Customer Service

Most businesses do NOT need customer service training!

by: Dan Surface

OK, I know that sounds strange coming from someone who owns a customer service training company. Let me explain. Most employees who work in customer service positions, already know how to give great service. They were probably hired because of their “people” skills and they live in a constant training program... life. They are a customer several times everyday, so they should know what pleases them and what is necessary to give great service in return. So why isn’t the level of service higher?

A fellow professional speaker, Jim Cathcart, creator of the Acorn Principle, recently made the statement, “The person who knows HOW may have a job, but the person who understands WHY will always be their boss.” If you apply that statement to customer service, you’ll understand why service is so poor in many areas. The employees understand the HOW, but really need trained on the WHY. So rather than a technical issue, it becomes an attitude issue. Getting employees to leave their problems at the front door and building customer relationships is the key, which is not always easy to do.

The Human Resource Department (or manager or owner) is the first line of defense against poor customer service. It is essential that they hire individuals who possess the “friendly factor.” They absolutely must care about other people and be willing and able to build long-term relationships with customers. Several tools and assessments can help seek out these individuals. If you look an employee in a business and wonder, “Who hired this person?” chances are that HR or the person doing the hiring needs some serious training themselves.

According to statistics, 20% of a business’s customers leave each year for various reasons. If an employee who is great at customer service can just stop part of that leakage, it can make a tremendous difference in profits without adding additional customers.

But what about companies that have employees that are not customer friendly? The easy answer would be – replace them. But that is not always possible so the next answer is teach them why it’s in their best interest to be customer friendly. Teach by example but also by using the old standby, “What’s In It For ME?” What are the benefits of giving great service?

Some of the many benefits of giving good service are that it creates loyalty, it’s free and most important, it allows us all to be paid for what we do everyday. But mostly, it’s just plain fun. We can learn to “play” with our customers and every experience can be an enjoyable one. That’s why customers wait in line at the bank or grocery when other lanes are open. They’ll wait for the clerk or teller who understands the WHY of great service.

So quit worrying about your customers understanding how to give great service. They already know how. Help them understand the WHY and your profits will grow rapidly.