Love Them Up and Keep Them Forever™

Wow!  I’ve had so many experiences with extraordinarily poor customer service over the last few weeks that it’s difficult for me to pick just one to write about.  In light of that, I’ve decided to pick out some highlights and shed some light on how easily they could have been avoided.

Do What You Say You Will - QUICKLY!  My husband and I recently purchased a new bedroom set with a platform bed.  Unfortunately, the store delayed the delivery by almost a month beyond the promised date and when they delivered it, they set it up incorrectly and now it’s broken.  It’s been incredibly frustrating, primarily because we feel as if we have to continually “beg” the store to deliver on their promises.  They make a promise, then break it and we have to call and ask them what happened.  Then they make another promise and break that one, too.  It’s horrific and has me on the verge of contacting the Better Business Bureau.  And to make matters worse, we found out that the young man who is causing the most problems is the owner’s son!  After doing business with the store for 25+ years, I’m ready to leave them forever.

Solve Problems - QUICKLY!  We purchased a new contact management software program at the office and have recently begun trying to figure out how to use it.  Unfortunately, my associate keeps getting put off by the woman who is supposed to set up the training that would allow her to get started using the software.  ”We have training in the morning, so I won’t be able to set up your call until 2:30pm our time (which is 5:30pm our time) one day NEXT WEEK,” said the customer service rep.  It wasn’t until I spoke to the same woman - and told her I would prefer to talk to her boss since she didn’t seem to be able to properly prioritize her customer’s needs over her department’s training requirement - that we were able to make contact with someone who could solve the issue.  I kept thinking “what’s the point of training if there are no customers?”  LOL.

Apologize - QUICKLY!  Overall, there seems to be an issue with apologies.  The inexperienced customer service reps we’ve encountered have been decidedly the opposite of apologetic.  They’ve been great with excuses, delays and blame, though unable to simply say “I”m sorry, let me see what I can do to get this handled for you.”  As the customer, I’ve felt as if I was continually managing each situation so that I would get the desired outcome without much help from the individual who is supposed to be my guide.  

Had any of the unfortunate customer service individuals I’ve encountered over the last few weeks done what they said they would, solved the problem quickly and apologized, I’d be more than happy as a customer.  Doesn’t it sound really really simple?  That’s because it is!

Reflections:  Are there any situations in your business where you may be lacking follow-through, delaying problem solving or avoiding a proper apology?  What might happen if you changed that?

Written by Lori Jo Vest on www.lovethemup.com

Marilyn and I have created a workbook - 30 days (or 6 weeks) to Love Them Up Customer Service - which she’s going to sell at the back of the room at a speaking engagement she has scheduled for next week.  We took our favorite blog articles, revised them appropriately and are having them printed and bound.  We’re excited about it, since it’s our first official “product” for sale and we can’t wait to see what people say about it.  

After stopping by our neighborhood 24-hour copy shop this afternoon to get the workbooks produced, I was even more excited because I ended up with a great story about how NOT to treat customers.  As is typical in the world of digital print files, it took a few trips to the copy place to get things exactly as I wanted them.  The first stop went great.  A manager named Walter took care of me, going as far as printing out and binding a proof copy for me.  He calculated the costs and gave me a print-out of what the total would be.  Unfortunately, just as I was getting ready to actually place the order, I noticed some font issues in the proof copy.  The PDF file wasn’t cooperating and I needed to replace it with a Word copy to make sure it printed out perfectly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Marilyn Suttle at www.LoveThemUp.com

Yesterday, I got the “spring bug” to get fit and along with it, the urge to visit a new personal training center in our neighborhood.  My work associate and I had met one of the owners at a chamber of commerce networking event and I had watched the retail strip where they were opening as their sign went up and they held an open house.  I was definitely excited to go in and see what services they could offer to me and my husband.  I sweet-talked him into going and we headed over.  

When we got there, there were only two people in the expansive space that held the studio.  One was obviously the trainer and I’m assuming the woman on the floor doing push ups was the trainee.  While a very nice reception desk was at the entrance, there was no one there to greet us or give us any information.

“I’m with a client right now,” the trainer responded over her shoulder when we greeted her and mentioned we were interested in learning about their services.  Turning her attention back to her customer, she added, “you can leave your name and phone number at the front desk and we’ll have somebody call you.”   She went on with her session and proceeded to ignore us.

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Around 10:30 p.m. last Saturday night a group of twelve family members and friends went to a nearby Applebees Restaurant after attended a community music concert. Our waitress was adorable. She whipped around the table to take our orders, answer questions and make suggestions about the menu. When I couldn’t decide what I wanted to drink, I asked if she would mind coming back to me. That’s risky because busy waitresses sometimes forget to come back to the skipped person in a large party, but she remembered. All was going well.

After the meal, one of the ladies at our table wanted to try one of those new mini sized desserts. She said to the waitress, “I’d like to order a dessert shooter.” The waitress said, “No, not until I clear off some of these dishes.”

Dismayed she turned to me and said, “She shot down my shooter.  Who does she think she is, my mom?” That rejection didn’t feel good and affected the mood of the table.   It seemed out of character for a waitress who had done such a great job up to that point.

Eventually she got her shooter. Around 11:30 p.m. after paying the bill we stood gathering our jackets and purses, the waitress sat down at the far end of our table. I thought that seemed curious, so I said, “It must be hard to wait on large tables of people.” She said, “Your table was great. The other table over there was the tough one, and I’m tired. I’m just finishing a double shift.”

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I came across a fantastic example of creative problem solving coupled with outstanding customer service a few months ago and I’ve been holding on to the link so I could share it with our Love Them Up readers. It’s a story about a theatre house manager who is confronted by the loud snoring of a patron in the middle of a row during a performance.  After a bit of thought, she ends up writing him a note, addressing it to his seat number and passing it down the row.  The note she wrote was polite and compassionate and it worked.  You can read it here: http://lateseating.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/letter-to-snoring-patron/

It made me think about how often we use creativity in solving customer service problems at the studio. It can be quite a chaotic environment and because people are involved, mistakes are made and challenges arise daily. Here are a few things I recommend to our staff members.

When faced with a seemingly insolvable problem, bring in someone who knows nothing about it for a new perspective. This works! Since our business is technical in nature, there are times when the technology seems to leave us hanging with no easy solution. However, when we go to a person who hasn’t spent the last hour “brain-damaging” over how to solve the issue, they often see it more clearly and present something very obvious that we had overlooked.

When you are afraid to tell your customer about a human error, do it anyway with honesty and integrity. People can be more understanding than you expect and we’ve all made mistakes. Being straightforward and honest is typically greatly appreciated. Once you’ve admitted the mistake, set about solving it with everything you’ve got.

Go “over the top” with your solution and your make-good. Once you’ve determined how to solve the problem, get on it and make it good. Apologize and make pushing forward with a solution your top priority. Your customer will appreciate it. Once the solution has been implemented, send a “thank you for your patience” note so that your client knows how much you appreciate them.

Figure out the “root cause” of the problem and solve it. It’s the only way you can truly reassure your customer that the same mistake won’t happen again. I know that at the studio, we are frequently complimented for our “aggressive approach” to solving issues.

Don’t apologize over and over - make the first apology meaningful. There is such a thing as too much apologizing and it can make people feel uncomfortable. Once you’ve solved the issue and everyone’s moved on, learn from it and let it go. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though my kids are 18 and 21 and they aren’t big candy eaters, I still like to buy them a little chocolate for Easter. This year, I took my time getting to the store and found only one small gold foil wrapped chocolate Lindt bunny at a Bush’s Grocery store last Saturday afternoon.

At the checkout, I told the cashier that I got the very last one and now needed to hunt for another someplace else.  He rang it up and said with a grin, ”That will be $25.95.”

“What?!” I said.

“Oh, I thought I’d mark up the price since it’s our very last one,” he replied.  I stood there in stunned silence for a second before I saw the twinkle in his eye.  As he gave me the real price, I laughed out loud.

There’s a fine balance between being funny versus being annoying or sarcastic, and this customer service provider hit squarely in the funny category. He was having fun with me, not making fun of me and it worked. 

I’ve experienced customer service providers that attempt humor in a way that comes off as less than funny.  I think that happens when the person isn’t tuned in to their customer’s mood. (Will a bit of humor lighten things up or make this customer angry?  If you have any doubt, err on the side of caution and be efficient, not chatty.)  

I’m fortunate that the Bush’s cashier noticed my “Oh my gosh I waited until the last minute and now I’m in trouble” mood and said something to lighten it.  It made my day a little brighter - and a bit less frantic - as I searched for that second chocolate bunny.

Reflections:As you think back to the last time you said or did something to positively impact a customer’s mood, how did you tune into the customer so that you could be helpful?

Posted by Marilyn Suttle at www.LoveThemUp.com

Have you wondered what we mean by “loving up” your customers?  And what do you do if you don’t feel love towards them?  We’ve got the answer for you and it’s really really easy.  It’s a new way of thinking about love.  Is it a noun or a verb? Most people define love as the feeling you have towards your family, your husband, your boyfriend, your children…even your dog.   In that context, love is a noun used to describe an emotion.  You can feel love for someone in this way, even if you don’t actually “do” anything to show it.  

What if you thought of love as a verb, something you did rather than something you felt?  

Here’s an example.  I “love” my husband by cooking dinner, fixing his lunch for work and calling him during the day to let him know I’m thinking about him.  I don’t HAVE to do any of these things, though I know they make him feel loved, so I do them.  It’s good for my marriage and therefore, good for my family and our happiness.  And since I know it makes him feel so good, it inevitably makes me feel good, too.

You can “love” your customers in a similar fashion.  We all like to get a smile and a hello when we first see someone.  So, you can love your customers by smiling and conveying a cheerful greeting.   You can also “love” your clients by really listening when you talk to them, asking questions and getting to know them a bit better.  You can “love” them by doing your very best work for them every time they call on you for services.  You can “love” them by always being calm and patient, no matter how frustrating or confusing things can get.  

Taking a loving approach doesn’t necessarily mean you always feel loving.  It means you care enough to love through your actions, no matter how you feel.  And in business, love is definitely a verb.  

Reflections:  What actions would you define as showing the love for your customers?

Posted by Lori Jo Vest on www.lovethemup.com

     I once facilitated a workshop called Choosing to Live Happily. For one of the activities, the attendees were asked to get into groups of four. They were given sheets of flip chart paper and asked to design the cover of a textbook for a course titled “Happiness 101.” They were also asked to write a table of contents for their textbook, coming up with titles for at least five chapters of their book. The groups got to work and soon the room was abuzz with laughter and conversation. It was a powerful exercise. Attendees were surprised with how much more tuned in they were to the subject and how eager they were to learn more about the chapter topics they created.

     How valuable would it be to your organization if your employees were more tuned into the topic of customer service and eager to learn more about it? Why not recreate this exercise at your next meeting? Here is one possible set of instructions:

On one sheet of flip chart paper, design the cover of a textbook for a course titled, “Customer Service 101.” On another sheet of paper write a table of contents for your textbook, including titles for at least five chapters of your book.

     After the activity is complete and each group has a chance to display their book cover and table of contents, open up a discussion about how their chosen chapter topics apply to the company now, and how they might like to see them apply in the future? This activity can add a new surge of energy toward providing better customer service.

Reflections:
How does your company stimulate the creativity of employees to generate more awareness and produce better customer service results?

Posted by Marilyn Suttle at www.LoveThemUp.com