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FEATURE ARTICLE Subject: May2001 ECMgt.com:
Customers Rule |
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This is an abridged chapter from E-Volve-or-Die.com. The book is available in on-line and off-line bookstores. Go to http://e-volve-or-die.com for more info.
E-Volve-or-Die.com - Chapter 8 By Mitchell Levy Author E-Volve-or-Die.com I find it interesting that so many companies talk about how they rank customer service as their highest priority, yet they pay their customer service representatives the lowest salaries in the company. There are a couple of different issues here. One is that everyone's job should be focused on customer service. The other is that everyone's compensation needs to be tied to customer service metrics. (And while you're at it, please pay those people more who have the customer service title or job description!) Educating all employees about customer service should be a top priority for all companies. There are a number of ways to do this. Some companies require that all employees do a rotational assignment in the customer service organization (which can be a real eye-opener for employees). Another way to approach this is to have each employee use all aspects of the company's online business as if he or she were a customer -- and to resolve any problems without using internal resources. These are experiential methods of training employees to think and act customer service. Other areas of training for customer service people or all employees include very basic people skills. The most important thing to teach employees about interacting with customers is that they are people -- just like your friends or your neighbors. It's critical to put a face on the customer, says Norm Hullinger, Vice-President of Sales and Operations for Egghead.com. In our business, there are usually a lot of technical questions that come up, and lots of things can go wrong. We make sure that our customer service people are trained to keep up with it all. And we have re-assigned people as necessary so that we have the best match of their skills with our service goals. This has resulted in high customer satisfaction levels for us. If there is a separate customer service organization in the company, at what level should it fit into the hierarchy? Some suggest that it should report to the CEO or a Vice-President of Operations or Marketing. Another possibility is to create a position such as CCO (Chief Customer service Officer) or CCEO (Chief Customer Experience Officer). Some would argue that the CCEO and the CEO should be the same person. One of the reasons to elevate the customer service organization is visibility, especially in the area of performance against metrics. This high-level visibility keeps customer service at the top of the priority list during strategic planning and decision-making -- especially when decisions need to be made to improve company performance. In addition to visibility, the people in the customer service organization need to have the budget and authority to solve problems for customers in real-time. If a customer service representative puts a customer on hold while he or she attempts to resolve an issue or check with someone higher in the organization for an answer, that customer likely will not appreciate the delay. It's a good way to lose customers. There is a very long list of skills that are desirable for people who interface directly with customers on a regular basis. Most of these skills can be learned, but some relate to basic personality types and natural people skills. Personalities can't really be changed; it's important that you understand this and allocate resources accordingly. Indeed, a lot of people who work in technical support centers have excellent analytical and technical skills for solving problems, but have few if any people skills. Sometimes it's better to assign employees who have good people skills and then train them on the technical information they need to solve problems. This can greatly improve customer experiences. Sometimes, customers have different experiences dealing with the various customer service organizations within the same company. The important thing is to remember that consistency across the entire customer experience is key, and you might have to assign or reassign your people resources accordingly to achieve that. Regardless of whether hundreds or thousands of customers have had ecstatically positive experiences with your company, just one unhappy customer can tell a multitude of online friends and colleagues, and word spreads quickly on the Web. Ultimately, this will have an impact on your future business. Some of the people skills that are important include empathy, ability to listen, patience, conflict management, influencing skills, and the power to negotiate. It's important that customer-facing employees preserve their objectivity and do not take things personally which is often very difficult. If possible, try to find people who are enthusiastic and have a positive attitude; almost everything else can be accomplished through training. The degree of technical training needed for customer-facing employees depends on the technical complexity of your products and services. Whatever level of training is required, it is critical to make sure that these people are trained before new products are launched. Another area of technical training is how to use customer relationship management technologies or other tools that you have added to your infrastructure. People need to know how to use these tools efficiently when they are dealing with a customer in real-time. E-Volutionary Tactics
About Mitchell
Levy
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