88% of consumers prefer dealing with a company with strong customer service than one with the hottest, most innovative product offerings.

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2 A recent customer service survey conducted by Harris Interactive indicated: 88% of consumers prefer dealing with a company with strong customer service than one with the hottest, most innovative product offerings. Only 12% preferred dealing with a company with a hot, innovative product.

3 Another study from Michaelson & Associates reported: 69% of customers that leave one business for another do so because of real or perceived poor service. Only 13% leave due to the quality of product

4 In Oracle s 2011 Customer Experience Impact Report, the company cites research that found that 86% of customers will pay more for a better customer experience. American Express found a similar result in their 2011 Customer Service Survey, with 70% of Americans willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.

5 American Express found a similar result in their 2011 Customer Service Survey, with 70% of Americans willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.

6 I m excited to have your team as my landscape manager. It s nice not having to worry about things and they come to me when there are issues. Because I m doing more for the client, I don t have the time to be at the property and knowing you re getting things taken care of puts my mind at ease.

7 Bob s 11 Rules for Outstanding Service 1. Communicate, communicate, communicate! 2. If they tell you about a problem, it is your problem, If you tell them about a problem, It is their problem. 3. A picture tells a 1000 words. 4. Happy customers put up with quality problems, dissatisfied customers find all quality flaws. 5. Admitting Failure builds customer loyalty 6. Every interaction matters, or only the paranoid survive. 7. You are always on camera. Crew professionalism is critical. 8. The customer is not always right, but that doesn t matter. 9. Look for opportunities to be a HERO. 10. If you want to know how you are doing, ASK! 11. Great service is a culture, not a department.

8 Importance of Communication: Communication is the Difference Between Poor, Mediocre and Great Customer Service Communication Leads to Higher Satisfaction Levels Communication Paves the Way for Strong Relationships. Communication Helps Retain Customers Communication Leads to Additional Sales

9 Customer Communication Tools: Call them back quickly. 90% of communication should be initiated by you. Call them as soon as you know something that they might want/need to know about. Tell them about what your plan is. Get feedback from your crew and forward to customer. Tell them when something goes wrong, before they find out on their own. Control the story. Call them when you hear something about them or their business to congratulate them. Get involved in trade associations where they go. Send them a newsletter Have a Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and POST!

10 Control the story: Customers like vendors who take responsibility. You are in control if you tell the story. Hiding problems is like lying. Problems have a cost to resolve. When you control, you are more likely to increase revenue. When you are not in control of the story, it is more likely to increase your cost. Your employees will make better choices if they are encouraged to admit mistakes.

11 Value of pictures: Most people are visual learners Most clients don t have the time to go out and validate your words. Pictures validate reality. Pictures last forever. Technology makes sharing pictures easy. Sharing pictures can be quicker than writing text.

12 The Power of Happy Customers: Happy customers are loyal. Happy customers are your best advertisement. Happy customers give you room to recover.

13 Mistakes are Opportunities: Making mistakes is proof that you job is not easy. Making mistakes is proof that you are honest with your customers. Never hide your mistakes from your customers. Trust will be lost forever. Critical customer feedback helps improve your product or service. Identifying mistakes helps you create more innovative customer solutions.

14 The power of positive interaction: A first impression lasts forever. You can never have too many friends. You are always being watched. People are probably talking about right now. If you talk bad about customers around the office, employees are listening. Your personal image has greater value than your product quality. Taking customers for granted will always backfire as they require constant appreciation.

15 Crew Professionalism: Always be aware of people in their work. Smile and acknowledge people they work around. Park vehicles in non-obtrusive places. Take breaks out of sight. Never engage in horse play or joking on a jobsite. Assume someone is listening to you at all times. Assume you are being watched at all times. Report any issues involving any customer or anyone engaged with.

16 Why it doesn t matter if the customer is right or wrong. Customers want to be right. You can t win an argument with a customer. Correcting customers impacts your relationship. Work on how to work around customers incorrect opinion or idea. If really believe the customer is not right, you may need to decide if it is the right customer.

17 Heroic Service Includes: It involves personal sacrifice Looking for ways to exceed customers expectations Finding ways to surprise customers Perceiving their need and acting on it before they ask Giving them something for free or greatly reduced Tell them how hard it was to complete task Including fixing problems you created and/or allowed to occur

18 80% of companies describe the service they provide as superior. Yet only 8% of customers agree with that rating.

19 Customer Survey Guidelines: Keep your survey short. Design your survey to give measurable results. Ask one thing per question. Get it in front of the right people. Spell out time expectations in your invite and on the greeting page. Reward respondents with a simple gift (OK, bribe participation) Personally thank respondents and acknowledge specific feedback. Keep consistent and track trends of results. Share the results and actions with employees and all customers.

20 The Ultimate Question: On a scale of 1-10, how likely would your recommend our company to a friend or college?

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24 How to Create and Manage Culture: 1. Be clear and concise with what you expect. 2. Leadership must set the example and live the culture. 3. Select people who are the right fit for your culture. 4. Define your culture by defining behaviors that support. 5. Relate your culture when speaking to your employees. 6. Make the culture visible throughout your company. 7. Create accountability for your culture.

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