are facing the prospect of being shattered into pieces.
Many organisations are at risk of reaching "compressibility".
While presenting a recent 'Leadership' seminar I was asked, "I am not in a senior decision making role, so what is expected of me during organisational change?"
Successfully managing rapid change depends on people, and in order to achieve success people depend on leaders. The organisation needs you to be a leader.
"How do I become a good leader"?
Leading is not some mystical charisma that you either have or don't and it is not status, it is an activity. We all have the capacity for it; you have the capacity for it. With experience you can learn to lead people effectively. It isn't taught in a classroom; it's caught from other people, without always being conscious of it.
"So what are the characteristics I must catch to make me the leader my organisation needs?"
As a leader you have a clear vision and a plan to achieve it. Your vision must also be the organisation's vision and you must 'live' it; your actions and words mobilise in others the vision as a common purpose, which they then translate into successful outcomes.
"The very essence of leadership is [that] you have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion.
You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."
TheodoreHesburgh
Inconsistent direction will lead to people questioning your sincerity and they will lack commitment. As a leader you always stay on course, creating the confidence in those around you that leads to 'Buy-In'. This is where good leaders excel. Then through a relevant and equitable reward and recognition process, you demonstrate how much you appreciate the participation and the achievements of your people.
Being a successful leader you understand yourself; your strengths and weaknesses so you can readily adapt to change. A 'student of life' you have an open and inquisitive mind, learning from other leaders, from organisations that are achieving best practice and people from all back grounds and at all levels.
You understand and learn from the positive power of diversity and recognise the destructive power of prejudice. Aware of your own biases and recognising that biases can occur in all people, you insist on a culture of mutual respect. Work places embody a wide range of individual values, corporate values, and society values; you develop a leadership style that addresses all of these values.
You stand for something! Knowing what your values are and what you want to be; you have a moral compass, a sense of right and wrong and the knowledge that good ethics is good business. Your integrity is recognised and applauded by everyone around you and it results in strong, long-term support for the organisation's vision.
Because they are following a leader who puts the principles of equity and fair play into practice your people demonstrate independent thought and considered risk taking, which aligned with your creativity and innovation, ensures your organisation's success. However, you find that you need to call on all of your courage when you embark on a program of promoting free thought and creativity in others.
Inspiring a high standard of performance and behaviour you always demonstrate a mutual commitment to people, the surrounding society and the natural environment. You know that your power does not lie within you, but comes from the people you lead.
By demonstrating these characteristics across the organisation you have promoted leadership in others. Like you they build teams, inspire and motivate people; they are confident, persuasive and daring. However, as good leaders they are also realistic and able to adapt readily to changing circumstances. They display integrity, while being curious and accepting of ambiguity, they have passion, optimism and persistence while being empathetic and they have the ability to develop and manage relationships.
Because you are a successful leader you have created successful people who have also become leaders. 'Compressibility' is no longer a threat.
People at all levels in the organisation are managing the change process. There is an environment where motivated and productive teams are focused on improving customer service and team performance because they own the vision. As their participation increases so does job satisfaction, staff turn over falls and attracting new people who are also good leaders becomes easier.
Continuous improvement in all areas of the business is now selfperpetuating, change is seen by all employees as an exciting opportunity to move forward and organisational successes are being achieved at MACH 1.0 and beyond.
" ... In 1947, it was common knowledge that there was a 'Wall of Air' at the speed of sound [MACH 1.0]. As an airplane neared this critical point, shock waves would buffet its wings and tail. The pilot would lose control, a condition then called 'compressibility.' Often, the airplane would shatter into pieces ........[E]ngineers at Bell Aircraft Corporation designed and built a unique airplane for the task of surmounting the wall. It was called the X-1."
Not since the industrial revolution has organisational change occurred as
frequently or at greater speed. We have a global economy that is changing daily, technology that is superseded before it can be implemented, a society that reinvents itself within a generation, customers with ever increasing awareness and expectations and a work environment with fewer and fewer employees being asked to accept higher levels of responsibility.
MY interview with Glen was a breeze, I said hello and just sat back. His passion for customer service and his work team is infectious. "My first job was a professional cyclist, but that was about a hundred years ago." Glen says with a wry smile. In fact he was a messenger boy for an electrical service company in Adelaide in the early days of black and white television. And it wasn't really a hundred years ago although Glen does have enough experience in all aspects of customer service to fill at least that amount of time.
Glen has a very busy schedule he recently joined South Australian Water Corporation in the role of Manager, Customer Services. He supports the customer service industry as Vice President of the Australian Customer Service Association SA as well as being a member of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professional in Business. He is involved in community service activities as Board Member of Asthma SA and Board Member of his Rotary Club. He lectures in business studies and presents at the occasional conference or seminar.
From fixing Televisions and videos for customers in their home to being responsible for multi million dollar customer service organisations, he has created service centres, installed communication soft ware and implemented the principles of best practice management. His stories about good and bad customer service always contain a lesson that can be taken away and used. He says "In customer service like all other aspects of business. If you want to be something different, you have to do something different." This is not just rhetoric, talking to those who work with him leaves no doubt that he practices what he preaches.
On learning to be a good customer service manager Glen believes. "You learn about customer service by getting out there with the people. The people who are providing quality customer service as well as the customers receiving the service. It's about gaining the knowledge and skills to help the customer achieve their goals."
Glen studied customer service and best practice management in many quality customer service organisations in the US and Europe. At Disney World, as part of his studies he had the opportunity to talk to staff (cast) and customers (guests) he tells this story about customer focus and the impact it can have on job satisfaction.
"I introduced my self to a cast member, who I had seen delivering excellent customer service, and explained that I was studying there. How do you like working for Disney? I asked. She explained that she came to Florida for six months for the warm weather and joined Disney because with large organisations your medical expenses are covered. How long have you been here now? Ten years, she replied. Hold on, what happened? At Disney they're so focused on pleasing the customer that I have a ball every day, it's just so much fun having the skills and resources to be able to satisfy the people. Sure the work is hard but the satisfaction is great."
Then looking as if he wanted a reaction from me but not giving me time to reply he said. "Employing people with the right attitude and then demonstrating that you have a focus on them and the customer is essential to developing a strong customer culture."
Glen does not have a lot of time for 50 page reports that are too complex to absorb and often sit and gather dust in some manager's draw. He believes that it is important to actually do something. He recalls another visit "In one of the training rooms at Federal Express I saw a cutting from a magazine, It was an article from a Harvard Business Review. I will always remember the quote. The interviewer asked Fred Smith. Why is Federal Express so successful? Fred Smith replied. It's all in the books, Our secret if we have one is doing what's in the books."
If ever you have the privilege of attending one of Glen's customer service courses you will find that quote, and others emphasising action, high lighted in his work books.
"Customers are facing the same short-comings in service delivery today that they have faced for years and the solutions are in the books." He said. "There are common customer service gaps across private and government organisations. There is the gap between customer expectations and the perception management has of the customer's expectations.
When this gap is closed and management and the customer are in sync a gap often appears between the general understanding of what needs to be provided and the standards and systems that have been put in place to deliver that service or product.
Then there is the gap that occurs between the standards and systems and the service that is actually being delivered. Having closed these gaps and with an organisation that 'delivers the goods' the sales and marketing department sometimes promise something quite different.
Glen says that addressing these gaps is not difficult and we discussed the importance of knowing what the customer expects and how the customers see you at present. He said, "it essential to employ the right people, that is, people who like people and who enjoy helping others." This discussion went on for quite a while and I jotted down many ideas I can raise with my work team.
Sometimes critical of customer service managers. He says.
"Management should not be a buffer between the levels of hierarchy. Everyone manages, some just deal with broader issues and longer time frames. The most important management role in any organisation is that of the customer service representative whose is required to satisfy a customer. The people dealing directly with the customer are the 100% people, they know 100% about the barriers preventing them from delivering quality customer service, and because senior managers have a strategic role they know about 10%. Sometimes we have the wrong people making customer service decisions."
SOCAP committee member Graham Sharley spoke to Glen Hoppo, SOCAP member and Manager Customer Services SA Water Corporation, soon after South Australia's 'meet the minister" function at which Glen was
a speaker.
>>>>> Driving a successful change process <<<<<
Service Improvement
Glen Hoppo is responsible for creating a more commercially competitive operation, through the introduction of best practice principles in the customer service area.
His challenge was to improve the quality of service and reduce the cost per transaction, by;
Creating a new Customer Contact Centre.
(The new Centre would replace three separate customer service areas)
Ensuring that the right people were in the right jobs.
This meant ensuring all staff:
Understood the drivers for change
Had the opportunity for input into the changes
Were clear about the management principles that would apply in the new Centre
Had the opportunity to apply for the new positions
So what made this a successful change process?
The amount of pre-thinking and planning that went into it. Glen and his key staff knew that not all staff, particularly those who had been around for a long time, were going to feel comfortable with some changes, although most were enthusiastic about the changes and new direction. The management team identified early that their key objective was for as many staff as possible to be successful through the change process.
Glen and his management team say the three key features about this successful change not only with staff, but all stakeholders are: communication, communication, communication!
Through all work place change processes, the focus must be on people.
The changes were certainly driven by performance statistic and bottom line economic objectives and service improvement. However, a change strategy that also focuses on the needs of the people (to develop a multi-skilled, motivated and self-managed team) is one in which the people deliver the desired outcomes.
Although the people focus requires a different management approach and a longer lead-time than autocratic down sizing or out sourcing, the positive results are self sustaining and self-perpetuating.
Encouraging employee 'buy-in' involves meaningful communication that actually connects. The strategy included a comprehensive consultation and communication project, including a project leader, senior management sponsor and reference groups with staff representatives. It included a special staff newsletter, regular focus groups and information sessions, and customer Services staff were asked for their opinions and ideas about what they wanted their new Customer Contact Centre environment to look like. The important message was reminding people about why they are changing, not just focusing all communiques about how things are changing.
Consultation with other areas across the Corporation, such as unions, Human Resources and the people responsible for the physical office changes, also provided an opportunity for everyone to provide input.
The recruitment and interview process was well planned. An information session for all interested parties was held which included human resources and Union Representatives. This session provided everyone with an opportunity to question, challenge and make suggestions.
An application pack was provided that contained: work place policies; position descriptions including corporate behavioural competencies; management principles that would ensure staff understood what will be expected of them in the new culture; an application form to provide equity among employees who had varying resume writing skills; and corporate enterprise bargaining information.
Information sessions were held to discuss the interview process and answer questions, once the applications were received. The interview panel included an independent specialist in customer service recruitment, to ensure staff received the best possible assessment of their ability. Feedback from the panel after the interview process was available.
Support and assistance to staff through the change process. All staff attended 3 half-day programs prior to the job selection process. The sessions covered such topics as:
"Maintain the motivation through a changing environment",
"Working in high functioning teams"
"Reminding ourselves about the principles of good service".
Oz>Train conducted these sessions and the response from staff was very positive.
The New Customer Contact Centre
With the new team selected the move to the Customer Contact Centre soon followed. Everyone worked together enthusiastically and achieved a smooth transition that was transparent to customers.
The new team says the environment is great. It is a light and bright environment where staff can communicate more easily and share knowledge. A work life survey rated all aspects of the new Centre highly.
In the new Centre:
Twice weekly 15 minute information sessions are in place for communication,
A Value Adding Management approach to continuous improvement is being introduced.
Monthly customer service tips are placed on everyone's computer.
All budget and performance information is clearly displayed.
There is no doubt that this change has been successful and it is largely because the focus was clearly on people. The keys were:
Quality training that supported all staff through the process.
Thorough planning and communication processes.
However, Glen says "this is the beginning - now watch this space."
Congratulations from Oz>Train to the Customer Contact Centre team in SA Water. Well done gang.
by Glen Hoppo, SOCAP member and Principle, Positive Effect
T
he speed of change seems to be reaching "MACH 1.0 and beyond", and like "THE BELL X-1", barriers are being encountered and organisations and departments
Doing business with Council
A new Customer Centre presents a friendly and efficient face to people seeking information or doing business with Council. The aim is to provide customers with a single point at which they can complete transactions with Council.
Ultimately, it is anticipated that 90% of Council business will be handled at the Centre. As the 'front door' of Council, the Centre, greets customers in an identifiably South Australian style. A feature wall of Murray Bridge limestone, Mintaro slate on the floor and local black granite all combine to wave the colours of South Australia.
"This is a Capital City Council," said Glen Hoppo, who has had the responsibility of setting up the Centre. "We must serve the whole State. And we must present as a professional organisation."
Glen said the most important ingredient of the new Centre is its staff. "Our Customer Centre staff have been chosen specifically for their people skills," he said. "They are people who can work together as a team, who have the capacity to grow with the organisation, and to self manage.
"What we have to do is provide staff with the tools to do the job and remove any barriers which might impede them doing their job." A comprehensive training program provides Customer Centre staff with the necessary information and skills.
In addition, a well designed work space at the front desk and the call centre assist staff to meet residents' and ratepayers' needs.
Each Council Department has a liaison person in the Customer Centre who attends departmental team meetings. This provides up to date information and an ongoing link between the Customer Centre and the department, rather than relying on memos for inter office communication.
Inquiry friendly features characterise the Centre's design. These include seating and a lowered desk for people with a disability, cordless phones for customers to make further enquiries in private, customer computer access and meeting areas where extended consultation and discussions can take place.
Outside staff and other Council workers who field enquiries from people on the streets of Adelaide have been issued with cards and handy storage wallets. Carrying the City logo, these direct people to the Customer Centre.
"When deciding on what should be measured the focus
must always be on its relevance to the team vision."
Team measurement is a skill that is critically important in modern public and private organisations. Measurement needs to have a holistic approach ensuring all factors that impact on the team achieving its vision are measured and have a clear relationship with the corporate vision.
Results of measures can be utilised as a tool in guiding teams through global developments, increasing customer expectations and ever changing work place environments. Measurement is critical for communicating direction, establishing accountabilities, defining roles, allocating resources, monitoring and evaluating team and individual performance and linking team and organisational goals.
Measurement enables evaluation of changes in performance and gives opportunities to recognise appropriate team behaviours. Measurement can also assist the process of identifying alternatives when resolving issues and identifying opportunities. Measurement is the tool that will ensure team synergy and effectiveness.
Successful team leaders employ measurement processes to track and manage performance and communicate performance standards to all team members. Measures are also the basis for monitoring organisational performance and identifying operational gaps and barriers that need to be addressed.
Measurement provides the ability to compare performance of teams and individuals with agreed standards. Measurement also facilitates effective decision-making regarding resources, business planning, policy development, and process improvement.
Measurement provides the foundation for team members to understand what is expected of them and to be able to identify gaps in their own performance; it also provides the tools to address the gaps, and it can encourage team members to repeat desired behaviours. However, what happens after the measurement process will determine the level of team member support for ongoing measurement and monitoring programs. Team members will only see the effort they put into measuring and monitoring as worthwhile if it leads to improvement activities.
Traditionally, managers have only used measurement to identify poor performance so that those responsible can be reprimanded. It is important that, where appropriate, measures are followed by praise. Applying the 'feedback sandwich' is a good guide to discussing the outcomes of individual or team performance. First note a positive aspect from the results, then raise any negative performance issue, followed by a positive close. However, it is essential that an issue that requires attention is not lost in the feedback process.
When used wisely and linked to appropriate consequences, measurement can generate security and reduce uncertainty within the team. When consequences are communicated fairly across the team there is an environment of fairness in the systems and increased trust, which will move team performance towards organisational objectives. Team members should have the opportunity to influence what is measured, particularly when the measures are included in the decision criteria for reward and recognition. Clear, relevant and logical measures will be supported and will lead to increased trust in management and the reward and recognition programs.
'Work-life' surveys are an essential tool for team leaders. They determine the level of team wellness and the level of individual satisfaction with all aspects of the working environment. The measures include satisfaction with training programs, facilities, communication, leadership, etc. Processes must be in place to address opportunities and issues arising from the employee feedback and communication and consultation must show a clear link between the survey questions and the team vision.
The standards that are measured should reflect best practice, which has been established through research and benchmarking. The measure then, is the ratio of measured performance over best practice performance. The source data should be specific, accurate and reliable to maintain functional credibility.
With an increasing focus on efficiency, organisational structures are becoming flatter, with an increased reliance on self-managed work teams. Self-managed teams with flatter structures learn faster, accept change more readily and accept increasing levels of accountability. The result is improved performance and efficiency. However, self-managed teams seek measures that they understand, have helped to develop and have outcomes they can influence through their individual or team effort.
"Now, more than ever before, there is a need
for two styles of work place measurement."
Now, more than ever before, there is a need for two styles of work place measurement. Traditional 'management' style measurement for controlling and reporting, which includes key performance indicators, budgets, head counts, staff turn over etc. and 'leadership' style measurement, which is less common and focuses on measures that motivate employees. The team generally develops these measures, they have outcomes that team members can influence and can celebrate. 'Leadership' style measures motivate and encourage teams and individuals to achieve beyond their own expectations. They will guide teams in their self-development. The team will set their own targets, they will identify and manage performance gaps, and plan their own development. Successful team leadership requires both measurement styles.
A program of measurement and monitoring based on high and achievable standards that focus holistically on the team's key success factors will guide the team towards its vision. Team members need to know how their effort will lead to targets being achieved and clearly understand how those targets will result in team and corporate objectives being met.
REWARD AND RECOGNITION
............it encourages us to be the best we can be.
"It's in everyone's nature to want to be recognised, no matter what level,
salary or length of service, every employee wants appreciation for their
efforts. There is no question that a sincere thank you at the right time
and from the right person raises human spirit and builds self esteem."
We have all either had a personal experience of going above and beyond what is expected of us, really extending ourselves, or know someone close to us who has gone the extra mile, only to find that the dedication and effort is not recognised, perhaps not even noticed and certainly not valued.
Good business leaders know, to not recognise, and not reward exceptional effort will gradually erode the human spirit and deprive their organisation of the best a person has to offer.
Exceptional individual performance and high level organisational achievement does not happen by accident, it develops and grows on the emotional sustenance provided by visionary leaders. Although it is true that there are examples of extraordinary performance without external reinforcement, under normal circumstances exceptional effort will not be sustainable in the absence of reward and recognition.
Reward and Recognition is a leadership skill that is learned and applied by good leaders at all levels of the organisation. It should be based on clear expectations and standards that, when repeated, will move the organisation forward toward agreed goals and visions.
For decades organisations have moved in and out of a range of initiatives that promise to improve productivity, add value, increase competitiveness, and grow the bottom line, such as re-engineering, right sizing, quality programs and customer relationship management systems. Many observers of leadership and management practices have become disheartened or switched-off to the benefits of the newest flavour-of-the-month management fad, whatever it is.
What is always constant though is the 'People Link', that is, an understanding that people accomplish everything we do in business, either directly or through support or guidance. Encouragement and development of people may be the only leadership skill that deserves enduring attention.
A good leader is one who brings out the best in people by showing they understand that the journey to excellent performance can be long and difficult. These leaders know that reward and recognition, which leads to celebration of achievement during the journey, is absolutely essential and should be based on the following considerations:
Behavioural expectations and performance standards must be established and how these will lead to achieving the organisational vision and goals must be clearly communicated.
When leaders clearly communicate standards, they honour a person's
desire to excel. They demonstrate that an employee's capacity to achieve
is valued. In this regard, they elevate the human spirit.
Reward and Recognition of individuals or teams should be earned through accomplishing exceptional results in normal activities or successfully performing duties not usually assigned to them. However, reward and recognition is also the way leaders encourage people on the road to excellence, where their dedication and effort has clearly demonstrated that they have stretched their abilities. Leaders must always be able to clearly communicate the reason for recognising an individual or team and it must be focused on organisational success.
Recognising ordinary performance diminishes the recognition bestowed on real achievers and lessens the level of credibility to the organisations reward and recognition programs.
Recognition should be personal. Feedback should be character based, not focused only on the business outcome achieved, but on the attributes and behaviours that led to the achievement. The personal nature of the reward can enhance its power and memorability.
Wise leaders will have established what will move an employee or team, they ask for preferences, this demonstrates a higher level of personal importance to recognition processes. It is important to know if the recognition should be public or private. Some people are not comfortable with public praise. If recognition is publicly celebrated then the occasion should focus on character and behaviour of the recipient and the event should build a sense of community in the organisation.
Reward and Recognition needs to be timely, rewards need to be presented as soon as possible after the desired behaviour or achievement even if a more formal recognition will occur at a future corporate function. This particularly applies to those two important words 'thank you'.
Employee surveys in Australia over many years commonly produce comments such as "and there is no recognition for what I do", to an enlightened leader this is not acceptable. Such a leader knows that these people will either leave the organisation or will simply go along for the ride, not contributing to organisational growth but focusing on their day-to-day duties and only doing what they've been asked to do.
The leader people will follow is a transformational leader, one who willingly learns the skill of reward and recognition and can lift the human spirit and encourage people to achieve beyond their own expectations.
If you want to motivate people, show them that what they are doing is valued.
However, a transformational leader also knows that reward and recognition will not replace basic good management Good management ensures that de-motivators are removed by asking people what is preventing them from doing their best work. They focus on improving systems and processes that will support employees wanting to stretch their capabilities, and they will focus on customers. Something that provides a lot of gratification and satisfaction to employees is to know that they can please a customer and the products and services they deliver what the customer needs to achieve their objectives. When these management practices have been implemented then reward and motivation can be effective.
Glen Hoppo
Black Compendiums
e left Australia 5 days ago and after several study visits arrived at Stew Leonard’s in Connecticut.
There were 11 of us and we were all enthusiastic about the opportunity to visit organisations in the
US that were recognised for having ‘best practice’ in customer service and people management. Every visit found us looking for major achievements and lessons we could take away and use , we were not disappointed!
Stew Leonards is a dairy food and fresh food store that turns over $100m pa. People drive over an hour to shop there and then they have to go to another store to buy their dry goods. We were looking forward to our visit here.
Jill Leonard met us when we arrived and offered to personally provide a tour of the store before moving upstairs for the formal information sharing program and first management training session. Jill noticed we were all carrying black compendiums that we had received on the morning we flew out of Sydney. “Would you like to leave them [the compendiums] here and pick them up before we go to the conference room?” Jill suggested. We toured the store for couple of hours, pleased that we didn’t have anything to carry, especially when we were presented, along with the customers, sample cookies in the bakery, ice cream in the exit area etc.
Eventually we reached the conference room. On a shelf by the door were our compendiums in a neat pile and next to them a set of stickers with our names on them. The person who noticed the compendiums down stairs realised they were needed in the conference room, saw that they were all identical and didn’t have identification. She went to the office and found the names of visitors, copied the names into a word document, loaded stickers into the printer and produced a sticker for each of us.
This thoughtful act, amongst a long list of customer service lessons I took away from Stew Leonards, has since been one of my benchmarks for individual customer service initiative and empathy.
With each team I build or lead, I ask. “Have I recruited, developed and motivated a team, where each member, noticing a pile of black compendiums would have the initiative and empathy to:
Realise or establish why they are there.
Notice that they were not individually labelled.
Locate the names of the visitors.
Create the list of names for printing.
Find and print individual stickers.
Deliver the compendiums to the conference room.
If members of my customer service team have the willingness and empathy to demonstrate initiative like this then all customers will surely receive extra-ordinary customer service. What about members of your team, what would they do with a pile of black compeniums?
Glen Hoppo, Positive Effect
W
Rule 1 - The customer is always right
Rule 2 - When the customer is wrong refer to rule 1
he people in your organisation who deal directly with the customer, hopefully that is everyone, know that the customer
is not always right. If the customer is always right, does this mean the customer service representative is wrong?
Although these rules have been promoted by customer service gurus for over a hundred years, employees will question the credibility of those leaders who continuously trumpet them as customer service facts.
There are times when trying to satisfy a customer is actually harmful to your business. A small number of customers exist to wield their imagined power over the organisations they are dealing with; these are the verbally abusive customers whose demands go far beyond what is reasonable, they are the ‘squeaky wheels’ that need to be continuously lubricated with your time, energy and money. There comes a point where these customers have a negative impact on your profit margins, employee morale and even harm your reputation.
Customer focused organisations know it is how you deal with these customers that counts. It is certainly poor business sense to develop a culture where employees readily label a customer as unwanted or too difficult to spend time with.
Develop a profile of your customers so that you can recognise those customers who are likely to be difficult and a negative influence on the business. It may then be possible to carefully manage the relationship and turn a liability customer into an asset customer, or make an early decision to not take that customer on board at all.
By establishing clear expectations and accountabilities at the start of all customer relationships you will encourage those customers who are not going to be happy with your product or service to choose not to deal with you. With clearly defined agreements it is unlikely that customer will become difficult and a burden on the business.
If your efforts to turn a very bad situation into a mutually beneficial relationship are not working it may be necessary to disconnect from that customer. This should be done professionally with a focus on the business issues not personalities, while leaving no doubt about what is happening.
The relationship with your customer should be mutually beneficial; each party has expectation and responsibilities. Great customer service is only possible when there is an understanding that each party has objectives and everyone works together to achieve them.
n the phone you can be professional, friendly, empathetic or taller, wiser and more handsome, the only thing you can’t be is dishonest. If you do not believe what you are saying the customer at the other end of the phone will
know immediately.
These telephone etiquette tips are common, everyone knows them, except when they are near a phone.
Always speak clearly and have friendly thoughts.
Answer with a pleasant greeting, identify your department and give your name last.
It may be better to ring a customer back than keep them holding, ask them what they prefer.
Always return calls when you say you will, make a time with the customer and where possible under promise and over deliver.
Answer a ringing phone promptly, even if it is not yours. Don’t walk past an unattended phone that is ringing.
Be pleasant and polite. Always!
Don’t put a caller on hold without asking their permission.
Let the customer speak, don’t get distracted it will be easily recognised at the customer’s end. Don’t interrupt.
Stay professional and focus on business issues, you will not win a personality argument with a customer. Remember customers on the phone act differently to customer you serve in person, you may not like it but you have to manage it.
A customer waiting on the phone can not see how busy you are and how much effort you are putting into solving their problem, their perception may be that you are ignoring them. Communicate regularly, keep the customer informed.
Finish what you are doing before you pick up the phone, if you are trying to do two things at the same time it will be readily apparent and the customer will feel that they are your last priority, a second class citizen.
Do not answer the phone while you are eating.
Always demonstrate that you have the time to talk to the customer, at that time they have your full attention.
Learn how to take call after call without previous issues impacting on the current customer and their needs.
Respond professionally and timely to voice mail.
When talking on the phone about sensitive issues make sure the customer is aware that you are conscious of their privacy and the environment at your end provides confidentiality. Voicemail is not the appropriate way of leaving sensitive message.
If you are involved in outbound calling be sure you are calling with in industry guidelines, and in addition consider the time you would like to receive calls.
Always close conversations politely and ask if there is anything else you can do for the customer.
I remember when I was little, and I'm sure you do too, how good it felt to make others happy. Now I know that helping a customer to achieve their goal is the secret to good customer service, and it's
the same thing.
I also remember that sometimes when I was being nice, people were still nasty to me, but that was just them. I knew everyone else would be nice.
People were different not wrong
I would ask questions and listen to stories, I learnt a lot by asking and listening.
I knew I should if I said I would
If I ever told lies, I was sure to get caught out
I would learn new things everyday, and do my chores and play and rest and have fun everyday.
If I changed what I knew was true and fair so that others would like me, they wouldn't stay my friends for very long.
Sharing meant helping and caring and, well ....... just being there.
If I made a mistake it was best to own up and put it right.
It was important to say sorry.
Playing with friends was better than playing alone.
It was better to learn from good people and be like them.
Sometimes it was hot and sometimes cold or wet or dry or windy, things changed and so do people, even me.
My family had rules and they were my rules too, and we all knew what they were.
Now I reflect on the things that were so clear when I was little, and I know that all of those customer service courses have only translated what I already knew into adult terms. I now write the translation myself and so can you, give it a try.
