Build Customer Relations – PLAN for Positive Customer Interactions

Customer service representatives are on the front line when it comes to making a positive first impression on the potential and current customers. What you do (or do not do), say, and how you act with customers can either help build customer satisfaction and loyalty or can drive customers away.

An important strategy for delivering excellent customer service is to plan everything from your greeting to your closing statements before you come into contact with a customer. Know what you want and need to say, avoid unnecessary details or discussion, and be prepared to answer questions about the organization, its products and services, and the customer’s order.

To maximize your potential and create positive outcomes with customers, use the PLAN acronym as a guide to effective communication with those whom you come into contact with. The model stands for:

Prepare for Positive Customer Interactions
Let Your Customers Know They Are Important
Address Your Customer’s Expectations Positively
Nurture a Continuing Relationship

For additional customer service tips, ideas and strategies on how to more effectively communicate with customers, build stronger customer relations and help create a positive customer-centric environment, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Causes of Customer Service Breakdowns – Being Preoccupied

by Robert W. Lucas

Causes of Customer Service Breakdowns – Being Preoccupied

There are numerous reasons why customer service breakdowns occur. These run the spectrum from lack of sound customer service skills to bad customer service representative attitude.

In today’s hectic workplace where customer service representatives are constantly multitasking, it is sometimes easy to forget that your customers are a priority. Being preoccupied and not giving full attention to a customer is one quick way to cause a service breakdown. This is often due to trying to juggle multiple tasks or simply failing to care about the quality of customer service that you deliver.

If you have ever called or visited an organization only to have them put you on extended hold while they performed some task? Have you ever visited an organization where a customer service representative failed to acknowledge your presence and serve you right away? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you know how your customers might feel under similar circumstances. If you must put someone on hold while on the phone, do so only if you are currently serving another customer or you have no other option, but make sure that you explain why they are being asked to wait and how long it will take to get to them.

To prevent possible negative situations with customers from developing, if a customer arrives and you are performing an administrative function, such as filing, calculating, writing, or stocking, quickly get to a point where you can pause and serve the customer. In the meantime, take a moment to make eye contact, smile and either tell them or non-verbally (by holding up a single index finger) that you will be with the customer as soon as possible. This is an especially important action when dealing with someone from a culture in which relationships are an important aspect of business (e.g. the Middle East, Hispanic cultures, and Asia). Such efforts may not satisfy everyone, but they work with most customers, who understand that many service providers are doing more with fewer human assets these days.

To learn more customer service tips, ideas and strategies that might help prevent customer service breakdowns and how to better deliver excellent customer service to your internal and external customers, check out Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

Customer Service Training Activity – Subconscious Gender Stereotypes

by Robert W. Lucas

Customer Service Training Activity – Subconscious Gender Stereotypes

Since ongoing gender communication and interactions between employees and customers is a daily event in most workplaces; organizations must help employees at all levels identify and correct negative stereotypes that might exist between male and female employees.

The following activity is a simple means for getting adult learners active in identifying potentially damaging perceptions they might have about genders and to engage in a productive dialog to help overcome stereotypes that they might unconsciously harbor.

Trainers, supervisors or team leaders can use this activity during a formal customer service or communication training session or at a department staff meeting. Once all trainees have completed the self-assessment, either form small groups of lead a discussion to share individual results and discuss how to improve any issues that surface related to stereotypes.

Instructions to Learners:

Many people have been conditioned since they were young children about acceptable gender roles for males and females in their culture as either masculine or feminine. Often these beliefs create challenges when you are serving customers.

To identify potential predispositions that you may have related to gender roles that are assigned to men and women in your society, give your first impressions for each adjective below. Do not think about the word, just react by placing an “F” by words that you feel best to describe females, an “M” by those that describe males and a “B” by those that could describe both females and males. Don’t go back to change an answer later.

Self Assessment:

Truck driver ___ Soccer/Football player___ Sky diver____

Airline pilot___ Pastry baker____ Chef___

Baseball fan___ Dog groomer____ Bus driver___

Entrepreneur___ Service professional____ Nurse___

Romantic___ Courageous____ Emotional____

Spontaneous____ Impatient____ Goal-oriented___

Sensitive____ Funny___ Powerful___

Strong___ Competitive____ Loving___

Outspoken____ Assertive___ Talkative___

Nurturing___ Intelligent____ Driven___

Intuitive____ Sexy___ Critical___

Once you have finished, go back and look to see how many of each letter you recorded. Most people typically have a mix of all three. If you look closely and think of all the people you have known, heard or read about in your lifetime, you probably know some who fall into both categories. Therefore, if there is even one incident where an adjective could describe the opposite gender from the one that you’ve indicated, you may have some hidden stereotypes related to men or women and the gender roles they can/should fill. This does not mean that you are a prejudiced or a “bad” person. It simply means that you may want to work on expanding your knowledge about others and trying to develop a more open-minded perspective of them so that you do not inadvertently do or say anything that might endanger the customer-provider relationship.

Customer service training activities, customer service tips, customer service training ideas, and other useful information, related to interacting with diverse internal and external customers and that can lead to the delivery of excellent customer service, can be found in Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Customer Service Representatives Have to Power to Help or Hurt Their Organization

by Robert W. Lucas

Customer Service Representatives Have

to Power to Help or Hurt Their Organization

You may have heard that one person can make a difference in the world. Well, one customer service representative can make a difference in the level of success that is achieved by an organization.

Think about the fact that if you are in a position where you are the first person with whom a customer or potential customer comes in contact, you have the power to create a positive image in that person’s mind. You are the face of your organization in such instances. What you do or say from the time you greet the customer until the transaction ends will cement an image in their mind. Through your professional presence, knowledge, verbal and non-verbal cues and attitude towards service, you can create an experience that will have the customer thinking either, “Wow, this is a person/company that I want to visit again” or “Where did they get that person? I’ll never do business with this organization again.” If the latter occurs, your organization has a problem because research continues to show that dissatisfied customers will tell many other people about a negative service experience. This less than favorable word-of-mouth publicity can bring disaster in the form of lost business. And, don’t forget that it is your current and new customers who provide the revenue that pays for your salary, benefits, training, and much more, so you have a vested interested in ensuring that each interaction is positive.

The important thing to remember about customer needs wants and expectations are that if you do not deliver what they believe to be exceptional customer service, they will simply go to another organization that will. By using professional customer service skills, such as listening, sending and receiving positive non-verbal communication, and verbally communicating in a positive manner, you can determine how to best serve your customers.

For more information, customer service tips and ideas on how to deliver the best possible customer service to a very diverse customer world, get a copy of my book Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Delivering Positive Customer Service in a Global Work Environment

by Robert W. Lucas

Delivering Positive Customer Service in a Global Work Environment

What is a Positive Global Customer Service? It is recognizing that you are dealing with unique individuals at each contact point with a customer or potential customer and taking the time to listen effectively, respond appropriately and address their needs. It is also taking ownership and responsibility for your environment and customer interactions by being prepared and doing whatever it takes to help guarantee a successful outcome when dealing with internal and external customers. Most customer service representatives understand this and go out of their way to deliver the best customer service possible.

It is crucial for customer service representatives and every other organizational employee to develop a customer-centric attitude (e.g. answering the phone professionally, returning calls and email within a timely manner, remembering little details shared by customers and referring back to them during a conversation, or going out of your way to help resolve an issue when service breaks down) if the organization hopes to be successful. This means continually demonstrating good customer service skills and upgrading your knowledge and skills on a regular basis.

In a diverse world, providing positive global customer service also means applying what Dr. Tony Alessandra calls the Platinum Rule (“Do until others as they want to be done unto them”) in one of his books. In other words, instead of or treating people like you want to be treated, get to know them. Find out what they like, dislike, expect, value, believe and want, then attempt to satisfy them to the best of your ability. If you cannot provide what they need, consider getting someone else to assist who can better understand and address actual needs.

From a service perspective, when customers believe that service providers are knowledgeable about various aspects of diversity and value others, they are likely to reward the organization with their business. Not only will they typically remain loyal to an organization that they like, but they will usually spread the word about their positive experiences. This equates to more revenue generated for the organization, which can then afford to increase salaries, expand and enhance their facilities and operations, provide training and benefits. It can also better market and fend off competition more effectively.

On the other hand, if customers believe that they are being treated indifferently and that service providers do not understand or care about their particular needs, they will potentially desert the organization and encourage their friends to do likewise. This means the potential loss of revenue and all its associated benefits.

For more information about delivering positive global service to a diverse customer base as well as hundreds of customer service tips for delivering excellent customer service, get a copy of my book Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Building Customer Relationships – Four Crucial Factors That Impact Service Outcomes

by Robert W. Lucas

Building Customer Relationships –

Four Crucial Factors That Impact Service Outcomes

Customer relationships are impacted by many factors that begin once a customer and customer service representative or other employee comes into contact with a current or potential customer. These people are either internal customers who work for the organization or external customers from outside the organization, who contact a service professional for assistance or to do business.

Here are four crucial factors that affect customers and service provider interactions which can definitely influence a situation and customer relations.

1. Approach to communication. Whether face-to-face, over the telephone or through other types of technology, the perception that a customer has about the way he or she was greeted verbally, non verbally or in writing can have an immediate impact on whether or not the relationship continues.

Anyone dealing with customers must continually strive to enhance their communication knowledge and skills for dealing with all types of customers. They must also consciously practice effective customer communication skills.

2. Customer service representative demeanor. Most people know or have an expectation of how a service professional should act and what they should do to meet the needs, wants and expectations of their customers. When an employee projects an attitude or leaves the impression that they are just “going through the motions” of providing service and really do not care about the customer or their issue, customers typically pick up on that attitude.

When issues are occurring in the life of the service provider that may negatively impact their ability to deliver the best customer service possible, they should talk to a supervisor and either take some time off or have someone else handle a customer situation. The only way to interact with a customer is professionally and in a can-do manner.

3. Product and service knowledge. Customer service provider knowledge related to the products and services provided by their organization can either fulfill customer needs or inhibit the degree to which they are able to deliver excellent customer service.

Employees should receive ongoing customer service training so that they can handle any situation in which the customer has a question or concern about the organization, products or services.

4. Problem-solving ability. Often service providers are not able to comprehend or analyze information that a customer is providing related to a need, problem or other issues that they have. Cultural, gender or other differences can cause this, or it might be a breakdown in communication ability on either the part of the customer service representative or the customer. In any event, it is crucial that the service provider is trained and skilled in using basic problem-solving skills. Failure to do so can leave to a customer-provider relationship breakdown and lost business for the organization.

For information, ideas and strategies about how to effectively and professionally interact with customers, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Use Head Nodding Effectively With Customers to Avoid Misunderstandings

by Robert W. Lucas

Use Head Nodding Effectively With Customers to Avoid Misunderstandings

Nodding of the head is often used (and overused) by many people to signal agreement or to indicate that they are listening to a speaker during a conversation.

As a customer service representative, you must be careful to occasionally pause to ask a question for clarification when you are using this nonverbal communication technique or when you are watching others who are doing so. Stop and ask for, or provide, feedback through a paraphrased message. A question such as, “So what do you think of what I just said?” will quickly tell you whether the other person is listening and understands your meaning or is simply being polite by smiling and nodding—but not understanding. The latter sometimes happens when there are gender or cultural differences or when someone speaks a native language other than yours.

If you are a woman, be careful not to overuse the nodding technique. Some research has shown that many North American women often nod and smile more than men during a conversation. Doing so excessively might damage your credibility or effectiveness, especially when you are speaking to a man. The interpretation may be that you agree or that you have no opinion, whether you do or not.

Although nodding your head generally signals agreement, if you nod without a verbal acknowledgment or paralanguage (a vocal effect such as “uh-huh, I see, hmmm”), a missed or misinterpreted cue could result. For example, suppose that you want to signal to a customer that you are listening to and understand her request. You may nod slowly, vocalize an occasional “I see” or “Uh-huh,” and smile as she speaks. She might interpret this to mean that you are following her meaning and are nonverbally signaling acceptance of it. This can present challenges if she is stating something contrary to your organization’s policy or that is outside your level of authority. In such an instance, she might misinterpret your non-verbal signals by thinking that you agree with her, not that you are merely signaling to understand. Later, she might be upset, saying something like, “Well, earlier you nodded agreement when I said I wanted a replacement.”

To learn more about effective non-verbal communication when interacting with customers or potential customers in order to deliver excellent customer service, get copies of Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

The Power of Non-Verbal Communication Skills in Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

The Power of Non-Verbal Communication Skills in Customer Service

Like other customer service skills, nonverbal communication is a strong component of interactions between a customer service representative and current or potential customers. For example, nodding of the head is often used (and overused) by many customer service professionals people to signal agreement or to indicate that they are listening to a customer during a conversation.

An important thing to be careful about when you are dealing with your customers is that when you use nonverbal cues, and when you are watching others who are doing so, you should occasionally pause to ask a question for clarification. For example, stop and ask for, or provide, feedback through a paraphrased message. A question such as, “So what do you think of what I just said?” will quickly tell you whether the other person is listening and accurately understanding your meaning. Their answer will also make it clear if the other person is simply politely smiling and nodding—but not understanding. The latter sometimes happens when there are cultural differences or when someone speaks a native language other than yours.

If you are a woman, one other point related to nonverbal communication cues is to be careful not to overuse the nodding technique. Some research has shown that many North American women often nod and smile more than men during a conversation. Doing so excessively might damage your credibility or effectiveness, especially when you are speaking to a man. The interpretation may be that you agree or that you have no opinion, whether you do or not.

For more information customer service tips on the effective use of non-verbal communication skills between customer service representatives and their customers, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

The Impact of Gender Roles on Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

The Impact of Gender Roles on Customer Service

Culturally and individually, people view the role of men and women differently. Although gender roles are continually evolving throughout the world, decision-making and authority are often clearly established as male prerogatives within many cultures, subcultures, or families. For example, in some Middle Eastern, Asian, South American, and European cultures, women have often not gained the respect or credibility in the business environment that they have achieved in many other parts of the world.

In some countries, it is not unusual for women to be expected to take a “seen and not heard” role or to remain out of business transactions. In Korea and other Pacific Rim countries, it is not typical for women to participate in many business operations. Men often still have higher social status than females. You do not have to agree with these practices, but you will need to take them into consideration when facing them as a customer service representative.

When serving customers from different countries, you would do well to remember that people leave a country, but they take their cultural norms and values with them. Failure to consider alternative ways of dealing with people in certain instances might cause you to react negatively to a situation and nonverbally communicate your bias unconsciously.

One example of what could potentially occur if you are a female customer service representative dealing with a male whose cultural background, like one of those just described, is that he may reject your assistance and ask for a male customer service provider. Another example could occur if you are a male customer service representative working with a male and female from such a culture. Do not be surprised if your conversation involves only the male. Attempts to draw the woman into a service transaction or make direct eye contact and smile with her may embarrass, offend, or even anger some male customers and/or their family members who are present.

Generally, people who have lived or worked in westernized cultures for longer periods may have acculturated and may not take offense to more direct behaviors that are meant to convey friendliness and to engage customers (e.g., smiling, engaging in small talk about families, or compliments on the dress). Even so, remain conscious of potential reactions and stay focused on verbal and nonverbal communication cues to help ensure that you do not negatively cross-cultural boundaries when interacting with customers of the opposite sex.

For additional customer service tips for interacting successfully with people and cultures that are different, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success 6th edition and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service across Cultures.

Strong Customer Relations Result From Excellent Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

Strong Customer Relations Result From Excellent Customer Service

Providing excellent customer service should be the goal of everyone in your organization, not just front line customer service representatives. Ultimately, customer satisfaction and customer retention are about how well you care about your job and the quality of customer service you provide. By working closely with your customers to build and maintain strong customer relations with them, you not only have an opportunity to meet but also exceed their needs, wants and expectations.

To sum all this up, it comes down to possessing strong product knowledge and customer service skills and applying both anytime you come into contact with an internal or external customer.