Benefits of Customer Relationship Management

When organizations attain a high degree of brand recognition and a reputation for providing quality products and services at a competitive price while going above and beyond their customers’ expectations, they are typically rewarded with customer loyalty and repeat and referral business.

According to a J.D. Powers and Associates North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, “The highest-performing hotel brands differentiate themselves by meeting customer expectations consistently, whether it’s a guest’s first stay with the brand or they’re fiftieth. . . . By setting and maintaining high brand standards, hotels build a reputation for reliability, which breeds customer loyalty.”

Extracted from Customer Service Skills for Success by Robert W. Lucas, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2015.

About Robert C. Lucas – Award-Winning Author

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Customer Service Quote – Edward De Bono

by Robert W. Lucas

Customer Service Quote – Edward De Bono

In the age of global customer service and Internet access and big box stores, many companies and organizations offer the same products as their competitors. The key to who wins in the race to gain new customers and customer retention is which business provides consistently excellent customer service and delivers customer satisfaction by meeting their customers’ needs, wants and expectations.

“A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between competing egos.” ― Edward De Bono, How To Have A Beautiful Mind

“If you never change your mind, why have one?”― Edward de Bono

“Everyone has the right to doubt everything as often as he pleases and the duty to do it at least once. No way of looking at things is too sacred to be reconsidered. No way of doing things is beyond improvement.”― Edward De Bono, The Use of Lateral Thinking

“It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong than to be always right by having no ideas at all.”― Edward De Bono

“The image that concerns most people is the reflection they see in other people’s minds.”― Edward De Bono

“A good listener is very nearly as attractive as a good talker. You cannot have a beautiful mind if you do not know how to listen.”― Edward De Bono, How To Have A Beautiful Mind

“The system will always be defended by those countless people who have enough intellect to defend but not quite enough to innovate.”― Edward De Bono, I Am Right You Are Wrong

“A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.”― Edward De Bono

“We may have a perfectly adequate way of doing something, but that does not mean there cannot be a better way. So we set out to find an alternative way. This is the basis of any improvement that is not fault correction or problem-solving.”― Edward De Bono, Six Thinking Hats

“Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations.”― Edward De Bono

If you are looking for strategies and techniques that can help set your company apart from your completion, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success, Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative.

What is Great Customer Service?

by Robert W. Lucas

What is Great Customer Service?

What is great customer service? This is a question often asked in my customer service workshops and by people trying to determine how to get the best value for their money when searching out businesses where they might spend it. Unfortunately, this is a very subjective question based on the person asking. Since each individual has differing needs, wants and expectations based on their experiences and perceptions; what is excellent customer service to one person might only be considered good customer service to another.

In my opinion, in order for organizations to provide great customer service consistently, they must provide ongoing customer service training to their staff. In addition, customer service representatives must demonstrate at least the following qualities to earn trust, business, and customer or brand loyalty.

Excellent customer service skills;
Positive verbal and non-verbal communication skills;
Positive employee attitude;
Appreciation for customers;
Friendliness and a true interest in people;
Honesty;
Trustworthiness;
Demonstrate Integrity;
Have sound business acumen;
Possess solid product and service knowledge.

If you are looking for ideas and strategies on creating a positive customer-centric service environment in which customers feel appreciated, get copies of my books Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

About Robert C. Lucas and why he can answer the question – what is great customer service?

The Importance of the Eyes in Non-Verbal Communication with Customers

by Robert W. Lucas

The Importance of the Eyes in Non-Verbal Communication with Customers

The manner in which you communicate nonverbally with your customers is crucial in their perception of the quality of service that they received. It is also a major component of relationship-building and whether or not they are satisfied. Various research studies have shown that nonverbal components of the communication process (i.e. posture, gestures, vocal quality, and eye contact) often override the verbal messages that you send.

Eye contact, in particular, is important when interacting with others. An old adage explains why this might be true – “The eyes are the window to the soul.” In effect, people often interpret the emotional meaning behind your spoken words by looking into your eyes. That is why you must be conscious of your eye contact and the messages you are potentially sending with them. For example, if you have tentative eye contact (e.g. looking around and failing to look a customer in the eye without staring) while speaking to a customer, some people may interpret that to mean you are insincere or not committed to your message or that you are untrustworthy. Through your eyes, you can show that you are interested in a person and what they have to say. On the other hand, you can demonstrate that you are dissatisfied, frustrated, or even angry about something they said.

The bottom line is that the eyes can be a powerful tool in bonding with customers and can help send positive messages that might potentially help meet their needs, wants and expectations and lead to positive word-of-mouth advertising for you and your organization. To be more effective at what you do as a customer service representative, spend time honing your non-verbal customer service skills.

For more information on how the eyes and other nonverbal cues can help build stronger customer-provider relationships, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. Lucas

Customer Satisfaction Quote – Horst Schultz

by Robert W. Lucas

Customer Satisfaction Quote – Horst Schultz

Meeting your customer’s needs wants and expectations are the keys to creating brand and customer loyalty.

As Horst Schultz is quoted as saying:

“Unless you have 100% customer satisfaction, you must improve.” – Horst Schulze, President of The Ritz Carlton Hotels

Inspirational Customer Service Quote – Mother Teresa

by Robert W. Lucas

Inspirational Customer Service Quote – Mother Teresa

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to start building brand and customer loyalty is to train yourself and others in the workplace to send customer-centric messages to everyone with whom you come into contact.

A quote from Mother Teresa sums up this concept.

Mother Teresa has Many Famous Quotes, here are a few more!

Peace begins with a smile.
There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.
Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

About Robert C. Lucas

Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Bob Lucas B.S., M.A., M.A, CPLP is the principal in Robert W. Lucas Enterprises, Inc and an internationally-known author; learning and performance professionals. He has written and contributed to numerous books on the subject of customer service skill training.

He regularly conducts workshops on creative training, train-the-trainer, customer service, interpersonal communication, and management,
and supervisory skills.

Learn more about Bob and his organization at www.robertwlucas.com and follow his blogs at www.robertwlucas.com/wordpress,
www.customerserviceskillsbook.com, and www.thecreativetrainer.com. Like Bob at www.facebook.com/robertwlucasenterprises

Communicating Effectively with Customers Who Have Disabilities

by Robert W. Lucas

Communicating Effectively with

Customers Who Have Disabilities

When the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the United States, the number of people with disabilities was estimated to be over 43 million. Since then the number of aging societal members has swelled that number to more than 56 million people – over 19% of the population. The impact of those numbers is that more of your customers today and into the future have to deal with sight, hearing, speech and mobility impairments than ever before. These disabilities can create challenges in customer service, communication, and the workplace overall for you and other customer service representatives.

By educating yourself on the needs of people with impairments that reduce ability in the area of seeing, hearing or speaking can aid communication and help build stronger customer management and relationship skills. Through interpersonal communication skills, you are able to potentially improve customer and brand loyalty by enhancing overall customer satisfaction levels.

There are hundreds of pieces of literature and research in these areas available. Plus, each governmental jurisdiction has a multitude of agencies, nonprofit and advocacy groups that provide information. Start by a sound Internet search to identify resources.

For proven customer service ideas and strategies get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success, Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures, and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative. Each of these resources provides sound practices for improving communication and relationship management skills.

Who is Robert C. Lucas?

Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

He regularly conducts workshops on creative training, train-the-trainer, customer service, interpersonal communication, and management,
and supervisory skills.

Evaluating Your Nonverbal Communication When Dealing With Customers

by Robert W. Lucas

Evaluating Your Nonverbal Communication

When Dealing With Customers

To get a better idea of how you present yourself to customers nonverbally, ask a co-worker to use the following guidelines and evaluate your nonverbal communication during a service transaction with a customer. Once it is over, spend some time having them provide feedback on how well you did.

Body Language. How do your body posture and positioning send a relaxed positive (e.g. confidence and self-assurance) or tense negative (e.g. uncertain, confused, or not confident) message about you?

Facial Expression. Does your face say, “Hello, Welcome, I am able and ready to serve you,” or does it show a bored disinterested employee who is going through the motions of providing service?

Eye Contact. Are you making appropriate and adequate eye contact to show interest without causing possible discomfort or offense?

The Tone of Voice. Does your voice project a smiling professional who sounds even-paced, comfortable and confident?

If you answered “no” or “unsure” to any of these questions, think about getting a communication coach or enrolling in training programs that can help evaluate and improve your nonverbal skills.

Failure to improve your skills or project a positive customer service image can lead to perceptions of your poor performance or bad attitude. This can result in:

Your termination.
Negative word-of-mouth publicity.
Customer complaints.
Loss of brand and customer loyalty.
Loss of business for your organization.

For additional ideas and techniques for improving your nonverbal communication when interacting with others, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service across Cultures.

About Robert C. Lucas

Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

He regularly conducts workshops on creative training, train-the-trainer, customer service, interpersonal communication, and management,
and supervisory skills.

The Impact of Customer Expectations on Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

The Impact of Customer Expectations

on Customer Service

Customers come to you and your organization expecting that certain things will occur in regard to the products and services they desire. If you and other customer service representatives or employees fail to deliver them, your customers can easily desert to a brick and mortar or online competitor.

If you pay attention to your customers and strive for excellent customer service, you increase the chance that customer and brand loyalty will more likely result.

Typical customer expectations include one or more of the following things when they patronize an organization:

Expectations Related to People

Friendly, knowledgeable service providers.
Respect (to be treated like they are intelligent).
Empathy (to have feelings and emotions be recognized).
Courtesy (to be recognized as “the customer” and as someone who is important to you and your organization).
Equity (not to feel that one individual or group gets preferential benefits or treatment over another).

Expectations Related to Products and Services

Ease of accessibility.
Availability of products and services (no lengthy delays).
Reasonable and competitive pricing.
Products and services that adequately address needs.
Quality (appropriate value for money and time invested).
Ease of use.
Safety (warranty available and product free of defects that might cause physical injury)
State-of-the-art products and service delivery.
Easy-to-understand instructions (and follow-up assistance availability).
Ease of return or exchange (flexible policies that provide alternatives depending on the situation).
Appropriate and expedient problem resolution.
Restitution for the inconvenience, damage or loss.

For proven strategies for meeting customer needs, wants and expectations and for creating a customer-centric organization, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success, Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative.

About Robert C. Lucas

Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

He regularly conducts workshops on creative training, train-the-trainer, customer service, interpersonal communication, and management,
and supervisory skills.

Customer Service Quote – Lewis Carol

by Robert W. Lucas

Customer Service Quote – Lewis Carol

Customer service representatives and others who interact with internal and external customers have an opportunity to be successful in satisfying customers if they adopt a customer-centric attitude. By being concerned for customer needs, wants and expectations and treating people as they want to be treated, service professionals stand out from their competition. This is because too many employees in organizations really do not care about their job or the people they serve.

For ideas and strategies on how to effectively identify and satisfy customer needs, wants and expectations, and create customer satisfaction and loyalty, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success, Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative.

About Robert C. Lucas

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

The key to successfully making money as an author and/or self-publisher is to brand yourself and your company and to make yourself and your book(s) a household name. Part of this is face-to-face interaction with people at trade shows, library events, book readings, book store signings, blogging or guest blogging on a topic related to their book(s). Another strategy involves writing articles and other materials that show up online and are found when people search for a given topic related to a topic about which the author has written.

If you need help building an author platform, branding yourself and your book(s) or generating recognition for what you do, Make Money Writing Books will help. Bob’s popular book addresses a multitude of ideas and strategies that you can use to help sell more books and create residual and passive income streams. The tips outlined in the book are focused to help authors but apply to virtually any professional trying to increase personal and product recognition and visibility.

In my book Customer Service Skills for Success, I define customer service as “the ability of knowledgeable, capable, and enthusiastic employees to deliver products and services to their internal and external customers in a manner that satisfies identified and unidentified needs and ultimately results in positive word-of-mouth publicity and return business.”