Welcome to the Shoppers, Inc. Blog!
Thank you for reading along with us…we look forward to sharing interesting ideas, articles and skills for service quality improvement. We want to help you gain an edge over the competition by providing EXCEPTIONAL service quality!
In today’s highly technology-driven world, “the customer comes first” attitude seems to be disappearing. Things like courtesy,common sense and sometimes even a “live person” appear to be rare commodities. We all want to do things immediately and as easily as possible, which is why we utilize so much technology. However, when we do have to interact with the company, we of course want them to appreciate us and our business. And if they don’t–studies show that 40 percent of us will take that business elsewhere, even if it costs us more!
So I hope you enjoy the following article…it may be advice you’ve heard before, but it sure doesn’t hurt any of us to be reminded to use these every day–not only with customers, but with everyone in our lives. Enjoy!
–Kathy
6 STEPS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
Master Them and You Will Succeed
Customer service. It’s a phrase freely tossed around by everyone from multi-million dollar corporations to mom-and-pop businesses in hopes of luring customers with the promise of exceptional service. All too often, it’s an empty promise that results in customers who disappear, taking with them any hopes of increased sales and profits, says John Tschohl, founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Customer service includes everything from greeting a customer and thanking her for her business to delivering what you promise and doing whatever it takes to satisfy the customer,” says Tschohl, whose company has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs for clients throughout the world. “Providing your customers with exceptional service will give you and your organization a competitive edge by increasing customer loyalty.”
When Tschohl launched his first customer-service training program in January 1980, he based it on six principles. “Those principles are as valid today as they were then,” he says. They are as follows:
1. Feel good about yourself. “We tend to live in a negative world and to think negatively,” Tschohl says. “It’s critical that you feel good about yourself, that you are confident, enthusiastic, and positive. Each of us is responsible for how we feel about ourselves. You must believe in yourself, concentrate on your strengths, and recognize the importance of your role. Use affirmations and visualization. Read books on self-improvement and strive to be the best you can be. See yourself as you can be, not as you are.
2. Be courteous. “It takes no more time to be nice and polite than it does to be rude,” Tschohl says. “Every customer wants to feel important to you and your organization. Treat them with courtesy and respect. When you do, they will return to you time and time again.
3. Give positive communication. “Smile, call customers by name, and give specific, genuine, sincere, and timely feedback,” Tschohl says. “When you communicate positively, you form a connection with the customer that says, ‘I am please that you patronize my organization, I value you, and I am here to ensure your needs are met.”
4. Perform for the customer. “Customers have the right to demand performance,” Tschohl says. “They aren’t interested in your problems and excuses; they want you to take care of them. You can be polite and courteous but, if you don’t do what you say you will do, you will not meet the standards of good customer service. If you say you’ll call a customer on Tuesday, do it. If you say you’ll ship the product on Friday, do it. Do what you say you will do—and do it with speed and accuracy. If you ship a product when you say you will, but you ship the wrong product, you’ve taken a giant step backward.”
5. Listen carefully. “Few employees do this,” Tschohl says. “If you don’t listen to what the customer is telling you, you cannot give that customer what he needs. Listen to the customer, then clarify what he has said by repeating it: ‘Ted, let me repeat what you said so I’m sure I’m on the right track.’ Ask questions, get involved, and show that you
care.”
6. Learn and grow in your job. “If a customer asks you to explain the difference between product A and product B, she’s asking you to provide more than the difference in price,” Tschohl says. “Study your organization’s products and services—as well as those of your competitors—so that you can provide your customers with the information they need to make a purchase decision.”
Tschohl admits that these six principles might appear to be common sense, but he adds that common sense seems to be in short supply these days. “If you focus on these principles, these fundamentals of customer service, you will keep your current customers and attract new customers. You also will greatly increase your chances of being promoted.”
Share your thoughts on our blog here or Facebook page.
Thank you for reading along with us…we look forward to sharing interesting ideas, articles and skills for service quality improvement. We want to help you gain an edge over the competition by providing EXCEPTIONAL service quality!
In today’s highly technology-driven world, “the customer comes first” attitude seems to be disappearing. Things like courtesy,common sense and sometimes even a “live person” appear to be rare commodities. We all want to do things immediately and as easily as possible, which is why we utilize so much technology. However, when we do have to interact with the company, we of course want them to appreciate us and our business. And if they don’t–studies show that 40 percent of us will take that business elsewhere, even if it costs us more!
So I hope you enjoy the following article…it may be advice you’ve heard before, but it sure doesn’t hurt any of us to be reminded to use these every day–not only with customers, but with everyone in our lives. Enjoy!
–Kathy
6 STEPS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
Master Them and You Will Succeed
Customer service. It’s a phrase freely tossed around by everyone from multi-million dollar corporations to mom-and-pop businesses in hopes of luring customers with the promise of exceptional service. All too often, it’s an empty promise that results in customers who disappear, taking with them any hopes of increased sales and profits, says John Tschohl, founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Customer service includes everything from greeting a customer and thanking her for her business to delivering what you promise and doing whatever it takes to satisfy the customer,” says Tschohl, whose company has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs for clients throughout the world. “Providing your customers with exceptional service will give you and your organization a competitive edge by increasing customer loyalty.”
When Tschohl launched his first customer-service training program in January 1980, he based it on six principles. “Those principles are as valid today as they were then,” he says. They are as follows:
1. Feel good about yourself. “We tend to live in a negative world and to think negatively,” Tschohl says. “It’s critical that you feel good about yourself, that you are confident, enthusiastic, and positive. Each of us is responsible for how we feel about ourselves. You must believe in yourself, concentrate on your strengths, and recognize the importance of your role. Use affirmations and visualization. Read books on self-improvement and strive to be the best you can be. See yourself as you can be, not as you are.
2. Be courteous. “It takes no more time to be nice and polite than it does to be rude,” Tschohl says. “Every customer wants to feel important to you and your organization. Treat them with courtesy and respect. When you do, they will return to you time and time again.
3. Give positive communication. “Smile, call customers by name, and give specific, genuine, sincere, and timely feedback,” Tschohl says. “When you communicate positively, you form a connection with the customer that says, ‘I am please that you patronize my organization, I value you, and I am here to ensure your needs are met.”
4. Perform for the customer. “Customers have the right to demand performance,” Tschohl says. “They aren’t interested in your problems and excuses; they want you to take care of them. You can be polite and courteous but, if you don’t do what you say you will do, you will not meet the standards of good customer service. If you say you’ll call a customer on Tuesday, do it. If you say you’ll ship the product on Friday, do it. Do what you say you will do—and do it with speed and accuracy. If you ship a product when you say you will, but you ship the wrong product, you’ve taken a giant step backward.”
5. Listen carefully. “Few employees do this,” Tschohl says. “If you don’t listen to what the customer is telling you, you cannot give that customer what he needs. Listen to the customer, then clarify what he has said by repeating it: ‘Ted, let me repeat what you said so I’m sure I’m on the right track.’ Ask questions, get involved, and show that you
care.”
6. Learn and grow in your job. “If a customer asks you to explain the difference between product A and product B, she’s asking you to provide more than the difference in price,” Tschohl says. “Study your organization’s products and services—as well as those of your competitors—so that you can provide your customers with the information they need to make a purchase decision.”
Tschohl admits that these six principles might appear to be common sense, but he adds that common sense seems to be in short supply these days. “If you focus on these principles, these fundamentals of customer service, you will keep your current customers and attract new customers. You also will greatly increase your chances of being promoted.”
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