As indicated in this video link, it doesn't matter WHO inspires change and causes special moments to be built with your customer base, just that the attempt by SOMEONE is being put into practice...
If clicking on the hyperlink below doesn't access the video, then please cut and paste it into your web browser to view.
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=F0JFCMNU
I hope Johnny's story touches a special place in your heart as it has mine. I also hope that it is the thing to realize that if you think of your customer while keeping your approach simple, you will most likely be able to produce the type of widespread change and customer loyalty he was able to generate...
Remember, all he did was have a good, sincere heart and he began by simply asking himself, "What can I do?!"
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Pillar Three: Retain Your Current Customer Base and Grow It!
by Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
Unless you've forgotten, the main reason for being in business is to make money. In order to make money you need to have customers who pay you for the goods or services you are selling them. The customers who are loyal and keep coming back to purchase more goods or services from you are called your "base". Businesses are constantly implementing new strategies in order to grow their base. They spend millions on public relations, marketing, and advertising consultancy firms at the high hopes of gaining more customers who will buy those same goods or services. The more customers you garner; the more profits you get to enjoy.
There are so many basic things that can be done. Quite honestly, these are done at reasonably minimal costs to the company. Let's discuss some of these strategies. The first method is perhaps the easiest. When working with a current customer, simply ask them to refer their friends, family and colleagues. That's right. It's as easy as opening up your mouth and promoting yourself. "If you like the service we've provided you, we'd be honored if you didn't keep us a secret!" Simple enough, eh?! Try it.
The second method is going to cost you something financially, but, you get to set the terms. Roll out what I like to call "The Three R's". Thank them by recognizing, rebating and rewarding their referrals. Recognize them with (at minimum, that is) a letter from your firm acknowledging them and establishing the key fact that "customers just like you are the cornerstone of our company's success". Mention the name of the person they referred and make the promise that you will work hard at honoring their referral by working hard on providing the new customer with the same stellar service that has been provided to the one who referred the new customer. One of the ways in which I feel gratified, is by receiving recognition. A chiropractor's office that I used to go to ten years ago, would have a HUGE "Thank you" wall. On this wall there would be the names of current customers who had referred new new customers. Well, since the wonderful onset of HIPPA laws, these types of walls have been removed, but it was nice to see my name up on that wall every time I referred a new patient to the practice. It was a nice intangible. It cost the practice nothing, but meant the world to me. Who doesn't like to be thanked?!
Rebating. This can come in the form of an actual rebate, a coupon, or some form of discount renumeration to be applied towards future purchases. Who doesn't like to save money on their purchases? Everyone does. For example, the bookstore I belong to, Books-A-Million, has a frequent buyer program. For a small annual fee of $20, I not only get a percentage off of every purchase I make, both in store and online, but I get coupons emailed to me on a regular basis. A health food store I used to shop at back in southern Connecticut, would punch holes in my frequent buyer card and once I completed the card (approximately $350), I'd get to redeem the card against a future order as a $10 off coupon. I know it's not a ton of money, bu
Unless you've forgotten, the main reason for being in business is to make money. In order to make money you need to have customers who pay you for the goods or services you are selling them. The customers who are loyal and keep coming back to purchase more goods or services from you are called your "base". Businesses are constantly implementing new strategies in order to grow their base. They spend millions on public relations, marketing, and advertising consultancy firms at the high hopes of gaining more customers who will buy those same goods or services. The more customers you garner; the more profits you get to enjoy.
There are so many basic things that can be done. Quite honestly, these are done at reasonably minimal costs to the company. Let's discuss some of these strategies. The first method is perhaps the easiest. When working with a current customer, simply ask them to refer their friends, family and colleagues. That's right. It's as easy as opening up your mouth and promoting yourself. "If you like the service we've provided you, we'd be honored if you didn't keep us a secret!" Simple enough, eh?! Try it.
The second method is going to cost you something financially, but, you get to set the terms. Roll out what I like to call "The Three R's". Thank them by recognizing, rebating and rewarding their referrals. Recognize them with (at minimum, that is) a letter from your firm acknowledging them and establishing the key fact that "customers just like you are the cornerstone of our company's success". Mention the name of the person they referred and make the promise that you will work hard at honoring their referral by working hard on providing the new customer with the same stellar service that has been provided to the one who referred the new customer. One of the ways in which I feel gratified, is by receiving recognition. A chiropractor's office that I used to go to ten years ago, would have a HUGE "Thank you" wall. On this wall there would be the names of current customers who had referred new new customers. Well, since the wonderful onset of HIPPA laws, these types of walls have been removed, but it was nice to see my name up on that wall every time I referred a new patient to the practice. It was a nice intangible. It cost the practice nothing, but meant the world to me. Who doesn't like to be thanked?!
Rebating. This can come in the form of an actual rebate, a coupon, or some form of discount renumeration to be applied towards future purchases. Who doesn't like to save money on their purchases? Everyone does. For example, the bookstore I belong to, Books-A-Million, has a frequent buyer program. For a small annual fee of $20, I not only get a percentage off of every purchase I make, both in store and online, but I get coupons emailed to me on a regular basis. A health food store I used to shop at back in southern Connecticut, would punch holes in my frequent buyer card and once I completed the card (approximately $350), I'd get to redeem the card against a future order as a $10 off coupon. I know it's not a ton of money, bu
Monday, July 18, 2011
I'd Like to Speak to Your Supervisor -- NOW!!
by Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
We have all had the unfortunate experience where we have not received either the answer or the resolution we were hoping to receive from the customer service representative on the other end of the phone. You know what I'm talking about. It's that representative that is reading (and, if it's a department that is outsourced to a third world nation, boy is it obvious they are reading) from a book of objections. Every concern you raise is followed by, "I understand what you are saying Mr./Mrs. (fill in butchered last name here), but...." Then there are the representatives who are just outright unhelpful and quite rude. These are the types whom you'd like to "readjust their face" if you were given the ample opportunity. Finally, there are those who ultimately are rogue customer service representatives that do not act responsibly -- they are not accountable to anyone, let alone any "imaginary supervisor". Take a look at this link and you'll see what I'm referring to...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Sure, it's satirical, but not so far from the truth. There sure are "Peggy's" out there ready to ruin our lives if given the chance! I know that this type of transaction can actually take place. I've worked for the telephone sales department of a newspaper publishing company back in college. We were not only told to use fictitious names when speaking with people on the phone, but if the prospective customer we were speaking with on the phone had a beef with one of us and wanted to speak to the supervisor, then we would just put them on hold hoping that they would hang up out of impatience. If, after a few moments, they were still on line, we would tap a fellow salesperson on the shoulder, give them "the look" and they would know exactly what to do. They would take the phone and make up some pretend apology and tell them they were going to refer the matter to the night manager. The name and phone number would be read back to the angry customer to let them think we cared enough to follow through on the matter and then as soon as the call as over, the scratch piece of paper went directly into the trash. It's a shame, but it's actually how some firms conduct themselves.
I personally always hate it when you ask to speak to the manager or supervisor and they say that "the person you need to speak with isn't available, but I will take down your name and number and have them call you back". Yeah....uh huh...I wasn't born yesterday...
Don't sit around waiting for the call...it's not coming.
We have all had the unfortunate experience where we have not received either the answer or the resolution we were hoping to receive from the customer service representative on the other end of the phone. You know what I'm talking about. It's that representative that is reading (and, if it's a department that is outsourced to a third world nation, boy is it obvious they are reading) from a book of objections. Every concern you raise is followed by, "I understand what you are saying Mr./Mrs. (fill in butchered last name here), but...." Then there are the representatives who are just outright unhelpful and quite rude. These are the types whom you'd like to "readjust their face" if you were given the ample opportunity. Finally, there are those who ultimately are rogue customer service representatives that do not act responsibly -- they are not accountable to anyone, let alone any "imaginary supervisor". Take a look at this link and you'll see what I'm referring to...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Sure, it's satirical, but not so far from the truth. There sure are "Peggy's" out there ready to ruin our lives if given the chance! I know that this type of transaction can actually take place. I've worked for the telephone sales department of a newspaper publishing company back in college. We were not only told to use fictitious names when speaking with people on the phone, but if the prospective customer we were speaking with on the phone had a beef with one of us and wanted to speak to the supervisor, then we would just put them on hold hoping that they would hang up out of impatience. If, after a few moments, they were still on line, we would tap a fellow salesperson on the shoulder, give them "the look" and they would know exactly what to do. They would take the phone and make up some pretend apology and tell them they were going to refer the matter to the night manager. The name and phone number would be read back to the angry customer to let them think we cared enough to follow through on the matter and then as soon as the call as over, the scratch piece of paper went directly into the trash. It's a shame, but it's actually how some firms conduct themselves.
I personally always hate it when you ask to speak to the manager or supervisor and they say that "the person you need to speak with isn't available, but I will take down your name and number and have them call you back". Yeah....uh huh...I wasn't born yesterday...
Don't sit around waiting for the call...it's not coming.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Is Shopping on a National Holiday Worth the Abuse?
by Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
The looks of disdain as you enter the store. The sour faces of employees resenting your very existence as you walk into the shop. The banter back and forth between store personnel behind the counter talking bad about their supervisor for putting them on the schedule today. The unwillingness to assist you if you have a need. The rolling of eyes, the grunting, you name it...All of these, and so much more can be yours today just for going shopping on a national or federal holiday.
For people who are receiving "bonus time pay", time and a half or double time pay for being in work today, you'd think someone had not only killed their puppy, but sucked any semblance of life right out of them. Don't even expect a quaint "hello" or a half-hearted smile, because it's not happening. My wife sent me on a few errands, which involved stopping at three different retail stores and the experience was pretty even across the board. It's as if the employees try to shroud you with guilt for even stepping foot in the store. Which leads me to question: Is shopping on a national holiday worth the abuse?
First of all, you shouldn't be made to feel guilty for bringing money into an establishment, regardless of the date. If the retail outlet has made the decision to stay open on such a day, then everyone who's working should all be a part of the team and should contribute to the day's success. just as they would for any other work day. Plus, most retail stores are only open for a limited amount of the day and they try their best to provide all the employees with ample compensation and shortened work schedules just for being a part of the holiday.
I'm not heartless and I do realize that everyone has family plans and friends to visit with, but if you're required to work that day, you need to adjust your plans and make the best of it. I am sympathetic and always offer up a meager, "So, sorry you have to work today." This usually comes with an indescribable look of disgust from the person working. For twenty years, I worked as a tax accountant, and missed every national holiday, religious holiday, family gathering and special event if it fell between the dates of January 15th and May 15th (which is nearly half of the year!).
Again, it's about perspective...Listen up, retail employees! You're not the only people working today. You have police officers, firemen, doctors, nurses and other hospital employee. Many restaurants and gas stations are open. Heck, even many banks are open for business on national holidays. So suck it up and deal with it. Stop all the fussing! Be thankful that you have a job in these horrible economic times.
Plus, we know that incivility costs organizations some serious money. Many studies have been conducted which have reasoned such conclusions. Incivility decreases productivity and profits. I like to be appreciated as a customer. My shopping habits, after all, contribute to your paycheck that you use to feed your family and whatever else you use your money for (thank you very much!). So, let's choose to agree that you will treat me with civility if and whenever I so decide to patronize your place of employment. Know that when I do, it will benefit you just as much as it benefits me.
The looks of disdain as you enter the store. The sour faces of employees resenting your very existence as you walk into the shop. The banter back and forth between store personnel behind the counter talking bad about their supervisor for putting them on the schedule today. The unwillingness to assist you if you have a need. The rolling of eyes, the grunting, you name it...All of these, and so much more can be yours today just for going shopping on a national or federal holiday.
For people who are receiving "bonus time pay", time and a half or double time pay for being in work today, you'd think someone had not only killed their puppy, but sucked any semblance of life right out of them. Don't even expect a quaint "hello" or a half-hearted smile, because it's not happening. My wife sent me on a few errands, which involved stopping at three different retail stores and the experience was pretty even across the board. It's as if the employees try to shroud you with guilt for even stepping foot in the store. Which leads me to question: Is shopping on a national holiday worth the abuse?
First of all, you shouldn't be made to feel guilty for bringing money into an establishment, regardless of the date. If the retail outlet has made the decision to stay open on such a day, then everyone who's working should all be a part of the team and should contribute to the day's success. just as they would for any other work day. Plus, most retail stores are only open for a limited amount of the day and they try their best to provide all the employees with ample compensation and shortened work schedules just for being a part of the holiday.
I'm not heartless and I do realize that everyone has family plans and friends to visit with, but if you're required to work that day, you need to adjust your plans and make the best of it. I am sympathetic and always offer up a meager, "So, sorry you have to work today." This usually comes with an indescribable look of disgust from the person working. For twenty years, I worked as a tax accountant, and missed every national holiday, religious holiday, family gathering and special event if it fell between the dates of January 15th and May 15th (which is nearly half of the year!).
Again, it's about perspective...Listen up, retail employees! You're not the only people working today. You have police officers, firemen, doctors, nurses and other hospital employee. Many restaurants and gas stations are open. Heck, even many banks are open for business on national holidays. So suck it up and deal with it. Stop all the fussing! Be thankful that you have a job in these horrible economic times.
Plus, we know that incivility costs organizations some serious money. Many studies have been conducted which have reasoned such conclusions. Incivility decreases productivity and profits. I like to be appreciated as a customer. My shopping habits, after all, contribute to your paycheck that you use to feed your family and whatever else you use your money for (thank you very much!). So, let's choose to agree that you will treat me with civility if and whenever I so decide to patronize your place of employment. Know that when I do, it will benefit you just as much as it benefits me.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Pillar Two: Meet Your Customer's Purchasing Needs
By Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
Knowing how to meet your customer's purchasing needs is just one of those unspoken rules in servicing the customer which is often overlooked. This occurs primarily because you honestly don't know what your customer's purchasing needs are, or you outright failed to listen to the customer. And, the only reason why you wouldn't know your customer's purchasing needs is because you haven't been interested enough in finding out exactly what they are. That's right, here's another Pillar that will involve you asking the pertinent questions of your customer. When you don't take the valuable time to figure out exactly what your customer's purchasing needs are and you try to service the customer regardless, you may find yourself slightly embarrassed in the least and only end up making a total jackass of yourself. Furthermore, your customer will end up feeling anything within a spectrum from being slightly annoyed to that of feeling completely frustrated with you. It is this type of reaction(s) from the customer that could end up leading to bad press for you. Plus, such a debacle could result in the possibility of a potential loss of future business from the customer that now feels so irrelevant.
Let's put this into practice to make my point come into view. Let's say it's my mom's birthday and I ask her what she wants. Well, her response indicates she'd be delighted to own some new music. Because I know my mom's purchasing needs, if she mentions music, it's either going to be gospel, Motown or country. Anything outside those genres and I'm in trouble; she will hate the gift and hand it back to me to return and get her what she wants. If I purchase a Jay-Z or Lil John CD, my mom will probably meet with her attorney and have me written out of her will.
I'm reminded of another example. A couple weeks back, our family was out grocery shopping and this lovely senior citizen woman was working this coffee stand and promoting a new coffee creamer product. She beckoned us over to her modest stand that boasted a coffee maker, samples of the product she was trying to promote, a stack of napkins and a sleeve of sample-sized styrofoam cups. She said hello and asked my wife and me if we were coffee drinkers. We told her that it was one of those commodities that every home enjoys. So, she started to go into her spiel about the product -- a caramel chocolate syrup to flavor your coffee (which sounded delightful). Unfortunately, it sounded better than it tasted. The thing is our family is "anti-high fructose corn syrup". And, guess what, the primary ingredient was just that. We didn't want to break her heart, especially seeing that she "broke the rules by giving us three coupons for the product when she's only allowed to give out one per customer". But, the sweet lady didn't know our purchasing needs. We weren't there for coffee to begin with, we don't normally flavor our coffee and finally, we avoid all artificial sweeteners. Had she asked us some more qualifying questions, she would have been able to determine whether or not we'd close the deal and actually grab the product in the freezer section and carry it out the store with us. But, that was not the case. We brought the three coupons to the place where the syrups were located and left them for the next buyer.
Take a look at the following clip of the movie, "Must Love Dogs" starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. I want you to especially pay attention to the first 25 seconds of the actual movie clip. Please note that there may be an advertisement that prefaces this clip (if it doesn't open up by clicking on the link, you may need to cut and paste it to your web browser):
http://www.fandango.com/movie-trailer/mustlovedogs-trailer/87870
I think Diane Lane's character "Sarah" pretty much sums it up on how many of us feel when those who are supposed to be "taking care of us as customers" are just too plain busy going through the motions "serving us" to stop and really ask us what our purchasing needs as a precursor to actually servicing us. If I live alone, why would I need to be sold on a year's supply of toilet paper? If I'm a vegan, why would you offer me barbecue spare ribs? If I'm allergic to latex, why are you handling me with latex gloves in your medical office? It's because you haven't asked the right questions. As your customer, you should care enough about our relationship to be willing to qualify my purchasing needs before you attempt to meet those needs. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time guessing.
Knowing how to meet your customer's purchasing needs is just one of those unspoken rules in servicing the customer which is often overlooked. This occurs primarily because you honestly don't know what your customer's purchasing needs are, or you outright failed to listen to the customer. And, the only reason why you wouldn't know your customer's purchasing needs is because you haven't been interested enough in finding out exactly what they are. That's right, here's another Pillar that will involve you asking the pertinent questions of your customer. When you don't take the valuable time to figure out exactly what your customer's purchasing needs are and you try to service the customer regardless, you may find yourself slightly embarrassed in the least and only end up making a total jackass of yourself. Furthermore, your customer will end up feeling anything within a spectrum from being slightly annoyed to that of feeling completely frustrated with you. It is this type of reaction(s) from the customer that could end up leading to bad press for you. Plus, such a debacle could result in the possibility of a potential loss of future business from the customer that now feels so irrelevant.
Let's put this into practice to make my point come into view. Let's say it's my mom's birthday and I ask her what she wants. Well, her response indicates she'd be delighted to own some new music. Because I know my mom's purchasing needs, if she mentions music, it's either going to be gospel, Motown or country. Anything outside those genres and I'm in trouble; she will hate the gift and hand it back to me to return and get her what she wants. If I purchase a Jay-Z or Lil John CD, my mom will probably meet with her attorney and have me written out of her will.
I'm reminded of another example. A couple weeks back, our family was out grocery shopping and this lovely senior citizen woman was working this coffee stand and promoting a new coffee creamer product. She beckoned us over to her modest stand that boasted a coffee maker, samples of the product she was trying to promote, a stack of napkins and a sleeve of sample-sized styrofoam cups. She said hello and asked my wife and me if we were coffee drinkers. We told her that it was one of those commodities that every home enjoys. So, she started to go into her spiel about the product -- a caramel chocolate syrup to flavor your coffee (which sounded delightful). Unfortunately, it sounded better than it tasted. The thing is our family is "anti-high fructose corn syrup". And, guess what, the primary ingredient was just that. We didn't want to break her heart, especially seeing that she "broke the rules by giving us three coupons for the product when she's only allowed to give out one per customer". But, the sweet lady didn't know our purchasing needs. We weren't there for coffee to begin with, we don't normally flavor our coffee and finally, we avoid all artificial sweeteners. Had she asked us some more qualifying questions, she would have been able to determine whether or not we'd close the deal and actually grab the product in the freezer section and carry it out the store with us. But, that was not the case. We brought the three coupons to the place where the syrups were located and left them for the next buyer.
Take a look at the following clip of the movie, "Must Love Dogs" starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. I want you to especially pay attention to the first 25 seconds of the actual movie clip. Please note that there may be an advertisement that prefaces this clip (if it doesn't open up by clicking on the link, you may need to cut and paste it to your web browser):
http://www.fandango.com/movie-trailer/mustlovedogs-trailer/87870
I think Diane Lane's character "Sarah" pretty much sums it up on how many of us feel when those who are supposed to be "taking care of us as customers" are just too plain busy going through the motions "serving us" to stop and really ask us what our purchasing needs as a precursor to actually servicing us. If I live alone, why would I need to be sold on a year's supply of toilet paper? If I'm a vegan, why would you offer me barbecue spare ribs? If I'm allergic to latex, why are you handling me with latex gloves in your medical office? It's because you haven't asked the right questions. As your customer, you should care enough about our relationship to be willing to qualify my purchasing needs before you attempt to meet those needs. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time guessing.
Is It Possible To Make EVERYONE Happy?!
by Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
After reading my explanation of Pillar One, some of you are probably sitting back and scratching your heads, saying to yourself, "I know it's totally impossible to make everyone happy!" Well, you're right, and, well, you're also wrong...Let me explain.
I strongly believe that the skill set of excellent customer service is a bit of a phenomena. You see, if you, as the service provider or seller of goods are doing everything you can, and I mean EVERYTHING possible to make the customer happy then there should be a turnaround. This means you are actively deciding to go outside the metaphorical box if you have to, you are contacting a supervisor if need be, you are overriding an objection in your employee manual, you are asking the correct questions of your customer and caring about the response you receive, and all the while, you are empathizing with your customer (not patronizing them), with a tone and mannerism that is welcoming to the customer. I believe that if you do all these things, or at least a mixture of some of them, then you will see a transformation of your miserable customer into a semi-satisfied to satisfied customer.
To me, this topic can be summed up between two types of unhappy customers. I call it the miserable customers vs. the "fake miserable customers". I'll explain both of these sets of customers to you...
Sure I agree with you that there is this select group of people out there that call every complaint hotline they can get their hands on, subscribe to angry blogs that never have a positive thing to utter, and are members of their local "Unhappy Campers Support Group" to promote their misery. There is an old adage that says, "Misery loves company!" Boy, is this true. I think if we are all intellectually honest with one another, we would agree. Any one of us "normal folks" can testify to this fact. We have been behind these people in lines at stores witnessing their incivility towards the helpless cashier. We have been victimized by these types who blast their horns and give us the middle finger if we don't step on the gas immediately when the traffic light turns green. We all go to the DMV once every year or two....I get it. These types are outright miserable.
The Online Dictionary defines misery as three things:
I am an optimist, and as such, I have high hopes that EVEN these types of individuals can have sunny skies if they just take a moment, breathe and gather some real perspective. That being said, some people cannot grasp the fact that the world will continue on regardless of their personal circumstance. Some of these folks just can't get outside of themselves. It truly is a deep loss of perspective. So, let's say I concede the fact that we both realize these people are among us, but hopefully are the minority and even they have the possibility of being made happy if they are given the opportunity.
Then I am reminded of one of King Solomon's proverbs. Proverbs 20:14 states "“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer— then goes off and boasts about the purchase." These are the "fake miserable customers" -- they are the hagglers. These are the people who want that service or product, but is unwilling to pay the full price, so they find every glitch they can in order to play mental games with the provider and get them to lower the price. When my wife and I were first married and didn't have a whole heck of a lot of discretionary spending in our budget, we enjoyed going to various Saturday morning tag sales. These were great opportunities to find things you needed at a very reasonable price. Well, most of the items were already marked to sell quick and move, yet I was always stunned by people who would haggle with the tag salespeople. Sure, if it's a larger item, I have no problem asking if that's the best they could do, but to grab an item that is say $0.50 and chime in, "Will you take a dime for it?!" Really people? To each his own...
You and I also know these types...you're probably one of them. Heck, we've all grabbed something from the shelf and said to the manager, "This is scuffed. Can you do something for me?" Of course you should be a shrewd consumer and most wealthy folks say they never pay full price for anything. And, I wholeheartedly agree. But it is those who do this procedure in the wrong manner that makes it an uncivil common practice. They add an element of rudeness to it. Whenever I ask for a discount, I don't abuse the manager by pretending to be miserable. I'm an avid believer that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I just pretend to act as if the actual purchase doesn't really matter to me and that, most importantly, I am willing to walk away from it and leave it there on the shelf if I am turned down by the manager.
So, yes...you're right. Not everyone can or will be happy all the time. But, you're wrong, if you leave it there and decide that the miserable customer cannot be moved. Miserable customers should be viewed as a learning experience that will allow you to try out your growing customer service skill set. Take your time with them. Become a good reader of people. Determine if this person is truly miserable, which will require all that you have within yourself to make the customer happy. Or, is it a "fake miserable customer" that is just wanting a deal and testing you to see if you are willing to participate in their game. It's magic to figure out which of the two groups you are dealing with. It's even more magical to figure it out and still make the customer happy. So say a prayer and proceed. Then let me know how it worked out, will you?
After reading my explanation of Pillar One, some of you are probably sitting back and scratching your heads, saying to yourself, "I know it's totally impossible to make everyone happy!" Well, you're right, and, well, you're also wrong...Let me explain.
I strongly believe that the skill set of excellent customer service is a bit of a phenomena. You see, if you, as the service provider or seller of goods are doing everything you can, and I mean EVERYTHING possible to make the customer happy then there should be a turnaround. This means you are actively deciding to go outside the metaphorical box if you have to, you are contacting a supervisor if need be, you are overriding an objection in your employee manual, you are asking the correct questions of your customer and caring about the response you receive, and all the while, you are empathizing with your customer (not patronizing them), with a tone and mannerism that is welcoming to the customer. I believe that if you do all these things, or at least a mixture of some of them, then you will see a transformation of your miserable customer into a semi-satisfied to satisfied customer.
To me, this topic can be summed up between two types of unhappy customers. I call it the miserable customers vs. the "fake miserable customers". I'll explain both of these sets of customers to you...
Sure I agree with you that there is this select group of people out there that call every complaint hotline they can get their hands on, subscribe to angry blogs that never have a positive thing to utter, and are members of their local "Unhappy Campers Support Group" to promote their misery. There is an old adage that says, "Misery loves company!" Boy, is this true. I think if we are all intellectually honest with one another, we would agree. Any one of us "normal folks" can testify to this fact. We have been behind these people in lines at stores witnessing their incivility towards the helpless cashier. We have been victimized by these types who blast their horns and give us the middle finger if we don't step on the gas immediately when the traffic light turns green. We all go to the DMV once every year or two....I get it. These types are outright miserable.
The Online Dictionary defines misery as three things:
1. wretchedness of condition or circumstances.
3. great mental or emotional distress; extreme unhappiness.
Then I am reminded of one of King Solomon's proverbs. Proverbs 20:14 states "“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer— then goes off and boasts about the purchase." These are the "fake miserable customers" -- they are the hagglers. These are the people who want that service or product, but is unwilling to pay the full price, so they find every glitch they can in order to play mental games with the provider and get them to lower the price. When my wife and I were first married and didn't have a whole heck of a lot of discretionary spending in our budget, we enjoyed going to various Saturday morning tag sales. These were great opportunities to find things you needed at a very reasonable price. Well, most of the items were already marked to sell quick and move, yet I was always stunned by people who would haggle with the tag salespeople. Sure, if it's a larger item, I have no problem asking if that's the best they could do, but to grab an item that is say $0.50 and chime in, "Will you take a dime for it?!" Really people? To each his own...
You and I also know these types...you're probably one of them. Heck, we've all grabbed something from the shelf and said to the manager, "This is scuffed. Can you do something for me?" Of course you should be a shrewd consumer and most wealthy folks say they never pay full price for anything. And, I wholeheartedly agree. But it is those who do this procedure in the wrong manner that makes it an uncivil common practice. They add an element of rudeness to it. Whenever I ask for a discount, I don't abuse the manager by pretending to be miserable. I'm an avid believer that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I just pretend to act as if the actual purchase doesn't really matter to me and that, most importantly, I am willing to walk away from it and leave it there on the shelf if I am turned down by the manager.
So, yes...you're right. Not everyone can or will be happy all the time. But, you're wrong, if you leave it there and decide that the miserable customer cannot be moved. Miserable customers should be viewed as a learning experience that will allow you to try out your growing customer service skill set. Take your time with them. Become a good reader of people. Determine if this person is truly miserable, which will require all that you have within yourself to make the customer happy. Or, is it a "fake miserable customer" that is just wanting a deal and testing you to see if you are willing to participate in their game. It's magic to figure out which of the two groups you are dealing with. It's even more magical to figure it out and still make the customer happy. So say a prayer and proceed. Then let me know how it worked out, will you?
My Customer Service Story About Walgreens Pharmacy
By Julian Ignatowski, Sr.
My wife sent me out on an excursion earlier today. She asked me to go to our local Walgreens Pharmacy to pick up a supplement that she normally takes, which she realized she was running low on. Plus, she wasn't feeling all too well, so I decided to do a few errands and give her ample opportunity to rest and relax in my absence.
When I arrived at the store, I got the few items that were on my list and then I started my hunt for her supplement. I started in what I had deemed the most logical aisle -- the vitamin aisle. I looked up and down, left and right and I could not find it anywhere. So, I looked up and down the aisle as well as the neighboring aisles to see if there were any available Walgreens employees meandering about (as there usually are in most retail environments such as this). Hmmmm....No one. So, I continued my search for this valuable "hidden" treasure of sorts by looking in all the pain medications, the health section, weight loss, still nothing...
After about 20 minutes of searching for this little bugger, I decided I should go seek assistance as I didn't have all day and I was starting to get a bit annoyed at my inability to locate this item. So, I ventured over to the pharmacy. If anyone should know where it was, it should be the resident pharmacist…this was his kingdom after all. There were three people in line and I was thinking to myself, "I might not make it home until Christmas!" But, then the Pharmacist did something very magical. He looked in my direction, got my eye contact, smiled at me, raised his hand with the gesture of 'just a few more minutes', and to top it off, he even vocalized an assurance to me, "Sir, sorry for the wait, we'll be right with you." Although that is what he said to me, what I actually heard was, “Mr. Ignatowski (because he knew me in some mysterious way), you are important. I can’t wait to help you!” I immediately thought to myself, “Well, of course, I don't mind waiting in line now. You not only acknowledged me as a person, but you went even farther by accelerating to the next step of acknowledging me as your favored customer.” Up until he "reached out to me" in this delightful fashion, my mind began to race with various criticisms of his domain called the Kingdom of Walgreens: When was the last time they mopped the floors?! The shelf over there just has stuff thrown way up top -- who does that?! I never have to wait like this at the Kingdoms of CVS or Rite-Aid.
Sure I had to wait another five minutes or so, but when it was my turn in line, the King, er…. uh, pharmacist greeted me with a smile and asked politely, "How may I assist you today?" I told him that I was looking for a supplement and that I've spent considerable time looking everywhere for it and couldn’t seem to locate it. He said, "Ah, yes. That is not your fault. I believe we just moved it from its usual location. Let me show you exactly where it is." He began to walk around the counter, through the line of people and said to me, "Right this way, sir." He brought me directly to it, which was next to the distilled water and old people diapers (go figure!) and then he grabbed the bounty I had been looking for all this time. He grabbed both the brand I was looking for as well as the Walgreens version of the supplement. "Sir, as you can see, these are the same exact supplements made up of the same ingredients (as he turned the boxes around to show me the listing of ingredients), except that this one carries a name brand and the other carries our name for $2.50 less. Which would you like?" I was honestly smitten with the great customer care he was providing me. I said, "Thank you so much for providing me with an alternative which provides a cost-savings, but because my wife has asked me for this specific brand, I will have to go with the more expensive choice. But, thank you for your consideration." He then said, "Well, keep your receipt. If your wife doesn't mind the Walgreens brand, we'd be happy to swap it out for you and provide you with that cost savings." I thanked him again and although I had been there for what seemed years, the extra care that he extended to me, not only helped in wiping away the critiques I was carrying in my mind about the store during my lengthy wait, but the grief of being inconvenienced had all but banished from my mind.
I allowed Walgreens the opportunity to make a bad impression convert into a lasting good one, and they succeeded at their attempt. For this, I give my local Walgreens a "Yay!" in my assessment of their customer service performance today.
Note: If you are not familiar with Walgreens Pharmacies, you can check them out by going to: www.walgreens.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)