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.  

Don't Tolerate Low Performance

"Intolerable service exists, when intolerable service is tolerated".  You can't tolerate low performance.  Everyone must be held accountable for adhering to the same service standards.  By letting one person slide, you send the message that its okay to not live up to the performance guidelines and one-by-one, others will start to slip too.  Take swift action when a service standard is not met.  Keep the focus on the standard and why it is important to be met each and everytime, not the person.

Those that always are striving to adhere to the standards will respect and appreciate that you are seriously meaning what you say. 

World-Class Courtesy - Teri's Tip #50

World-Class Courtesy: Using exceptional manners, as interpreted from the customer's perspective, to exceed the expectations of the customer.

Characteristics:

• a willingness to discover opportunities to exceed the customer's expectations
• sincerity
• a friendly smile (even over the phone)
• using the person's last name (unless customer indicates otherwise)
• a neat appearance
• proper use of the language
• exceptional listening skills (attentiveness)
• a relaxed and natural tone of voice
• appropriate eye contact
• clear communication at the customer's comprehension level
• knowledge about the product or service

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.  

Pillars for Success - Teri's Tip #49

Keep these points in mind and you will be successful:

• Deliver superior service
• Keep all promises
• Build strong relationships
• Work with passion
• Keep it fun
• Continuously improve

Share these points with all employees and talk about how each person in every job can bring them to life. 

Telephone/Cell Phone Top Service - Teri's Tip #47

1. Answer the phone with Good morning, or Good afternoon followed by your name. Always use your first and last name when answering.

2. Return calls by sundown. Even if you don’t have the answer or time to talk, let the caller know you received their call and will get back to them when you do.

3. When transferring a call, tell the caller whose voice that person can expect to hear on the other end. Introduce the caller to the person receiving the transferred call and explain the reason for the transfer.

4. If you must put a caller on hold, first ask the caller if they want to be placed on hold or leave a message on voicemail.

5. Act fresh all day long when answering your phone.

6. Always ask permission if you need to put a caller on speakerphone. Also, identify to the caller that there are others in the office who will hear the conversation.

7. When talking on your cell phone, be aware of another person’s space.

8. Don’t be condescending such as, “Oh, it’s you again.”

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.

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.

Viscious Voicemail - Teri's Tip #31

Refrain from sending out the viscious email or leaving a scathing voicemail when you are angry.  These critiques seem even more biting when delivered in this manner.  And remember, these types of communication can last forever and be replayed over and over.

If you are angry with the person or have a conflict, then handle in person if at all possible.  By watching for facial expressions and body language or listening for inflections in the voice tone, you can make sure your words are not misinterpreted.  Hopefully, the purpose of your discussion is to be constructive and be able to progress to ways to improve the situation.  Great customer service starts internally. 

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.

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.

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

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 #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 # 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.


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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."