Becoming a Customer Service Superstar Get Primed for the Climb! Produced by SkillPath Seminars The Smart Choice 6900 Squibb Road P.O. Box 2768 Mission, KS 66201-2768 1-800-873-7545 www.skillpath.com Becoming a Customer Service Superstar Get Primed for the Climb! Copyright 2007, SkillPath Seminars All rights reserved.
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 How to Make an Immediate Good First Impression... 4 How to Make Your Voice Sound as Friendly as a Smile... 4 What Words and Actions Signal a Ready to Help Attitude That Makes Customers Feel Good... 5 What Specific Words and Phrases Make Customers Trust and Like You... 5 How You Say It Is Just as Important as What You Say How to Hear Yourself as Others Hear You... 6 How to Deal With Unhappy, Irrational, Angry and Upset Customers... 7 Dealing With Difficult Customers... 8 How to Spot Opportunities for Turning Complaining Customers Into Lifetime Customers... 9 How to Increase Sales and Profitability Through Good Customer Service...10 How to Wind Up Every Customer Transaction on a Positive Note...10 Action Plan Superstar Service...11 Symbol Key Symbols used in this workbook: Introduction: A brief overview of the course you are about to begin Learning objectives: A guide to a course s key points intended to help focus your attention on important elements and essential take-aways Summary: A quick review of what you have learned in the current course Personal Action Plan: An opportunity to apply your newly learned skills and knowledge to your specific work environment
Introduction Yes, you can become a customer service superstar, and this audio seminar will help put you on the right path to stardom. As you probably know, being a good customer service representative has its challenges; customers can be difficult, and talking on the phone all day can be exhausting. But your profession also has its own rewards. Making customers happy and keeping them loyal to your company plays a big part in any business s financial success. m Describe how to make a good first impression m Name words and actions that signal a ready to help attitude m Identify how to deal with unhappy, irrational, angry and upset customers m Explain how to end every customer transaction on a positive note 3
How to Make an Immediate Good First Impression You have only a few seconds to make a good first impression, so use your time wisely. The simple secret to making a good first impression is to SMILE. This immediately sets the tone for further customer interaction. Great ways to get customers on your side immediately 1. Greet them by name 2. Ask how you may help them 3. Suggest sale items specific to their interests 4. Study their verbal and body language for clues to how much help to offer 5. Check back to see if help is needed How to Make Your Voice Sound as Friendly as a Smile A voice takes many forms. Anonymous The baby kept you up most of the night, your car is making a funny noise and you have a headache that is pounding away. So how do you make your voice sound as friendly as a smile when smiling is the last thing you feel like doing? You can do it! Here are 4 actions you can take to help you sound friendly: 1. Find a key word 2. Focus on a mental image of the word 3. Watch your body posture 4. Smile: It will affect how you sound 4
What Words and Actions Signal a Ready to Help Attitude That Makes Customers Feel Good A good customer service representative makes a customer feel good from the start. When you greet customers: 1. Smile 2. Greet them by name 3. Make eye contact 4. Show enthusiasm 5. Use a warm tone of voice 6. Use personable small talk 7. Give your customer 100% of your attention What Specific Words and Phrases Make Customers Trust and Like You As a customer service representative, you can get customers to trust and like you. This is a giant first step toward effective customer service. Nine magic phrases: Nine deadly phrases: 1. How may I help you 1. I/We can t do that 2. Let me suggest 2. I/We won t do that! 3. I d like to ask you 3. It s not my job 4. It s my pleasure 4. It s company policy/procedure! 5. Please 5. You ll have to 6. Thank you 6. Please call back 7. You re welcome 7. I don t know 8. I d be happy to 8. But 9. Yes 9. No 5
Other phrases to use m I will I will call our warehouse and get back to you by 2:00 p.m. Instead of: I will try to get an answer for you. m Will you Will you please complete this form. Instead of: You will have to complete this form. m You can You can get that information from our parts department. Instead of: I don t know anything about that. It s not my job. You have to check with parts. Source: Customer Satisfaction: The Second Half of Your Job by Dru Scott How You Say It Is Just as Important as What You Say How to Hear Yourself as Others Hear You Your most important communication tool is your voice. You can use your voice to communicate, inform or persuade. Your voice makes an immediate impression. You can sound friendly or distant, confident or unsure, relaxed or anxious, natural or emotionless. To find out how others hear you, record your voice. Notice the following: m Do you sound enthusiastic? m Are you speaking in a monotone? m Do you enunciate and speak clearly, without mumbling? m Do you speak at an appropriate volume? m Do you vary your inflection? m Does your voice reflect a positive attitude? 6
How to Deal With Unhappy, Irrational, Angry and Upset Customers According to the statistics compiled by the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, Technical Assistant Research Programs (TARP): m 96% of unhappy customers never complain m 91% of those who don t complain will not buy again from your business m The average unhappy customer will share the negative story with at least nine other people m 13% will tell more than 20 people m The average unhappy customer will remember the incident for 23 1 2 years m The average happy customer will talk about the pleasant experience for 18 months The five top reasons customers complain: 1. They are confused or overwhelmed 2. They feel ignored 3. They are defending their ego (self-esteem) 4. They were treated poorly in the past 5. They had to wait too long for service 7
Dealing With Difficult Customers Check the following skills you believe you possess: M I maintain an open, relaxed body position. M I am empathetic. M I allow the customer to vent. M I respond effectively to: M Emotional words M Insults M Vulgarity M Demeaning language M Negative remarks M I am comfortable with silence. M I consider apologizing and sometimes do. M I acknowledge the customer s feelings. M I remember to accentuate the positive. M I thank the customer for bringing it to our attention. M I follow up and follow through. Handling problems and complaints with CARE: Communicate Acknowledge action Respect and regard Empathy Behaviors to avoid: m Arguing m Rationalizing m Promising m Defending m Reacting m Guaranteeing m Using emotional words m Whining 8
How to repair a damaged customer relationship: m Express respect m Take action and follow through m Listen to understand m Uncover expectations m Double-check for satisfaction m Repeat specifics m Outline solutions How to Spot Opportunities for Turning Complaining Customers Into Lifetime Customers It s better to use your time and energy to try to keep one customer than worry about finding new ones. Anonymous When you ve lost valued customers, it s important for you to make every effort to get them back. Resist the temptation to simply give up and let them go. Get their attention and get them to talk about why they left. Bring customers back by: m Using empathetic listening m Remaining calm and professional m Analyzing the situation m Apologizing m Accepting responsibility m Thanking the customer for the information m Asking the customer for recommendations m Fixing the problem m Following up 9
How to Increase Sales and Profitability Through Good Customer Service If things are not well started with the customer, they may well end without the customer! Unknown The bottom line is that you are there to make money for your company. Use these methods to increase sales and profitability: 1. Make your customer comfortable 2. Meet your customer s needs 3. Give your customer a good deal for the money 4. Provide a friendly atmosphere 5. Demonstrate product and/or service knowledge 6. Make your customer s buying experience efficient 7. Establish trust by providing consistent service 8. Provide a hassle-free experience How to Wind Up Every Customer Transaction on a Positive Note The answer to this is just five simple words you should say to every customer. Thank you for your business! This audio conference has taught you how to become a customer service superstar! Use the skills you have learned to treat your customers in a manner that will make them want to come back and do further business with your company. Not only will you feel satisfied that you have done a good job, but you will help increase your business s bottom line a win-win situation for everyone. 10
Action Plan Superstar service Five skills I will use in my next customer-service interaction: 1. 2. 3. Describe the actions you plan to incorporate within your communication style in order to be a more effective communicator. 4. 5. 11
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