Customer Service : Career Success Through Customer Loyalty

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ISBN: 9780132236584 | 0132236583
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 1/1/2008

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KET BENEFIT: This book ties together the best information from trade books and textbooks, and then adds a clear and usable process for developing the kinds of skills, attitudes, and thinking patterns needed to win customer loyalty. The coverage includes positive attitude, customer turnoffs, dissatisfied customers, customer expectations, customer loyalty, winning telephone techniques, and more. This book is for employees and managers of customer service departments and human resource training departments.

From the Author	p. xii
About the Author	p. xviii
Know Why Service Matters	p. 1
Introduction	p. 2
No One Succeeds without Loyal Customers	p. 3
"Customer" implies an exchange of value	p. 3
Customers Have Many Names	p. 4
Customer Relationships Can Become Partnerships	p. 4
Positive Word of Mouth Gets and Keeps Customers	p. 5
The impact of E-Commerce on word of mouth	p. 6
The Good and Bad News about Customer Service-The Cost of a Lost Customer	p. 7
Calculate the terrible cost of the lost customer	p. 7
Appreciate the cost of the lost	p. 8
How much will it cost to replace these customers?	p. 9
Understand how lost customers mean lost jobs	p. 9
Some Key Changes in the Diverse Nature of Customers	p. 9
Increasing customer diversity	p. 10
Age issues	p. 10
Globalization	p. 12
Work-life balance	p. 12
Translating Slogans and Good Intentions into a Strategy	p. 12
The Ultimate Goal: Developing Customer Loyalty for Life	p. 13
Customer loyalty	p. 14
A Final Thought	p. 17
Assignment Portfolio	p. 17
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 17
Key Concepts	p. 18
Reviewing the Facts	p. 18
Applying the Ideas: Interview Service Providers	p. 18
Notes	p. 20
Use Behaviors That Engage Your Customers	p. 23
Behavior and Personality Factors That Please Customers	p. 24
Fifteen Individual Behaviors Can Convey Personality	p. 25
Greet customers like guests	p. 25
Break the ice	p. 26
Compliment freely and sincerely	p. 26
Call people by name	p. 27
Talk to customers with your eyes	p. 27
Ask often "How am I doing?"	p. 28
Listen with more than your ears	p. 29
Say "please," "thank you," and "you're welcome"	p. 29
Reassure customers in their decision to do business with you	p. 29
Smile	p. 30
Use good telephone techniques	p. 30
Reach out and touch them	p. 31
Enjoy people and their diversity	p. 31
Maintain a positive attitude about selling	p. 32
Watch your dress, grooming, and workplace attractiveness	p. 33
Six Organizational Behaviors That Convey a Customer-Centered Culture	p. 33
Consider your company's appearance and grooming	p. 33
Get customers to interact with your organization	p. 37
Correspond regularly	p. 37
Use hoopla and fun	p. 38
Reward the right actions	p. 38
Stay close after the sale	p. 39
A Final Thought	p. 40
Assignment Portfolio	p. 40
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 40
Key Concepts	p. 41
Reviewing the Facts	p. 41
Applying the Ideas: Does Behavior Influence Customer Loyalty?	p. 41
Applying the Ideas: Hooray for Waffle House	p. 43
Notes	p. 45
Apply Your Best Listening Skills	p. 47
The Difference between Listening and Merely Hearing	p. 49
What Contributes to Listening?	p. 49
Internal elements affecting listening	p. 49
Environmental elements affecting listening	p. 49
Interactional elements affecting listening	p. 51
Listening Habits to Avoid	p. 54
Faking attention	p. 54
Changing channels	p. 55
Listening only for the facts	p. 55
Interrupting	p. 56
Positive Steps to Better Listening	p. 56
Solicit clarification	p. 57
Minimize the number of gatekeepers	p. 57
Try counter-attitudinal advocacy	p. 57
A Final Thought	p. 60
Assignment Portfolio	p. 60
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 60
Key Concepts	p. 61
Reviewing the Facts	p. 61
Applying the Ideas: Discover Your Listening Style	p. 61
Notes	p. 64
Use the Telephone Right for Good Service	p. 67
Know the Benefits and Drawbacks of Telephonic Communication	p. 68
Action Tips for Identifying Telephone Use Attitudes	p. 70
Check your phone use attitudes	p. 70
Contact a company	p. 70
Avoid unnecessary call screening	p. 71
Action Tips on What to Do and Say	p. 72
Answer promptly and be prepared to handle calls	p. 72
Use courtesy titles	p. 72
Thank people for calling	p. 73
Smile	p. 74
Be sure the conversation is finished before you hang up	p. 74
Handle the upset caller with tact and skill	p. 74
Action Tips on How to Express Yourself on the Phone	p. 75
Keep your conversation tactful and businesslike	p. 75
Speak clearly and distinctly	p. 76
Speak naturally and comfortably	p. 76
Do not let "dead air" happen	p. 77
Keep a constant flow of information	p. 77
Keep callers on track	p. 77
Action Tips for Efficient Use of the Phone	p. 78
When Calling others, asks "is this a convenient time to talk?"	p. 78
Take messages cheerfully and accurately	p. 79
Make your greeting message efficient	p. 80
Learn to use your phone's features	p. 80
Plan your outgoing calls for efficiency	p. 81
Don't let the telephone interrupt an important live conversation	p. 82
Consistently work to improve your telephone communications	p. 82
Call Centers: Building Relationships One Phone Call at a Time	p. 82
What a call center is	p. 83
How many call centers are there?	p. 83
A Final Thought	p. 84
Assignment Portfolio	p. 85
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 85
Key Concepts	p. 85
Reviewing the Facts	p. 85
Applying the Ideas: Try Rewording for a Better Tone	p. 86
Applying the Ideas: Hear the Difference	p. 86
Notes	p. 89
Use Friendly Web Sites and Electronic Communication	p. 91
What Is Web-Based Customer Service?	p. 92
Self-serve common answers	p. 92
Delayed answers	p. 93
Live answers	p. 93
Self-serve personalized answers	p. 94
Acknowledge Cost Advantages for "Webifying" Customer Service	p. 94
Recognize Disadvantages of Web-Based E-Service	p. 95
Apply Five Action Tips for Avoiding E-Service Problems	p. 96
Be there and be quick	p. 96
Make site navigation simple	p. 96
Respond quickly	p. 97
Provide communication alternatives	p. 97
Pay attention to form and function	p. 97
Utilize Five Action Tips for Evaluating and Growing E-Service Effectiveness	p. 99
Track customer traffic	p. 99
Benchmark service levels	p. 99
Teach your site to learn	p. 99
Build an ongoing E-relationship	p. 99
End high for better loyalty	p. 101
A Final Thought	p. 101
Assignment Portfolio	p. 101
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 101
Key Concepts	p. 102
Reviewing the Facts	p. 102
Applying the Ideas: Explore the World of E-Service	p. 103
Notes	p. 105
Recognize and Deal with Customer Turnoffs	p. 107
Be Aware. Be Very Aware-Recognize Pet Peeves about Customer Service	p. 108
Get a Picture of What Turns Customers Off	p. 109
Value turnoffs	p. 110
Systems turnoffs	p. 111
People turnoffs	p. 114
Know That Reducing Turnoffs Is the Best Advertising	p. 115
Create Loyal Customers	p. 116
The zone of indifference	p. 116
Value service recovery	p. 117
Loyalty comes from customers' awareness that service is your business	p. 117
Earn your customer's loyalty with two steps	p. 118
Listen with More Than Your Ears	p. 118
A Final Thought	p. 119
Assignment Portfolio	p. 120
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 120
Key Concepts	p. 120
Reviewing the Facts	p. 121
Applying the Ideas: Discovering Customer Turnoffs	p. 121
Notes	p. 124
Get Customer Feedback	p. 125
Why Feedback Is So Important	p. 126
Feedback is a form of coaching	p. 126
Complaints are valuable feedback	p. 126
Getting input at the point of contact	p. 127
Commitment to Feedback Varies	p. 128
What statistics reveal about feedback	p. 128
Reinforce, Don't Challenge the Customer	p. 129
Be sensitive to your first reactions	p. 129
Act on Complaints in Productive Ways	p. 130
Feel the customer's pain	p. 132
Do all you can to resolve the problem	p. 132
Other Proactive Ways to Get Feedback	p. 132
Try focus groups	p. 133
Use explorer groups	p. 135
Use customer surveys	p. 135
Use "mystery shoppers"	p. 138
A Final Thought	p. 139
Assignment Portfolio	p. 139
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 139
Key Concepts	p. 140
Reviewing the Facts	p. 140
Applying the Ideas: Getting Customer Feedback	p. 141
Notes	p. 143
Recover the Potentially Lost Customer	p. 145
Understand the Case for Customer Recovery	p. 146
Maintain Healthy Attitudes about Customer Recovery	p. 147
Develop Your Recovery Skills	p. 149
Feel their pain	p. 149
Do all you can to resolve the problem	p. 149
Go beyond: offer "symbolic atonement"	p. 149
Look back and learn from each situation	p. 150
Understand what happens if the customer is still not satisfied	p. 152
Handling the Occasional "Customer from Hell"	p. 152
Be sure this really is a chronic complainer	p. 152
Know what to do with this guy (or gal)	p. 153
Handing a Nasty Complaint Letter or Email	p. 153
Use Human Relations Skills to Convey Appropriate Tone	p. 155
People are strongly interested in themselves	p. 155
People prefer receiver-centered messages	p. 156
People want to be treated as individuals	p. 157
People want positive information	p. 157
People don't like abrasive people	p. 158
Understand the Distinction between Assertive and Aggressive Behavior	p. 160
A Final Thought	p. 162
Assignment Portfolio	p. 162
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 162
Key Concepts	p. 163
Reviewing the Facts	p. 163
Applying the Ideas: Recovering Lost Customers	p. 163
Notes	p. 166
Exceed Expectations with Value	p. 167
Define A-Plus Value: What It Is	p. 168
Recognize the cost of diminished perceptions of value	p. 168
Create an Enhanced Sense of Intrinsic and Associated Value	p. 170
Intrinsic value of the product itself	p. 170
Associated value	p. 171
Seven Ways to Enhance the Perception of Value	p. 171
Build A-plus value with packaging	p. 172
Build A-plus value with guarantees or warranties	p. 173
Build A-plus value with goodness of product fit	p. 173
Build A-plus value with memorable experiences	p. 175
Build A-plus value with uniqueness and shared values	p. 176
Build A-plus value with credibility	p. 177
Build A-plus value with add-ons	p. 178
A-plus value and your employees	p. 179
A Final Thought	p. 180
Assignment Portfolio	p. 180
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 180
Key Concepts	p. 181
Reviewing the Facts	p. 181
Applying the Ideas: Creating A-Plus Value	p. 182
Notes	p. 184
Give Customers A-Plus Information	p. 187
Understand What A-Plus Information Is	p. 188
Special informational demands of E-commerce	p. 189
Know How to Produce A-Plus Information	p. 190
Provide informational hand-holding	p. 191
Select informational media carefully	p. 191
Use Techniques That Enhance Message Clarity	p. 193
Audit of your company's writing	p. 193
Use some redundancy	p. 194
Make key information easily accessible with graphics and icons	p. 194
Create and Support Customer User Groups and Classes	p. 195
Pay Special Attention to A-Plus Information in E-Commerce	p. 196
Make customer support accessible	p. 196
Honor the customer feedback loop	p. 196
Evaluate Your A-Plus Information Efforts	p. 197
Logging common questions (FAQs)	p. 197
Audit your company's communication	p. 197
A Final Thought	p. 197
Assignment Portfolio	p. 198
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 198
Key Concepts	p. 198
Reviewing the Facts	p. 198
Applying the Ideas: Creating A-plus Information	p. 199
Notes	p. 201
Exceed Customer Expectation with Convenience	p. 203
Understand What Is Meant by A-Plus Convenience	p. 204
How to Produce A-Plus Convenience	p. 205
Give serious regard to customer time and convenience	p. 205
Consider the Use of Virtual Waiting Techniques	p. 207
Match capacity to demand	p. 208
Respond to how customers perceive the wait	p. 208
Use virtual queues	p. 208
Make Things Easier for Customers	p. 209
Create once-and-done service	p. 210
Make doing business easy	p. 210
Offer ancillary services	p. 211
Simplify the product	p. 211
A Final Thought	p. 211
Assignment Portfolio	p. 213
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 213
Key Concepts	p. 214
Reviewing the Facts	p. 214
Applying the Ideas: Giving A-plus Convenience	p. 215
Notes	p. 216
Managing Your Time and Tasks to Reduce Stress	p. 219
What Are the Causes of Job Stress?	p. 220
Unproductive job stress factors	p. 220
Working conditions that may lead to stress	p. 221
Five Key Skills for Better Time and Task Management	p. 222
Target your efforts on the most important tasks	p. 223
Be a goal-getter, not just a goal setter	p. 224
Do the constructive things first	p. 225
Foster teamwork	p. 226
Avoid time wasters	p. 227
Effectively Delegate (Even If You Are Not the Boss)	p. 230
How delegation can go wrong	p. 231
A Final Thought	p. 231
Assignment Portfolio	p. 232
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 232
Key Concepts	p. 232
Reviewing the Facts	p. 232
Applying the Ideas: Managing Time, Tasks, and Stress	p. 233
Notes	p. 235
Get Employees to Give Great Service	p. 237
Articulate a Vision: What Managers Should Do First	p. 238
Plan a Strategy for Customer Loyalty	p. 240
Organizing Processes, People, and Resources to Achieve the Vision	p. 240
Lead and Motivate Employees	p. 241
Create and Sustain an Effective Work Culture	p. 242
Continuously Harvest A-Plus Ideas	p. 244
Use brainstorming when you need creative ideas	p. 244
Use nominal group process when appropriate	p. 244
Control the Processes	p. 245
Help employees set contributing goals	p. 246
Empower and Engage Employees	p. 246
Tie the Reward System to Appropriate Actions	p. 247
A Final Thought	p. 248
Assignment Portfolio	p. 248
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 248
Key Concepts	p. 249
Reviewing the Facts	p. 249
Applying the Ideas: Getting Employees to Give Great Service	p. 250
Notes	p. 252
Recognize the Emerging Trends in Customer Service	p. 253
The Importance of "One-to-One" Personalization for Customer Service in the New Future	p. 255
One-to-one opportunities with internal customers	p. 256
Social and Economic Shifts Impacting Customer Service for the Future	p. 256
Recognize changing demographics	p. 257
New Interactivity Options for Creating Stronger Customer Relationships	p. 258
Understand That Some Things Remain Consistent	p. 259
Demand for fair value	p. 260
Satisfy individual customer needs and wants	p. 260
Create promoters	p. 261
Apply relationship marketing	p. 261
Gain customer share, not market share	p. 261
A Final Thought	p. 264
Assignment Portfolio	p. 264
Summary of Key Ideas	p. 264
Key Concepts	p. 265
Reviewing the Facts	p. 265
Applying the Ideas: Recognizing Emerging Trends	p. 266
Notes	p. 268
How to Lead or Participate in an A-Plus idea Generating Meeting	p. 269
Index	p. 277
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Customer Service : Career Success Through Customer Loyalty

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