There is much to be said for outstanding service in the face of the current global difficulties. What will set you apart from your competitors and better yet, put you in front of your clients, is outstanding service, great long-term engagement, treating clients and prospects like people you truly care about. But think: its like any other meaningful relationship in your life! That means, the best kind of service is about THEM, not YOU!
Recently, my answering service has been implementing a strategy that would seem to be on the right track but really isn’t. When somebody calls my cell phone and I am not available, the service chimes right in. You get a person in a cheerful tone saying “Monica Diaz’s answering service.” So far so good, right? Much better than the answering machine, I think. But then, they ask: “How are you this morning?” Now, no matter what you answer, they will say: “That’s good! It’s so important to us that you are feeling well. We care about your wellbeing.” By this time, the person trying to leave a message is exasperated, in a hurry and really doesn’t buy all the niceness. Its hard to explain, but I have gotten more negative or wry comments on that new answering policy than I care to print here. The point is, their heart is in the right place (we get it, they want to value the people that call in) but the way they do it just does not ring sincere and does not consider the needs of the caller. Most callers are dissappointed they didn’t get you, busy and just want to leave a message.
Same goes for those call center service numbers where the people are exeedingly nice, but have absolutely no clue as to how to solve your issue or no power to make decisions that might make a difference for your plight.
If you want to deliver exceptional service, don’t be ridiculous! Remember we all want the same things in the end. We like to feel taken care of, considered, liked.
Its much better to focus on truly valuing the people we do business with by:
- Being ATTENTIVE: Truly listening to what they have to say, including the way they say it!
- Being PRESENT: Don’t just give them that written out welcome or that statutory handshake. Put yourself into it by being yourself and connecting.
- Being APPRECIATIVE. Of what they DO know, as opposed to treating them like they have no clue. There’s always something they are doing right, if its only calling you! Recognize their move, and go on from there. Do not dumb it down, lay it out!
- Being WARM: Nothing is so endearing as having someone on the other side of the counter or the phone line, or the internet chat that seems to like you, that treats you like a new friend. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not about the words you say so much as the attitude you have about the people you are interacting with.
- And last but not least, BEING ABLE to solve their problems. Empower your contact people and everyone possible within your organization to make decisions, to lead the way to creating a lasting and engaging relationship with that person, regardless of whether they are a client, a prospect or a customer about to leave that contract.
I heard at a conference the other day that the most important smile is not the one you give the customer, but the one the customer gives back to YOU!
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I liked all your points, and especially the one about being appreciative of what your client knows. There is always something they are doing right! It is all about respect, perhaps, and openly showing that to another.
I like your focus on the client, rather than oneself. Nice blog!
Carolyn
http://www.gatesoftheheart.wordpress.com
Dear Monica,
I always love your posts. This one in particular has some great insights and powerful perspective on how to treat your customers.
So many authors talk about the “Smile”, but one captured the value of a smile better than most,it is an anonymously written paragraph:
“A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive it without making poorer those who give it. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. No one is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and no one is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is nature’s best antidote for the troubled. Yet, it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give a smile. Give them one of yours, as no one needs a smile so much as he who has none to give.”
Smiles to you- Monica.
Lolly
Wow! Great insights about the smile. You usually can’t tell from my Avatar (which is always smiling) but it brought a new smile to my face to read this. Thanks, Lolly!
You’ve hit on one of my pet peeves about customer service. While customer service reps are trained to use scripts more often than not it occurs as insincere. It is maddening to talk to a support person and ask a question only to be responded to from what is clearly a script they are reading from. Saying “you are a valued customer” and treating someone that way by the way you interact with them are not the same thing. While a script can be a useful tool we will fail to create the desired customer experience if we don’t teach people to think and act from the context that is behind the script to begin with!
Hey, Carolyn! Thanks for the comment here. Headed over to your site…your book and blog look GREAT. Congratulations and I will surely take the time to visit more often!
Hi Monica
Well said that woman… Good intentions but phoney script!
Would add just one quality to your list… BEING CURIOUS! Wanting to engage with and know more about the person you’re serving gives both of you a delicious interaction which your customers or clients will remember.
More power to you…. Sharon
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by monedays: My new blog post: Better Service? Don’t be ridiculous! http://bit.ly/4jXSl5...
Hi Monica… Great article! I think of my early training and the message, “Stand as if you are in the other person’s shoes, without losing the ‘as if’ quality. Mingle that with compassion defined as “noticing another’s pain, coupled with the desire to relieve it” and this seems to be a winning combination approaching your concept of OtherEsteem. Thank you for your sharing!