There is something that a customer service representative fears more than an unfriendly voice on the other end of the line and that is an unfriendly voice asking why there was another rate increase. How can you change the attitude in your office from panic to pride? Change their focus. The quality of your service needs to be the star when it comes to having the rate for service challenged by a customer or your competition. Providing a clear strategy and direct answers will help your CSRs and sales representatives handle even the most difficult customers with confidence. Taking time to role-play the different scenarios will help your team to refine their approach and responses.

There is an easy way to take the focus off of the price and make service the star. As your conversation begins, check for notes regarding any previous service issues or a clear record. If there isn’t evidence of service disappointments in the notes, you can use that to your advantage by asking if the driver has been doing a good job. If you know who the driver is, use his/her name to make it more personal. Example: Mr. Smith, has Bobby been doing a good job with your service? Listen carefully to the response. If your customer tells you he loves his driver or she has never had an issue with service, you have the upper hand in your negotiations!

In a recent training session, we were working on ways to make service the star. The CSR was assigned a role-play scenario where the customer wanted to cancel because of the price increase and because a better rate had been given by the competition. She uncovered that the customer knew the driver and even referred to him by name. After some smooth negotiations she ended her conversation with, “Bobby will be so glad that he can continue to take care of your service.” She turned the focus from dollars to personal service.

Residential customers can be the most difficult when it comes to contesting their rate. While a business might not notice an increase of a dollar or two, a homeowner does! To make service the star, look for areas where you provide something different or better than the competition does. Most customer service managers in competitive residential markets know the price the competition is offering, but may not be considering the importance of services that are an added value to a customer such as being provided a cart or a bulky item pick up service. If you provide a cart but the competition doesn’t, highlight that along with the value of the cart itself. Example: We provide you with the cart for your trash which is a value of $95.00.
Brainstorm with your team and come up with a list of reasons why your service is the star. Include in your brainstorming your safety record, involvement in the community and amazing customer service department. Then, do some role-playing to work on delivering these great details with sincerity and pride.

Build pride not panic. Your service is the star!