Customer Service Tip: Would You Recommend Your Competition?
I am always looking for great examples of customer service in my daily life. Something happened the other night that I think is “kind of cool.” My wife and I went to a great restaurant - Corky's. It just opened. Prices were extremely reasonable and the food was better than good. The owner talked to us quite a bit. Yes, we had a good experience at Corky's and we plan to go back soon, but there's more.
A good part of our conversation with the owner was about his recommending other restaurants for us to go to. That's right; he was telling us where we should go next weekend. Was he trying to tell us he would rather us go to his competition and not come back? I don't think so.
This man was so confident about his own business, that he could talk well of his competitors knowing that we will still be back. When did you last talk to a salesperson that told you how great their competition was? Do you have enough confidence in your company’s products and services to praise your competitors? Like I said, this was “kind of cool.”
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, dvd's 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).
Showing posts with label customer service tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label customer service tips. Show all posts
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Customer Service Lesson: How to Apologize
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason Shows How a CEO and Company Take Responsibility for a Customer Service Snafu
Groupon is a fantastic app that features a daily discount to various businesses around the world. Some of the deals are really quite extraordinary. Recently Groupon featured a major discount to a restaurant delivery service in Tokyo for the New Year. The promotion was wildly successful as more than 500 “Groupons” were sold. Unfortunately, a customer service “nightmare” took place. The restaurant was not prepared for the success and couldn’t accommodate all of the orders. Deliveries were late, and many of them were in “terrible condition.”
Who do you blame for this? The restaurant or Groupon? My first thought is that the restaurant should have been prepared. Yet Andrew Mason, the CEO of Groupon took responsibility as well. He acknowledged that he sold to an organization that was not prepared to deal with the success of the Groupon promotion. While the restaurant failed the service to their customers, Groupon refunded money back to the consumers who bought the coupons and gave away vouchers for future business.
To avoid customer service issues like this in the future, Groupon has started educating its customers on ‘capacity planning.’ It appears that Groupon is going to make sure their customers are able to deliver to their customers (the consumer). This is good for everyone involved.
Mason took this further and created a video that featured a public apology about the incident. It was sincere and informative. It explained exactly what happened and held nothing back. It is a wonderful example of how an individual or company should respond in customer service situations like this. Here is a link to the original article and video. http://www.youtube.com/user/gruponpon2010
Thank you to Andrew Mason and Groupon for teaching us a great customer service lesson.
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).
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason Shows How a CEO and Company Take Responsibility for a Customer Service Snafu
Groupon is a fantastic app that features a daily discount to various businesses around the world. Some of the deals are really quite extraordinary. Recently Groupon featured a major discount to a restaurant delivery service in Tokyo for the New Year. The promotion was wildly successful as more than 500 “Groupons” were sold. Unfortunately, a customer service “nightmare” took place. The restaurant was not prepared for the success and couldn’t accommodate all of the orders. Deliveries were late, and many of them were in “terrible condition.”
Who do you blame for this? The restaurant or Groupon? My first thought is that the restaurant should have been prepared. Yet Andrew Mason, the CEO of Groupon took responsibility as well. He acknowledged that he sold to an organization that was not prepared to deal with the success of the Groupon promotion. While the restaurant failed the service to their customers, Groupon refunded money back to the consumers who bought the coupons and gave away vouchers for future business.
To avoid customer service issues like this in the future, Groupon has started educating its customers on ‘capacity planning.’ It appears that Groupon is going to make sure their customers are able to deliver to their customers (the consumer). This is good for everyone involved.
Mason took this further and created a video that featured a public apology about the incident. It was sincere and informative. It explained exactly what happened and held nothing back. It is a wonderful example of how an individual or company should respond in customer service situations like this. Here is a link to the original article and video. http://www.youtube.com/user/gruponpon2010
Thank you to Andrew Mason and Groupon for teaching us a great customer service lesson.
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).
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Shep Hyken – customer service motivational speaker, author, trainer, and expert says that customer service continues to be more important than ever in getting and keeping customers. In one of his Shepard Letters, his monthly newsletter, Shep shares some interesting customer service statistics and facts.
Customer Service Stats and Facts and What They Mean to Us
Here are several customer service stats and facts, and what they might mean to you. The bottom line is that customer service continues to be more important than ever in customer loyalty. (Tip: Don’t just read this. Print it out and share and discuss it with the people you work with.)
-- Customer Service Fact: 90% of companies agree that the customer experience is important and critical to their 2010 plans. 80% of those companies want to use customer service/experience as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition. (Source: Forrester’s The State of Customer Experience, 2010)
What It Means to You: If you read this carefully it doesn’t say that 90% of companies are committed to delivering great service. They just agree that it is important. And, 80% “want” to use customer service as a differentiator. So, why don’t they just do it? There are plenty of companies out there with a brand promise that includes customer service, however the employees aren’t consistently delivering on that promise. The bottom line, it takes more than a promise.
-- Customer Service Fact: 82% of consumers stopped doing business with a company because of bad customer service. This is up from 59% just four years ago. (Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report - 2010)
What It Means to You: This is almost a 50% increase! Customers are smarter than ever and looking for more value. More than just customer service, they want a great customer experience. If you can’t deliver, then say goodbye to the customer – and maybe your business.
-- Customer Service Fact: Even in a down economy, 85% of consumers will pay more to the company that provides them better customer service. (Source: Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report, 2010)
What It Means to You: This is good news! Customer service makes price less relevant. You still need to be competitive, but you don’t necessarily have to be the lowest price – as long as you deliver customer service that adds value to the overall experience.
Above is what I call the “why.” You still need the “how to.” My suggestion is to go to my customer service article website and print out and read through over 150 articles that will give you many “how to’s.” Go to http://www.customer-service-articles.com
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and 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 (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Customer Service Stats and Facts and What They Mean to Us
Here are several customer service stats and facts, and what they might mean to you. The bottom line is that customer service continues to be more important than ever in customer loyalty. (Tip: Don’t just read this. Print it out and share and discuss it with the people you work with.)
-- Customer Service Fact: 90% of companies agree that the customer experience is important and critical to their 2010 plans. 80% of those companies want to use customer service/experience as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition. (Source: Forrester’s The State of Customer Experience, 2010)
What It Means to You: If you read this carefully it doesn’t say that 90% of companies are committed to delivering great service. They just agree that it is important. And, 80% “want” to use customer service as a differentiator. So, why don’t they just do it? There are plenty of companies out there with a brand promise that includes customer service, however the employees aren’t consistently delivering on that promise. The bottom line, it takes more than a promise.
-- Customer Service Fact: 82% of consumers stopped doing business with a company because of bad customer service. This is up from 59% just four years ago. (Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report - 2010)
What It Means to You: This is almost a 50% increase! Customers are smarter than ever and looking for more value. More than just customer service, they want a great customer experience. If you can’t deliver, then say goodbye to the customer – and maybe your business.
-- Customer Service Fact: Even in a down economy, 85% of consumers will pay more to the company that provides them better customer service. (Source: Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report, 2010)
What It Means to You: This is good news! Customer service makes price less relevant. You still need to be competitive, but you don’t necessarily have to be the lowest price – as long as you deliver customer service that adds value to the overall experience.
Above is what I call the “why.” You still need the “how to.” My suggestion is to go to my customer service article website and print out and read through over 150 articles that will give you many “how to’s.” Go to http://www.customer-service-articles.com
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and 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 (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
On Duty While You Are Off Duty
Shep Hyken – customer service motivational speaker, author, trainer, and expert – shares a few experiences in one of his Shepard Letters, his monthly newsletter, about remembering that even when you are not on the clock, you are still representing your company.
I recently took my family to dinner at a nice restaurant. We had a 6:00 p.m. reservation. We were a few minutes early and were obviously one of the first guests to arrive. The hostess told us to take a seat and she would let us know when our table was ready. As the restaurant was virtually empty, I asked her how long she thought it would be. Her response was this:
“Sir, it is 5:52. Your reservation wasn’t until 6:00. I’ll let you know when the table is ready.”
I was a bit put off by her very direct and less than friendly response. It looked like all of the tables were ready so I asked her why. Then the real reason came out why she didn’t want to seat us. She told me that she was off duty and I would have to wait for the hostess that was supposed to be on duty to arrive. Ah, I see! She could assume the duty of aggravating a customer, but could not, make that would not, assume the duty of taking care of a customer.
Lesson: This story illustrates a very simple, yet important point. At any time that someone can be associated with your company, they are.
That means that even when someone is off duty, as our hostess in the above example described herself to be, they are still on. Think about the truck with the corporate logo on its side that drives recklessly down the highway. The driver of that truck may be off duty, but the truck is still representing the company. Does the driver realize it?
A long time ago I wrote about an incident where I became upset with a ticket agent at the airport. I didn’t realize that audience members from my speech that morning were watching me. I was very embarrassed. At that moment I realized that I was not only representing myself, but my client as well.
At any given time, even when we don’t suspect it, we might be creating an impression about our company, or even ourselves. And whenever it comes to dealing with the customer, we must always be on – even when we are supposed to be off.
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 (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Shep Hyken – customer service motivational speaker, author, trainer, and expert – shares a few experiences in one of his Shepard Letters, his monthly newsletter, about remembering that even when you are not on the clock, you are still representing your company.
I recently took my family to dinner at a nice restaurant. We had a 6:00 p.m. reservation. We were a few minutes early and were obviously one of the first guests to arrive. The hostess told us to take a seat and she would let us know when our table was ready. As the restaurant was virtually empty, I asked her how long she thought it would be. Her response was this:
“Sir, it is 5:52. Your reservation wasn’t until 6:00. I’ll let you know when the table is ready.”
I was a bit put off by her very direct and less than friendly response. It looked like all of the tables were ready so I asked her why. Then the real reason came out why she didn’t want to seat us. She told me that she was off duty and I would have to wait for the hostess that was supposed to be on duty to arrive. Ah, I see! She could assume the duty of aggravating a customer, but could not, make that would not, assume the duty of taking care of a customer.
Lesson: This story illustrates a very simple, yet important point. At any time that someone can be associated with your company, they are.
That means that even when someone is off duty, as our hostess in the above example described herself to be, they are still on. Think about the truck with the corporate logo on its side that drives recklessly down the highway. The driver of that truck may be off duty, but the truck is still representing the company. Does the driver realize it?
A long time ago I wrote about an incident where I became upset with a ticket agent at the airport. I didn’t realize that audience members from my speech that morning were watching me. I was very embarrassed. At that moment I realized that I was not only representing myself, but my client as well.
At any given time, even when we don’t suspect it, we might be creating an impression about our company, or even ourselves. And whenever it comes to dealing with the customer, we must always be on – even when we are supposed to be off.
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 (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
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