Positive Reinforcement - Teri's Tip #53

Imagine how much more positive and productive our workplaces would be if, every time a negative attitude or behavior was observed, someone would address that employee by saying, "I'm sorry, but we don't allow that sort of behavior in this organization."

This is not being mean or personal, it is simply identifying the negative behavior that is not part of the company culture.  The focus must stay on the behavior and not the person.

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. 

Look in the Mirror - Teri's Tip #52

"Take a look at yourself - the man in the mirror", so goes the Michael Jackson lyrics.  How can that be a customer service tip?  Have you ever noticed how you look when you are just standing around?  Some people carry a scowl on their faces when they are relaxed, others look bored, and others look sad.  People watch you even when you think they aren't.

Be aware of your facial expressions.  Take a look in the mirror at your face when you aren't smiling or talking - do you like what you see?  What is the message you are sending? Everything Speaks!  Remember you can create an impression even when others are not actively engaged with you, so be aware and make sure the face they see, is the face of the person you want them to see.

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 Service Standards - Teri's Tip #51

Having clear service standards makes everyone's job in an organization easier.  Employees know what is expected of them and managers can hold people accountable. 

Keep the number of service standards to a minimum so people can memorize them.  Train everyone on how to apply the service standards to his or her specific job tasks.  Give praise and recognition when the service standards are followed, counsel and redirect when the standards are not adhered to.

For more on Service Standards, see my article:  http://www.teriyanovitch.com/839/service-standards-are-essential-for-seamless-customer-experience

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. 

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. 

Appraisal is Too Late - Teri's Tip #48

The system most businesses use to check their work is after-the-fact, after the output has been completed or delivered.  That's too late!  When the customer finds the error and complains, it costs you 10 times more than if you had caught the error at the beginning of your process.

Prevention means taking the time upfront to look at your process and test to see if it is capable of delivering the promised output every time.  This could be a meal, a tooth cleaning, an answered customer phone call, a paint job, etc.  Prevention on a new process means brainstorming what are all the opportunities for error that could occur in the process and how could they be avoided.

Appraisal is just a fix and requires rework that costs time and money.  Prevention pays in the long-term!

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.

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.

Price You Pay for Doing Things Wrong - Teri's Tip #45

Whenever something is not done right the first time, there is a price.  To calculate that price, add up the time that was spent to talk to the customer when they brought it to your attention, add up the time it takes someone to resolve it, add up any new material or product replacement costs and .... make sure you calculate the time using the burdened rate of the employee's pay. 

To take it one step further, calculate the number of times these things are done wrong in a week and multiply by 52 weeks for the annualized cost.  You'll be amazed at how much even little errors cost your business!  Don't stop there - now communicate this price to your employees so they are aware and then brainstorm together with them as to how to make sure things will always get done right the first 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.

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.