I recently spent 3 days in a customer service department that was gearing up for a huge new residential municipal contract. Management was smart to realize that there would be a big increase in calls from customers with questions about their service. They did a great job of hiring seasoned customer service people who understood the basics of customer service, but they didn’t think through the training process. They did not have the equipment or materials ready, and they didn’t consider the amount of hands-on coaching that would be needed to have everyone ready to handle this new contract.
5 Ways for Customer Service to Contribute to Profitability
At a recent training session I encouraged the CSRs and managers to take a 360 degree look at customer conversations. That meant looking at a situation from customer, operations, sales and management points of view to find solutions that make the customer happy, but also contribute to profitability. In franchised markets, while you have limited ways to generate new revenue, you have several ways to be more profitable. In competitive markets, don’t assume new business will make up for costly practices.
Credits for Missed Pick upsWhen your customer wants a credit for
Refresh and Recharge Your Customer Service Team
Spring makes me look at things in a new way. Nature comes alive with color and people seem to smile more. We shed winter cloths and vow to lose excess winter weight. When we can see change taking place before our eyes, we are inspired to change.
Your office needs to spring forth with newness, too. Customer Service can’t afford to be in a rut. Here are some easy ways to refresh and recharge your team.
Pay it forward
Customer service representatives can often feel like they are in the complaint department as they handle service issues, price increases
Great Patient Service
I have noticed that some medical practices and hospitals have invested a lot of time, money and effort in creating newspaper ads, billboard signs and commercials that show the happy faces of care givers who can’t wait for the patients to come in. I often wonder why the patient’s reality with medical customer service includes cranky receptionists, patronizing billing and insurance clerks, and those who can’t wait for their shift to be over. Maybe you and your staff need a reality check.
Do Your Ads and Reality Match? Ask yourself the following questions:
1)
360 Degree View of Residential Trash Service
I admit I have a narrow view of things sometimes. I look at my computer screen and not the mess on my desk. I look at my “to do list” for the day and assign extra work to my managers without looking at theirs. And, I don’t look at anything over my head. In the day to day hustle and bustle within your office, you will find most people are using a narrow lens as they complete their duties, too. Customer service looks at things through the lens of customer satisfaction and call volume. The sales department looks at things through the lens of wins and losses or revenue
Customer Service Management Lessons
“Wax on- wax off!” Admit it. The original Karate Kid movie is great. In it good triumphs over evil and the mean people get their just deserts. I somehow feel more motivated to fight the good fight myself after watching a rerun. I have secretly wished that I had a Mr. Miyagi in my life; someone who could impart wisdom for all of life’s trials and keep me accountable to doing the right thing.
The goal of customer service training and management is not to script every scenario, but to give your customer service representatives the training, knowledge and experiences necessary to respond instinctively
Customer Service that is Ready, Willing and Able
I once asked a manager why he was so calm with so many problems that needed fixing. He told me that he had served in the military. What he had to deal with then was a matter of life or death. Now, he didn’t have that kind of pressure. His challenges were frustrating for sure, but solvable. I really admired his strength, but I also wondered if he had spent time in his customer service department recently. To the CSRs it was a war zone full of combative customers, high call volumes and ever-changing rules. The department needed a morale boost and a strategy to go from being reactionary to ready.
Environmental Services Customer Calls
The heart of customer service is to help and make people happy. When CSRs must react to situations versus being trained and ready to handle them, the customer suffers and so do your employees. Being prepared to handle anything that comes your way in customer service is a long term strategy. It requires a plan, preparedness training, ongoing assessment of your team’s skills and excellent communication between departments. No one is left behind and no one is left out.
Permanent Increase of Call Volume
Acquisitions and new municipal contracts
Free-Spirited Customer Service
I watched an episode of America’s Got Talent where a young woman on stage described her talent as belly dancing contortion. I had to admit I had no idea what that was and was intrigued enough to watch more. When she was finished, one of the judges told her she was a good contortionist, but a bad belly dancer. She defended that by saying she didn’t make a solid routine because “too much structure” made her feel like she had no freedom. She didn’t want to be “boxed in” by structure and it was obvious she was just doing an impromptu performance. For her, lack of structure
Telepicting-Do you know who you sound like?
How many words does it take for you to determine if the customer on the other end of the line is in a bad mood? One? Maybe two? You hear your customer’s voice and you can’t help but start to pass judgment on cranky old Mr. Miller. After the conversation is over, you turn to your co-worker and say, “You won’t believe the jerk I just spoke with!” Your teammate nods her head and smiles as she says, “Wait until I tell you about mine!” Before you know it, everyone is talking about their customer as that jerk or that idiot that needs to get some manners.
How many words do you need
