Have you ever called a company and been greeted with the phrase “Hold, please”? Does it make you think that customer service is dying?
How do they know you can hold? They don’t even know who you are. Maybe you can’t hold; maybe you have 10 seconds of juice left on your cell phone and your hair is on fire. Then you finally get someone on the phone, only to be told, “I can’t actually help you; I’m just paid to apologize, and I’m really sorry about that.”
Being frustrated, by a lack of customer service is nothing new. It just seems that in the last few years, companies have become more innovative when it comes to not helping you solve your problems. I recently asked a hotel employee to help me with my luggage. He told me to hold on and he would have someone look into it. I thought, “Hey, you’re someone—why can’t you look into it?”
I realize that we are as busy as we have ever been, and that many younger people, were not brought up in the traditional culture of customer service. But none of these excuses will protect your business in today’s challenging economy, where customers are questioning value even with companies they have known for years.
Maybe it’s time to get back to basics and make service a real priority. Sure, plenty of companies claim to offer great customer care. But raising your service standards requires more than a promise; you need to set concrete goals and establish effective procedures to meet them. Whether you own the company, handle key accounts or just accidentally encounter your customers, you’ll reap huge benefits by applying the following customer service goals:
On the Phone
Be friendly! No one wants to send a check to people who seem to be bothered by their call.
Ask permission before putting a caller on hold. If a customer is greeted with “Hold, please,” what the customer really hears is “Hang on! Someone much more important than you just called in.”
Keep it professional. Smoking cigarettes, slurping a drink, and playing the drums on your desk makes callers feel like they are getting advice from a guy in a bar.
Make sure that callers don’t have to repeat themselves. Someone who has explained a problem three times to three different people hangs up angry, whether or not the problem is solved.
Create a positive image to attract business. Remember that squirrels are just rats with good publicity.
Display compassion for people who are upset. People who don’t think you care won’t value your solution.
Be very clear when you explain a process. When customers don’t know what you’re talking about, they assume you don’t either.
Do what you say you’re going to do. When you don’t follow through, people don’t think you have forgotten. They think you don’t care.
Know when to bring in someone else. When it becomes clear that the customer thinks you are the problem, set your ego aside and send in a fresh face.
Establish a simple, easy-to-implement customer service plan. When something is really complicated, it’s hard to tell if it’s working.
Well, I think customer service will survive—and I feel better now that I’ve written this article—but it’s important that we help nurse that ailing customer service to a full recovery, ensuring a healthy prognosis for today’s businesses.
The companies that attract and keep the best customers are usually the most effective at managing expectations and emotions. Successful companies train their people to anticipate customer needs and to solve problems before the customer knows they exist.
But before you can do any of this, you have to start with the basics. If you really want customers, set customer service goals. Remember, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
About the Author
Garrison Wynn is a nationally known speaker, trainer, and consultant. He is the president and founder of Wynn Solutions, specializing in turning talent into performance. Visit ww.wynnsolutions.com for more information.
译文:
你的客户服务是否早已病入膏肓？
你有没有过打电话到一个公司，然后被告知“请等一下”？这是否让你觉得客户服务已经濒临死亡呢？
他们怎么知道你会等？他们连你是谁都不知道。或许你不会等，或许你有火烧眉毛的事情。终于有人听电话了，却告诉你“我实在帮不上忙，我对此很抱歉，也感到遗憾。”
落空…看来这些年来，公司在帮助客人解决问题方面并没有做多少革新，有一次我让一个酒店服务员帮我抬一下行李，他让我等一等，要找人去帮忙，我想：“拜托，你不是人啊，干嘛还要去找人？”
我发现我们从未像现在那么忙过，很多年轻人没有在客户服务的传统文化中成长，但是这些借口都不足以在当今经济挑战中保你公司不死，即使是熟悉已久的老客户仍然会质问公司的价值。
或许是时候该回到最基础的地方，以服务为重。当然很多公司声称提供优质的客户服务，但提高服务水平不仅是一个承诺，而是需要制定具体的目标，建立有效的程序来兑现这个承诺。不论你是否有自己的公司，是否只是处理关键是无或是偶尔碰到客户，使用下列客户服务目标一定会使你受益良多。
打电话的时候...
友善一点！没有人会愿意接受看似对他们不耐烦的询问。
让访客等待的时候要先征得他们的同意，如果客户一上来就被告知“等一下”，客户就会认为“等等，有个比你重要的人也打进来了。”
保持专业。吸烟，大声喝酒，在桌上敲打，这些都会让客户觉得自己正向一个泡吧的人询问建议。
不要让客户重复他们的话。向3个不同的人抱怨同一个问题，不论这个问题是否得到解决，客户总会感到不爽。
树立积极的形象来吸引客户。记住，良好的形象可以加分不少哦。
向心情烦躁的人表达你的同情。如果客人认为你根本不在乎他们的感受，那么你的解答也得不到他们的重视。
在解释的过程中做到清晰。当客户听的云里雾里，他们会认为你也不知道自己在说些什么。
说到做到。如果你言而无信，客户不会想：他大概是忘记了吧，而是觉得：这家伙一点都不上心。
知道什么时候该搬救兵。当客户明确说你是个碍眼的家伙的时候，把自己的自负放在一边，让你的同事来处理。
制定一个简单、易于操作的客服计划。复杂的计划确实很难实行。
我认为客户服务还是有希望的，因为写了这篇文章后我感到心里好受多了，但是我们要把疾病缠身的客户服务治愈，确保当今商场上有健康的客户服务。
那些吸引并有能力维系大量客户的公司通常在管理期望和情绪上做的十分出色，成功的公司会训练它的员工如何去预测客户的需求，在客户发现问题之前把问题先解决。
要做到这些要求，首先应该从最基本的开始，如果你迫切需要客源，那么就制定客户服务的目标，记住，条条道路通罗马。