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Are YOUR customers YOUR business?
Customer support should be a high priority forany business, whether you are starting up oralready established. At MBP Advertising, ourmotto is "Our business IS our Customers."
Daily, we strive to show our customers thattheir concerns,...
Customer Service is Dying-and I'm Not Feeling So Good Myself!
Customer Service Is Dying—and I’m Not Feeling So Good Myself! Setting goals that will take you where you want to go By Garrison Wynn Have you ever called a company and been greeted with the phrase “Hold, please”? How do they know you can hold?...
Customers - What They Really Want - 6 Secrets of Customer
What customers really want can be divided into two areas. Firstly - they want the core service of your business to meet their needs. They expect your product or service to work. If you say you're a plumber, then the customer expects you to fix their...
Do You Make Your Prospects and Customers Jump Through Hoops?
Picture this: Your prospect has just learned about one of your products or services, and is now ready to buy from you. How you handle the next critical step can make or break the sale. Always keep in mind that most consumers are understandably...
How a Customer Relationship Manager for MS Office Can Turn Your Small Business into a Productivity Powerhouse
The number one reason small businesses fail is due to lack of
experience. "Lack of Experience" in the industry the
entrepreneur enters and in management, as well. The fact of the
matter is small business owners nearly tear their hair out...
How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
HOW TO DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE By Chas Brothers Having been in business a number of years, I’m amazed at the number of people who don’t have the slightest idea of what customer service is. Customer service is not a way of...
Invite Self-Managed Staff
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." Goethe Two hundred years ago, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet and philosopher, knew how to inspire and interact with...
Some ways to have Customer Acquisition
As you know, the customer acquisition is the marketing goal of
acquiring new customers; selling products to people who were not
already customers. Customer acquisition and retention are the
most important things for almost every company. However,...
Streamlining Customer Interaction for Business Success.
Whether on the phone placing an order or in the checkout line,
people hate to wait. Rarely am I physically present to make a
purchase in a place of business where the facilities are not
optimized for fast service. In those cases, it is often a...
Why bother with customer centricity?
CRM Magazine recently asked their subscribers "What is the number one concern that keeps you up at night?". I found it interesting that none of the responses resembled anything like: "My kid is failing out of school", or "My spouse works too...
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Check Yourself for Outstanding Customer Service
How many times have you heard something similar to this in a
customer service situation?
Customer: “Why don’t you just do it this way, and it will take
care of the situation.”
Customer Service Person: “I understand what you are saying, but
we can to do it this way.”
Then the situation magically goes downhill from there and it is
difficult to win back the customer.
What Happened?
The customer service person used the one word that has a
powerful negative effect when dealing with customers. The one
word, if you can imagine, brings out the horns on the customer’s
forehead, turns his face red, tightens his teeth, and clinches
his hands…the word is but.
This is because but is an exclusive word. The use of but
negates everything that was said previously by the customer.
The customer then feels alienated and disrespected. It says to
the customer, “You discounted or ignored everything I just said
and you are going on with your agenda. Well, you don’t respect
me, so I won’t respect your solution.”
The Solution
Replace the use of but with this powerful, positive word that
will make the customer feel like he is are a part of the
solution, put a smile on his face, and change the mood to the
positive…the word is and. And is an inclusive word. If you
think about it, and in math equals the function of addition.
The use of and says to your customer, “I value what you just
said, and we will take that into consideration as I share my
solution with you.”
Remember, 90% of satisfying the customer is making
the customer
feel like you are listening to them. The use of and says to the
customer I am listening to your input.
Lets apply this to the above scenario:
Customer: “Why don’t you just do it this way, and it will take
care of the situation.”
Customer Service Person: “I understand what you are saying, and
we can to do it this way.”
As you can see it is a more positive response to the customer’s
feedback. Instead of the customer being on the opposite side of
your solution by using the word and you create a bridge for the
customer to cross to consider your solutions. Bottom line, your
customer is more likely to quickly accept your solutions.
So, if possible, record yourself in a conversation so that you
can see where you are using but. Then work at substituting and
in place of but. It may feel a little awkward at first.
However, the more you use and the smoother it will sound and you
will see immediate results. The benefits are less stress for
you, positive customer service situations, and happier
customers. Remember, leave your buts behind and you, too, will
provide great customer service.
About the Author
Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at
mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Secrets, Stories, and Tips for Marvelous Customer Service."
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