Customer Service

A New Creature
 WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE TRULY IS …
●LIVING ●SHARING
●GIVING ●GROWING
●PRODUCING
“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing
is what we do for others.
- LEWIS CAROL -
 DEFINING CUSTOMER SERVICE
“Quality of service delivery set by you or your
department.”
▬

“Customer care activities that support the delivery

of the product or core service.”
▬

“The way in which the brand meets its customers'

needs via its various different channels.”
 WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?
 Family Members  Vendors
 Children  Neighbors
 Friends  Church/Organizations
 Co-Workers Members
 Applicants  Pets
 Students  Automobile Drivers
 Los Rios Employees  Etc., Etc., Etc…
 Have You Heard It All Before?
• Smile! Smiles can be heard over the telephone
and are mimicked when face-to-face
▬

• Use your customer's name at different points in

the conversation
▬

• Diffuse anger by saying "I'm sorry” and also

lower your voice and speak softly and they will
do the same
 Have You Heard It All Before?
• Listen attentively! There is nothing worse than
asking an irate or troubled customer to
REPEAT what they have just said
▬

• Go the extra step by following up on your

solution (close the loop!)
▬

• Ask if there is anything else that you can do

for your customer
 Things You MUST Remember
• Moods are contagious (Are you “infecting”
others with good or bad moods?)
▬

• Don’t solve the problem right away. (Instead

let the customer vent, express themselves
and be HEARD)
 Things You MUST Remember
• Make certain that your tone of voice is in sync
with your words. Remember, your tone of
voice can completely contradict your message
▬

• Offer alternatives (At least 2 options in order

for them to have choices)
 Uncomfortable Situations
• Misunderstanding Accents (the customers
and/or yours)
• Pronouncing Names (make notes of how it
sounds to help you say it correctly)
• Handling Errors (acknowledge errors,
apologize, move forward to solve problems)
• Saying the Wrong Thing (apologize
immediately)
 WHAT DO I DO IF…
• Someone Is Crying? • “Are you okay? How
can I help?”

• Someone Is Screaming • “I would really like to

At Me? help you and I need
you to calm down in
order for me to do
that.”
 WHAT DO I DO IF…
• Someone says they • Speak slowly, repeat
can’t understand me? yourself and do your
best to pronounce your
words clearly.
• Someone is in the office • Ask what the problem
and becomes upset is and do your best to
explain things to them.
 FACE-TO-FACE 101
 Promptly Greet and Welcome Guests
▬

 Be Professional
▬

Pay Attention
▬

 Always Say Thank You

▬

Smile, Smile, Smile

 L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G 101
L = Let Others Speak
I = Intend to ‘Hear” Them
S = Speak When It Is Your Turn
T = Talk With Them, Not At Them
E = Enthusiastically Respond
N = Never Speak When Others Are Talking
 Customer Service At Its Best!
• Southwest Airlines • Nordstrom (a culture
(shining in the worse of customer service)
conditions)

• Blue Nile (low prices • CarMax (driving the

and high-end service) extra 12-hour mile)

**Case Studies quoted **

 The Rules…
“Always give people
more than what they expect to get.”
- NELSON BOSWELL -
▬

“Treat others how you wish to be treated”

- The Golden Rule -
 Question?

“Isn’t it really ‘customer helping’ rather than

customer service? And wouldn’t you deliver
better service if you thought of it that way?”

- JEFFREY GITOMER -
 Any Questions?
Thank You!