Compliments of the Season!

Dear Customer-centric Readers,

I believe we all enjoyed the festive season in our various ways.

It has indeed  been a pretty long break and a moment of further refection on how we can collectively put our voices to good use to drive home the change we so desire in our nation.

Once we are done educating ourselves on the basics of good customer service, this page would deal with service issues more precisely including companies and service providers who are doing things exceptionally well and those handling customer issues with levity.

As usual, your regular visit and relevant contribution to trending topics will always be appreciated as it will be of great benefit to other readers as well.

Here is wishing us all a profitable and fulfilling year 2014.

Abimbola Ajilore,

Effective Listening

Dear Readers,

Do you know that it is very easy to turn your day to day interactions with clients to a routine forgetting the fact that no two issues are exactly the same?

To connect, establish and/or build a healthy rapport with your clients in the course of a discussion, endeavor to do this.

Not with apathy though as this will be evident in the final output of the discussion but carefully taking note of issues of concern.

Ask close ended questions with such words as What? When? and Who? to narrow down the information gathered.

Use open ended questions where more information is required with words like Why? and How?. This allows the customer to open up and express themselves better.

The listening Process

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following the process above helps to build good rapport not just with a client, it works for friends too.

Try it out!

Positive Communictaion

There is nothing as rewarding as using the right words at the right time with the intended message undistorted.

These words help;

• I can
• We will 
• It will be my pleasure

Avoid these words that severe the relationship between a client and an organization

A genuine positive communication comes from a heart, with a calm tone of voice, full if empathy and willing to help.

Either via face to face interaction, over the telephone or via e-mail, you can touch the heart of a client using these words.

Have a warm evening!

Bimbo,

COURTESY!

The second principle of service we will be discussing is the simple but expensive art of Courtesy!

Simple because as little and ignorable as they appear, it is capable of turning a customer experience around in your favour and expensive because it can cost you your business when downplayed or taken out.

Learn to use these magic words and see how things turn around.

• May I: Be polite when demanding anything or information from your clients.

• Please/ Sorry; Do not hold back an apology where a customer expresses disappointment at a failed service or where it is apparent.

• Excuse: Seek and be sure to have the consent of your client before placing the call on hold or leaving them for other tasks even if its in the process of granting their request.

• Thank You; Be generous in your expression gratitude to your clients either for their patronage, stopping by or assisting with information in the process of attending to them.

• Pardon Me: Should you have a challenge comprehending or hearing your customer clearly, be nice about requesting that they repeat themselves. 

Everyone likes to be treated 'Special" even you so Why Not if this is all it takes?

Food for thought...

Bimbo,

Principles of Service!

Hello Dear Readers!

It's the first day in the month of November 2013 and want to use this medium to wish you all a happy new month.

Back to the subject of the day, we will be talking about the five (5) key principles of SERVICE one after the other.

This is to further guide us in understanding what our roles are as customer service personnel, what to look out for as employers of labour and as customers.

The first of them all is ATTITUDE. 

Attitude is simply a learned behaviour which leaves you with a choice of making it positive or negative

It is important to note that customers are your job and not your problem" .  

We therefore need to get it right each and every time with them.

Ensure to set your mood right, be ready to work, enjoy what you are doing, challenge yourself dare to be better with each interaction, show empathy, do not multiply complaints like this!

Having a positive attitude definitely makes all the difference and makes it easy to apply the other principles we will be discussing in next few posts.

An obvious positive change in your attitude can have a great influence on a colleague producing a ripple effect on a number of others and eventually resulting in a more customer-centric organization.

I challenge you to strengthen the service chain from your link till all weak links are completely eliminated.

Once again have a great month!.

Bimbo,
  

What Is Customer Service?

Dear Reader,

Need I say that the quality of service delivered by any personnel on each encounter with a client is relative?

This is because it is difficult to measure such things as quality service because it is intangible. However when good service is offered, the following would have taken place.

• Solution must have been proffered. It implies that appropriate information would have provided for enquiries made, availability of requested product/service or the recommendation of a worthy alternative where out of stock or where the firm does not offer the service requested.

• The customer must have been made comfortable.

• The service provider must have been able to deliver on both documented and verbal promises. Very Important!

• A comparatively better means of delivering the service was employed.

• The customer (who is king) walks away feeling satisfied and a lot better.

Quite easy I hear you say. Just maybe let us find out.

When the quality of Service Provided equals to the Customer’s Expectation, then you just lived up to the perception the customer already has about the firm. Neutral Service Offered (SP = CE)


In a case where the Customer’s Expectation Exceeds the Service Provided, it is POOR SERVICE. (SP < CE)


But if it’s the other way and the Service Provided Exceeds the Customer’s Expectation, it is simply Excellent Service!


Now you understand why the quality of service delivered is relative because it is measured largely based on the customer’s perception.


A good understanding of the client with all the principles of service in place makes it a lot easier to achieve Excellent Service delivery.


You probably want to think through on these tips before we load ourselves with more information.

Thank you for reading and sharing the link this time.

Bimbo,

What is Customer Service?

WHO ARE YOU?

Do you know that you are liable to abuse if you do not know who you are and what you are worth?

Are you a Consumer or a Customer?

In simple terms, a Consumer is that individual, group of persons or firm that make actual use of a product or service.

A Customer on the other hand is broader in scope. It includes that person or firm who currently patronizes and those that have got the potential to patronize a service provider or make use of a product.

As such whether you are actually buying (as a Consumer), window shopping or making enquiry (as a Potential Customer), you deserve "good" if not "Excellent" Customer Service.

We will be giving insight into what Customer Service is in my next post.

Thanks for visiting and reading through.


Bimbo...