Customer Service

Customer Service A New Creature

WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE TRULY IS … ●LIVING●SHARING ●GIVING ●GROWING ●PRODUCING “One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doingis what we do for others.- LEWIS CAROL -

DEFINING CUSTOMER SERVICE “Quality of service delivery set by you or your department.” ▬ “Customer care activities that support the delivery of the product or core service.” ▬ “The way in which the brand meets its customers' needs via its various different channels.”

Family Members Children Friends Co-Workers Applicants Students Los Rios Employees Vendors Neighbors Church/Organizations Members Pets Automobile Drivers Etc., Etc., Etc… WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Have You Heard It All Before? • Smile! Smiles can be heard over the telephone and are mimicked when face-to-face ▬ • Use your customer's name at different points in the conversation ▬ • Diffuse anger by saying "I'm sorry” and also lower your voice and speak softly and they will do the same

Have You Heard It All Before? • Listen attentively! There is nothing worse than asking an irate or troubled customer to REPEAT what they have just said ▬ • Go the extra step by following up on your solution(close the loop!) ▬ • Ask if there is anything else that you can do for your customer

Things You MUSTRemember • Moods are contagious (Are you “infecting” others with good or bad moods?) ▬ • Don’t solve the problem right away. (Instead let the customer vent, express themselves and be HEARD)

Things You MUST Remember • Make certain that your tone of voice is in sync with your words. Remember, your tone of voice can completely contradict your message ▬ • Offer alternatives (At least 2 options in order for them to have choices)

Uncomfortable Situations • Misunderstanding Accents (the customers and/or yours) • Pronouncing Names (make notes of how it sounds to help you say it correctly) • Handling Errors (acknowledge errors, apologize, move forward to solve problems) • Saying the Wrong Thing (apologize immediately)

Someone Is Crying? Someone Is Screaming At Me? “Are you okay? How can I help?” “I would really like to help you and I need you to calm down in order for me to do that.” WHAT DO I DO IF…

Someone says they can’t understand me? Someone is in the office and becomes upset Speak slowly, repeat yourself and do your best to pronounce your words clearly. Ask what the problem is and do your best to explain things to them. WHAT DO I DO IF…

FACE-TO-FACE 101 • Promptly Greet and Welcome Guests ▬ • Be Professional ▬ • Pay Attention ▬ • Always Say Thank You ▬ • Smile, Smile, Smile

L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G 101 L = Let Others Speak I = Intend to ‘Hear” Them S = Speak When It Is Your Turn T = Talk With Them, Not At Them E = Enthusiastically Respond N = Never Speak When Others Are Talking

Southwest Airlines (shining in the worse conditions) Blue Nile (low prices and high-end service) Nordstrom (a culture of customer service) CarMax (driving the extra 12-hour mile) **Case Studies quoted ** Customer Service At Its Best!

The Rules… “Always give peoplemore than what they expect to get.”- NELSON BOSWELL - ▬ “Treat others how you wish to be treated” - The Golden Rule -

Question? “Isn’t it really ‘customer helping’ rather than customer service? And wouldn’t you deliver better service if you thought of it that way?” - JEFFREY GITOMER -

Any Questions? Thank You!

Customer Service