Day One Quality Customer Care

Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service

9th and 10th November, 2007Crown Berger LimitedP O BOX 78188 - 00507

Nairobi, Kenya

Presented by:Tips Management Services Limited

P O Box 78049 – 00507, NairobiPhone: 2089431/343357 Fax: 343357

Email: [email protected]: www.tipsmanagement.comJohn Tschohl

T Total Quality Management

I Information Technology

P Productivity Improvement

S Strategic Management

TIPS MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Total Quality Management Information Technology Productivity Improvement Strategic Management / Formulation/ Implementation / Evaluation Employee Performance Appraisal System Job Evaluation HIV/ AIDS Awareness and Management / AIDS Awareness in the

Work Place Salaries and Benefits Survey

Organizational DevelopmentOrganizational Re-engineeringSales and MarketingCorporate StrategyISO 9000 Quality Assurance SystemPolicies and Procedure WritingStrategies for CompetitivenessCommunication Skills in BusinessEssential of ManagementLeadership Skills for Managers

Appraisal For ResultsOrganization CultureTelephone and Public Relation SkillsChallenges of the 21st CenturyManagement Development ProgramCustomer Care ServicesQuality Improvement / Planning ControlProject Design and ManagementIndustrial RelationsStaff Recruitment and Executive Selection

Time Management Problem Solving Skills Managing Meetings Management of Change Organization Restructuring Projects Evaluation and Management Privatization Human Resources Development Team Building Training of Trainers Capacity Building and Development

Organization Master PlanningCompany Director Roles and ResponsibilitiesRetirees Program (Retired / Retiring or

Retrenching Staff)Personnel Policy ManualStress ManagementAlcohol and Substance Abuse in the Workplace

2007 NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES THE DISCIPLINE OF SERVICE

LET (Leading Empowered Teams) FEELINGS (Customer Service Excellence)BAD Campaign (Buck-A-Day)Exceptional ServiceGOOD Idea CampaignService First Video LibraryBAD is Back

DEFINING SERVICE QUALITY CULTURE

Customer Service Vs. Quality Customer Service

Customer service is merely meeting customer expectations as per the normal procedure.

Quality customer service is meeting and exceeding the customers intellectual and emotional needs and expectations i.e. adding value to the customers requests, needs etc

Elements of Quality Service

1. Speaking in a courteous and caring manner

2. Listening with respect and asking questions to ensure understanding

3. Doing your best

4. Working together to satisfy customer needs

5. Learning to meet new challenges and resolve problems

Quality Service Scale

Intolerable Fully Satisfactory

Low Good Excellent

UnacceptableCommendable

Exemplary

Unsatisfactory

(Speak abruptly or argue with customers)

(Socialize with co-workers while customers wait)

(Take too much time processing customers’ transactions)

(Give customers full attention, smile and make eye contact)

(Show persistent enthusiasm with customers)

(Calm irate customers)

Lee ScottPresident & CEO, Wal-Mart

“We must provide the level of service our customers expect and deserve.”

CREATING QUALITY SERVICE CULTURE IN AN ORGANISATION

CREATING QUALITY SERVICE CULTURE IN AN ORGANISATION

Why create this CULTURE? To sustain teamwork in a working

environment The feelings of others count Customers expect quality and speed To develop a win/win relationship Each person is special To enhance Positive communication

Creating a Service CultureThe employees need to know that: 1. No matter how large the

business, every employee in one way or another is working to serve a direct customer

Direct Customers

2. People are the business We reflect the way we feel about our fellow

co-workers to the customer. We are in business because of our

customer.3. Maintaining a friendly, open

atmosphere is necessary because: When you help a co-worker, they may

reciprocate the behavior When you perform well, your co-workers

won’t have to do your job in addition to theirs When you learn your job, develop your

efficiency and expand your duties, you are helping someone else.

4. Positive interaction makes work fun Positive interaction improves our

working environment since we spend a lot of time on the job.

5. Team spirit is essential People must work together as a team to

accomplish goals which benefit everyone

Everyone in the team has something special to contribute to the group

By satisfying your internal and external customers in the best way possible, it creates that sense of teamwork that successful companies thrive on

6. Everyone likes to be complimented Everyone likes to be complimented,

and to know that someone cares enough to listen and offer help

7. Limited job knowledge reduces performance

Failure to learn your job simply means that someone else has to work harder

REDEFINING THE CUSTOMER IN COMPETITIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

“We spend all our time on people. The day we screw up the people thing, this company is over.

-Jack Welch, former CEO General Electric

Who is a customer?

The customer is……..Organization/group/person/system

that one interacts with in his/her day to day business concerns

The reason to why we do businessThe Boss/King

Let me introduce you to your customer

Internal & External Customers

External customers are people not employed by this organization. They are users of our services.

Internal customers are employees or departments within our organization who also have a job to do and who depend on your services, products or “outputs” to serve their customers.

What do customers need1. Reliability.

• Customers want companies to perform desired services dependably, accurately and consistently

2. Responsiveness • Companies should be helpful and

provide prompt service

3. Assurance • Employees should be knowledgeable

and courteous and should convey confidence in the service they provide

4. Tangibles • Attractive and clean Physical facilities

as well as well groomed employees

5. Empathy• Customers want companies to provide

individual attention and to listen to them

6. Deliver on promises • A company must provide the service that

is promised to the customer

7. Speedy service• Every task performed needs to be done

quickly and efficiently

8. Understand your responsibilities• Don’t wait for someone to complain

before correcting problems that create inconvenience

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN OFFERING QUALITY SERVICE

“The purpose of business is to create and keep customers.”

Peter Drucker – Management Consultant

OFFERING QUALITY SERVICE1. Friendliness by:

a) Making eye contactb) Greeting the customerc) Answering questions or obtaining

answers quickly

e) Hurryingf) Talking, acting in an enthusiastic,

sincere and personal wayg) Giving customer total attentionh) Speaking in a friendly manneri) Listening to resolve any complaintj) Offering unsolicited help now and

then

2. Personal treatment Treat each customer as an

individual

3. Use the customers name Using customers name repeatedly

during a transaction. You might remember it next time

4. Be prompt and efficient Recognize other peoples time is

valuable

5. Do more than the minimum Aim at exceeding customers expectations

6. Compliments The customers feelings of self worth

should be complimented, praised and reinforced in a friendly way.

7. Actions speak louder than words - Be mindful of your body communication

EXERCISE

1. List at least three positive changes in your work area that would improve service delivery to customers and co-workers.

2. How do you think quality service can help eliminate stress, build morale, avoid being put down and help you feel good about yourself?

3. What can you do to improve your speed in completing tasks and delivering on your promises to customers?

THE ART OF SATISFYING AND CREATING DELIGHTED CUSTOMERS

“I WANT IT ON TIME and in the proper hands. I want it done correctly, accurately, exactly, reliably, expertly, proficiently, faithfully , totally, absolutely, maturely, flawlessly, supremely, and certainly without fault. I want it unharmed, untainted and un-screwed up. And most of all I want it done CHEAP!”

- Achieving Excellence through Customer Service

Customer Care Strategy

4R’s of customer feedbackBy using the four R’s of customer feedback, one gains valuable

information to improve or maintain your company’s service quality

Recognize – it requires you to sit down and identify those “foggy” areas of your business where you don’t regularly hear the voice of the customer.

Request – you have to explicitly request feedback from your customers.

Respond – thank your customers for their comments.

React – keep track of customer comments in a database. First act on comments which are made several times. It’s your reaction to the customers’ feedback that will make all the difference.

Rules of customer service to rememberHear the customersUnderstand the customersLike the customersRespect the customersHelp the customersAppreciate the customers

HOW TO HANDLE SPECIAL PROBLEMS, CONCERNS, AND COMPLAINTS

“Those who buy support me, those who come to flatter please me. Those who complain teach me how I may please others so that they will buy. Those who do not complain hurt me. They don’t allow me to correct my errors and thus improve my service.”

Marshall Field – Pioneering Merchant

A Complaint Is An Opportunity

To Make Things Right

Complaints

Provide opportunity to learn what customers really think.

Welcome them as a chance to impress your customers and encourage their loyalty while looking for ways to prevent similar problems from recurring again.

How to effectively handle the Irate Customer

Listen carefully and with interest to what the customer has to say

Put yourself in the customer’s place (empathize)

Ask questions in a caring, concerned manner and listen actively to the customer’s answers

Suggest one or more alternatives to answer their concerns

Apologize without blaming even if you personally aren’t to blame

Solve the problem or find someone who can solve it and let the customer know what you are doing to resolve it

Patience and Tact – Be cool, collected and informed about your responsibilities

Practice handling complaints within the team before meeting customers to discuss them

Points To Remember A well handled complaint is an opportunity to strengthen customer relationships

One complaint will often reveal others customers have kept to themselves

Look for trends in complaints and analyze the results

Tactics to Avoid

First , don’t directly challenge the customer. Even if the customer is wrong and you’re right, don’t attempt to prove it

Second, don’t let the conversation wander off the specific problem The goal is to solve the problem, not find more of them

Third, don’t participate in fault finding, it doesn’t help anyone to shift the blame to another department or person

Finally , don’t let your personal feeling get in the way. Remain cool and collected and use courtesy and tact

TREAT EACH CUSTOMER AS AN INDIVIDUAL

We are not numbers, we are individuals Treating people like numbers is poor service Treating people as individuals is quality service Treat people as you would like to be treated Recognize customer behaviour Understand what type or kind of customers

your are serving Quality service leads to customer retention

The Golden Rule

Do unto othersas you would have them

do unto you.

The Platinum Rule

Do unto othersas they would want you

to do unto them.

Service Recovery

Taking positive steps to undo the damage we’ve done

and restore the customer’s faith in us and our organization.

Implementing a complaint – Handling Process

Stage one Action To Take RecordingListen to and/ or log written complaints to provide reference when planning action

Pay full attention to what is being said, avoid interrupting and take notes

Show a sympathetic interest and make it clear that you are on the customers side, even if they are angry

Stage Two Action To Take QuestioningFind out details of the situation by asking appropriate questions to give a complete picture

Ask probing questions to pin point whether there has been any misunderstanding that can be easily resolved

Question in a genuine attempt to understand the situation: Avoid leading questions or cross examination

Stage Three Action To Take ResolvingPropose and agree on a solution that is acceptable to the customer

Stage Four Action To Take Auctioning Carry out an action plan to rectify a situation, to agreed standard and schedule

Summarize what you plan to do to ensure successful implementation and actions for the customer if any

Include and gain agreement to any actions that need to be carried out by staff in other departments

EXERCISE

Have your emotions ever affected your service during a customer interaction? (i.e. did the transaction become heated? Did it become personal)