This blog post is a bit different in that you will have to download a PDF to read it. This is my biggest blog yet. It is more than just a blog or article, it is actually a book within a book – the first three chapters of my new book “The Amazement Revolution: Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer (and Employee) Experience.”
First, you will learn about how a 12-year-old’s birthday party magic show business is the root of many customer service strategies in the first chapter titled “The Right Thing to Do.”
Second, you will learn some customer service phrases and terminology that you may
want to start incorporating into your vocabulary.
Third, you will get a master class in customer service as Jim Bush, the executive VP of World Service at American Express takes us through all seven strategies that are taught in the book. I promise this will be a valuable investment of your time.
I have a favor to ask of you. I want to start a customer service Amazement Revolution, so share this with everyone you know; friends, colleagues, customers, etc. Like a chain letter, send it to at least 20 people you know. Unlike a chain letter, nothing will happen to you if you don’t, but if you do, people will appreciate you and say, “Thank you!” If you don’t have 20 or more friends to send it to, then send it to ten! If you don’t have any friends, call me. I’ll be your friend!
Let’s start the Amazement Revolution together! Read it, download it and share it with as many people as possible! Here’s the link:
http://www.AmazementRevolution.com/preview
Thank you in advance for being part of the Revolution!
Showing posts with label "customer service" training "customer service training" "customer service speaker". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "customer service" training "customer service training" "customer service speaker". Show all posts
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Managing the Customer Experience
If you’ve read some of my past articles or seen me speak, you may remember some comments regarding the operations-focused company versus the customer-focused company. The following story is an excellent example of a customer-focused company.
The other day I was in Atlanta and had the craving for a big juicy hamburger and fries. I found this restaurant not too far from my hotel. When it came time to pay, the bill came to $6.07. The teenager taking my money, who’s name was Matt, asked me if I had the seven cents. I told him, “No.” Matt said not to worry and he reached into his pocket, counted out seven cents, and said he would take care of it. I said, “Thanks.”
Matt said, “Now you won’t have to jingle all day.” He chuckled, smiled and thanked me for my business.
I couldn’t help but be impressed with this young worker. He somehow knew that his job wasn’t about taking money, but it was about taking care of the customer.
The manager was standing at the door when I walked out, so I stopped to compliment him about Matt. I told the manager what happened and he smiled. The manager told me that he taught his employees to do that. At the start of every shift, he gave each employee a bunch of pennies and nickels and told them to use them anytime a customer was just a few cents over an even dollar amount. He thought it would be a nice thing to do for the customers. He was right.
He told me how he taught the employees to ask questions. For example, when someone has a To-Go order, they ask if they need extra napkins. There were several other examples he shared as well.
It boils down to this. The manager wasn’t just managing the operation. He was managing the customer experience. He was training his employees on more than operations training. He was teaching people skills. All of the employees knew how to do their jobs; cook food, run the cash register, take orders, etc. But they also learned what makes customers happy. Part of this was achieved by teaching the employees to ask the right questions in various situations. Essentially he was teaching good communication skills.
It is all about focusing on the customer, not just the operation. Too many times we get hung up on teaching people the specific things necessary to do their jobs. However, we miss teaching the people skills. For some reason we think people just know what to do. Some do, some don’t. And even the ones that do need to learn how to use them in their present job.
Think about ways you can make your business more customer friendly. Look for
opportunities to show how easy you are to do business with. I call this customer
management. Yes, we need to manage the operations of our business. But without being customer focused, we may not have a business at all.
While I haven’t used this quote in an article before, it is in my book, “Moments of Magic.” But I couldn’t think of a more appropriate quote to go with this article.
“There is only one boss – the customer. Customers can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending their money somewhere else.”
-- Sam Walton
If you’ve read some of my past articles or seen me speak, you may remember some comments regarding the operations-focused company versus the customer-focused company. The following story is an excellent example of a customer-focused company.
The other day I was in Atlanta and had the craving for a big juicy hamburger and fries. I found this restaurant not too far from my hotel. When it came time to pay, the bill came to $6.07. The teenager taking my money, who’s name was Matt, asked me if I had the seven cents. I told him, “No.” Matt said not to worry and he reached into his pocket, counted out seven cents, and said he would take care of it. I said, “Thanks.”
Matt said, “Now you won’t have to jingle all day.” He chuckled, smiled and thanked me for my business.
I couldn’t help but be impressed with this young worker. He somehow knew that his job wasn’t about taking money, but it was about taking care of the customer.
The manager was standing at the door when I walked out, so I stopped to compliment him about Matt. I told the manager what happened and he smiled. The manager told me that he taught his employees to do that. At the start of every shift, he gave each employee a bunch of pennies and nickels and told them to use them anytime a customer was just a few cents over an even dollar amount. He thought it would be a nice thing to do for the customers. He was right.
He told me how he taught the employees to ask questions. For example, when someone has a To-Go order, they ask if they need extra napkins. There were several other examples he shared as well.
It boils down to this. The manager wasn’t just managing the operation. He was managing the customer experience. He was training his employees on more than operations training. He was teaching people skills. All of the employees knew how to do their jobs; cook food, run the cash register, take orders, etc. But they also learned what makes customers happy. Part of this was achieved by teaching the employees to ask the right questions in various situations. Essentially he was teaching good communication skills.
It is all about focusing on the customer, not just the operation. Too many times we get hung up on teaching people the specific things necessary to do their jobs. However, we miss teaching the people skills. For some reason we think people just know what to do. Some do, some don’t. And even the ones that do need to learn how to use them in their present job.
Think about ways you can make your business more customer friendly. Look for
opportunities to show how easy you are to do business with. I call this customer
management. Yes, we need to manage the operations of our business. But without being customer focused, we may not have a business at all.
While I haven’t used this quote in an article before, it is in my book, “Moments of Magic.” But I couldn’t think of a more appropriate quote to go with this article.
“There is only one boss – the customer. Customers can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending their money somewhere else.”
-- Sam Walton
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Customer Service Training Tip - FAQ #2
The Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Loyalty
Here is the second of ten frequently asked questions about customer service. I’m posting them one at a time and hope that readers of this blog will comment or share their answer to these questions. Here’s question number two…
What’s the difference between customer service and customer loyalty?
Customer service is what you and your organization provide. Customer loyalty is the result of the service. I have a simple customer loyalty formula:
Great customer service (what you provide) + Confidence (which comes from the customer’s predictable experience) = Customer Loyalty (potentially)
Shep Hyken, CSP CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: http://www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
The Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Loyalty
Here is the second of ten frequently asked questions about customer service. I’m posting them one at a time and hope that readers of this blog will comment or share their answer to these questions. Here’s question number two…
What’s the difference between customer service and customer loyalty?
Customer service is what you and your organization provide. Customer loyalty is the result of the service. I have a simple customer loyalty formula:
Great customer service (what you provide) + Confidence (which comes from the customer’s predictable experience) = Customer Loyalty (potentially)
Shep Hyken, CSP CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: http://www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Customer Service Training Tips - FAQ #1
This blog post has the first of ten frequently asked questions about customer service. I’m going to post them one at a time and hope that readers of this blog will comment or share their answer to these questions. Here’s the first one…
What is customer service?
The simple answer is that customer service is how an organization or individual delivers what they sell to the customer. That said there is much that goes into delivering good customer service. More than just the way a person or organization delivers what they sell, it is really customers that define service, which is the experience and value they receive as a result of doing business with a company. Any definition of the term customer service is almost irrelevant, as it is the customer’s perception that really defines your customer service.
Shep Hyken, CSP CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: http://www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
This blog post has the first of ten frequently asked questions about customer service. I’m going to post them one at a time and hope that readers of this blog will comment or share their answer to these questions. Here’s the first one…
What is customer service?
The simple answer is that customer service is how an organization or individual delivers what they sell to the customer. That said there is much that goes into delivering good customer service. More than just the way a person or organization delivers what they sell, it is really customers that define service, which is the experience and value they receive as a result of doing business with a company. Any definition of the term customer service is almost irrelevant, as it is the customer’s perception that really defines your customer service.
Shep Hyken, CSP CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: http://www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Accelerator Questions
(Another Lesson from “The Cult of the Customer”)
Years ago I listened to a Tom Peters program on MBWA; management by walking around. Tom claimed that when a manager approached an employee, it was usually because of a problem. The employee became defensive, uncomfortable, and perhaps even scared. The idea of approaching employees, primarily for problems, created an unsettling environment. Then came MBWA, which had managers “walking around,” having conversations with employees and complimenting them on a frequent basis, thereby eliminating fear of management and invoking a positive working environment.
Here’s my addition to MBWA. During these conversations, it creates a great opportunity for managers to ask questions – the kind of questions that move the company in a positive direction. When good experiences are happening for employees and customers, it is the perfect opportunity for management to accelerate the ownership process by asking what I refer to as accelerator questions.
- Are you doing anything new?
- How is that working for you?
- Who else should know about this?
- What can we do to repeat this kind of success?
- Do you have any ideas or suggestions to make your job better?
The list of these types of questions can go on and on. These positive questions promote ownership and pride of the employee’s work process.
To an even broader level, you don’t have to be a manager to ask accelerator questions. Anyone can ask these types of questions, especially if you like the idea of a positive and harmonious work environment; a culture (or “cult”) that is focused on creating amazement for employees and customers.
CULT UPDATE: “The Cult of the Customer” continues to sell well. If you don’t already have it, you need to get it today. Now, more than ever you must create a great service experience for your customers. Also, we now have an iPhone app for the book. There are dozens of tips that remind you about how to create an amazing customer experience that turns satisfied customers into customer evangelists. If you already have the book, the app will serve as a reminder of some of the book’s lessons. If you don’t have it, this makes a great introduction. Either way, for $1.99 you can’t go wrong. For more information go to: www.CultOfTheCustomer.com.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Monday, May 18, 2009
Starting Over
The other night I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Tony’s. I was talking with Vince Bommarito, the owner, about delivering great service. My comment was that Tony’s is so good, and has such an incredible reputation, with guest expectations that are so high, that all Tony’s has to do to exceed expectations is to simply meet them. The unbelievably delicious food coupled with extraordinary service is the recipe for an AMAZING experience.
Vince said that he appreciated the comment. He said they get phone calls and letters about the restaurant, the food and even some of the employees. Every night just before Tony’s opens they have the all-employee meeting where he loves to share these accolades. Then he tells everyone, “This is great and we should all be proud. Guess what? In five minutes we start over!”
In The Cult of the Customer I write about how easy it is for a company who has the reputation of operating at level of “amazement” to fall back into a cult or phase of “uncertainty.” The best companies understand that they are only as good as the last sale – or as Tony’s would say, their last meal. Companies who enjoy amazing reputations must work hard to stay on top, and that means starting over, every day, reestablishing their reputation. It is the consistent effort toward amazement that keeps them at the top.
Cult Update: It’s official. The Cult of the Customer hit the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-seller lists. Thanks for those who have joined the Cult (bought the book). You are on your way to starting your own Amazement Revolution. If you haven’t already joined, go to www.CultOfTheCustomer.com and order your copy today.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
The other night I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Tony’s. I was talking with Vince Bommarito, the owner, about delivering great service. My comment was that Tony’s is so good, and has such an incredible reputation, with guest expectations that are so high, that all Tony’s has to do to exceed expectations is to simply meet them. The unbelievably delicious food coupled with extraordinary service is the recipe for an AMAZING experience.
Vince said that he appreciated the comment. He said they get phone calls and letters about the restaurant, the food and even some of the employees. Every night just before Tony’s opens they have the all-employee meeting where he loves to share these accolades. Then he tells everyone, “This is great and we should all be proud. Guess what? In five minutes we start over!”
In The Cult of the Customer I write about how easy it is for a company who has the reputation of operating at level of “amazement” to fall back into a cult or phase of “uncertainty.” The best companies understand that they are only as good as the last sale – or as Tony’s would say, their last meal. Companies who enjoy amazing reputations must work hard to stay on top, and that means starting over, every day, reestablishing their reputation. It is the consistent effort toward amazement that keeps them at the top.
Cult Update: It’s official. The Cult of the Customer hit the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-seller lists. Thanks for those who have joined the Cult (bought the book). You are on your way to starting your own Amazement Revolution. If you haven’t already joined, go to www.CultOfTheCustomer.com and order your copy today.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
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