"That about which we are aware, we can make choices;
Reflections That about which we are unaware, will control us."
Angry customers. Irate customers. Customers who are out of control. There will be times when a customer service provider is the target, but not actually the problem. It’s part of the job. Here’s how to remain professional.
1. Be separate from them. Take a deep inner breath. I think to myself, “Go to the balcony.” In other words, I will not be on the stage with them participating in their antics. I don’t take it personally. I might be the target, but I’m not the problem.
2. Let them vent. Ask several open-ended questions, which allow them to vent without interruption. Example: “___, what is the problem?”
3. Apologize when appropriate. But only when appropriate. And do so in a balanced, professional way. I usually say, “I apologize…” rather than, “I’m sorry…” (which is much weaker). Remember that you are often apologizing on behalf of your organization, rather than for something you did personally.
4. Avoid arguing. An angry customer will argue to their last breath. Don’t go there.
5. Take notes. This is a way to stay balanced, protect yourself, and invite that person to stop exaggerating.
6. Have a parachute. Many people will begin to settle down as you do the above five steps. However, a few will be so angrily out of control, that they will still be abusive. Now, it’s time to “parachute”—bail out of the situation in a way that maintains the dignity of everyone involved. Example: “It seems like we need some help to get this resolved, sir. Would you like to wait while I talk to my supervisor, or I could meet with my supervisor and get back to you. Which would you prefer?”
Remember that a customer service provider’s primary role is to be a balanced professional problem-solver. The steps above should help a person remain so with difficult customers.
The phrase “more with less” becomes commonplace when things get lean or unstable. I must have heard it a dozen times while with clients since January. Indeed, there are occasions when asking employees to do "more with less" is appropriate.
However, it may be important for managers to reflect upon whether asking for "more with less" could be a symptom that we are abdicating an important part of our job: focusing people on goals, priorities and value. And, correspondingly, freeing them from non-priority tasks by determining what work should stop. There are times that call for asking employees to do "less with less." To explain...
1. “LESS WITH LESS” REGARDING HOW PEOPLE ARE FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONALLY. When management defines goals by making tough decisions, prioritizes them, manages their metrics and communicates all of this to employees while holding itself and them accountable, a coherence emerges that results in human and operational value. Value can be “less with less.” For example:
2. “LESS WITH LESS” WITHIN TASKS & PROCESSES. Process improvement is another “less with less” opportunity. For example, we can do less with less when we resolve:
3. LESS WITH LESS FOR CUSTOMERS. Balancing and managing customer expectations is required when determining how to do “less with less.” In some cases, there will be less output to the customer. What needs to be determined, then, is what output to the customer is of intrinsic value and what has been merely “nice to have.”
"Less with less" may be a concept, which when applied at the right time, will not only produce more value, but better morale among employees than “more with less.”
Experience suggests that one of the best approaches to hiring customer service personnel is through behavior based interviewing. If your goal is to select and retain the right employees--high performing professionals with good attitudes--it is critical to obtain accurate information about a person’s potential match to your organization.
The use of “behavior based questions” will garner that insight into a candidate’s competencies and culture fit. Remember that, while many skills can be learned, attitudes are much more difficult to change—especially if they don’t fit your organization’s culture and standards. Focus questions on behaviors, attitudes, knowledge and skills required for the job.
Past behavior will help indicate future performance. Behavioral interviewing is said to be 55% predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing techniques are only 10% predictive.
Behavior based questions” are open-ended questions, which focus on how a candidate actually performed in the past, rather than how they think or feel they would do. Examples of such questions are:
Feel free to contact me to learn more.1:09 PM GMT | Read comments(0)January 16Job Stress Inventory
On three separate occasions over the past few weeks clients have asked about how to help a CSR be a better problem-solver with customers. I believe caring problem-solving is the heart of customer service. Many models have been offered. I offer these powerful basics.
1. Listen by asking open-ended questions to identify the customer’s perception of the problem.
2. State the problem in one sentence.
3. Explore possible root causes with the customer.
4. Redefine the problem, if necessary.
5. Briefly brainstorm possible solutions.
6. Decide on action(s) to take that will resolve the problem.
7. Follow-up, if at all possible.
My experience working with customer support centers over the years suggests (unscientifically) that while over two-thirds provide a great deal of product training, less than one-third provide significant learning efforts in the human-oriented skills of delivering great customer service.
Yet, possessing human-oriented skills and savvy is a key requirement if service representatives are to perform well under the three most frequently used methods of assessment in such centers:
1) Call monitoring for quality
2) Electronic performance metrics
3) Performance appraisals
What is missing, as a consequence, are two key ingredients for success:
1) Clear expectations about exactly what attitudes and behaviors an organization expects of service representatives;
2) Feedback that is consistent, frequent, timely, and detailed about whether a service representative is meeting those expectations.
What do you think are the primary supervisory constraints, which inhibit management from providing these for their people?
A personal and professional maturity is required to serve customers well. That's why we've built these competencies into our customer service program and tested their effectiveness over the years. But, there will still be the ocassional person who doesn't have the DNA for it. Being alert to this fact allows service managers to do what's best for the company and an unsuitable person: help them find a better career match outside the service organization.
Discontent. Too many managers thy to smother it. Organizations discourage it. On the whole we are afraid of discontent. Is it squelched in your team of service providers? Maybe, sometimes, it is a clue that something needs attention.
It is not easy to embrace discontent, though. Organizations, which are usually driven to maintain stability—the reason “organization” exists—erect psychological barriers against discontent. Understandably, people in organizations resist disturbance. Established interests are, well, established. Discontent places people outside their comfort zones, which makes discontent a Pandora ’s Box—do not open under any circumstances!
The instant a team member is discontent and begins to question some things there is a disturbance. It's uncomfortable. Yet, heart-felt, appropriate discontent reflects initiative, which may well generate something quite extraordinary: creativity. Creativity often sprouts the soil of discontent.
By the 1980’s Corning Glass had cornered the U.S. market for catalytic converters in cars. Catching them by surprise, a Japanese company produced a product that worked better at a lower price. Auto manufacturers put Corning on notice. It disturbed Corning, to say the least. They were forced to initiate a massive effort to beat that Japanese company. They succeeded. Corning’s forced discontent created a company-wide initiative that resulted in a creative solution: a superior product at a lower price.
But why didn’t the people at Corning develop this wonderful new product earlier? Contentment. They were content in their ostensibly lucrative position. Like many contented monoliths [here insert any one of many well-known companies who have slipped in recent years], Corning employees did not possess a creative discontent fostering the initiative to create their new product—until they tottered on the precipice of financial disaster. New ideas, new perspectives were buried beneath the contentment of (profitable) routine.
Two questions for teams of service providers: (1) Is there benefit to striking the spark of discontent? (2) What's the price of not doing so?
Here are a few telephone basics to consider. How you are on the phone becomes part of your "professional brand" to others. These little things can be big to customers --both external and internal.
Answering & Identification
1. Answer before the third ring.
2. Before answering, discontinue any other conversation or activity such as eating, chewing gum, or keyboarding, which can be heard by the calling party.
3. Identify your organization, department and name upon answering.
Hold
1. Ask the caller if you may put them on hold.
2. If possible, check back with the caller every 30-45 seconds.
· “Would you like to continue holding?”
· “May I call you back when I have this information?”
3. Do not leave the caller on hold for more than one minute unless he/she requests it.
4. Use the hold button when leaving the line so that the caller does not accidentally hear conversations being held nearby.
Transfer
1. Identify for caller to whom you are transferring and at what extension (keep your caller informed).
2. Announce to the “transferee” your name, the caller and the nature of the call.
3. If possible, stay on the line with the caller until you’re sure they have the right person.
Taking Phone Messages When taking a phone message always include the following information:
Voice Mail
1. Remember: callers generally prefer to speak to you personally.
2. Use phone mail as a back-up answering method only, if possible.
3. Record your personal message. Avoid using generic messages. Watch your tone and pace.
What to Avoid
In my opinion, one of the top two customer expectations is this: somebody to handle my issues as quickly as possible—and during our first conversation, if at all possible (the other is not having to wait too long to get that person).
How do we help service personnel increase their first call resolution metrics? Here are six elements to consider:
1. Systems & processes providing a single, unified view of the customer.
2. Education in products, services, procedures and policies.
3. Discretion to deal with the customers’ needs, together with a clear path of escalation for the “unhappy paths” we find ourselves in (which often includes clarity about how to handle cross-functional issues). This can be hard – management decisions and approaches often shoot us in the foot here.
4. Realistic first call resolution metrics together with recognition celebrating successes.
5. Training about how specifically to prepare to engage the customer, connect well with the customer, listen to and support the customer, and close well while leaving the customer with a sense that he or she was genuinely cared for.
6. Supervisors and managers who are in touch with the front line and encourage first call resolution.
What would you add?
Confer. When managers hoard information employees need to be creative, problem-solving participants in customer service excellence, enthusiasm withers. But when managers share what they know, employees make their own connections and generate solutions. Cultivate enthusiasm by informing employees. Ask. Many employees possess dormant insights and ideas. If they aren’t asked and if their responses aren’t taken seriously, they won’t be motivated to contribute. Motivate by asking. Responsibility. The more discretion and choices employees are given, the more they will enthusiastically participate in a new initiative. Provide meaningful accountabilities. Enable. Give employees the skills they need, both technically and interpersonally. Invest in the right training and the results will be compelling to your employees—and your customers.
We all know that each customer “perception point” provides an opportunity for service providers to open the way for:
But, how do service professionals summon genuine, confident and consistent delivery of excellent customer service time after time? My experience in the field with very different types of companies and organizations leads me to believe that it grows out of a personal and professional core from which each individual service provider operates. What shapes that core? Five key things:
There is no way around being a genuine, balanced professional--time after time, call after call, email after email--at each customer "perception point." Jay Leno, Bill Cosby or John Stewart probably have had "off days." But have you ever seen evidence of their "off days" in their professional performance? Night after night their consistency has made them hallmarks in their professions. They have understood how to cultivate and maintain a postive personal and professional core. This understanding has become the foundation of our We Care Customer Service program.
