Introduction

Why is Customer Service such an important factor in our increasingly technological world?

It is essential that all employees represent their organisation in a professional and friendly way. Clear and effective communication is essential to ensure that the business is not lost. If your staff are not trained properly on handling your important customers; how much business are they putting at risk?

Every customer using your organisation should receive a positive and seamless service that is professional, efficient and responsive. Customers who are handled well will notice the good service, bring more business and hopefully build a long term relationship with you. Customers who are not handled well may damage your reputation and take their business to the competition.

If you or your staff have to deal with customers both face to face or over the telephone then effective Customer Care training is essential in enabling you to develop a Customer Caring or ‘Customers First’ attitude to delivering service effectively and consistently. Total Success run a one-day Customer Service and Customer Care course for those wishing to learn tips and techniques on how to handle difficult customers on the telephone and and a one-day Course on dealing with difficult customers.

For those who’s customer service training requires tips and techniques in both telephone and face to face skills in handling difficult customers (such as rude, angry or aggressive customers) as part of their daily duties we also provide a Customer Service and Customer Care training course that deals with these types of customer. It also covers handling customer complaints; tips for retaining customers and how to diffuse customer conflict quickly and efficiently.

Chapter 1 - Quality Customer Service

Quality customer service is provided by a person like you. A quality customer service provider is a person who:

1. Accepts responsibility for providing timely customer service in a courteous manner
2. Understands that the success of an organisation depends on good customer service
3. Learns and practices customer service skills in a positive manner

Often employees are so busy there is little time to think about their jobs or how they relate to the overall success of the company. Sometimes, those who spend much of their day on the telephone talking with outsiders don't consider their jobs to be very important. The fact is anyone regularly involved with customer contact has one of the most important jobs in that organisation. Here are some points to consider:

• The success of a company depends on customers. These customers will not return unless they are treated professionally and courteously.
• Many customers consider the whole organisation’s customer service from interactions they have with just one individual.
• ‘You’ are the company when you speak to your customers.
• Customers don’t care about your problems - they care about their problems.
• You don’t have to be the world’s best customer service organisation - you just need to be better than all your competition.
• Anyone working directly with customers occupies a position of trust.
• Companies with reputations for outstanding service were built over time by people like you.

Chapter 2 - Lifetime Value of your Average Customer

How much will the average customer spend with you over their lifetime with you? This is an interesting question and one most service providers would struggle to answer. The average shopper spends £150 per week on food from their local supermarket. That makes a yearly spend of £7,800. The average shopper stays loyal to a supermarket for about 10 years, and so will spend £78,000. If a typical person on the checkout serves 50 customers per day their annual ‘customer service portfolio’ could be as much as £150 x 50 people per day x 235 working days per year (inc holidays) =  £1,762,500.  Do you think from these calculations that your customers are worth keeping? Use the exercises below to determine the value of your customers and how to retain them.

Chapter 3 - The Service Follow-Up Call

Following up on the service you provide is essential. Many customer service providers do not regularly follow up. They claim they do not have time. Even when it is impossible to follow up with every customer, there are certain situations where it should be done. A few examples include:

1. NOTHING WENT RIGHT

Sometimes you have a situation in which, despite everyone's best effort, nothing goes right. Once the problems have been corrected the customer should be called to determine whether everything is now satisfactory. The customer will usually appreciate this courtesy.

2. THE IRATE CUSTOMER

When you hang up from a conversation with an irate customer, the last thing you want to do is speak with that customer again. Whether the cause of the complaint was legitimate or questionable, a follow-up call is a good idea. By calling to ask if the action you initiated was satisfactory, the customer will be pleasantly surprised to hear from you and perhaps will become a good customer.

3. A NEW CUSTOMER

When you establish a new account or provide service to a new customer, it's a good time to extend an extra courtesy. Make a follow-up call to learn if everything is satisfactory. The customer's perception of your company will be enhanced, and repeat business may be likely.

4. THE REGULAR CUSTOMER

Those who do business with you deserve occasional follow-up calls. It is easy to take regular customers for granted. An occasional friendly follow-up service call tells regular customers “We care about you.”

Never hesitate to make a follow-up service call. Even when the customer was irate or the service you provided did not go as planned, make the call. It is always better to know the level of customer satisfaction than to guess it. If a customer continues to have a problem, you need to know about it so that it can be corrected. If there is no longer a problem, the customer will appreciate the follow-up.