Thursday, January 25, 2018

Treat Your Customers Uniquely - It's Showtime for Amazing Customer Service

“It’s Showtime!” Those are typically the words you hear right before
hitting the stage or when the cameras start to roll in the studio.
However, for John Lewis, a high-end retail department store in the UK, the retail floor is the stage and the employees are the actors.

John Lewis is providing 322 employees, whom they refer to as “partners,” acting lessons
at The Oxford Playhouse to help “teach them the art of outstanding
service.” They are being taught the same lessons in voice and body
language that actors are taught to help them create a better customer
experience.

The first thing I thought when I heard this is that they are teaching
employees how to engage with customers by acting out a scripted
response. However, there is a different form of acting that is very
appropriate for anyone who interacts with their customers… and fellow
employees.

In an interview with The Guardian, Simon Tavener, the
secretary of the Oxford Theatre Guild, said, “Selling requires you to
have a sort of script in your head. Not one you recite, but one you
tailor to your own voice … a form of improv, if you like.”

Improv
is a unique form of acting. There is no script. It’s about being so
focused on the other person, that you can engage and respond
appropriately, without a script. And, in this case, the other person is a
customer.

When the employee gets to work, it’s time to put on the show. Step up
and be your best. Regardless of what’s happening outside of the store,
its’ time to block it out and focus on the customer. That’s what great
stage actors do. Richard Burton, the famous actor who was recognized for
his amazing performance in Hamlet, felt the same way. He was known to
say something like, “I want to be so good tonight that I cheat the
audience that was here last night.” In other words, be better today than
yesterday.

When employees of any type of business come to work, they get into
character and deliver the best performance they can give. Each day, they
come to work with the goal of being even better than yesterday. The
company provides training – and in the case of the John Lewis stores –
even acting lessons. They rehearse, practice, and get direction.

The ability to communicate is paramount in any type of business and
for any type of employee, especially someone who talks directly to
customers. Teaching acting and improv techniques to employees can create
confidence and help their ability to sell and service their audience,
also known as their customers.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New
York Times bestselling business author. For information, contact
314-692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXVIII, Shep Hyken)

Thursday, January 18, 2018

How to Stay Competitive - Customer Service Tips

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Don't Be Ridiculous - Customer Service Lesson

One of my colleagues in the speaking business, Bob Wendover, sent in this amazing story – and it’s not amazing in a good way.

For years, the cable industry has unfortunately been one of those
industries that finds itself in the bottom echelon of customer service
rankings. While I believe the industry is making an effort to do better,
and some companies are definitely becoming more customer-focused, it’s
this kind of story that makes me wonder if they are going about it the
right way.

My buddy Bob decided to make a change in his cable TV plan so, as
most customers do, he called the company’s customer service support
number. Eventually, after various prompts and a short wait time, he was
connected to a customer service rep who introduced herself by her first
name and asked to whom she was talking to. He replied, “Bob,” which is
how he always introduces himself. Then she asked for the name on the
account. He said, “Robert Wendover,” and she went on to verify the
street address. She then informed Bob that he was not authorized to
change the account. Her explanation for this was simply… ridiculous!

The reason the customer service rep told Bob he was not authorized to
make the change was because when he first introduced himself, he didn’t
do so by using his formal name, Robert. At this explanation, Bob was
surprised, to say the least, flabbergasted even. He asked her if she
could ask some questions to verify his identity, but she refused to do
so.

He hung up, disappointed, if not even slightly angry, and called
right back. When a different customer service rep eventually came on the
line and asked his name, he said, “Robert.” This time, he was able to
make the change.

This is a result of one of two things: either hiring the wrong person for the front-line or not properly training
the person (or maybe a combination of the two). This is more than a
lack of flexibility. This was a display of questionable intelligence.
So, the lesson here is simple:

Hire the right people: These should be people who have good common sense and the right attitude about taking care of customers.
Train these good people properly: In addition to
whatever technical training they may need to answer customers’
questions, teach them some soft skills, such as how to communicate and
when to be flexible.
Common sense should prevail: If you’ve hired the
right people, and they are trained well, let them do their job. Empower
them to do what is right for both the company and the customer.

Bob’s story is an example of a ridiculous Moment of Misery.
It was a simple customer service experience gone bad, an experience
that could have easily been handled with a little – actually, very
little – common sense.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

The Secret to Delivering Amazing Customer Service

It happens all the time. As a customer, you interact with good people
who don’t seem to deliver great customer service. They are nice, even
knowledgeable, but they don’t seem to be what I call customer focused.

So, I took a few minutes to talk to several people about how they
were trained. I talked to a retail salesperson, a flight attendant, and a
server at a restaurant. I asked them what kind of customer service training they received from the companies they worked for...

Thursday, December 14, 2017

How to Manage the Busiest Times & Help Minimize Holiday Stress

The holidays are intended to be a joyous time of year, filled with
spending time with friends and family. This can also be the season that
causes the most stress. As a retailer of any kind, be aware of this and
go above and beyond at this time of year to make things easier for the
customer. If you can please a customer during the busy times, which is
hard to do, it’s likely that this same customer will be more likely to
shop with you the rest of the year as well.

Thursday, December 07, 2017

The Difference Between Amazing Customer Service and Mediocre Service

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Bad Customer Service Can Become a Habit

One day my assistant came in late. Not a big deal. That was until she
came in late two more times that week. The following week the same
thing happened again. This was becoming a habit – and not a good one.

So, we had a short talk about it. I asked her what our mantra was at
Shepard Presentations. She said, “To be amazing.” She was right.

So, I asked her, “Is showing up late three or four times a week amazing behavior?”

She gave me the obvious answer, “No.”

I replied, “I agree. This is a habit that must stop. So, you have a choice. Be amazing or go home.”

She smiled and said, “That’s a great title for a book! You better write that down.”

I did, and guess what? It became a book, officially titled, Be Amazing or Go Home: Seven Customer Service Habits that Create Confidence with Everyone.

You see, if showing up late is a bad habit, then showing up early is a good habit.
Delivering good customer service is a habit. You know what’s right. You
practice it day after day on real customers. You get better at it. You
may even get special customer service training. And, when it becomes
natural, it’s like many other good things you do over and over. It
becomes a habit.

When I was just twelve years old I started my own business; doing
magic shows for children’s birthday parties. There were several
important habits I picked up from my parents. I wrote thank you notes to
the parents that hired me to perform for their child’s party. I always
showed up on time. I always did the best job I could, never giving less
than 100%. I always stayed a little longer than expected, and the
parents really appreciated that. I had to consciously think about doing
all of that and more until I did it enough times that it became natural.
It became my version of common sense. That’s what makes it a habit.

Those habits as a twelve-year-old magician stayed with me. Today,
these habits drive my business. I’ve shared with you a story about my
assistant. That’s the first lesson in the book. It’s simply this:

Amazing people show up ready to amaze!

What that means is if the office opens at 8:00. Showing up at 8:00
isn’t really showing up on time. It’s getting there on time. Showing up
on time, ready to amaze, is arriving early enough to be ready to go at
8:00. There’s a difference.

By the way, my assistant broke the bad habit and started showing up to work on time. She chose not to go home. She chose to be amazing!

Thursday, November 09, 2017

Your Brand Is Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link

Go to http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com or call 314-692-2200 to learn more about Shep Hyken or to learn about customer service training.

So, the other day I’m flying to a speaking engagement. While waiting for my flight to board I bought a yogurt parfait. After paying for it, I looked for a spoon. There were knives and forks, but no spoons. The little compartment next to the knives and forks was empty. I asked the cashier if they had any spoons. He pointed to where they weren’t. I told him they were out, and in an effort to get rid of me, he suggested that I could go to the restaurant next door and ask them for a spoon.

I walked by the first restaurant a few minutes later and there were plenty of spoons. Obviously, there were spoons somewhere. The guy just didn’t want to get them, when a customer needed them.

I didn’t want to make a scene over this, but I thought I’d mention something to the manager. He wasn’t there when I bought my yogurt. He apologized, but then said something interesting. He mentioned that the restaurant was managed by a group at the airport, so I really shouldn’t expect the same service or quality I am accustomed to at this company’s regular restaurants.

This was a major brand with locations throughout the US. The airport restaurant had the same signage, the same logo and looked just like any of the restaurants you would visit outside of the airport. I’m sure that any executive of this brand would cringe at the response the manager gave me… “You really shouldn’t expect the same service or quality you’re accustomed to…” Really?!

And, that is where our lesson begins. You see, it doesn’t matter if it is an airport restaurant, a small kiosk or a full-service restaurant. There must be a similar experience across all locations, regardless of size or where it is. The logo is the logo, and the brand is the brand!

Let’s switch industries and talk about an icon in the world of customer service. When Nordstrom decided to move into the online world, many of their customers were concerned that they would erode their reputation for amazing service. Management thought long and hard about how to create an online experience that matched the expectation of a Nordstrom customer, and they delivered. Regardless of location – instore or online – Nordstrom will always focus on making sure the customer has the best experience.

Now we move to an employee within a company. If there are 100 employees, and 99 of them are amazing, but one is not, what happens when a customer encounters the one who is not? You know the answer. That one bad employee just created the reputation for your brand – at least with that customer.

The old saying is that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Well, the brand is only as strong as its weakest location – or weakest employee.

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314-692-2200

ShepTV is another Shepard Presentation (www.ShepTV.com)

Attribution for chain link image:
Created by Hernán Piñera
Original can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hernanp...
License - ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Thursday, November 02, 2017

Phrasing Can Make a Big Impact on Customer Service - CX Tip

Simple Words and Phrases Can Enhance the Customer’s Experience

The words you say, the way you act, and your attitude toward your job
and your customer are sometimes the difference between satisfactory and
amazing. This became evident as I was having lunch with Tracy
Nieporent, one of the partners at Myriad Restaurant Group. They are the successful owners of the famous Nobu restaurants, Tribeca Grill, and several others.

Tracy is very proud, and rightly so, about the food and service at
all of his restaurants. After we were finished with our main course, the
server stopped by and, with enthusiasm, asked, “What else can I get for
you?”

Tracy became excited and asked me, “Did you notice that?” I wasn’t
sure what he was referring to. He went on to say that she asked the
right question. No, I didn’t notice. He emphasized that she asked, “What
else can I get you?”

I thought, “Okay, that’s a nice question. But, what’s the big deal?”
Tracy went on to explain that the way the servers are trained to ask
certain questions, such as, “What else can I get for you?” are subtle
but powerful ways of differentiating them from an average restaurant.
Most servers would ask, “How is everything?” That’s fine and very nice.
However, “What else can I get for you?” implies you want to do more for
your customer. He knows words are important to the experience and wants
his staff to properly ask the right questions, communicating with guests
in ways that will most enhance their experience.

As I thought more about Tracy’s comment I realized that while it may
appear to be a subtle enhancement, that doesn’t mean it’s NOT important.
It’s actually very important. It’s the difference between taking an
order and serving a customer. The difference between answering a
question and helping a customer. Or, the difference between resolving a
complaint and restoring confidence. Not so subtle, is it? The right words can shift a mood and enhance the moment.

Think about when you may have made a request or asked for a small
favor. A popular response from most people might be, “No problem.”
However, a better response is, “It’s my pleasure.”

Can you see the difference? Some of these questions or sentences are
more subtle than others. So, here is your homework assignment. Take time
to think of the phrases you say day after day. Then, consider
alternative ways of saying the same thing. Can you improve on your
response? What’s the best way to phrase it? Properly structuring the
words you use can be a powerful way to not only communicate better but to deliver a better customer experience.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New
York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXVII, Shep Hyken)