Mood:
brightTopic: Good Advice
I received the enclosed press release and since it had some good advice I thought I would share it with you.
As businesses start to hire teenagers for the summer, customer service strategist John Tschohl, author of the book Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service, offers these tips to help your new part-time employees offers great customer service:
- Feel good about yourself
We tend to live in a negative world and to think negatively. It’s critical that you feel good about yourself, that you are confident, enthusiastic, and positive. Each of us is responsible for how we feel about ourselves. You must believe in yourself, concentrate on your strengths, and recognize the importance of your role. Use affirmations and visualization. Read books on self-improvement and strive to be the best you can be. See yourself as you can be, not as you are.
- Be courteous
It takes no more time to be nice and polite than it does to be rude. Every customer wants to feel important to you and your organization. Treat them with courtesy and respect. When you do, they will return to you time and time again.
- Give positive communication
Smile, call customers by name, and give specific, genuine, sincere, and timely feedback. When you communicate positively, you form a connection with the customer that says, ‘I am pleased that you patronize my organization, I value you, and I am here to ensure your needs are met."
- Perform for the customer
Customers have the right to demand performance. They aren’t interested in your problems and excuses; they want you to take care of them. You can be polite and courteous but, if you don’t do what you say you will do, you will not meet the standards of good customer service. If you say you’ll call a customer on Tuesday, do it. If you say you’ll ship the product on Friday, do it. Do what you say you will do—and do it with speed and accuracy. If you ship a product when you say you will, but you ship the wrong product, you’ve taken a giant step backward.
- Listen carefully
Few employees do this well. If you don’t listen to what the customer is telling you, you cannot give that customer what he needs. Listen to the customer, then clarify what he has said by repeating it. For example: “Ted, let me repeat what you said so I’m sure I’m on the right track.” Ask questions, get involved, and show that you care.
- Learn and grow in your job
If a customer asks you to explain the difference between product A and product B, she’s asking you to provide more than the difference in price. Study your organization’s products and services—as well as those of your competitors—so that you can provide your customers with the information they need to make a purchase decision.
