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Greetings!
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"It's not what you say, but the way that you say
it." Untrue! Probably never was. To delight
customers you must say the right things the right
way at the right time. And the little things count more
than many people realize.
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The Issue: Improving Language Usage To Delight Your Customers
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By Conrad Elnes
The careless speech habits developed by some
customer service representatives unintentionally
offend your customers. For example. a rep may say
something in error and follow up by saying, "Oh, I
lied." An error is forgivable; a lie is not! Saying "My
bad" in response to an error is
also offensive. These simple errors alienate many
customers.
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The Solution - What You Say
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One way you add value to your role as the
manager
is to help your staff cultivate pleasing ways to say
things to customers. For example, if a customer
makes a request, which of these responses is best?
Customer: "Please send me a brochure
about your new system."
- Rep A: "Okay, what's your address?"
- Rep B: "Marcia, I'll be happy to send you a
brochure.
Are you looking
for some special capabilities?" - Rep C: "No
problem."
While concluding a service event,
which of these
responses is best.
- Rep A: "Have a great day!"
- Rep B: "Thank your for giving me a chance to
restore your system. Good-
bye."
- Rep C: "Later, Dude."
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The Solution - Ways That You Say It
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The following are inappropriate ways to say it:
- "Sorry 'bout that." Sounds insincere. Complete
the statement by saying what you are sorry about.
- "No problem." Discounts the importance of the
customer's compliment or request.
- "You'll have to . . ." Customers don't have to
do
anything.
- " . . . as soon as I can." The time frame is too
vague. Be specific.
- "I don't know." Add "but I'll find out for you."
- "How are we today?" The "Royal We" sounds
phony.
Taking time to "teach and inspect what you
expect" your representatives to say and
how you want them to say it will pay big dividends in
terms of customer delight. Encourage reps to
maintain a demeanor of warmth and friendly
enthusiasm when dealing with both internal and
external customers. Discuss some common
customer interactions and the best ways for reps to
speak.
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An Important Question
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As you reflect on the way your service
representatives are performing, are you completely
satisfied in all respects? If not, let's talk. Our
Customer Satisfaction PLUS
program is respected internationally for its positive
effect on customer retention. You will really like
the results. Guaranteed!
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