Peter Barron Stark Companies » Customer Service

Social Networking Sites make Customer Service the New Killer Business App

Peter Stark — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:00:56 +0000

This blog entry is from April 2010′s Quest for Workplace Excellence Newsletter. To receive this newsletter monthly to your inbox, sign up here.

We often train clients’ employees in the art of customer service, but, up until recently, we have not touched on the power of Social Networking as it relates to creating highly satisfied, loyal customers. Our goal is to share with you information that will raise your awareness about the power of Social Networking when it comes to customer service.

It has been predicted that Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are the main sources where people will soon be getting all their news from. Recently, we realized that this is where the NEWS gets their news from. Shortly after we felt the 7.2 Easter earthquake here in San Diego, we turned the television to CNN to see if they had any reports on the magnitude, central location, etc. After only three minutes had passed, CNN reported on the earthquake, saying that they heard about it through users’ updates on Twitter.com. Then they presented a live screen cast of Twitter user’s comments on the event which were coming in by the hundreds every few seconds. Twitter informed thousands of people, including major national news stations, before the USGS was able to.

This is a testament to the power of Social Networking. If word spreads this fast and far about an earthquake in three minutes, think about what it can do for customer experiences, good and bad.

Before the Internet explosion, customer service rants and raves (but, let’s face it, mostly rants) were passed on, to a handful of the customer’s friends via phone conversations or in-person gatherings. Sometimes the company heard about the rants and raves from a phone call through which the customer often had to press several different buttons to speak to the right person. There were a lot of steps for the customer to take in order to provide feedback and many disgruntled customers simply gave up, leaving the company clueless.

Those days are gone. Today, because of the Internet and the popularity of Social Networking sites, customer reviews can be sent to hundreds of people almost instantly. This should give organizations something to think about, because, most likely, customers’ experiences with your organization can be read about by hundreds of people, including current and potential customers. Suddenly, the power has shifted from the hands of a few high level executives to the fingertips of thousands of blog owners, and Social Networking site users. With sites such as Yelp.com, Twitter.com, Facebook.com, and even Google Maps, customers can immediately share their experiences, good and bad, with hundreds of people.

Think about it like a math equation: great customer experience x 5 friends the customer told through word of mouth = 6 people with a positive view of the company who are now highly likely to do new or repeat business with this company. Now, instead of the 5 friends they told through word of mouth, it’s hundreds of the customer’s connections who are now reading this review online. These very experiences are what many people will read about when deciding whether or not to do business with the company. As a leader in your company today, it’s never been more important to ensure that your team is providing top notch customer service. Word travels fast and far.

Take a look bellow for some examples of the customer reviews that can be found online:

Keep in mind that every business will face the odd rogue review at one point or another, but here are some tips to help keep customer service above par and help increase positive customer reviews:

Online customer reviews can be wonderful, but they can also be startling. If you approach the situation correctly, you can get Social Networking on your side.

You may be thinking, “We are a small company, we won’t be affected by these Social Networking trends,” or, “Most of our customers are baby boomers who don’t use these sites.” The truth is, you never know until you investigate. According to eMarketer.com (via Mashable.com), 46% of Internet using baby boomers regularly maintain a Social Networking profile. We suggest Googling your company name or typing it’s name into Twitter’s search bar or Yelp.com to see what people are saying. It may also be wise to do the same research on your competitors as well.

As an outlet for providing excellent customer service online and further connecting with their customers, many companies have even created their own profiles or pages on popular Social Networking sites. If your company plans on doing so as well, you can read a few tips for getting started here.

When it comes to providing and managing customer service through Social Networking sites, these are just a few of the companies who have the right idea: Zappos.com.

This is the Twitter page of Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, an online shoe retailer. He uses this account to answer customer service questions, respond to product inquiries, accept feedback, provide inspirational quotes, show insight into the company culture and give tips related to running and other activities that are heavily reliant upon the right shoes and gear that Zappos sells.
Southwest has employees whose jobs are to specifically address concerns when people mention Southwest on Twitter.
ACE Hardware uses their Facebook fan page to answer customer questions about when products will be available, post announcements of new items, and get to know what household projects their customers are currently work on.

These are just some of the companies that have thought outside of the box and turned their Social Networking sites into portals for customer service, customer education, feedback and communication.

Social Networking may already be ingrained in your customer service strategy, or the words may have never even been uttered in your office. Whatever the case, it’s worth noting that Social Networking sites can be a valuable asset to your customer service strategy. Your company will benefit by understanding otherwise unvoiced customer needs and your customers will benefit from your expertise, now online, as well as in person. The information and options can be overwhelming, but if you have a vision, you will be amazed at the benefits that Social Networking will have on your company’s customer service strategy.

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Tips for Creating your Company’s Social Networking Presence

Peter Stark — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:52:48 +0000

This blog is based off of April 2010′s Quest Article which outlines new trends in customer service.

Something is changing our society and our businesses, no matter how we feel about it. Whether we embrace it with open arms, or deny it, Social Networking sites like Yelp.com, Twitter.com and Facebook.com, (just to name a few) are changing the way we live our lives and, unavoidably, are changing some of the ways we run our businesses.

Before the Internet explosion, customer service rants and raves (but, let’s face it, mostly rants) were passed on through word of mouth, to a handful of the customer’s friends via phone conversations or in-person gatherings. Sometimes the company heard about the rants and raves through a letter or a phone call through which the customer had to press several different buttons to speak to the right person. Many disgruntled customers simply gave up and the company remained clueless.

Today, because of the Internet and the popularity of Social Networking sites, customer reviews can be sent to hundreds of people almost instantly. This should give organizations something to think about, because, most likely, customers’ experiences with your organization can be read about by hundreds of people including current and potential customers. Suddenly, the power has shifted from the hands of a few high level executives to the fingertips of blog owners, and Social Networking site users. This is why great customer service is paramount, especially today. With sites such as Yelp, Twitter and Facebook and even Google Maps, customers can immediately share their experiences, good and bad, with hundreds of people.

Online customer reviews can be wonderful, but they can also be startling. If you approach the situation correctly, you can get Social Networking on your side.

As a way to communicate with their customers, many companies have even created their own profile on popular Social Networking sites. If your company plans on doing so as well, here are a few things to keep in mind about Social Networking in relation to customer service:

Social Networking should not replace traditional marketing. It should be used to compliment your business and marketing strategy. When we say Social Networking is a form of marketing, don’t think in terms of sales pitches, think of it as combining “marketing, PR, community relations and customer service into an entirely new, socially-aware role.” (Customer Service is the New, New Marketing). The advantage of Social Networking is that you can create a two-way dialog with your customers. Find out what they like and what they don’t. If they voice an issue, communicate how you intend to solve the problem or offer suggestions.
Site demographics. Before creating a Social Networking profile, do a little research on the Social Networking sites to see if they are places where your current and prospective customers would belong. Assuming you already know who your customers are, take a look at the demographics of popular sites to make sure that this is where you need to be. Here is a great place to start. Then, you can determine what sites/forums the company will take part in. The list is extensive, so be sure that you are taking part in one that can offer the best return on time.
Create a game plan before beginning community involvement. Work out who will be the online face of the company. Will it be from just one employee, or a group of people? Will Social Networking be its own department or will people from multiple departments take part? How often do you want to be updating company profiles? These are all great things to think about.
Training is vital. The individuals who are online representing the companies need to know the products and services very well and they should be able to answer customers’ questions themselves.
Obey the rules. Ensure that the people representing the company on Social Networking sites understand the rules and regulations of the sites they are communicating with customers on. The last thing you want to do is spend time (aka, money) on a profile, only to have it deleted.
Proper use of feedback. Customers can provide extremely valuable feedback whether it’s on customer service, product design, and so on. Have a plan in place for passing along the feedback to the people in the company who can put it to good use. When you receive feedback that is negative, listen, don’t defend. Make sure that you thank the customer for their feedback. After all, they spent their time praising your company or telling you where you can improve your product/service. Find a creative way to reward them.
Do not take over the groups/forums. Collaborate and communicate with the customers instead. Continue to let the customers run the groups, especially if it is not a group or forum created by your organization. Realize that you may not be able to respond to each question, review or comment.
Communicate. Your participation in Social Networking does not have to be just for receiving feedback, it can also be used for answering questions that customers have, giving relevant tips (for example, sharing tips for saving for retirement if your organization is a credit union or possibly passing on healthy lifestyle tips if you are in the health industry), informing customers of new or updated products and services, or maybe providing a glimpse into your company culture: the sky is the limit. It is a give and take. Your customers provide feedback and show their loyalty, and you provide them with relevant information.
Be creative. How can you use this technology to help your customers? If you are completely stuck, you can start by researching not only what your competitors are doing but also what companies in other industries are doing. Compare this to what will be relevant to your customers and to your company culture and build your strategy.
Connect and Share. In addition to obtaining feedback and providing customer service, Social Networking is a great way to connect with the community and share information that is relevant to that audience. This information includes links to relevant articles, fun facts, tips, pictures, etc.

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Handling Customer Complaints About Employees

Peter Stark — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:57:19 +0000

How to Tactfully Discuss Customer Complaints with Employees

We all want our customers to be happy and to let us know when something has gone awry, but do you know how to successfully handle situations where multiple customers complain about a long-term employee?

This can put you in a difficult position, but if you do not handle the problem correctly, it will just keep happening. If you don’t confront the behaviors that lead to customer complaints, you will lose respect as a leader from not only the employee we are discussing, but your other team members as well. The bottom line is you need people on the front line that every customer views as courteous, knowledgeable and dependable. Following the steps below will help you in dealing with this difficult situation.

First, meet with the employee and discuss if he or she is aware of the complaints. Lead the discussion by asking the following type of question, “What do you feel has changed in the last two months that has triggered these complaints?”

Second, ask the employee if he or she sees these complaints as a problem. Without the employee’s agreement that the complaints are a problem, the employee will never be motivated to change this behavior.

Third, ask the employee for suggestions of what he or she is going to do differently so that customers do not describe him or her as rude or arrogant. In case the employee does not have suggestions, you may want to encourage her to involve you sooner before the problem escalates with the customer.

Fourth, leave the meeting having accomplished three things: 1) The employee is aware that you see his or her behaviors as a problem. 2) The employee and you have generated solutions or actions of what he or she is going to do differently so the problem does not occur again. And 3) The employee knows that you care about his or her success and value their contributions to the organization.

By the way, if the employee quits over this conversation, this is not the type of employee who truly cares about you or the company’s success.

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The Nice Customer

Peter Stark — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:00:21 +0000

Don’t Let this Happen!

I’m a nice customer. You all know me. I’m the one who never complains, no matter what kind of service I get.

I’ll go into a restaurant and sit quietly while the waiters and waitresses gossip and never bother to ask if anyone has taken my order. Sometimes a party that came in after I did gets their order taken before me, but I don’t complain. I just wait.

And when I go to the store to buy something, I don’t throw my weight around. I try to be thoughtful of the other person. If a snooty salesperson gets upset because I want to look at several things before making up my mind, I’m just as polite as can be. I don’t believe rudeness in return is the answer.

I never kick. I never nag. I never criticize. And I wouldn’t dream of making a scene, as I’ve seen some people in public places. I think that’s uncalled for. No, I’m the nice customer.

And I’ll tell you who else I am.

I’m the customer that never comes back!

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Focus on Customer Service

Peter Stark — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:37:49 +0000

Surpass Customer Expectations

What is your company doing to raise the bar and exceed your customers’ expectations? If you are not continually improving how you produce your products and deliver your service, you cannot exceed your customers’ expectations. Customers are pickier, now more than ever, about where they spend their money. Look at it from your customers’ perspective: what makes your company so special to them that they are willing to spend hours/days/weeks of their pay on your products or services? And how can you make what you have to offer important enough for them to want to suggest your organization to their friends and families?

The following six recommendations will help your organization take customer satisfaction to an even higher level.

Have a clearly articulated customer service vision and set of values that describe in detail what customers will experience when they do business with your company. The vision should be a clear mental picture of what the end result looks like. The organizational values are then the guidelines that help us to make the right decisions that will turn the vision into a reality.

Hire for attitude and train for skill. You can tell which people enjoy serving others and making customers happy. You can also tell those who consider customers and their needs to be, “just a job.” People with great attitudes enjoy serving others, are easier to train, and are better at developing multiple options if the company’s standard way of serving and satisfying customers is not successful.

Tear down the walls that insulate employees from customers. There are some employees who never have customer contact. We highly recommend introducing customers and sales representatives to employees. When employees know the customers are real people, not just a name or an order number, there is a stronger commitment to satisfy the customer. Two ideas that have proven successful are to 1) videotape a customer being interviewed by a company representative and 2) bring customers on-site for a customer appreciation day and have the employees provide tours.

Train every employee. Companies who successfully train every employee to focus on the customer and their total satisfaction, have more loyal customers and are a more profitable business. Does every employee in your company know the average dollar value of one job or the annual dollar value of an average customer? Training helps in the areas of customer knowledge, teamwork and job satisfaction.

Measure customer satisfaction. Companies should be measuring whether or not they are exceeding customer expectations on an on-going basis. Measuring your customers’ satisfaction with quality, service, and timeliness are critical indicators of an organization’s long-term success.

Reward results and celebrate successes. It will be important to align your performance review process and reward system with an organization that focuses on customer satisfaction. And last, when your customers’ expectations have been exceeded, celebrate the success.

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Tips from Customers for Establishing a Loyal Customer Base

Tips from Customers for Establishing a Loyal Customer Base

Peter Stark — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:24:10 +0000

Survey Results Show Insight into Providing Extraordinary Customer Service

In today’s economy, customers are understandably apprehensive before spending their hard earned money on any goods or services. This is making the market place increasingly competitive – the days are gone when the product alone can keep us profitable and ahead of our competition. So, what will? Let’s turn to the experts and ask the customers!

Here at Peter Barron Stark Companies, we recently surveyed over three hundred people and asked them what constitutes great service. This is a summary of the top eight areas they identified:

Treat customers as real people. When customers do business with us, they have both business and human needs that must be met. Obviously, delivering high quality products and services will meet the customers’ business needs. That alone, though, will not give you a competitive edge. Only when you meet the customers’ human needs will customers then consider they have been given great service. To also meet the customers’ human needs, consider the following:

Acknowledge them. Treat each customer as an important, unique individual, not just as an account number.

Listen to them. Do not assume you know the customer’s problem before he or she has a chance to adequately explain it to you. Taking the time to listen to each customer demonstrates that you value them and their business.

Demonstrate that you care. While you may have hundreds of interactions a day with customers, remember that a customer will most likely have only one interaction with you. Your interaction with the customer should demonstrate that you care, leaving the customer with a positive perception about your company.

Apologize When You Mess Up. Great leaders who lead organizations that provide great service have the ability to confidently apologize. On July 23rd, 2009, Jeff Bezos, the Founder & CEO of Amazon.com took great service to a new level when he sent out a formal apology to Amazon customers. His apology read:

This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our “solution” to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we’ve received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.

With deep apology to our customers,

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com

Create customer-friendly systems. Re-examine your latest technological enhancements and ask this question, “Are they making things easier and more efficient for our customers or for us?” Many times we find that the newest system is a great help for us internally, but may actually be perceived by our customers as being “unfriendly.” From a customer’s perspective, nothing is worse than being “bounced” electronically all over your company only to end up with someone’s “Voice Mail.”

Fix the problem the first time. Customers can acknowledge that occasionally problems occur. But, nothing shakes customer confidence faster than a lingering problem that continues to be unresolved. Remember, the typical dissatisfied customer will tell eight to ten people about his or her problem with your company. A truly unhappy customer makes it really special for you by telling everyone he or she meets about the problem! People will continue to do business with you if you fix their problem because they know they can trust you. Fixing customer problems builds even stronger customer loyalty.

Be honest. Customers want to trust the people they do business with and will continue to do business with people they feel treat them honestly. Sometimes it costs us something to be honest, but having the courage to say, “You are right. We made a mistake and take the responsibility for fixing it,” will increase the likelihood that your customer will continue to remain loyal to your organization after the problem is resolved.

Watch your attitude. Everyone has one, and it is our responsibility to make sure that those people serving our customers have the right one! What is the right attitude? Simply put, our customers must be served by people who meet or exceed their expectations. Our customers have the opportunity to form a perception about us every time they have an interaction with us. Their perception is that difference between how they expected to be treated and how they were treated. Making sure that we have a great attitude in respect to customer service will help ensure that our customers will have a great attitude about us! Next time you have the opportunity to deal with a difficult or angry customer, remember, that is exactly why you are there–to provide extraordinary customer service.

Go the “extra mile.” Companies that win by maintaining customer loyalty are those companies that are willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy a customer’s needs. These are the companies that recognize that customers must perceive that they are valued, and that the solutions to their problems are uniquely appropriate for them. As we remind our clients, “There’s very little traffic in going the extra mile.” Companies that are willing to travel that extra mile will find themselves in a league of their own when it comes to customer loyalty!

Follow up. Customers not only want their problems solved, but they appreciate follow-up communication–either written or by phone–checking to see if the problem has been resolved to their satisfaction. If the problem has been solved, you have earned points with customers by making the follow-up contact to ensure their satisfaction. If the problem has not been solved, it demonstrates to customers that you intend to keep working with them until the problem has been resolved to their satisfaction.

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Are Difficult or Angry Customers A Challenge?

Peter Stark — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:30:48 +0000

Ten Steps to Win With Customers

Recently I found myself one of the last two people at the airport baggage turnstile. The turnstile was going around and around but unfortunately my luggage was not on it. The other gentleman whose luggage did not arrive proceeded over to the lost luggage counter. He thought the way he could get the counter person to find his lost luggage quicker was to yell at her. It was her quick-witted response to this gentleman I will never forget. After being yelled at for about one minute, she quietly replied, “Sir, it is 11:55 p.m. and there are only two people in this whole world who care about your lost luggage. I need you to know, one of them is rapidly losing interest.”

Almost every manager has had an experience in dealing with a difficult employee or customer. The following ten tips will help you win with customers in difficult situations.

Develop your positive mental attitude. Wouldn’t it be great if every customer were a perfect customer? A customer who needed no instructions and the only time they spoke to you was to give you a compliment? One perception that will help you deal with difficult customers is to understand that without customers who have problems, your contributions may not be needed. If every customer were a perfect customer, we would need less managers and less staff. One of the reasons you are specifically needed is to deal with people and situations that others cannot. Become an expert at difficult situations. That is why you are there.

When you need help, ask for it. One of the realities of dealing with difficult customers is that they seem to show up when you and your organization are incredibly busy. In fact, that is one of the reasons why customer problems occur in the first place. Because we are so busy, some things just slip through the cracks. Whenever you feel stressed or overwhelmed, the last thing you need is a difficult or angry customer. Then the best thing you can do is ask a fellow employee or manager for assistance in helping you solve the problem. Teamwork makes difficult situations much easier to handle.

Stay objective–do not get hooked. Customers sometimes say things to trigger a response from you. A great mental picture is to visualize the customer dropping a hook down in front of your mouth. What is important to understand is that whether you swallow the hook or not is your choice. Most times, when you feel angry or defensive, the best thing you can do is ask the customer a question. We heard a manager say, “I am sorry your order was not delivered on time as we promised. What can I do to help make this situation better for you?”

Let the customer unwind. As long as the customer is talking–or venting, let the customer continue. The worst thing you can do is cut the person off and start talking. Let the customer vent, listen to determine the real needs, and begin thinking of the specific actions you can take to help improve the situation.

Reward the customer. This sounds funny, but we recommend that you thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention. Only approximately 4 percent of your customers have the guts to call you and tell you about their problem. The other 96 percent quietly walk away and never say a word to anyone. When someone tells you there is a problem with you or your organization, thank that person. He or she is truly a valuable customer.

Respond first to the customer’s emotion, then to the facts. When customers complain, they are most often angry or upset. An appropriate response might be, “I know that you are frustrated that the product was not delivered on time. Let me pull up your record and see what we can do to get this problem rectified.” By acknowledging the emotion, the customer knows that you are listening and that you do care.

Keep your cool. In fact, when a customer is angry or upset, we recommend you actually get calmer. Speak quietly. Trail your voice off at the end of your sentence. This method will indirectly create a calming effect on your customer. The worst thing you can do is escalate your voice. It will only make the customer more upset and angry.

Offer alternative solutions. Instead of telling a customer what you cannot do, provide the customer with alternative solutions and let the person choose. A manager might reply, “We can correct the problem tomorrow and ship it to you FedEx. Or, if you are not in a hurry, we can ship it by regular mail. Which would be best for you?” Give your customer options.

Take immediate action. The one thing that will make a customer even more difficult is the feeling that nothing is being done to solve the problem. Assuring the customer that something is being done is critical to your success. Respond quickly to customer problems and state what actions you are going to take to solve the problem. The longer the customer perceives it takes you to solve the problem, the greater chance the severity of the situation will escalate.

Follow up. If you want to be remembered for an organization that provides GREAT service, it is critical that you follow up with your customers to ensure that the customer is satisfied. Once the problem is resolved, call the customer, and say, “I just wanted to make sure everything was okay and that the problem was resolved to your satisfaction.” The customer will remember that you and your organization really do care about the level of service they provide.

Remember, as a manager, you can also help your employees deal with difficult customers by sharing the above ten tips with them. Empower your staff with the confidence and latitude to resolve the problem without having to pass the customer on or take a message. Remember to reinforce their skills by giving praise when you catch them “doing something right.”

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