INTRODUCTION CUSTOMER SERVICE

REDISCOVER YOUR ABILITY TO DELIVER QUALITY SERVICE TO YOUR CUSTOMER WHAT IS THE LINK WITH MARKETING?

B. ATTEMPT A DEFINITION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

The hard- headed pursuit of market share by winning the loyalty of customers

Instilling an effective customer care image involves deliberate entrenchment of a corporate culture which places a high value on customers

WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER? The recipient of your services- Externally or Internally CUSTOMER IMPRESSIONS ARE CREATED BY: What They See What They Hear What They Feel What They Smell What They Taste (THE 5 SENSES)

Customer Rights and Expectations

Expected Customer Relation Skills:

THE SMALL THINGS WHICH MATTER
POSTIVENESS Be positive and objective when dealing with customers COURTESY Be polite whatever the circumstances ATTENTIVENESS- Listen Show interest No divided attention 4. HELPFUL Active involvement in serving 5. CARING Make the customer wanted and NOT Just another in the crowd 6.ENTHUSIASM Enjoy serving and show that you are happy to serve

BEING CLOSE TO CUSTOMERS

EFFECTIVE ORGANISATIONS BELIEVE THAT CUSTOMERS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS INGREDIENT SO THEY:

1. Know their customers 2. Know customer preferences, anticipate their wants and satisfy them 3. Provide solutions to customer problems promptly 4. Believe customers generate and test business ideas 5. Learn from the people they serve 6.Believe that business really begins after the sale and not before 7. Provide memorable service

JUSTIFYING QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

RESEARCHED FINDINGS
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Dissatisfied customers tell the bad experience to an average 10 other people 12% tell up to 20 people Satisfied customers tell the positive experiences to an average of 5 people It costs 5 times more to attract a new customer than to maintain an existing one Out of 20 dissatisfied customers only 1 will tell you 14 of the 20 will take their business elsewhere Up to 90% of dissatisfied customers will not bring back business to you and they wont tell you why 96% of dissatisfied customers do not complain to the service provider In many industries quality is what distinguishes an organization from competition The first 30 seconds of contact set the mood for the remainder of the contact while the last 30 seconds are critical to create lasting relationship Customers are willing to pay more for high quality service 95% of dissatisfied customers become loyal again if their complains are handled well and promptly The same skills that increase customer satisfaction also increase employee productivity Good service leads to increased sales

IN THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE: P. T Austin says of A CUSTOMER Let us seriously reflect !

THAT A CUSTOMER IS: 1. The most important person ever in this office in person or by mail or by telephone 2. Not dependent on us we are dependent on him/ her 3. Not an interruption of our work-he/ she is the purpose of it.We are doing a favour by serving him he/she is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so 4. Not someone to argue or match with. Nobody ever won an argument with a customer 5. A person who brings us his/ her wants. It is our job to handle them profitably to him/ her and to ourselves SOME OF THE PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED POSTERS IN ORGANIZATIONS DO THEY WALK THE SLOGANS ?!? AND YOURS ?

WHAT IS IN IT FOR THE CUSTOMER ?

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Find out what your customers want and give it to them : Give them a chance to talk and listen Encourage them to tell their experiences Under promise , over deliver : Go en extra length to provide service Work to shorten delivery time Set high standards and constantly exceed them Systems not smiles : Do the job right first time Deal with faults promptly e g Smiling but slow waiters/ cashiers Being nice to people is just 20% of providing good service Good is never enough : Customer expectations continue growing so improvement programs never end Customers always expect more--- more convenience, more value, more-- ---more Shop competitors for anything to copy Examine yourselves regularly for areas to improve

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUSTOMERS

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Features of corporate customers which drive corporate ego and expectations from other organizations : Represented by agents or owners Who matters in decision making Financial strength Size/ Economic status Market perceptions/ social status Connections/ influence Overall profile

FEATURES OF PERSONAL CUSTOMERS Personal moods 2. Psychological influences such as Motivation Perceptions Beliefs and attitudes Knowledge and experience 3. Influences such as : Family Work group Friends Interest groups 4. Decision making process Initiator suggests idea Influencer gives service/ product information Gate keeper controls flow of information on product/ service Decider determines whether to take product/ service Buyer makes the purchase Preparer makes product/ service suitable User consumes/ utilizes product/ service Maintainer encourages usage Recognition of a persons characteristics and role ensures appropriate service
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FEATURES OF DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

The aloof customer 2. The good natured customer 3. The angry customer 4. The rude customer 5. The argumentative customer 6. The silent customer 7. The suspicious customer 8. The talkative customer 9. The timid customer 10. T he me / powerful customer 11. The affective customer 12. The affiliative customer ALL CUSTOMERS ARE DIFFICULT IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
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THE SIX STEP PROCESS OF MANAGING DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

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Let customers vent out Avoid being trapped in a negative conversation Express empathy to the customer Start to actively solve the problem Mutually agree on the solution Follow up by : Telephone E mail Post mail etc

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Enhance the organizations front office image Improves internal communication Reduces quality related problems e.g downtime, stoppages,slowness etc It gives the customer total corporate concern It puts people above systems It enhances interest in work, job satisfaction and commitment to the organization It makes the work place a nice place to be It enhances CORPORATE EFFICIENCY

IMPORTANCE OF INTERNAL CUSTOMER CARE

HOW TO BE A SERVICE ROLE MODEL

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Start the day nicely No moods,Greetings! Discuss your views do not vent them, you might start the yelling mood Do the right things- practice what you preach, walk your talk Support your co- workers/ juniors decisions- it empowers them to take decisions in line with policy--- Talk to the upset customer before talking to the staff and if both agree to reverse the decision let the staff tell the customer-- -- they reconnect Be willing not to know the answer to all situations--- Encourage staff to offer solutions Learn to listen---listen to your staff so you encourage them to listen to customers Take time to socialize recognize events such as anniversaries, weddings, birthdays etc Use good telephone etiquette lead your staff to appreciate good telephone manners Thank your staff often it will spill over to customers when you recognize good customer service skills of staff Say what you mean and mean what you say being honest and straight with staff increases their confidence in you

GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE HABITS

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Being in time for appointments with customers Follow through your promises as promised e.g Return calls, visits etc Under promise and over deliver promise only what is ordinarily possible but deliver more Go the extra mile to serve small extra things remain in memory Offer options rather than saying a flat NO Express empathy meaningfully whether you agree or not e.g I see your point Make your customer feel as the most important part of your activities Treat co workers as customers so they support your serving efforts Make it easy for customers to find you give your name and contact Colour your service with smiles and voice inflection

DEVELOPING A CUSTOMER FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT

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Get service improvement ideas from all your colleagues at work They get drawn into quality service Develop a service strategy if you have none Train your front office staff heavily on the art of customer service They are the movers and shakers of the organization in the eyes of the customer Set service quality standards and reward achievement Get out of your office and see what is happening TREAT YOUR CUSTOMER LIKE KING A LIFE TIME PARTNER! Never be satisfied seek to improve continuously

DEVELOPING AND APPLYING SERVICE STANDARDS

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Purpose of service standards : Enhances the corporate image in the mind of customers Enables objective measurement of service delivery level of each staff Provides service consistency and reliability across the organization Criteria for setting service standards : Specific- Tell service people precisely what is expected of them Concise- Who should do what period!! Measurable- Observable, objective and quantifiable Customer focused- Meeting your customers expectations Be written- Incorporate expected service standards into job descriptions and performance levels to give them credibility Staff involvement- Management seek out staff opinion when setting standards for easy buy in Fairness- Everyone including top managers should conform to the service standards The customers invisible service score card : Quietly customers judge service quality on the following basis Product quality- Physical quality or overall experience in the case of service business Ease of procedures Personal contact quality-Staff attitudes, actions and behaviour at delivery points