknowledge the customer’s feelings
6. Explain what action you will take to correct
the problem
7. Thank the customer for bringing the problem
to your attention
If the customer is still unhappy, get help from
your supervisor.
Competition and repeat business
External customers
Effects of Poor Customer Service:
Loss of 25% or more of the
company’s business
Dissatisfied customers will tell at
least 10 others not to shop at that
business
Those people will tell about 5 others
All this can happen because ONE
employee made ONE customer unhappy.
Keeping customers is important!
Depending on the industry, the cost of poor customer
service can be three to ten times as much as good
customer service
Market research shows it costs about five times as
much to attract a new customer through promotions
and advertising
“If you make customers unhappy in the physical
world, they might tell 6 friends. If you make
customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each
tell 6,000 friends.” -Jeff Bezos
No company can survive
without repeat
business!
Returning customers account
for about 85% of total sales
In other words: for every $100 in
sales, $85 was spent by a repeat
customer
“Good customer service is all about
bringing customers back and
about sending them away happy.”
- Susan Ward, [Link] Guide
When there’s a problem…
“Customers don’t expect
you to be perfect. They do
expect you to fix things
when they go wrong.”
-Donald Porter, former V.P. of
British Airways
When There Is a Problem
Acknowledge that a problem exists
Do not view the problem as a personal attack
Ask questions to understand the problem
Listen to the answers without interruption
and show interest and concern
Clarify and verify by repeating the situation
Simplify the problem by focusing on facts
and documenting a relevant chain of events
Find the root cause of the problem
Offer solution options to the customer
Agree on a solution
Follow up with the customer
Organizational effectiveness, efficiency,
and morale
Internal Customers
Excellence from the inside out!
Internal Customers: people who work
within your organization
All the customer service principles you
use for external customers should also
be used for internal customers
Treat everyone with respect
Be professional and show pride in your
organization
Customer Service
is not a department…
…it’s an
Attitude!
Like what you saw?
We hope you found this information
helpful. Check us out at
[Link].
• Give us any
questions/comments/concerns
• See our workshop schedule
• Learn more about Michigan
Works! Muskegon-Oceana
Sources:
Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Top Tips for Customer Service Training
Customer Service Relationships Buzz up! – May 25, 2010
Dec. 2009 – Version 1.0
Customer1 [Link]
99 Legendary Customer Service Quotes Favorite Customer Service Quotes