Customer
Service Training:
Customer Service: Your Lifeline in Lean Times
By James A. Baker
Customer Service Training Center
August 2009
The economists and their Magic 8 Balls are still not sure
which direction the economy is really headed, but everyone
seems to agree that we may be months, if not years, away
from another boom cycle. That means that finding and keeping
good customers is now more important than ever. So, let me
remind you one more time that the ROI on working hard to
keep good customers is much better than the ROI on
prospecting, cold calling, and working through an agonizing
sales cycle to win new customers. Of course, you need new
customers, too, but the expense of having to replace good
customers that were lost to poor customer service can be
devastating.
Do yourself and your company a favor and focus on the
following customer service principles during this continuing
period of uncertainty. I am certain that your bottom line
will be better off if you do.
Serving the customer is what it is all about. It seems
that in recent years customer service has become a vehicle
for pacifying customers as fast as possible so they will go
away and leave you alone. It is rare indeed that I talk with
a CSR these days who sounds really pleased to be talking to
me, or is genuinely concerned about my situation. CSRs need
to remember that the customer is the reason we are in
business, the reason our rent gets paid and our electricity
stays on. We should be thrilled when the customer calls us,
and we should regard them and their needs as our highest
priority, because they are.
Practice active listening. Don’t be quick to make
assumptions and jump in with the company line. Listen
carefully to everything the customer has to say, even if you
have heard it all before. Ask friendly, helpful questions
that show you are concerned, and then let the customer
finish answering before making any recommendations. The
customer must be sure he has been heard. If he thinks he is
getting the brush-off, he is likely to brush off your
company.
Zero in on the customer’s needs. The chances are very
good that the customer isn’t interested in your product
because it was green, or because it is smaller than a bread
box, or because it has a cool name. Customers aren’t really
buying products because they love products; customers are
really buying outcomes, because they are trying to meet a
need in their life or for their business. If they are
calling you, the chances are good that something isn’t
working right and now their need is not getting met. Make
sure you understand exactly what their true need is, and
then do everything you can to help them get it met.
Let the customer know how glad you are to be doing
business with them. I can’t tell you how much it bothers me
to call customer service and get a deadpan, rote response
from the voice on the other end of the line. If it is
obvious to me that a CSR is just giving a scripted response
because someone told them to do it, it leaves me cold. If I
am interacting face to face with customer service associate
and there is no smile or welcoming vibe, I start looking for
the door. These days people can do business just about
anywhere they want to. You better make sure that your
customers know how much you appreciate the fact that they
chose you. But it better not sound scripted; it better be
sincere.
Accentuate the positive. Customers don’t like to be told
NO. I don’t like to be told NO, and neither do you. These
days, everybody in your organization better be bending over
backwards to find ways to say YES to customers if you
possibly can. Maybe you can’t say yes to their initial
request, but find something you can say yes to and put as
much positive spin on it as you can. Say yes to something
that will make it worth it for the customer to continue to
do business with you.
Customer service means always being willing to say you
are sorry. Sometimes the problem is your organization’s
fault; sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it is the customer’s
fault, or the problem is the result of a misunderstanding on
the part of the customer. It really doesn’t matter whose
fault it is, it is always in your best interest to apologize
for any inconvenience or distress the customer has
experienced. The customer will always appreciate the fact
that you are empathetic and take it as a sign that you
understand how they are feeling. When you do finally
determine the best solution, the customer will be more
accepting of it because you took the time to understand
their pain instead of getting defensive.
Add extra value, even if you don’t have to. Never forget
that your customers can always go someplace else and
probably get the same product or service for about the same
price; probably even less. I am not suggesting that this
means you should cut your prices. However, if there is
anything you can add to the transaction
– extra time to the warranty, free upgrade to the
next level of service, reduced renewal fees
– something that will help the
customer feel like they are getting a great deal, do it.
Nothing keeps a customer coming back like believing they are
getting more value from you than they can find anywhere
else.
How are we doing? Find a way to make it fast and painless
for the customer to give you feedback on their interactions
with you. This is not a time to be shy or thin-skinned. If
you are doing something right and customers like it, you
want to know so you can keep doing more of it. And, of
course, if you are doing something wrong and it has the
potential to drive customers away, you must find out ASAP,
because these days you can’t afford to lose even one good
customer if there is any way to prevent it.
James A. Baker is the Founder and Chairman of Baker
Communications. Baker Communications is a sales training and
development company specializing in helping client companies
increase their sales and management effectiveness. He can be
reached at 713-627-7700.
Re-Print Permission
This article may be reprinted in its entirety if the
following conditions are met:
- The complete tag with the author's name and contact
information is included immediately after the article.
- A copy of the printed article is mailed to the
author at 10101 SW Freeway Suite 630 Houston, Texas,
77074, USA within 30 days of publication.
- The article is presented in a positive light as part
of an appropriate business related publication.
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