CUSTOMER SERVICE

OBJECTIVES

Realize the importance of customer service in the business world Understand the role of a CSR Learn the skills essential to customer service Appreciate the need for professional telephone etiquette Learn to handle different kinds of customers Learn to make and receive business calls

WIIFM

Enhance your professional telephone handling skills Improve communication and customer handling skills Enhance interpersonal relationships Learn the art of building rapport, and empathy Learn the skill of active listening Learn questioning techniques Learn to provide excellent service to different kinds of customers

Learn to handle and resolve customer complaints

WHAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE ?

A sequence of activities that help to enhance the satisfaction of a customer. These are: identification and satisfaction of customer needs timely service provision of value added services

POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
Greeted the customer in a warm manner Made the customer feel valued and important Was pleasant and willing to help Listened actively to the customer Understood the needs or requirements of the customer Did not make false promises to the customer

NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE

Made the customer feel unwelcome

Was rude and discourteous to the customer

Did not attend to the customer immediately

Imposed personal preferences on the customer Was unresponsive and did not clarify the customers doubts

NEED OR WANT
A need is something you should have, you cant do without it. Food, Water

A want is something that you would like to have but not something that you cant live without. A Gucci bag, Ipod

CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
Respect and recognition Help Comfort, compassion and support A friendly smiling face Understanding To be made to feel important To be listened to with empathy Satisfaction Trust and trustworthiness A quality or product or service at a fair price

MOMENT OF TRUTH
An opportunity to form an impression when a customer comes into contact with any facet of the organization. It could be a negative or a positive impression

CUSTOMER DELIGHT
When your experience goes beyond expectations and brings joy to you. When you experience a wow factor in every moment of truth

CUSTOMER DELIGHT

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CUSTOMER DELIGHT

MEETING EXPECTATIONS : SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: DELIGHTED CUSTOMERS

NOT MEETING EXPECTATIONS: DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS

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INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS

External Customers: receives products or services from another company HP selling laptops to ISRO
Internal Customers: the various departments of an organizationHR, finance, accounts..

INTERNALCUSTOMERS EXTERNALCUSTOMERS

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SKILL SETS FOR A CSR

Positive Attitude Commitment to Help Organizational Skills Ability to Multi-task High Attention to Detail Relationship-Building Skills Effective Communication Skills Ability to Prioritize Effectively Follow-up Skills Teamwork

CUSTOMER CARE Credibility Accessibility Reliability

Excellence

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BUSINESS PHONE ETIQUETTE

TELEPHONE TIPS

Speak directly into the mouth piece Dont eat or chew gum while talking. Dont cover the mouthpiece, it distorts speech Take a deep breath before you open the call Sound enthusiastic and welcome Smile, the warmth is carried through Use the right tone of voice Be careful of your language Avoid company or technical terminology Be patient and helpful always Give your full attention to the caller

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USING YOUR VOICE

Tone enthusiastic and interesting Pitch low Rate of speech medium 100 to 140 words per minute Volume not too soft or too loud Choose your words with care

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ANSWERING A CALL
Pick up that receiver within the second or third ring Identify yourself and the company. Thank you for calling Cairo Cars. How may I help you? Cairo cars. This is Hossam Al Mahmud., how may I help you today? If Hossam is not at his seat and Ahmed is there

Hossam Mahmuds line. This is Ahmed speaking. May I.........

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PLACING ON HOLD
May I put you on hold? Or May I place you on hold? Mr Abdeen, I am working on pulling up your information on the system. This seems to be taking longer than usual. Could you please continue to stay on the line? Mr Abdeen, thank you for your patience. Or Mr Abdeen, thank you for being on hold.
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CALL TRANSFER
Seek Permission Mr Abdeen, I would need to transfer your call to the accounts department. Would you please stay on the line while I transfer your call? Call the department or the colleague in the other department Hello, this is Azza calling from Customer Service. Hi,Basel, I have a customer by the name of Abdeen who needs some information with regard to the pricing structure of product CN 456L. May I transfer his call to you?

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CALL TRANSFER
Thank Mr.Abdeen for being on hold, give him the name of the person to whom you are transferring the call, the department and the telephone number if needed. Thank you for being on hold. I appreciate your patience Mr.Abdeen. I have a representative from the Accounts Department who will answer your questions. His name is Basel. I am now transferring your call, please stay on the line.

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CLOSING A CALL
Use closing phrases to indicate the end of a conversation. I am glad we were able to help you with this. State the action you will take. Mr.Abdeen, I will be sending a representative to your residence within the next two working days I will keep you informed of the time. He will lead you through the installation of the product

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CLOSING A CALL
Indicate the follow up action that you would take Mr. Abdeen, You would need to send us the signed documents by the end of the week which is the 25th of June.

Thank him and say good bye

Mr.Abdeen, thank you for calling Ninetel. Have a good day.

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HANDLING DEAD AIR

WHAT - A space of time in a telephonic conversation when both the caller or the receiver does not talk creating a lull in the conversation HOW - keep the customer informed step by step of what you are doing Just a moment Mr Foley, let me pull up your details and I will be able to tell you what has happened to your order. Oh yes, there it is...I am looking at your order, Ok, it says here that the order was shipped out... Now let me switch to the order details screen and check the dates, one moment, ah, there it is...I see it was shipped on the 8th of August through FedEx, I also have the tracking number.........
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CALL STRUCTURE

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CALL FLOW
OPENING A CALL Greeting Introduction Offer to help

DEVELOPING THE CALL Verify Establish rapport Ask questions Empathize where needed Paraphrase
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CALL FLOW .
PROPOSING A SOLUTION Evaluate options Propose solutions Lay out action plan Indicate time frame GAINING AGREEMENT Clarify paraphrase

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CALL FLOW
CLOSING A CALL review your plan of action include time lines as well. Thank your customer close on a positive note.

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THE SEVEN STEP FRAMEWORK

GREET

LISTEN
RESTATE

RESPOND
EDUCATE

CONFIRM
CLOSE
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PROBING SKILLS
A process of asking questions
Probing skills are used to determine the needs of a customer seek clarification understand the action that needs to be taken to solve the problem or provide a solution.

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TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Open Ended Questions

Closed Ended Questions

Probing Questions

Leading questions.

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OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS

Access to more information Puts customer at ease

More involving and engaging for the customer

Helps to build on a conversation

Encourages a two way conversation

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CLOSE ENDED QUESTIONS

To get specific information To gain commitment To reduce options To seek reassurance To gain confirmation/affirmation To speed up a process To cut off a conversation

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QUESTIONS..
PROBING QUESTIONS: An open-ended question which has a follow up What specifically about the new tariff plan are you finding difficult to understand? LEAD QUESTIONS: Questions that lead to a particular answer that you wish to hear

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PARAPHRASING

Paraphrasing Rewording the text

Parallel

Summarizing Reducing the text

Paralinguistic

Parabola

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PARAPHRASING - COMPONENTS
Base statement: seeks to gain the attention of the person and inform them that you are trying to see whether you have understood the entire message Repetition of main issues: Rephrasing what the customer has said in your own words Questioning to check understanding: Asking a question to the other person to confirm whether your understanding of what was said is correct.

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PARAPHRASE - HOW
Keep the customer informed step by step of what you are doing Let me see if I have understood this correctly, You are saying that you ordered the Harry Potter series of 7 books a month ago and you havent received it as yet but the cheque was cleared soon after you ordered the book. Is that correct Mrs. Aniston.

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RAPPORT BUILDING
Rapport two way connection a relationship of understanding. a basic human relations skill. Essential social skill It is a persons ability to build a harmonious relationship based on mutual trust and understanding.

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HOW TO BUILD RAPPORT

Open the call with a smile. - a smile can be heard, it carries through your voice Ask a friendly question to show your interest and enthusiasm. Listen with concentration and do not interrupt until the customer has finished speaking Use words that he has used Acknowledge the customers feeling, empathize and show him that you are concerned about his situation and willing to help Be professional but do not be stern or condescending

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EMPATHY
A capacity to understand another persons emotion or state of mind. OR To understand a situation from another persons point of view.

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SYMPATHY or EMPATHY

Empathy Feels emotional pain Sharing and understanding Situational Tunes to the inner world of griever

Sympathy Feels sorry or pity Feels sorry for the person Personal Tunes into aspects he recognizes

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SHOWING EMPATHY ON CALL

Show your interest using phrases that convey your interest in his conversation Be patient and do not interrupt the customer while he is talking Respond using your voice Show that you care Take time to listen to your customer Listen for the content of the customers communication. Use active listening skills Dont use careless language

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SHOWING EMPATHY ON CALL

Show the customers that you understand their pain Use comforting statements such as:
I can understand why you would feel that way. If I were in your shoes I would feel the same way I would be disappointed too if that happened to me

Use we statements when possible rather than you.

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HANDY EMPATHY PHRASES

I see what you mean. I can see why you feel that way. That must be very upsetting. I understand how frustrating this must be. Im sorry about the inconvenience. That must be really inconvenient. You're obviously feeling very frustrated at having to wait so long. That must be terrible.

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LISTENING SKILLS
Have you realized that while we are taught to read, write and even speak, no one teaches us how to listen? The process of communication as a whole can be broken up into four components which are speaking, reading, writing and listening. It is interesting to note that though we spend a fair amount of time hearing things, we spend only 25 to 50 percent of that time actually listening.

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LISTENING vs HEARING
Hearing is passive, an involuntary response - a physical ability

Listening is active and involves hearing, paying attention understanding - a skill that can be developed

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STAGES OF LISTENING

HEARING

INERPRETING

EVALUATING

RESPONDING

RETAINING

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TYPES OF LISTENING
False listening: when the listener pretends to listen Initial Listening: The listener takes in only part of the conversation

Selective Listening: Listening only for particular kind of information and deleting others
Full listening: The listener pays close attention to what is being said with adequate pauses for summaries and testing for complete understanding.

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BARRIERS TO LISTENING
Lack of attention Internal and external distractions Frame of reference - the cultural or social context by which one interprets the message Semantics and language differences Prejudgement- biases and prejudices Lag time- discrepancy between Rate of speech and thought Generalization, deletion and distortion of information

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ACTIVE LISTENING
Active listening involves behaviour that shows there is mutual understanding between the customer and the CSR It involves listening fully for meaning both implicit and explicit.

Remember: Any conversation is a two way process ,aim to listen 75 % of the time and talk only 25 %.

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HOW TO LISTEN ACTIVELY

Pay attention Acknowledge the listener Reflect, paraphrase and provide feedback Defer judgement

Respond appropriately

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SHOW YOU ARE LISTENING

To show encouragement: Can you tell me something more about it? To seek clarification: Can you help me understand this?

To summarize: I hear you are saying.....

To acknowledge: I can see you seem (feeling) To validate a feeling/emotion: I can appreciate why you feel that way.

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DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

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WHY CUSTOMERS GET DIFFICULT

Deadlines promised and not met Product not up to the expectation of the customer Poor after sales service Lack of professional behaviour on the part of the CSR Lack of follow up Delayed response from CSR Improper planning on the part of the organization and thus a loss of time for the customer Inadequate knowledge of the service or product

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MY CHECK LIST
Keep your cool and be in control of the situation. Focus on the situation or the problem that the customer is relating to you.

Do not focus on the person or be judgemental about him/her.

Remember when a difficult customer calls up he is angry or upset with the product service or organization - not with you as a person

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MY CHECK LIST
Learn to first deal with the emotional state of a person first Remember that any customer wants to be respected and treated as an individual.

Learn to recognize difficult customers in the early stages of a call so as to be equipped to provide an adequate response.

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INDECISIVE CUSTOMERS
Unsure of their needs or wants Will spend hours deciding what to buy Seek constant clarification Suspicious of what you say Live in constant fear of making a wrong choice

Remember: These customers will take up a lot of your time and keep you engaged

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HOW TO DEALWITH THEM

Initially greet these customers Restate the benefits of the product/ service that you are offering Assure him about the qualities of the product Ask as many questions so as to gain information Listen actively and be alert to the verbal and non verbal cues Suggest suitable options to aid the process of decision making Reassure and reinforce security, protection, warrantee and other concerns Assertively guide them in their choice

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DEMANDING CUSTOMERS
Domineering by nature Insecure people who strongly feel the need to be in control Constantly finds faults with the organisation. Pushes you against the wall

Remember: They will use their wily tricks to force you to respond in a manner they want

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Don't be provoked ,be calm and collected Be professional and do not react in a hasty manner Use the customers name to draw his attention and apologize where appropriate and necessary Be assertive Reiterate with the customer what you can do Negotiate where possible if it is within the purview of the organizations policies and procedures Provide an alternative if possible

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RUDE AND INCONSIDERATE CUSTOMERS

Offensive in their manner of speaking. Raise their voices when speaking Use abusive language Demand to speak to the supervisor

Remember: They may come across as confident and self assured, though most often such people are insecure and defensive. They often use such tactics to draw attention to themselves.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Remain in control of the situation Stay calm Maintain an even tone of voice Dont reply in a hasty manner Be patient and keep cool.

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TALKATIVE CUSTOMERS
Friendly warm people

Love to connect with others and have a conversation They are by nature talkative Sometimes lonely and eager to hear another human voice.

Remember: Although it might be pleasant to talk to such customers they tend to take too much of your time.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Remain warm and friendly Acknowledge comments, but stay focussed Step in when there is a pause in the customers conversation Interject in a tactful manner when required Ask open ended questions to gauge the customers needs Summarize and paraphrase to ensure that you understand As soon as you have the information in hand switch to close ended questions to restrain the customer from continuing Interject with suitable product related questions when you find the conversation slipping out of control

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PASSIVE CUSTOMERS
Will listen to you patiently Hesitant to voice their opinions Unwilling to commit themselves to a decision Responds with hesitant phrases such as hmmm, uhhh, OK, I see.....

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Listen and keep them involved Be patient and continually reassure them Offer simple explanations Assist them in their endeavour to come up with questions Interject with close ended questions so as to confirm their understanding Give references of other customers who have were satisfied with similar solutions so that they feel reassured

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DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS
Pessimistic in attitude Will resist all your efforts to help them Feels victimized Constantly complains and feel annoyed

Remember: Such customers believe that their situation is the most important in the world and must be addressed immediately. They can be quite draining on your energy.

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Dont interrupt when such customers speak Stay focussed and positive, interject with positive comments when you can Do not waste your time trying to justify a mistake Don't patronize or pacify such customers Tell them you understand how they feel Ask questions that are open ended to verify information and paraphrase to confirm understanding Choose an appropriate course of action

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IRATE/ANGRY CUSTOMER
Wants someone to take notice of them Feels justified in being angry Gives them a feeling of being in control Abusive Wants explanations not excuses Intolerant of condescending or authoritative behaviour Not willing to listen to you

Remember: Anger is a sign of frustration. Irate customers behave so, to intimidate and appear more powerful than they feel.

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WHY AM I ANGRY?
I feel let down and cheated Im unhappy with the service

I can push you around

Offense is the best form of defense

I feel powerful

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HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Remain objective through this entire transaction

Be assertive and not aggressive or passive

Remember that an angry customer is angry at the product, service or the organisation and not at you Keep your cool Calmly but assertively tell the customer that although you want to assist him/her, you cannot do so until they provide the information Reassure the customer Use statements that will ease the customers frustration

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AND THEN..
Determine the cause of the problem Make it a point to listen actively Do not rush to offer an apology for allegations Do not pass judgment Negotiate a solution Ask for the customers ideas and implement them if it is possible Ask specific questions Follow up to ensure that everything goes well

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CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
Studies show that only 4 percent of dissatisfied customers will tell you so,96 percent go away and of that,91 percent go elsewhere or simply do not return..

Remember: Complaints are opportunities in disguise because they are telling you where you can bring in a change or make an improvement.

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COMPLAINTS ARE OPPORTUNITIES

COMPLAINTS

IMPROVED BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENTS

SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

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KINDS OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Product or Service Specific Long wait Time Miscommunication Uncaring staff

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TOP CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Debt collection - Banks call to collect outstanding loan amounts. Auto sales Credit cards Home repair construction Internet goods and services Predatory lending and mortgages Telemarketing Auto repair Auto warranties Telecom related complaints

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COMPLAINT HANDLING STRATEGIES

Acknowledge the customers grievance, let him calm down Dont look or act defensive, keep calm. Listen carefully, make notes and give feedback Empathize with their feelings Dont patronize when you apologize Discuss solutions and corrective action Agree to the action required depending on your level of empowerment Follow up-you are the one point contact for the customer, try to be the one point solution as well

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LIST OF HANDY PHRASES

What to use I can.... Tell me about it.... Certainly.... I understand... May I explain...... Lets see what we can do. Yes, however, what we can do is..... What to avoid You will have to Yes, but...... Thats not possible..... You are wrong.... Dont you understand..... Whatever.....

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SERVICE RECOVERY
It is compensating the customer for the harassment that he has gone through and then adding value so that he stays loyal for life.

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SERVICE RECOVERY PROGRAM

Apologize: Apologize sincerely on behalf of the company Restate: Restate the problem like the customer described to make sure that you understand what the customer means

Empathize: Let your customer know that you know how they feel
Restitution: Time to now gather brownie points Follow up: Find out if your customer is truly satisfied

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EMAIL AND CHAT SUPPORT

Customer Service through email and Chat support is fast replacing voice based services.

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ADVANTAGES
Email and chat services are more secure They can be accessed anywhere at any time Chat or email history can be saved and archived for future reference Reduces operational costs like fax, telephone and staff Customers get personal attention Greater flexibility in terms of time

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE
The DOs Check the email address of the person you are writing to Use the appropriate greeting or opening salutation Divide your message into paragraphs with a line space in between each paragraph Make each point clear in a separate paragraph Check if all the necessary details have been given in your message Fill in the subject line after you compose your email and keep it SMART

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE
Follow a logical sequence through your message Close your message with a proper salutation Put in your name, designation, office address, and telephone number Check your message for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling Use capital letters to begin a new sentence. Use capital letters for all proper nouns even if they occur in the middle of a sentence

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE
Check to see whether you need to use a question mark or a fullstop and use them accordingly Be careful with words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Examples: stationary, stationery Take care with the way you express humor or sarcasm as email cannot convey intonation as can be conveyed in speech. Your message can be misunderstood Always maintain a professional tone in your business messages even if you are replying to a rude one Use positive language

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EMAIL ETIQUETTE
DONTS Do not start a mail abruptly take the time to greet the person Do not sign off as service desk use your name Do not clutter your sentences together in one long paragraph Do not capitalize every word; it is considered shouting in netiquette Do not use ambiguous language Do not clutter your messages with unwanted words and phrases Do not put all the points together into one paragraph Do not use jargon, slang, sms language or short forms in business email Do not use a demanding or rude tone
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APPROPRIATE USAGE
AVOID USE INSTEAD

We would like to ask you to Visualize Assist Purchase Utilize Obtain Sufficient In view of the fact that Conduct an investigation Make a decision attempt Please be informed that the meeting will be held on Monday the 24th December 2010

Please See Help Buy Use Get Enough As investigate decide try The meeting will be held on Monday the 24th, December 2010
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SOME PHRASES .
I will / I can Tell me about it We apologize May I explain Certainly I would be happy I understand.. I assure you.. Yes AND Yes HOWEVER

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