Service Untitled

There is absolutely no getting away from social media. Even though these online global communities can be somewhat intimidating, many of the best are available at no cost and with amazingly easy access. Think of the possibilities when millions of people can be reached all around the globe just by pressing “enter.”

So how does all of this fit into the ever broadening sea of customer service? Large and small organizations are all taking the plunge, and diving into Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and forums, but as we all learned when we were younger, be prepared and make sure you know how to swim first. In other words, before venturing into the world of social media, have a plan and define your goals.

Simply stated, a business needs a person in charge of all social networking to respond to their audience. It becomes a full-time job once the decision is made, and the position requires constant focus. That one person has to have the authority to make decisions for the organization and respond within a short amount of time. That particularly would apply to customer service complaints and questions. Twitter is a fast-moving conversation, and the tone of a question can change when there is no one responding. The positive outcome reinforces relationships; large organizations become real people, and customers see the companies as human. Their complaints are immediately addressed, and their questions and concerns are answered in Twitter fashion – 140 characters per Tweet. If a follow-up or a more involved answer is needed, the person in charge can quickly rein it in for a private conversation.

Part of the strategy to be engaged in social networking is to make the company seem  more approachable. Facebook can serve as an informational platform, and a place to reinforce branding while Twitter can cut to the chase on customer service issues and immediately direct the conversation to direct contact with the customer. When it’s used to help customers and consumers solve their problems, it becomes a positive reinforcement for any company.

And don’t forget to make social media useful for customers. Hire someone to start a blog for your company. Use the blog to educate, and give out good advice. Make people want to check out what is being written, because the popularity of your blog or forum, can bring in the potential for many new customers. Also, make your blog and forums convenient for your readers, and don’t make them sign up before being allowed to read. Those companies who essentially over deliver for their customers and fans realize the positive impact on business.

photo credit: zephythor

There is a small Japanese restaurant in my area that used to have crowds upon crowds waiting outside its doors for the inexpensive, but most exquisite sushi and Japanese fare. If you asked any full-time resident, they would all say, “it’s the best sushi in Palm Beach County, and the price is right.” Now there’s still a respectable crowd, but even on a busy Saturday night in this tropical paradise, no one lingers around the outside waiting for hours to sample the menu. What happened?

It’s called the customer experience, and it angered so many people and the word eventually got around. The experiences closely resembled the 1995 Seinfeld sitcom about the Soup Nazi; the name was used as an exaggeration of the excessively strict rules he had for his patrons if they wanted to purchase the delicious soups he offered at his small establishment. In reality, that particular episode was modeled after New York soup vendor Al Yeganeh. When a customer didn’t follow the dictated regimentation, the store owner would say, “No soup for you! Next.”

Not quite as regimented as the Seinfeld episode, but most probably equally as annoying was the Japanese restaurant’s owner and front person who would refuse to seat any party unless all were standing in front of her. Even if the party was dropped off and the driver was parking the car, the hostess considered it an “incomplete” party and therefore placed the patrons at the end of the line. Those were the days when the wait to be seated could have been over an hour. And it wasn’t isolated incidents; there were never exceptions, nor were there ever any allowances for loyal customers who consistently were there on time.

We all used to wonder how any business could succeed. Even though the practice infuriated people, they would still go, but I think the competition and the initial customer experience has now made a significant impact on their business.

There’s nothing new about focusing on customer experience, after all isn’t that what differentiates success? Humans connect emotions with the rational delivery abilities of a business, and after a while, customers, no matter how good the sushi might be, will most likely move on to the competition. Poor customer experiences disappoint us, and good customer experiences create those “raves” that in turn inspire more business.

I’m not happy that the Japanese restaurant has lost a lot of its business, but it does prove the point how profit is not  sustainable without designing the “great customer” experience. We need to listen to our customers, listen to our employees, sweat the details, and adapt and adopt.

photo credit: Ambernectar 13

Improving what we do and how we do it is an important part of business strategy. As organizations develop and grow, there is any number of improvement opportunities along the way. Opportunities can be related to business processes like the accounting function, a manufacturing process or a service process aimed to improve the customer experience. No matter what the process is, there can be a systematic approach to making improvements.

A quality method for improving work processes is a model called FOCUS PDCA. This methodology takes a process through identification of the improvement opportunity, planning for an improvement, implementation and evaluation of the change.

The first step in any improvement is understanding the current process by establishing a baseline. A baseline is measurable data that is collected at the beginning of an improvement project. For example, if you want to improve the wait time for customers, it is important to measure what the current wait time is. Once you know what the current wait time is, you can develop a process to improve those times. Measurement of any improvement effort is done at the beginning, during and after any improvement effort.

So how does FOCUS PDCA Work?

• Find: An opportunity for improvement.
• Organize: A team that is familiar with the process.
• Clarify: Understanding of the process.
• Understand: Variation in the process.
• Select: What needs to be improved.

• Plan: Develop an improvement plan.
• Do: Execute the plan.
• Check: Review the results and determine if the plan worked.
• Act: If the plan worked, standardize the change and write policy. If the plan did not work, go back and try something else.

Let’s look at an example of how this might work. Say you are a small business that does product order fulfillment. There are increasing numbers of customer complaints about the order-to-ship time. The business has been growing but you have a fear that the complaints will have an impact on future orders. Let’s go through the FOCUS PDCA Cycle:

• Find: The opportunity to improve is the product order-to-ship time.
• Organize: Recruit a team of employees who work in the order fulfillment role.
• Clarify: Map out the order fulfillment process in a flowchart. Start with when the order is placed and map the process through shipment.
• Understand: Collect data so you understand any variations in the process.
• Select: Identify what in the process can be improved.
• Plan: Develop an improvement plan.
• Do: Implement the plan.
• Check: Collect data to see how the plan worked.
• Act: If the plan worked, write a policy and train employees on the new process. If the plan did not work, go back to the beginning and try another improvement idea.

This is a very simplified example of using FOCUS PDCA, but what you will find is that if you try this method on a few small improvement opportunities, you will become more comfortable and will be able to use the same methodology on larger system problems.

Writer Bio: Kathy Clark is an MBA who is passionate about helping small business owners see their vision come to life by creating corporate infrastructures that support business development and growth through strategic customer focus. She writes for, and is the founder of http://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com.

The 2011 Temkin Experience Ratings surveyed 6,000 different consumers from 143 different companies which included retailers, banks, hotels, and financial institutions. Customers were polled mainly on their opinions regarding customer assistance and problem resolution – whether by Twitter, Facebook, corporate websites, telephones, or in person. Amazon.com, Kohl’s Costco, and Lowe’s scored the highest ratings.

Author Bruce Temkin stated the ratings concentrated on direct interactions, and not necessarily on the product ownership. It was more to do with how a customer’s needs were met, how easy a customer could do what they needed to do, and how that customer felt about their overall experience. In other words, consumers rated the functional aspects of doing business, the accessible elements of interacting with the business and employees, and then finally the emotional results and how the customer felt when all was said and done.

So what makes a company measure up on customer service? Amazon.com boasts of having 130 million active accounts. Their customer service is constantly measured and evaluated by user-generated reviews and software that has been specifically designed to help the company and provide feedback on “better customer experience through price, selection, and convenience.”

Amazon.com has expanded from once just selling books and magazines to  appliances, videos, and even groceries. Where many companies lose something of themselves when they branch out too far on products or geographic areas, Amazon seems to be doing great at all of it.

Kohl’s secret to their expanding success is combining their own thrifty labels with “exclusive” brands. Kohl’s uses great value, savings, and value messages to amp up their customer service promises. In turn, Costco, states it simplifies members lives by helping them to make smart choices.

So what do we learn from the top four scoring companies? They all provide great value, they all provide a great selection, and they care how their customers feel about their businesses. While it is true that Amazon.com rarely does personal interviews with customers about their particular experiences, the bells and whistles that consumers find important and relevant to their particular sales are being fulfilled.

When doing business and doing it well, consumers just want the best products, and the best way you can deliver the product to them with the promise that you will stand behind that product and your word. While PR companies exist to slow down negative PR, bad mistakes can cost a company one of it’s most important aspects, it’s customer’s trust.

photo credit: Adam @ ecadamf

Whether you’re a small business or a large business, saying thank you is a timeless pathway to stronger relationships. Never underestimate the power of a few sincere words. Didn’t our mothers teach us just that?

There are many ways to show our appreciation, so depending on your budget, time restraints, size of your business, or even the type of business, here are some tried and true examples that might come in handy:

• Have a thank you party with a theme. In my real estate office, my co-worker Steve B. holds an annual picnic and accompanying invitation to the nearby baseball park in Jupiter, Florida. Steve invites his past clients and their families and friends to a neighborhood park area and has everyone bring a covered dish. It’s a fun time for families, and a great time to catch up with old friends.
• Invest in quality thank you notes. If you run a bakery where you design the fanciest of wedding cakes, why not purchase stationery to reflect the elegance of your product? In real estate, I design my thank you notes to reflect Keyes Real Estate Services with a hint of additional personalization to make it uniquely me.
• Make it warm and personal. This is the time to just thank someone. There should be no agendas; not even the hint of asking for a referral.
• Thank someone in a timely manner. Have your thank you notes out within 48 hours of the sale or service. Find some way to show your appreciation immediately.
• Continue to send out gratitude expressions by sending out value newsletters or educational material that will benefit your customer now or in the future. For instance, in the real estate profession, the economy has made such a profound impact on both buyers and sellers, customers and clients appreciate the updates. And again, it is not being used as a sales ploy; it is meant to be helpful and educational.
• Send follow-up thank you notes, business birthday cards, and greetings at the right time. Use different times of the year or holidays to remind your customers and clients how much you appreciate their business. Now it’s springtime – why not send a greeting?
• Thank your employees for a job well done. It is not just customers who need to be thanked. The staff who work for an organization are the people who have helped you to climb the ladder of success.
• Don’t forget to thank the customers who complained. While you might have found them frustrating and at times irritating, if you have taken the proper steps to resolve problems and enlisted their help to make changes, it is very possible these are the people who might very well be carrying the torch of new business.

photo credit: Creations by Ro

In real estate sales, there is a lot more to successful customer service than dealing with just customers and clients. Any agent who wants to stay in business needs to build a professional relationship with other realtors too. In real estate listing is the game.  Homes are listed in multiple listing services, and thousands upon thousands of other selling realtors are there to sell a listed home.

The goal of every customer relationship is to be able to communicate with each other. Whether it is by email, telephone, cell phone, interoffice communication, or social media, relationship marketing counts for other business people and organizations. For instance, a South Carolina furniture manufacturer sells to a Palm Beach interior designer. Fabrics are ordered, designs are met, and delivery dates are agreed. The designer pays the manufacturer on time, and the furniture manufacturer is confident the order was done correctly and is able to deliver a quality product in a timely manner.

We know that business to business relationships always don’t proceed as smoothly as the above example, so here are a few tips which can facilitate better relationships with clients and other business partners:

• Communicate clearly with each other. Make sure your orders are clear. Everything has to be in writing. Never say, “I told you to do that about a month ago when we spoke on the phone.”
• In a business to business relationship, pay vendors on time. In turn vendors will likely deliver on time.
• Don’t assume you are smarter than anyone else. Being humble in business to business relationships make you approachable and people want to work with you. It can get very tenuous when an individual becomes arrogant and uncooperative.
• Never promise or commit to more than you can handle.
• Welcome new ideas from your partners or business relationships.
• If you make a mistake, admit it and fix it. Follow up in your business relationships. Other organizations will have more respect for you.
• Thank all of your business relationships for working with and for you. Even if you’re the owner of an elite Palm Beach boutique, that lady who does your alterations will always appreciate a thank you and an “atta girl.”
• Never be selfish or greedy. We all want businesses to respect all of us.

With so much traditional marketing fading away, there is still one main factor that will never go the route of the extinct dinosaur, and that is the most reliant word of mouth referrals. It is surprising what a small world it actually is, and how the business of life so often meets up with the life of our businesses.

photo credit: thomasy7

Albert Einstein said, “Not everything that matters can be measured; not everything that can be measured matters.” As to the correlation with customer service, how do we accurately measure customer satisfaction? Of course, the best way would be to do a face to face interview with each one of our customers. That person can tell you straight out whether or not she is pleased, or she can complain about a product or service, but that doesn’t reflect another person’s opinion, so unless you can ask each one of your consumers, we have to have a more efficient way.

There are two ways to measure customer satisfaction; direct and indirect analysis. Now we have already touched upon direct, but most of us will agree it is quite impractical.  Indirect is not very accurate either, because we make decisions about a customer’s behavior. For instance, a repeat customer might be using our services or buying our product because of convenience or even price. Does it therefore necessarily mean they are satisfied with the way their orders have been handled or even the services supplied? At one time, companies used to base their customer service efficiency by guaranteeing that every telephone call would be answered by the third ring. So every organization hired three times more personnel to keep up with the trend, only to find out that customers didn’t really care how many rings it took to answer; customers wanted someone on the other end to be able to handle their problem and get a quality resolution. Businesses found out that it’s much more important to have training programs than to have phone jockeys.

Whether a customer is happy is their own perception. Surveys suggest that 30 percent of contact centers do not have a reliable method of measuring customer satisfaction. Many have relied upon the measurements of call abandon rates, average speed of answering, and an average call length. Fortunately, 59 percent of companies measure their customer satisfaction by their first call resolution rate; only 4 percent of companies however did a survey after the resolution calls.

Organizations might want to consider asking the most important questions when measuring customer satisfaction and making sure the sampling audience is large enough to afford a fair response. All responses have to be recorded in  the way they are intended. Companies can’t see customers throwing their hands up into the air because they’re frustrated. Solid clues come from customer testimonials, good sense, and sharing good business practices. When a company consistently sees affirmative comments from existing clients, the potential for new clients is right around the corner and customer perception becomes a pleasing reality.

photo credit: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³