101 CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING S E C O N D E D I T I O N Renée Evenson AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D. C. Bulk discounts available. For details visit: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales Or contact special sales: Phone: 800-250-5308 Email: [email protected] View all the AMACOM titles at: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Evenson, Renee, 1951- Customer service training 101 : quick and easy techniques that get great results / Renee Evenson. —2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1641-9 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8144-1641-1 (alk. paper) 1. Customer services. 2. Customer relations. 3. Employees--Training of. I. Title. HF5415.5.E89 2011 658.3'1245—dc22 2010020923 © 2011 Renée Evenson All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. About AMA American Management Association (www.amanet.org) is a world leader in talent development, advancing the skills of individuals to drive business success. 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Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C O N T E N T S Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Tips for the Trainer 5 Tips for the Student 13 P A R T I PUTTING YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD 1 Taking Your First Steps: The Basics 21 Customer Service Is the Basics, 22 Step 1:First Impressions Matter 25 Step 2:Courtesy Counts 27 Step 3:Attitude Is Everything 30 Step 4:Doing the Right Thing: Ethical Issues 32 ■ Key Points 37, Practice Lesson 38, Doing It Right! 39, How Do I Measure Up? 40 2 Tossing the Ball Back and Forth: Effective Communication 41 Customer Service Is Effective Communication, 42 Step 1:Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say 46 Step 2:What You Don’t Say: Nonverbal Communication 48 Step 3:Putting Words Together: Grammar Usage 51 Step 4:Asking the Correct Questions and Answering the Questions Correctly 52 Step 5:When the Customer Says No 56 iii iv Contents Step 6:Listening Actively 59 ■ Key Points 63, Practice Lesson 64, Doing It Right! 66, How Do I Measure Up? 67 3 Jumping in with Both Feet: Relationship Building 68 Customer Service Is Building Relationships, 69 Step 1:Establishing Rapport 74 Step 2:Interacting Positively with Customers 77 Step 3:Identifying Customers’ Needs 79 Step 4:Making the Customer Feel Valued 82 Step 5:Maintaining Ongoing Relationships 83 Step 6:Different Strokes: Handling Different Types of Customers 86 ■ Key Points 93, Practice Lesson 94, Doing It Right! 96, How Do I Measure Up? 97 P A R T II PUTTING YOUR CUSTOMERS FIRST 4 Seeing Eye to Eye: Face-to-Face Contacts 101 Customer Service Is Face-to-Face Contacts, 102 Step 1:Saying Hello: Greeting the Customer 106 Step 2:Between Hello and Goodbye: Helping the Customer 109 Step 3:Saying Goodbye: Ending the Interaction 111 ■ Key Points 117, Practice Lesson 117, Doing It Right! 118, How Do I Measure Up? 120 Contents v 5 Saying It with a Smile: Telephone Contacts 121 Customer Service Is Telephone Contacts, 122 Step 1:Putting Your Best Ear Forward: Listening Carefully 126 Step 2:Saying Hello: The Opener 127 Step 3:Between Hello and Goodbye: Helping the Customer 129 Step 4:Saying Goodbye: The Closer 133 ■ Key Points 138, Practice Lesson 139, Doing It Right! 140, How Do I Measure Up? 142 6 Looking Before You Leap: E-Customer Contacts 143 Customer Service Is E-Customer Contacts, 144 Step 1:What Does the E-Customer Expect? 147 Step 2:Hanging the Open Sign: Being Accessible 150 Step 3:Writing What You Mean: E-Mail Communication 152 Step 4:Speaking Around the World: Cross-Cultural Etiquette 155 ■ Key Points 158, Practice Lesson 159, Doing It Right! 160, How Do I Measure Up? 161 7 Giving When Getting Is Not Expected: Self-Service Contacts 162 Customer Service Is Self-Service Contacts, 163 Step 1:Saying Hello: Greeting the Customer 167 Step 2:Between Hello and Goodbye: Looking for Opportunities to Help 169 Step 3:Saying Goodbye: Ending the Interaction 171 ■ Key Points 176, Practice Lesson 176, Doing It Right! 178, How Do I Measure Up? 179 vi Contents 8 Calming the Storm: Difficult Customer Contacts 180 Customer Service Is Difficult Customer Contacts, 181 Step 1:What Is Going On: Determine the Reason for the Problem 184 Step 2:What Caused the Problem: Identify the Root Cause 188 Step 3:What Can I Do: Rectify the Situation 191 Step 4:What Can I Say: Restore the Relationship 194 Step 5:What Needs to Be Done: Fix What Needs to Be Fixed 197 ■ Key Points 201, Practice Lesson 202, Doing It Right! 205, How Do I Measure Up? 207 P A R T III PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 9 Hitting the Ground Running: Ready, Set, Go 211 Customer Service Is Being Ready and Set to Go 212 Your Customer Service Training Quick Reference 215 10 Being the Best You Can Be: The Total Package 218 Customer Service Is Being the Best You Can Be Every Day 218 Always Be Your Best! 221 Index 223 A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S My deep appreciation to . . . My editor, Bob Nirkind. Thank you! You illustrated what exceptional customer service is all about by listening well and by offering insightful, constructive suggestions and solutions that made me a better writer. My copyeditor, Barbara Chernow. Thank you for paying attention to all the details, both small and large. My agent, Michael Snell. Thank you for watching out for my best interests, for being my toughest critic, and for giving me advice that is always on target. My husband and best friend, Joseph Balka. Thank you for always giving me great advice and ideas. My mother, Rose. Thank you for being my extra eyes and catching the small details that I seem to miss. My brother, Don. Thank you for lending your training expertise and giving me spot-on advice for the training tips sections. My sister and training partner, Sharon. Thank you for always being there when I need an honest opinion. My clients. Thank you for showing me how to give you the same level of customer service that I coach you to give your customers. I listen closely to what you want and then do my best to provide it to you. My family and friends. Thank you for helping me be the best I can be every day. I am deeply grateful for each and every one of you. —Renée Evenson vii This page intentionally left blank Introduction We are slowly coming out of the worst recession in more than a genera- tion. It is estimated that millions of businesses closed their doors. Numerous others filed for bankruptcy protection. Experts acknowledge that recovery will be very slow, which means that more businesses are likely to close their doors. With consumer confidence and customer loyalty at an all-time low, providing exceptional customer service is no longer an added benefit; it is a necessity. Customers who are not satisfied with the way they are treat- ed are jumping ship and taking their business elsewhere. Customer loyal- ty can be your key to restoring consumer confidence, which can keep your business afloat. Can you afford not to read this book?Think about it this way: Giving your customers an exceptional experience will bring an unexpected result: your customers become a marketing tool for your busi- ness. Customers talk. When people hear good things about your business, they are more likely to do business with you as well. Whether you are reading this book for the first time or already own the first edition, this new and improved version is your one-stop shop to learn and teach how to give exceptional customer service. In addition to being thoroughly revised and updated throughout, this edition includes a new chapter: ■ Giving When Getting Is Not Expected: Self-Service Contactsexplains how to provide a great customer experience when your customers least expect it. 1