Business Record - Iowa Biz

The Right Way to Approach Customer Service

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Several months ago I found myself in the midst of a real life version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles and I learned a valuable lesson in customer service. I was on my way home from a business trip and, to make a very long story short, I was stuck with a bunch of other travelers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. We'd loaded the plane. We'd sat on the tarmac for hours. We'd returned to the terminal to correct a problem. We'd reloaded the plane. Then we were told we'd have to get off the plane and be shuffled to another flight. It was your basic travel nightmare.

As I stood in the back of the line at the service counter waiting for my reassignment, I watched as my fellow travelers verbally accosted the ticket agent. Granted, they were saying all the the things I was thinking, but the poor guy was getting mercilessly yelled at and berated.

I was the last person in line. As I approached the lambasted ticket agent, I noticed that he defensively refused to make eye contact.

"Tough night for all of us, isn't it?" I asked with the most cheerful tone I could muster.

He finally looked at me as he held out his hand for my boarding pass. I forced out an "I know how you feel" smile as I gave it to him. He rolled his eyes, nodded, and began to work on my reassignment.

"Thanks for taking care of us," I said as his fingers clickety-clacked their way across the keyboard.

The printer whirred and he pulled out the new boarding pass.

"Thank you," he said to me with deliberate earnestness. With that, he handed me a first-class ticket home.

Like it or not, Customer Service Representatives have the power to help or hinder our quest for resolution. How you approach them may determine which it's going to be. As my Grandma Golly always said, "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar."

Customer Service is Crucial to Local, Small Business

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Living in small town Iowa has a lot of advantages. Not only do I enjoy some of the best quality of life in the world, but I'm also on the front lines of interesting, real-life business issues. The classic tension between small, local business and the "evil" corporate big boys rages continually and I've enjoyed watching the community struggle.

While my heart and desire is to support my local business people, I must admit that I've been disappointed by the service experience I've received. I have often found small, local business to take advantage of my goodwill and excuse their lack of basic customer service.

A few classic, true personal experiences from the archives:

• I walked into a small local hardware store to buy some bird seed. Based on the type of store and their inventory you'd expect them to carry bird seed. I was met by the scowl of an employee who informed me in a snobbish tone that they don't carry birdseed because it attracts mice. "Huh," I thought to myself, "Maybe it would also attract customers who want to buy it." I went to Wal-Mart, was greeted with a smile and bought my bird seed.
• I used to walk into the local coffee shop almost daily. I was a regular for almost three years. They should have put a sign above my usual booth saying, "Tom's Office". Not once was I greeted with a familiar smile. If they knew my name, they never used it - even though I tried to initiate and greet the baristas by name. I ordered a coffee and a cinnamon roll when I came in. After 30 minutes they hadn't delivered the cinnamon roll. When I went up for a refill on the coffee, I mentioned this. It was promptly delivered. No apology. No "thanks for your patience." No "Gosh, Tom, you're such a great customer. Sorry we blew it. Next time the cinnamon roll is on us!" The attitude was "Who cares? Screw you. Where else are you gonna go? What, you think there's a Starbucks on the next corner?" I stopped going.
• I had problems with my roof. I called a well-known, local roofer in an effort to keep it in the community. It took multiple phone calls and several months to get a quote. It took more than 15 months to get my roof. When I had problems, it took multiple calls and several weeks to get a response and follow-up visit.
• I walked into the local small engine and equipment shop, money in hand, to buy a lawnmower. I waited for several minutes for someone to approach me. When someone finally asked if they could help I said, "I want to buy a lawnmower." I was utterly flabbergasted at the response. "Listen, I need to unload some stuff in the back. Can you come back in an hour or two?" (I wish I was making this up).

I've heard it said that small, local business can provide the friendly, neighborly, personal service that the big, corporate stores lack. I have no doubt that they can. In fact, it's crucial that they do. The temptation that must be resisted by local small business it to take customers for granted, and expect them to accept and excuse a poor customer experience.

Make a "Customer Connection"

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Through the years, I've learned that the best customer service providers develop their expertise by continually "improving their serve." We can learn all sorts of valuable lessons about customer service simply by having our eyes and ears open, observing the many service interactions we witness on a daily basis.

My wife and I are on vacation this week, but I'm still learning. Yesterday, we walked into a Black and Decker Outlet store in Branson, Mo. As I looked around and stood in line, I became aware that the guy behind the register was constantly making connections with his customers.

"What's your name?" he asked a little boy. After making a quick friend, he gave the lad a small little children's tool "on the house" and won the hearts of the boy's parents.

"Oh, that's an interesting name," he commented as he looked at a patron's identification. "I had a buddy in the Marine Corps with that name." The man and his customer enjoyed a pleasant conversation as the sale was rung up.

"You're gonna love this," he told a customer buying a rechargeable battery. "Let me tell you a little secret that will help you get the longest battery life."

"Is that your family?" he asked a customer who held out his billfold to reveal his identification. "Beautiful daughters. I've got a daughter a bit older than them. They grow up quick, don't they?"

"You're from Iowa?" he asked me. "Are you anywhere near, Story City? Did you know we just opened a store up there!" I didn't know, and I was happy for the information. I'll likely make an occasional stop on my way to and from the Twin Cities on business.

I was reminded how simple it is to make a "customer connection" which transforms a rote, mindless transaction into a pleasant, personable interaction. It is the interaction which makes the experience memorable and brings customers back for more!

Get Customers' Attention by Doing Old Things a New Way

Anyone who flies frequently can likely recite the flight attendant's safety briefing by heart. Despite warnings from the purser about how important it is or pleas from the cockpit to put down your reading material, most of us just zone out. A few months ago, an airline passenger caught a Southwest flight attendant on his camera phone turning the tired old spiel into a clever rap.

Think of all the ways companies, Customer Service Representatives and sales people approach you with bland, been-there-done-that phrases which customers shrug off like an airline safety briefing:

• "Did you find everything you needed?"
• "Anything else I can do for you today?"
• "Can I help you find anything?"
• "Do you need a fitting room?"
• "Are you finding everything okay?"

Sometimes, you must choose NOT to do what the customer expects. Perhaps it's time to think through all of your customer touch-points and consider opportunities to catch the customer's attention by doing old things a new and different way!

Customers: Prize or Nuisance?

My wife and I just returned from a quick weekend trip. I had two contrasting experiences that became an important Customer Service lesson.

On Thursday night, we walked into a Gap outlet store. It was my birthday and I'd received a gift card from the chain, so we figured we'd use it. After shopping for about a half-hour, we headed to the counter with a few items to purchase. The store manager was standing off to the side of the checkout counter training a new employee. She saw us standing there and got on her little intercom headset.

"Travis, can you come to the front and check out some customers please?," she said into the microphone. She didn't try to hide it. She said it rather loudly with just a hint of annoyance in her voice. After about 30 seconds of standing there continuing her training and not even acknowledging our presence, she finally grunted in frustration and came over to the counter, took our merchandise and began to check us out without making so much as eye contact with us.

I felt like a nuisance. I almost apologized for being in her way. Ironically, as we walked past the manager and new employee on the way out the door, we overheard her say, "Make sure you take care of the customer. You know, make them feel special."

On our getaway, we stopped by another merchant. We'd called ahead to see if they were open. It was the end of the day. They asked when we could be there and agreed to stay until we got there. They greeted us and introduced themselves, making small talk as we browsed. We never felt rushed. It was as if we were considered friends waiting to happen. I felt prized. On our way out the door of the establishment I noticed the floor mat. It read, "If we don't take of our customers, someone else will."

Do customers walk away from their experience with you, or your company, feeling like a prize or a nuisance?

A Unique, Inexpensive Way to Capture Phone Calls

Many small to mid-sized businesses would love to have the ability to record phone calls "to ensure quality service" without the huge price tag that usually comes with purchasing the appropriate phone switch and recording software. I witnessed an interesting application that may be an affordable work around for some businesses.

I was visiting a company yesterday that is asking our group to help with developing a simple call monitoring form and program. They are using Reach Local to manage their local advertising on Google. For a fee, Reach Local helps figure out what keywords people are using to find this business and then buys the appropriate ad words to drive more traffic to the clients web site. They provide the client with a Web based dashboard to monitor hits and traffic. The gentleman who showed me hid dashboard yesterday was witnessing some pretty impressive growth in his hit and contact rates.

Here's where it really gets interesting. Reach Local changes the client's phone number so that when a person calls the business from referencing Google's site or the client's Web site, the call actually passes through Reach Local. Reach Local front ends the call with a simple "your call may be monitored message" and seamlessly passes it on to the client. They digitally record the call and upload the call to the clients dashboard. The client can hear a recording of every call that came to his business through someone referencing the number on Google or his Web site. He didn't have to buy a digital phone switch. He didn't have to install a new phone system.

There are certainly limitations. He isn't getting a true sample of all customers calling him or all calls being taken by his team. In addition, he doesn't have all of the cool bells and whistles of a true QA recording and analysis package. Nevertheless, it's a way for this relatively small business to begin the process of monitoring customer conversations and developing a Quality Assessment process. And, it's all part of the marketing dollars spent. There's no additional capital expense.

Who Do You Serve?

It was a classic customer service dilemma. I walked into the Courtyard Inn last week to register. I had a long day, a late flight and was ready to get to my room and crash. I had stayed at this location numerous times and typically the check in process took less than a minute.

The desk clerk greeted me and I gave her my name. As she began reaching for the box with the reservations in it, the phone rang and she answered it. It was obviously a guest calling for a wake-up call and she took the information, wrote it down on her log, restated the information to make sure she got it correct and wished the guest a good night. By the time she was finished, she'd forgotten my name and I gave it to her again. She pulled my reservation slip from the box and the phone rang once more. This time it was a customer calling to get some information. I stood there while she spent minutes answering the caller's questions while completely ignoring me.

Most companies want to answer the phone quickly when customers call. The number of abandoned calls and Average Speed of Answer (ASA) are metrics routinely tracked in call centers. Yet, when a call comes into the call center, the Customer Service Representative (CSR) doesn't also have a customer standing in front of her cubicle wanting to be served. I've found it interesting to watch CSRs give priority to callers on the phone at the expense of the customers standing right in front them.

I empathize with the desk clerk that night. She was alone and trying to resolve concerns of customers approaching her from multiple channels. As I eventually received my key card and headed to my room, I contemplated what I would have wished to happen.

1. As a paying customer who was there first and standing there in person, I expected her to give me the priority of her attention.
2. When the phone rang, it would have been nice for the hotel to use technology to route the call to another available associate, or auto answer to an IVR that politely asked the caller to hold. That way, she could have simply ignored the phone and given me all of her attention.
3. If the technology did not exist to manage the incoming calls, I would have wished that she had answered the phone and politely asked the caller to hold while she finished assisting me. Just because customers are approaching her through different channels doesn't mean she can't queue them up in the order of contact.

Sometimes providing good customer service means applying the best possible solution, even when there is no way to please all the customers all the time.

Have you experienced a similar customer service dilemma? How do you think she should have handled it? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Is Customer Service an Act of the Will or the Heart?

I believe that anyone can be taught good customer service principles. I also believe that anyone employed in a customer service position can perform the task with excellence, even if their performance is simply a conscious act. There are those for whom service is an act of the will, motivated by a paycheck, a bonus, or reluctant obedience to an employers standards. I find this sad, but true.

There are those, however, for whom service is motivated by an act of the heart more than an act of will. There are some who are inwardly motivated to help others, and watching them in action is a joy for me.

This past week I was flying from Miami to Des Moines. I had an aisle seat. A woman, who was also a veteran business flier, sat in the window seat. As the plane began to fill with passengers, we both commented that we hoped to get lucky and have the middle seat remain unoccupied. No such luck. Just before the cabin door closed, a man from another country climbed into the seat between us. He spoke broken English and had a hard time understanding the flight attendant. I watched as the woman in the window seat took it upon herself to assist our middle-seat companion. As we approached O'Hare she pulled out the Hemisphere's magazine, which contained a map of the airport, and went out of her way to help the man figure out where he needed to go. The woman could have easily kept to herself. Something motivated her to help, even though there was nothing in it for her.

Walking down the F Concourse a few minutes later, I witnessed a tall business executive walking next to a diminutive woman from India. Just the sight caught my attention. He was walking slowly, hunched over and listening to her. As I approached, I overheard him asking her what gate she was trying to reach.

"I'll run ahead and see if I can get them to hold it for you," he said. The executive, in his best business attire, then broke into a dead sprint down the crowded concourse. A minute later I spied him. He was out of breath and frantically negotiating with a airline agent as the elderly woman shuffled slowly towards the gate. What motivated this executive, with plenty of other "important" matters to occupy his mind, to go out of his way to help an elderly woman from another country?

Is your customer service a matter of the will, or a matter of the heart?

Service is a "Top Down" Enterprise

One of our clients has a relatively small sales and service operation. There are only a handful of front-line associates taking orders and another handful providing customer service. On one of my initial visits to the clients office, I was surprised by a loud beep that could be heard throughout the building. I was also surprised to see a few people scrambling back to their offices in response. Fire drill? Air raid?

The beep had nothing to do with weather or disaster. It was a warning of another kind. It was the warning of customers not being served. I learned that day that everyone in the company is responsible for answering the phones when things get busy. It doesn't matter what level you are within the company. If the customers are calling and calls are in queue, then everyone drops what they are doing to take care of the customers.

One of the most frequent complaints I hear from front line associates is that supervisors, managers and executives are unwilling to pick up the phone and talk to customers. In many cases, I've found it to be true. Customer service culture is a top-down enterprise. There is something to be said about a company that will truly make taking care of the customer their top priority - and will drop everything to take care of that customer when he or she calls.

What kind of service culture do you work in? Do you agree that the attitudes of those at the top of the organizational chart affect the service attitude on the front line? Why, or why not?

"No Problem!" is "Unfortunately" a Problem

Great service rides on great communication. Sometimes the difference between mediocre service and service that astonishes is your simple choice of words.

I read a great post by Bill Hogg regarding the phrase "no problem." Bill aptly points out that this common phrase is a combination of two words customers don't like to hear. Why risk turning the customer off when you could make a positive impression with "you're welcome" or "I'm happy to help"?

Another word that is often inappropriately used in service experiences is "unfortunately." Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) use this phrase all of the time as a substitute for an apology and in a poor attempt at expressing empathy:

"Unfortunately, we don't have that item in stock."

Customers want their issue resolved and they also want to know that you care about them and their predicament. The root of the word "unfortunately" is "fortune" or "luck." So, when you respond with the word "unfortunately" you are basically saying, "Bad luck, dude. Fortune has not kindly shined her face upon you this day." But, it doesn't communicate any kind of empathy for the customer's situation.

What other words or phrases do you hear in customer service situations that we need to reconsider?