On-Stage Behavior - Teri's Tip #29

Think of your business as a stage.  Every morning when the business opens, the curtain rises and employees become the actors on that stage.  Every word, intonation, inflection, and gesture is open to interpretation by your audience, the customers. 

Stand-up straight, smile, look energetic, and always be ready to deliver the best customer service you can to each and every customer.  It can win you a standing ovation of repeat business!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Accept Returns with a Smile - Teri's Tip #28

Customers have already lined up to do returns and Christmas hasn't even occured yet.  Advice to customer service representatives working the Return counters:  accept returns with a smile and with as little hassle to the customer as you can. It will create a Wow when they walk away at the ease and pleasantness of the experience.

 Customers will remember how you treated them when they saw a need to return an item for whatever reason.  You may feel you are losing out on revenues that were in the pocket, but in the  long-run, customers are more apt to do future business with a business they know will take care of them and want them to be happy with what they were sold.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Double-Duty Staff - Teri's Tip #27

Wherever you can, do as the Four Seasons Hotels and Walt Disney World do:  let back office staff learn front-line staff jobs so they can help out as needed or during busy times.  Let's them see what front-line staffers see and hear from customers on a daily basis and they'll be better able to serve them with that understanding.  Excellent external customer service starts with internal customer service.  There is a ripple effect in how we treat one another.

Besides the fact, it helps you in staffing situations when someone may have called in sick or for only those few hours or days that you really need an extra person.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Power of Thank You - Teri's Tip #26

Two words:  Thank You.  Two very powerful words.  Don't take long to say, but go a loooong way in making someone feel appreciated.  Don't feel comfortable saying these two words out loud?  Then write them down.  The kind of paper doesn't matter - the two words do!

Thank you, muchos gracias, merci beaucoup....whatever your language, the meaning sent and the feeling received are all the same. 

THANK YOU!

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Customer Service is Not An Option - Teri's Tip #25

Customer Service is not an either/or proposition for a business.  Customer Service is not an add-on for a business.  Customer Service is the way to do business.

In order to be effective and consistent, Customer Service must be engrained into the culture of the organization.  Leadership actions to create this culture are sytematic and process-oriented to be sustainable over time.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Clear Definition of "Quality" Teri's Tip #24

A simple definition for Quality is "conformance to requirements".  When you tell employees to Do It Right the First Time.  The "It" is the requirement.  Therefore, you must be very clear in describing the requirements and verifying they are understood. 

Conformance to the requirements that have been agreed to and understood, must then be achieved 100% of the time.  Anything less, is not Quality.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

Trigger Phrases and Calming Phrases - Teri's Tip #23

There are words and phrases that tend to incite more frustration and anger with the customer than other words and phrases.  Below are two ways to say the same thing, but the Calming Phrases are a much better way.

TRIGGER                           CALMING
I can’t                                 Here’s what I can do

Let me transfer you             Let me connect you
I don't know                       I will find out
No                                     Let’s look at our options
You should have                 I appreciate why you
The only thing we can do    I believe the best option
You have to                       Let’s do this first….then

It is always important to look through the lens of the customer and ensure you are customer focused to read their emotions and appropriately choose your wording. 


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Looking for a speaker or workshop to improve and enhance your customer service?
Contact Teri at:  ty@retainloyalcustomers.com

Consistent and Insistent - Teri's Tip #22

As a manager, you must be consistent with your employees in holding them accountable for excellent customer service behaviors.  As a customer, you must be insistent in receiving excellent customer service delivery from the employees of the business you are interacting.

Competent and confident in knowledge, plus accuracy, availability, partnership and advice will delight your customers.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/
Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to “ Ultimate Customer Service” has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book

Key Customer Expectations - Teri's Tip #21

There are four key customer expectations in doing business with your organization:
Customers want you to be accurate.
Customers want you to be available.
Customers want to feel they are in a partnership with you.
Customers appreciate advice.

Competent and confident employees will help you accomplish all four.


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.


Her highly acclaimed book "Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service" has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.

5 Well-Remembered Values

Philip Crosby, one of the leading gurus in quality improvement, took me to breakfast when he hired me in 1983 and during the meal gave me a gift.  The gift was a wooden box with a Cross pen inserted.  Engraved on the box was the word ADEPT.  He explained the meaning of the acronym:
A is for Accuracy
D is for Discreet
E is for Enthusiasm
P is for Productive
T is for Thrifty.

He expected each of his employees to display these values.  25 years later, I remember them.  Read more at:
http://teriyanovitch.blogspot.com/2010/10/phil-crosby-breakfast-of-values.html

Teri Yanovitch is a leading speaker, trainer and consultant on creating a culture of customer service within an organization. Her firm T.A.Yanovitch, Inc. provides a clear and proven process on how to create this culture of service and helps guide organizations to ensure their success. Through her presentations, workshops and training, Teri has assisted organizations from all industries to differentiate their business through the competitive edge of the customer experience.

Her highly acclaimed book Unleashing Excellence – The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service has sold over 32,000 books and is recognized as a practical, hands-on approach to providing a seamless extraordinary service experience to retain customers and employees. Contact Teri at ty@retainloyalcustomers.com for your next speaking engagement or for a copy of her book.  Her website is: http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #19

Three simple steps to make customers happy and deliver great service:

1.  Be friendly
2.  Be helpful
3.  Be knowledgeable

If you can do these three things, you will stay eons ahead of your competition.


www.retainloyalcustomers.com

Teri's Tip #18

When hiring a new employee, look for customer service friendly people.  It is much easier to train someone on the mechanics of the job vs. trying to train them to be friendly and courteous.

Watch for the following in the interview:
Does the applicant make appropriate eye contact?
Does the applicant demonstrate appropriate enthusiasm?
Does the applicant smile often?
Does the applicant use positive, upbeat language?



http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip # 17

When things go wrong, the first question should not be "Who messed up?"  The question to be asked is:  "What went wrong in the process and how can we make sure it won't happen again?"  Quality and continuous improvement drives the organization to not repeat the same error over and over again.

Great customer service doesn't want to disappoint one customer.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #16

Listening to customers helps to understand their needs better.  Through active listening, a business can determine how they can best help the customer.  Listening makes customers feel important and leaves them with the feeling that you care.  It keeps them coming back.  http://bit.ly/aCAxVK

Three steps to Active Listening:
1.  Focus
2.  Acknowledge
3.  Rephrase


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #15

Using energy and enthusiasm in your voice communicates confidence.  Confidance translates into TRUST for your customers.  Customers want to hear someone who is speaking in a voice that sounds strong.  Put more effort into your voice tone, inflection and level especially over the phone. 

Remember, it's the little things that make a difference in delivering excellent customer service.



http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #14

Raving customers are potential referrals for your business.  Three simple steps:

1.  Listen and make certain you both agree on what the customer really wants
2.  Deliver what was promised
3.  Create an experience in the delivery that makes the customer feel important and special.

Read more at http://teriyanovitch.blogspot.com/


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #13

Try customizing and incorporating Jet Blue's version of "Jetitude" into your employees' attitudes.  They usually hold the number one spot in customer service among the value airlines.  And they recently posted profit up 50% for second quarter 2010!

1.  Always be in the blue
2.  Be personal
3.  Attempt to solve a problem right away
4.  Be engaging
5.  Be thankful to every customer

Attitudes are contagious and can be passed along throughout the entire customer experience.  Read more
 http://bit.ly/cunq5x 


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip # 12

Recognize that all employees are different and are motivated by various means.  Baby boomers are driven to act the way they do because of the era they lived in and the environment.  Generation Y employees are motivated in different ways from them because of the times they have grown up in and the environment.  Stop, study and talk to your employees to better understand what they see as important to delivering great customer service.

For more tips on how to handle your Generation Y employees, check out The Service Coach blog on this topic.


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #11

It's the little things you do that help to build customer loyalty.  Listen, observe and anticipate your customer's needs.

Becoming  truly customer focused, will build relationships that will keep your customers coming back time and time again. 

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #10

Smiling is contagious.  It is one of the best ways to create a positive impression.  No one wants to interact with a grumpy, cranky or sad person.  While you may sometimes feel that way, remember when you are at work, you are always "on stage".

Customers really don't care that you don't feel well or happy.  They expect you to look like you enjoy your job and enjoy being where you are.  So, put on a smile and maybe it will make you feel better too!


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #9

If you want to retain and expand your customer base, it is key to stay truly customer focused.
Three things you can do: 
1.  Be proactive
2.  Surprise with a little added value*
3.  Put yourself in their shoes

*Adding value does not necessarily mean giving something away that costs you money.  It could be as simple as remembering their name, sharing a piece of advice, thanking them for their business.

http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #8

There's nothing more genuine than actively listening to your customer.  It is the highest form of recognition you can give another human being.

Three simple steps to Actively Listen:
1.  Focus on the customer
2.  Acknowledge
3.  Paraphrase back in your own words


http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #7

Treat customers like a guest in your home.  Clean the area up, have all the materials you need, be prepared and ready, put on a smile!

Can you imagine what your business would be like if all your employees treated customers like guests?

Teri's Tip #6

It's now about how to win the argument, it's about how to win the customer.  Never yell or argue with an upset customer. 

Keep yourself calm and let the customer vent, then look for opportunities to offer Service Recovery (See Service Recovery)



http://www.retainloyalcustomers.com/

Teri's Tip #5

Get personal.  Find one item of personal interest about your customer that you feel comfortable discussing; such as, their children, grandchildren, pets, hobbies, travels, etc.

Getting to know your customers helps establish long-term relationships and long-term relationships tend to build repeat customers.

Teri's Tip #4

External customer service is directly related to Internal customer service.  Showing appreciation and helping each other out starts a ripple effect that carries out to the final customer.

Start complimenting and praising co-workers.  It certainly doesn't cost anything and it may be the only words of appreciation they have received in a long time.  Be sincere though, faking it won't work.

Teri's Tip #3

Behaviors can affect attitude.  Don't let a bad attitude control how you behave.  Act in a positive manner (smile, for example)  and you'll be amazed at how it can change your mood.

 Customers don't care what kind of mood you are in, they only care about how you make them feel.

Teri's Tip #2

Share compliments with fellow co-workers when they help you out.  Great customer service has a domino effect that starts with great internal customer service. 

It's easy! Just say comments like: 

"Thanks, I really appreciated your help with..." 
"Wow, I could not have done it without you..."
"It was great of you to help me today.  Thanks."

Teri's Tip #1

Remember it can be a  gift when customers complain.  It gives you an opportunity to learn something about your processes that will enable you to improve.

The key is to fix their concern (see Service Recovery) and then go back and figure out what caused the complaint and see if you can prevent it from happening again.