Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Gaining the Customer

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Lesson Goals: • Realize the relationship between customer service and customer satisfaction • Identify qualities of excellent customer service • Learn how to handle difficult customers • Enhance communication skills

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Is 99. 9% Good Enough? • 5, 516, 200 cases of flat soft drinks • 2 million lost documents • 811, 000 faulty rolls of film • 12 babies given to wrong parents • 1, 312 calls misplaced per second

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Service Statistics • • Only 37% of brands received good or excellent customer experience index scores in 2012. 64% of brands got a rating of “OK, ” “poor, ” or “very poor” from their customers. Poor customer experiences result in an estimated $83 billion loss by US enterprises each year because of defections and abandoned purchases. • 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. • Customer power has grown, as 73%of firms trust recommendations from friends and family, while only 19 % trust direct mail

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Service Statistics • Over 60% of customer service managers select customer satisfaction as the key metric for determining the success of their support organization. Secondary priorities include first call resolution, average handle time, and wait time. • 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience. • Only 26% of companies have a well-developed strategy in place for improving customer experience. $289 – Average annual value of each customer relationship lost to a competitor or abandoned. US consumers prefer to resolve their customers service issues using the • • telephone (90%) face to face (75%), company website or email (67%), online chat (47%), text message (22%), social networking site (22%).

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Why Customers / Clients Stop Doing Business • • • 1% die 3% move away 5% other reasons 9% competition 14% don’t like the product or service 68% indifferent attitude of sales people Around 95% of the customers that leave will not tell you when or why, they just leave.

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Customers Evaluate Service Quality on Five Points • Reliability • Assurance • Tangibles • Empathy • Responsiveness

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Reliability • Perform and live up to promises • Dependable • Accurate

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Assurance • Trust and confidence in you • Possess required skills and knowledge to perform the job well • Answer questions • Product knowledge • Listening skills

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Tangibles • Quality in what can be seen or felt • Physical facility • Equipment • Staff • Letters

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Empathy • Caring and individualized • Available when customers need help

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Responsiveness • Willingness to assist customers • Prompt service • Resolve problems quickly

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Barriers to Effective Listening • • Listening with “half an ear” Acting as the judge and the jury Tuning in and tuning out Turning off ideas you don’t agree with • Jumping to conclusions • Emotional and physical health

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Ten Tips for Effective Listening 1. Stop talking! 2. Put the customer at ease 3. Pay attention to nonverbal language 4. Listen for what is not said 5. Know exactly what the other person is saying

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Ten Tips for Effective Listening 6. Be aware of “tune out” words 7. Concentrate on “hidden” emotional meanings 8. Be patient 9. Hold your temper! 10. Empathize with the Customer

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Telephone Reminders • Greet the caller pleasantly and promptly • Identify yourself and your department to the caller • Use the caller’s name • Every call is an important one • Stress what you can do, not what you cannot do.

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge More Telephone Reminders • • • Take the time to be helpful Say, “please, ” “thank you, ” and “you’re welcome” Keep all your promises; return calls promptly Treat all callers as customers Treat all customers as friends

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge More Telephone Reminders • When leaving messages, always leave your first and last name and your telephone number • Do not leave a caller on hold for more than 20 seconds without coming back on the line • Always ask “Is there anything else I can do for you? ” before you say goodbye

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge When a Customer is Angry • Don’t argue • Listen carefully • Apologize and use reflective communication skills • Show empathy

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Service Related Phrases “I res ”. t p h g ect t i r e r ’ u hat. . “Yo. ” “I agree w ith you tha t…” “I understand. . . ” ”. . . t a h tt c e p s re I “ “I resp ect yo “I appreci u for. . ate that. . ” ”

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge When a Customer is Angry • Thank the customer • Make restitution • Do what you promise • Follow up • Give them something

Gaining the Customer Satisfaction Edge Rewards for Excellent Customer Service • Increased customer loyalty • Positive word-of-mouth promotion • Happier customers • More productive and happier employees • Smoother working operations • Increased intangible competitive advantage