C.U.S. technique

CUS is an acronym that stands for:

I’m concerned….

I feel uncomfortable…

I feel scared….

It originated as a technique for staff to use with physicians as a way to

express their level of disagreement or discomfort with an action or inaction affecting patient safety.  


Try using it in your business or organization - it can work anywhere:

“Tell me what concerns do you have about this new phone?

“I want you to be comfortable as possible, tell me is there anything about the phone that makes you uncomfortable?”

“I want to do all I can to ease your mind.  Is there anything that is making you feel anxious about this purchase – please tell me?

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.  

Be On Time

Customers don't like to wait beyond the scheduled timeframe.  If you tell a customer you will deliver something to their home between a timefram - then make sure you can DO IT!  70% of adults surveyed by TOA Technologies regarding time spent waiting for in-home services and appointments said they would recommend a company simply because the representative was on time.  That dropped to 43% who would recommend a company if they have to wait an extra 15 minutes for someone to show up. 

Reason given for the huge drop in percentage for recommendations:  customers think compannies who aren't showing up on time is because they "don't care about my time."  Customer referrals are as good as it gets.  You are losing a huge opportunity for not showing up when promised. 

 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. 

www.retainloyalcustomers.com

3 Tips from Nordstroms's - Teri's Tip #54

Based on a recent experience with Nordstrom's, here are 3 tips that made me, the customer, feel special:

1.  The clerk asked for my name, shared her name, and then used my name throughout the shopping experience even though she helped others while I was trying on things.  She remembered it.

2.  The clerk walked around the counter to hand me my purchased items vs. handing them over the counter.  It was much more personal, plus she shook my hand and thanked me.

3.  I wasn't badgered by other clerks wanting to help, but felt I was sincerely approached by them and when told I wasn't interested at the moment, didn't feel like they sulked off. 

Remember, its the little things people will remember.  And I will go back!

www.retainloyalcustomes.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

Put Your Best Hand Forward - Teri's Tip #46

Sometimes great customer service begins with a handshake. Here’s how to make the best impression:



1. Extend your right hand out and shake your customer’s hand firmly. Don’t entwine your fingers, shake their palm with fingers closed. Be careful not to squeeze too hard or too soft. Too hard and it looks like you are trying to be dominant, too weak and you appear wimpy.


2. Give eye contact and smile as you shake your customer’s hand.


3. After a couple of shakes, let their hand go as you begin your conversation.

At the end of your conversation, you may shake their hand again while telling them what a pleasure it was to meet them. If it has been a particularly engaging conversation and you believe they have thought so too, you may put your left hand on top of their hand briefly while shaking.  This expresses a warmer relationship and you look forward to meeting or talking with them again.

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.

Tires Ain't Pretty - Teri's Tip #44

The commercial says "tires ain't pretty", but the service I received from Tire Kingdom in Altamonte Springs,Florida last week was "beautiful".  The acronym ACT sums it all up.

A - Accurate work (did what they said they would do)
C - Complete (identified my brake pads they were almost metal to metal that needed replacing)
T - Timely (completed the job when they said they would.)

Remember this phrase no matter what kind of service or product you provide your customer and sometimes its just the basics that end up WOWing the customer these days.

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.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.... - Teri's Tip #43

Remember the fairy tale line:  "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who's the fairest of them all?"  Try putting a mirror in your reception area somewhere or area where customers voice their complaints.  When they glance in the mirror and see their angy profile, they will more than likely soften, because no one wants to see themselves with a scowling, scrunched up, ugly face.

Giving excellent customer service is much easier when the person with a complaint is more relaxed and not so emotional. 

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.

A Name is a Name - Teri's Tip #42

A name is just a name, unless its your name!  Over seventy years ago, Dale Carnegie wrote the best seller "How to Win Friends and Influence People".  It was translated into 28 different languages for countless thousands of readers.

One secret he shares is that the average man is more interested in his own name than he is in all the other names on earth put together.  Remember that name and call it easily and you have paid him a subtle and very effective compliment. 

Forget it or misspell it - and you have placed yourself at a sharp disadvantage.

This is great advice that has not changed over time.  In fact, in today's fast technological world, people who remember someone's name, are cherished.  Excellent customer service doesn't have to be complex. 

Deadline Dodgers - Teri's Tip #39

There are some people who consistently never complete their tasks on-time.  This holds everyone else up and creates discontent among those who are waiting for the work of this person in order to do their job.  Management's action must be to determine why the person is chronically missing the deadlines:  is it lack of urgency and giving it their all or are they overburdened and incapable of completing all their assigned work?

Quality is conformance to requirements and deadlines are a requirement.  Action:  Sit down with the deadline dodger, together set realistic requirements, get agreement to the requirements, make sure the process is capable of meeting the requirements, and then hold the individual accountable. 

Excellent customer service starts with 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.

Keeping Fresh on Customer Service - Teri's Tip #37

Today's tip is to go check out Extraordinary Customer Service to see what's being offered in video's, webinars, articles that you can use to keep customer service on top of mind for everyone.

Training is an investment that will pay off.

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.

6 Steps to Delivering Bad News - Teri's Tip #35

Delivering bad news is not pleasant or fun, but there are times when it must be done.  Here are six steps to follow when the situation requires you to be the bearer of bad news:


1.  Apologize for the situation and be sincere.
2.  Give a brief synopsis of the situation and then stop talking.
3.  Let the customer vent, while you actively listen.
4.  Ask the customer if they are ready to hear their options for the future.  (they may want others involved, they may want to process the bad news further, they may not be prepared to think of next actions and so you would be wasting their time and others at this point)
5. Explain options or alternatives, give advice if requested.
6. Apologize again and offer reassurances of the future if appropriate.

Applying good communication skills and being courteous will always pave the way for delivering bad news.

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.

E-Mail Etiquette - Teri's Tip #33

1. Re-read each email message carefully before you send it.

2. Use receipts only for emergencies.

3. Avoid crying wolf with “Urgent” subject lines.
4. Avoid using all uppercase or lowercase.
5. Never double-space your entire message.
6. Be wary of humor or sarcasm
7. Allow cool-off time before sending a flame or any emotional message. (sleep on it)
8. Act on e-mail promptly or notify others that you’re unavailable.
9. Keep to one subject in each email.
10. Watch the tone in directives. (may come across too blunt)
11. Don’t diminish your position with inappropriate tone and style.

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.

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.

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.

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