A couple weeks ago, I experienced a pleasantly surprising transaction with a very large company.  I had called AT&T to cancel an old phone line and have my DSL internet moved to my new business line.  I was wary, as I’ve had bad experiences in the past with long waits and frustrating attempts to navigate the dreaded automated phone system. I try to press the prompt that will get me a live person but somehow I always seem to end up with another long set of prompts taking me everywhere except where I want to go. 

This time, there was no long wait. Within minutes, I was talking to a live person. When he heard what I needed, however, he said, “I’m going to have to connect you to another department.”  

“Here we go,” I thought. “Now I’ll have to explain the whole thing all over again to someone else.”  This time, I was wrong.  The first representative stayed on the line and explained what I needed to the woman in the new department. I was impressed and relieved.  Once she understood the details, the pleasant man thanked me and hung up. Everything went well and an AT&T worker was scheduled to come to my home the following Tuesday. 

When he arrived, he politely explained what he was about to do outside.  When he was done, he offered to come inside to make sure my internet was up and running. He worked with my modem to make sure it was functioning properly.  Then, he told me what I would have to do with my username to ensure that I wouldn’t have a lapse in service.  As we discussed the department at AT&T that would handle this aspect of the connection, he decided to manage it for me.  He got them on the phone, gave them his employee number and explained what I needed. Once he put me on the call and was sure that everything was going smoothly, he said goodbye and let himself out. The next AT&T representative walked me through the final steps and I was all set.   

It took those employees extra time to patch me through and make sure the next department knew what needed to be done and it gave me a sense of security.  I was so happy that they made the effort to ensure I transitioned seamlessly from department to department. Two separate times, their people patched me through to the next person I needed and made sure I was taken care of before leaving me. Their “hand holding” was extraordinary and you can be sure I’ll be recommending AT&T to others.

Reflections:  What can you do to make your customer’s life a little less stressful?  Are there any areas of transition during which your customers could use a bit of extra help?  

written by Marilyn Suttle on www.lovethemup.com

Everything I know about customer service I learned in sales.  While many people think the two areas of specialty require different skill sets, I’m not convinced.  To be successful in sales or customer service, you need great mood management skills.  Sales people have to control their moods so that they don’t get demotivated when a potential customer chooses not to buy from them.  They can’t give up on their jobs, they have to simply re-think what happened, explore what they can do differently next time, and keep moving forward with a positive attitude.  I recommend the same approach for front-line customer service reps.  

What is mood management?  It’s an ability - which can definitely be cultivated - to control how you think about a situation so that you can continue to behave rationally, no matter what happens. How you think determines how you feel and how you act, so improving how you think about your customers and your co-workers will upgrade how you feel about them and how you act towards them.

It’s inevitable.  Let’s say you are a counter person at a print shop.  You have a customer who is in a hurry and is acting a bit cranky.  You have a choice.  You can consider that person in either a positive or a negative way.  You might immediately think, “geez, here’s another customer rushing me and acting like it’s my fault that they didn’t get their order in on time to meet their own deadline.”  With that line of thought, you’ll most likely feel a bit defensive and demotivated.  You may struggle with keeping a positive attitude as you complete the transaction.  

However, if you choose to think in a more positive, empowered fashion, you might say to yourself, “okay, this woman is in a big rush.  I’m going to move quickly, be efficient and show her that I’m committed to getting her in and out of here as quickly as I can.”  Naturally, this thought pattern makes you feel more in control, more helpful and of course, a bit happier.  Which approach do you think will result in a smoother and more pleasant transaction for the customer?  

What can you do to learn mood management skills?  One of my favorite recommendations is reading great motivational books.  From “Happy for No Reason” by Marci Shimoff, which offers a general approach to learning how to cultivate positive thinking, to the customer service bestseller “The Nordstrom Way” by Robert Spector and Patrick D. MacCarthy, always keeping a motivational book in your current stack of must-reads (and actually reading it!) will help you continue to strengthen your emotional management abilities.  

written by Lori Jo Vest at www.lovethemup.com

Have you ever been a customer with a problem on your hands? You need the problem handled so you call the company and leave a detailed message. You can hardly wait to hear back from customer service. An hour goes by, then two. The next thing you know the day is over and you haven’t heard back. Then two days go by and you’re angry.  Frustrating, right? 

Maybe you called for a price quote and no one returned your call. Maybe you’re supposed to get medical test results on Tuesday morning and by Tuesday afternoon you still haven’t received a call. Maybe your car replacement part is on backorder and a month goes by without an update.  How do you feel about a company that leaves you hanging? 

I was recently working on a project, when  I needed information from the person in charge.  I sent an email and two days went by with no reply.  I thought perhaps it didn’t go through, so I left a phone message. Another day went by and still no response. Several days later, I called and had a candid conversation to find out why.  She said, “I don’t have an answer for you yet. I need more time to think. I often find that if I don’t respond right away the problem goes away.”  She might be right but I wonder how many customers go away right along with those problems.  

Today I interviewed a customer service superstar, Chris Ulrich from ISCO Industries, who will be featured in our upcoming book.  He shared many helpful stories about the specifics that set his company’s service apart. One element that Chris believes is critical to excellent customer service is responsiveness.  He feels that customer loyalty comes not only from the big things but also from the small, seemingly inconsequential details. If Chris gets a request by phone or email, and he has an answer, he responds. If he doesn’t have an answer, he still responds, just to confirm that he got the message and is working on the solution.  

He knows that when you leave a customer hanging, they don’t know why you’re not responding. They don’t know that you’re waiting for a price or working on the problem unless you tell them.  With every minute they wait, they are losing trust in your company.  Maybe you would rather wait to have a solid answer before calling back, but what would your customer prefer? It may put a strain on the relationship to leave them wondering why it’s taking so long.  A simple response to let them know you received their message will help to establish trust.

Reflection:  What is one thing you can do to improve your customer responsiveness?  

written by Marilyn Suttle on www.lovethemup.com

I spent a few hours this fine Sunday watching “Harmonic Wealth,” a 104-minute program by James Arthur Ray, a leader in growth and transformation work. He’s one of the men that appears in “The Secret,” the much-discussed transformational film that sold so many copies in the last few years. It was a great way to spend 104 minutes and I left the venue feeling very optimistic. What I liked most about Ray’s conversation, which makes up most of the film’s content, were his comments on action, responsibility and harmony. (Note, I’m not even paraphrasing here, I’m just talking about how I personally interpreted the stories and lessons that Ray talked about.)

ACTION: You can’t just expect things to happen because you want them to. You have to make them happen with your actions. Positive change happens when someone wants something to happen, then takes action to make it happen. An example? What if you are the front line responder to every customer that comes in angry because the coffee lid on the coffee that you’re serving comes off and spills on the customer’s lap. Would you continue to serve the coffee with the same lids, hour after hour, while one customer after another came in and yelled at you? Of course not. You’d take action (tell your boss, order different lids, whatever it took) and change the circumstances. What if you took action on even the smallest recurring problems that you have at your place of business, even if they aren’t quite as extreme as my example? How much happier would your customers be?

RESPONSIBILITY: What if you had amazing integrity with your word? What if every time you told someone you would do something, you did it, without fail, no matter what extreme measures it took to meet your commitment? What if you were never ever late for an appointment? Not for lunch with a customer, not for drinks with your girlfriend or even coffee with your mom. How would that feel? Now add another layer - what do you think would happen if you took responsibility for making sure that every customer transaction in which you were involved ended with the customer being extremely happy with your company? Even the ones that were headed south at 250 miles an hour? If you make that commitment and take action around it, I know you’ll be amazed at what happens. (You’ll probably end up rich, if you own your own company, or you’ll end up the boss, if you work for someone else!)

HARMONY VS. BALANCE: I loved Ray’s use of the word “harmony” instead of “balance.” He proposes that balance is virtually impossible. And if you could achieve it - think of scales and how they are completely still when they’re perfectly balanced - you’d be stagnant, so why bother? He uses the word harmony, which melds better with our lives today. It’s so typical - and so OKAY - that sometimes your life’s emphasis leans toward your career, sometimes it’s more focused on your health or heavier on the financial areas…it evolves over time.

One of the most important parts of customer service skills development is growth. Whatever you do that inspires you to grow - whether it’s reading books, surfing blogs, watching films or attending workshops - keep doing it! Over time, you’ll be amazed at how you assimilate all of your learnings into your own unique style. Then it becomes easy and pleasant to manage even your most challenging customer relationships. Your customers will thank you!

written by Lori Jo Vest on www.lovethemup.com

Lori Vest and I have great news to share with you. Our customer service book, Love Them Up and Keep Them Forever, has been picked up by a major book publisher.

Between now and December 1^st, we will be interviewing and writing about the best examples of customer service from a wide variety of industries. We’re breaking down the stories into easy to digest steps that you can put in place right away.

If you have an example that is just too juicy not to share to overcome tantrums, tirades and other customer service situations, and you would like to be considered to be interviewed for our book, please contact us at Marilyn@MarilynSuttle.com or Lori@LoriVest.com.  

We are so excited because we know that this book will bring you easy to apply emotional management skills that will make your work life happier and your customers more loyal. We are committed to raising your marketability, profitability, and your company’s sustainability while making your customers so happy that they’ll refer you to their friends and colleagues.

Here is a quick tip to put in place this week. Let us know how it works for you:

Notice what location you are in when you are most often challenged by customers. Is it when you’re responding to email at your computer? Is it on the phone? Is it across the table with your internal customers – those employees whose work affects your work?  Place a symbol or phrase in that location that will help you shift your frazzled mood into a more resourceful mood. For example:

On my computer I have a tiny quote that reminds me, “Don’t say anything unless it’s truthful, useful, kind & unifying.”  It helps me from emailing something out of frustration that I will later regret.

An employee at one of my recent workshops placed a “Love Them Up” sticker on her telephone to remind her to notice her tone of voice to make sure it is warm and friendly.

A manager I interviewed several months ago who often found herself impatient when meeting  with staff members , placed the word “Listen” on the bulletin board where she can see it when employees sit across the desk from her. When she feels impatient, that word guides her to take a deep breath and become more present with her staff.

Reflection:

Where might a symbol or phrase be placed to help you redirect yourself to provide better service?

Posted by Marilyn Suttle at www.LoveThemUp.com

It’s been an interesting week for me in customer service land - lots of evidence of unskilled people interacting with customers.  I’m grateful for my fascination with the topic, as twice last week, I’ve had the opportunity to study interactions with less-than-stellar service providers.  

Would you be surprised to learn that both incidents occurred with managers?  I wasn’t, as it’s very common that people get promoted to management because they’re competent and are able to get things done.  It’s bizarre how frequently we find that managers are the weakest links in the seller-to-customer chain.

The incident that I’ll delve into today happened at a camera store at an upscale mall near our house.  My husband decided to upgrade his digital camera several months ago and has been waiting patiently for our tax incentive check to come so he’d be able to make the purchase.  We were excited and as we waited for the sales people behind the counter to complete their transactions with other customers, we browsed and talked about pricing.  I’m sure our enthusiasm was obvious, though it was in direct opposition to the lackadaisical attitude that the store manager conveyed when she finally approached us.  ”Can I help you?” she asked.  

My husband began explaining that he was a novice who was looking to upgrade to a Canon Digital Rebel XT.  He also told her about his interest in discussing the competitive models with one of the store “experts” to ensure he was making a good decision.  The manager allowed him to ramble on for five or six minutes, nodding her head and actually handing him a camera before the telephone rang and she excused herself to the other end of the store.  We waited while she completed her call, expecting her to return to the conversation.  We were a bit surprised when she hung up, then turned to one of her staff members and, waving her hand toward us, said, “could you please help those people?”  She then began a conversation with the elderly customers who were waiting.  

Needless to say, my husband was steaming.  He had explained his desire to spend $1,000+ with the manager, had gone through his desired features and other details, only to have to start all over again with someone else.  And she didn’t even have the courtesy to apologize for the interruption in the process, to explain our needs to the young man who had been assigned to us, or to even let us know that someone else would be taking over.  It was bizarre, actually, as we felt like we were being snubbed.  It took every ounce of control I had not to approach her before we left and ask her why she abandoned a customer who was obviously ready to buy without offering even the smallest amount of courtesy.  

Thankfully, we were able to get great information and service from the second sales person, who was an experienced photographer.  He worked hard to save the sale and was smart enough to be very diplomatic in responding to our comments about the rude manager.  ”I’m not sure what to say,” he responded.  ”But I promise I will take care of whatever you need.”  His boss could definitely learn from him.

Reflections:  When you need to move on to something else in the middle of a transaction, do you apologize and explain it to the customer?  And do you make sure that the person to whom you’re handing the customer is up to speed on what has happened thus far?  

written by Lori Jo Vest on www.lovethemup.com

Imagine you are an employee at a lovely restaurant in a building that is over 70 years old. A baby shower is booked in your lower level on a sunny Sunday morning. The guests arrive and walk down the stairs. The woman hosting the party confirmed with you that there is an elevator available for one of the guests who uses crutches.   You assure her that the elevator is available.

Today I drove my sister, mother and I to that restaurant.  As promised, an employee met us at the door and guided my sister – the one with crutches –  to the elevator. My mom and I accompanied her. We walked through the kitchen and down a short hallway to the elevator. It was barely large enough for the three of us and it looked like one you’d see in an old classic movie.  The employee slid a metal screen in front of us and manually closed the door.  

I pushed the button marked “2” but the light did not go on. Hmmm. That wasn’t very encouraging. We slowly rose to the second floor.  I’m used to elevators that open up all by themselves. This one did not.  We stood there waiting but nothing happened.  When I realized I had to open the elevator myself, I couldn’t figure out how to slide the screen open.  After a full two minutes – that’s nearly 10 minutes in “stuck in an elevator” time - I finally got the screen to slide aside.  What a relief!  In front of me was a door handle. All I had to do was open the door.

The only problem was, the door wouldn’t budge. I knocked on it to alert the guests of the baby shower and they tried to open it from their end.  It wouldn’t open.  My sister started to laugh.  It was such a ridiculous situation!  It felt like we were in a television sitcom AND an Alfred Hitchcock movie.  There were people banging and pulling on the door. I was pushing on the door. We tried and tried with no luck. “Go back to the first floor,” I heard a staff person call out. 

I slid the screen closed again and pushed the button. When we arrived on the first floor, we couldn’t wait to get out.  We were met by a reassuring employee who said, “Please stay in and I’ll take you up myself.” 

“No thanks, I’d rather take the stairs,” my sister said.

“I promise you, I will get you safely to the party from the elevator. Trust me,” he said. 

He seemed sure of himself, so we squished ourselves toward the back and made room. He closed the wooden door, slid the metal screen and pushed the “2” button that wouldn’t light up. When we got to the second floor, I noticed that the air was getting a little stale and warm.  With confidence, our escort slid back the screen and turned the handle of the second floor door.  It wouldn’t budge.  He pushed, he jiggled, he prodded. There were employees on the other side of the door pulling, poking and prodding at what looked to be a metal lock box at the top right of the door. This wasn’t funny anymore. 

“Let’s just go back downstairs,” my sister suggested. He humbly agreed, slid the screen closed and pushing the “1” button, but the elevator didn’t move.  In that moment I had visions of the fire department making their way through the baby shower to rescue us.  The room was now uncomfortably warm.  Right then a staff person on the other side of the door successfully unlocked the lock and opened the door. I was never so happy to get out of an elevator.  The expectant mother and the hosts of the party greeted us. We wanted to put everyone at ease, especially the expectant mom, and immediately assured them that everything was fine, we were okay.  Instead of apologizing for the inconvenience and asking us if he could get us a cold beverage, the guy who put us through the ordeal the second time quickly disappeared. 

There are many things that could have been done to avoid the discomfort, and endangerment of this establishment’s customers.  I imagine you could come up with a whole list, but here are a few:

1. The elevator could be checked right before sending guests inside. 

2. The staff person could have accompanied us in the first place instead of sending us alone.

3. He could have gone up by himself to check it out first, before assuring us and asking us to “trust” him.  

Reflections:  Where are the potential trouble spots in your business that could lead to unhappy customers, lawsuits or worst of all, tragedy? What can be done now to sidestep trouble later? When mistakes happen, how can you set things right and leave customers feeling good about your business?

written by Marilyn Suttle on www.lovethemup.com

I’m a long time user of ACT! software, a contact management program that is a great resource for salespeople and entrepreneurs.  Unfortunately, over the last few years, the company that owns it began focusing on large, networked groups of users at corporations.  As they re-developed the software, it lost some of the functionality that made it so valuable to users like me.  

I began looking at alternatives for the teleproduction studio that I run and came across Avidian and their software, Prophet.  (See www.avidian.com.)  We purchased the software in December or January for use by our account manager and me.  Because of my resistance to new software and my fifteen years of ease with ACT!, I dragged my feet on installing it and we didn’t get into using it until last month.  

Of course, as is typical with new software, we ran into hiccups.  Moving the specific contact data we wanted to use from one database to another didn’t go smoothly.  Figuring out how to send one copy of a bulk email to each contact, instead of three copies, was a puzzle.  And getting in touch with tech support was challenging.

We tried emailing and responses would take a few days.  We tried calling and were told it was a training matter and that the Avidian training department was “in training” so we’d have to schedule our session at 5:30pm.  It was very frustrating.  

Fortunately, my years of sales have taught me that when you want something resolved, a great last resort is to call the sales department and ask them to help you figure it out.  So, I called Avidian and asked for a sales rep.  I believe his name was Tom and he was great.  ”I’m so sorry you had to deal with that,” he said. “Would you mind sharing your frustration with our president?  He needs to know about this.  I’ll put you through to his extension.”  

As the call rang through, my first thought was “now this guy knows how to move a customer up the ladder to get what they need!”  My guess was that, like most companies, Avidian may have some tension between those that sell the product and those that support it.  And my concern was that the president would be far too busy to deal with a tiny little customer like me and I would be back to square one.  I left my message anyway and went on with my day.  

A few hours later, I had a message from James Wong, Avidian’s CEO.  I rang him back and was pleasantly surprised by his concern.  He listened to my rant about how difficult it had been to get our problem solved. He allowed me to vent my frustration.  And he gave me some really straight information about how their tech support works.  As we talked, we realized that his tech support team had neglected to give me a key piece of information.  In assuming that we wouldn’t want to pay for tech support to resolve an issue with using an Excel database to import information, they had sent us back to training, where our question would most likely eventually be answered.  (In reality, I would have happily paid for the 10-minute technical resolution to avoid the time spent in training.) 

James and I talked for a bit about the rigors of maintaining strong customer service and the challenges of providing good tech support to even your smallest customers.  Before we hung up, he promised to have someone in tech support call us to work out our issue.  By the end of the day, our problem was resolved and we’ve been happily using Prophet software to manage our contacts ever since.  (I’ve even figured out how to send only one marketing email to each customer!)

It was a great resolution to our problem and I’m now a happy Prophet advocate.  I’m sure that James passed the information from our telephone call to his training and tech support staff.  His willingness to “get in the trenches” and hear directly from an unhappy customer is inspiring.  It was a great example of how simply talking to customers, hearing their concerns and addressing them can turn an angry customer into a lifelong fan.  

REFLECTIONS:  Do you look at angry customers as problems or challenges?  What can you do to create a mindset that allows you to look forward to solving a customer’s problem?  Do you know when to pass a customer’s problem “up the ladder” to a manager?

Late Sunday afternoon, I was getting ready for the busy week ahead. While printing up some handouts, my black ink cartridge ran dry. It was a relief to know that I had an extra one on my shelf. I popped in the new cartridge but it didn’t work. Darn!  So much for getting ahead! It was late but I grabbed my keys and headed out to Office Max to return the faulty printer cartridge and get a new one.

Fortunately, the store was still open. The moment I walked in I was greeted by a tall man with a beard who asked, “Is there anything I can help you find?”  “Oh good,” I thought. “I won’t have to hunt down a salesperson to help me.” I explained the problem, and he immediately found me a replacement. I also picked up a color cartridge. 

Instead of letting me fend for myself, the helpful salesman walked me to the checkout and told the clerk about the trade. I paid for the color cartridges.  Just then, I remembered something else I wanted to pick up. I asked the counterperson to hold my package and walked down the aisle to find a couple packages of folders. Then I noticed a display of graduation party kits and thank you notes. My son is graduating soon, so I got absorbed looking at the many options. 

A different young salesman approached me. “Is there anything I can help you find?”

“Sure,” I said, I’d like to find some envelopes that would look good with this package of “Class of 2008” paper. He led me off to the envelopes section. 

I completely forgot that the store was about to close. The salesman stayed with me as I looked, and finally I said, “I might be a while.” Instead of rushing me out, he smiled and walked away. Loving all the colors, patterns and styles of envelopes, I must have spent ten minutes picking out what I wanted.  When I walked back to pay, the sales clerk smiled a big bright smile said, “We didn’t know you were still here. We almost closed the store with you in it.” 

I looked around and noticed that I was the only one left, and the tall sales guy with the beard who had helped me earlier was unlocking the door to prepare to let me out. “Oops! Sorry about that,” I said. 

In the friendliest manner, he said, “That’s okay, I like it here.”  

Always on the lookout for excellent service, I realized that he was going out of his way to make sure I didn’t feel bad for holding up their closing. I joked, “Thanks, but I’ll bet you can’t wait to go home.” 

“Hey, we want to make our customers happy. We didn’t mind waiting for you,” he responded.

I was impressed.  I walked into the store a minute before closing and had three employees in a fifteen minute time span treat me with the highest degree of excellence. Something’s going right at the Novi, Michigan Office Max store.  It takes emotional management skills to be patient while a customer strolls through the store after closing.  And it takes outstanding customer service ability to make a customer feel valued when you’d rather go home and enjoy your evening!

Reflections:  When are the times that you find it most challenging to be polite to your customers?  What are the advantages of making the customer feel great even when they are inconveniencing you?

Written by Marilyn Suttle at www.lovethemup.com  

Wow!  I’ve had so many experiences with extraordinarily poor customer service over the last few weeks that it’s difficult for me to pick just one to write about.  In light of that, I’ve decided to pick out some highlights and shed some light on how easily they could have been avoided.

Do What You Say You Will - QUICKLY!  My husband and I recently purchased a new bedroom set with a platform bed.  Unfortunately, the store delayed the delivery by almost a month beyond the promised date and when they delivered it, they set it up incorrectly and now it’s broken.  It’s been incredibly frustrating, primarily because we feel as if we have to continually “beg” the store to deliver on their promises.  They make a promise, then break it and we have to call and ask them what happened.  Then they make another promise and break that one, too.  It’s horrific and has me on the verge of contacting the Better Business Bureau.  And to make matters worse, we found out that the young man who is causing the most problems is the owner’s son!  After doing business with the store for 25+ years, I’m ready to leave them forever.

Solve Problems - QUICKLY!  We purchased a new contact management software program at the office and have recently begun trying to figure out how to use it.  Unfortunately, my associate keeps getting put off by the woman who is supposed to set up the training that would allow her to get started using the software.  ”We have training in the morning, so I won’t be able to set up your call until 2:30pm our time (which is 5:30pm our time) one day NEXT WEEK,” said the customer service rep.  It wasn’t until I spoke to the same woman - and told her I would prefer to talk to her boss since she didn’t seem to be able to properly prioritize her customer’s needs over her department’s training requirement - that we were able to make contact with someone who could solve the issue.  I kept thinking “what’s the point of training if there are no customers?”  LOL.

Apologize - QUICKLY!  Overall, there seems to be an issue with apologies.  The inexperienced customer service reps we’ve encountered have been decidedly the opposite of apologetic.  They’ve been great with excuses, delays and blame, though unable to simply say “I”m sorry, let me see what I can do to get this handled for you.”  As the customer, I’ve felt as if I was continually managing each situation so that I would get the desired outcome without much help from the individual who is supposed to be my guide.  

Had any of the unfortunate customer service individuals I’ve encountered over the last few weeks done what they said they would, solved the problem quickly and apologized, I’d be more than happy as a customer.  Doesn’t it sound really really simple?  That’s because it is!

Reflections:  Are there any situations in your business where you may be lacking follow-through, delaying problem solving or avoiding a proper apology?  What might happen if you changed that?

Written by Lori Jo Vest on www.lovethemup.com