#leadershipskills

Smile through your Eyes

smile eyesSmile through your eyes was a term I heard from a hotel manager who was describing how he wanted his staff to connect with customers more warmly. Certainly it’s a less sarcastic way of telling employees the old one-liner, “If you’re happy, tell your face.” The reality is in today’s rushed workplace we may not always be in the best mood. But that’s no excuse to treat internal and external customers (or anyone) with coolness. Sometimes you do need to remind yourself to smile. Just remember - so that it doesn’t look forced - to smile through your eyes.

Setting Customer Expectations

setting expectationsWhen I talk with managers and their teams about enhancing customer relationships, we`ll occasionally discover problems caused by the absence of a single communication piece. Employees may meet with the customer several times to propose a potential project. Once the customer agrees to go-ahead though, those same employees don’t spend enough time clarifying expectations. For example, during a project if you need customers to put any change-orders to the contract in writing (rather than verbally), then it should be agreed-upon in advance. I`m not talking about the main legal contract that only lawyers can understand. I mean before the work begins, walking a customer through a separate one-page plain-English document that spells out service expectations; complete with spaces for both parties to initial. Better to manage expectations up-front than be forced to do damage-control later on.

Bad Day? Try this…

Bad dayEver have days where being nice to internal and external customers isn’t easy? Maybe it’s when everything that can go wrong - does. Or perhaps it’s when you have stuff happening at home. Or you’re simply not feeling ‘up’. Remember the hit song, “You had a bad day”? I think it was popular because it encouraged people to focus on themselves – their feelings - enabling them to present the excuse, “I’m having a bad day.” While I understand that there are indeed major setbacks in life, for the most part, the ‘bad day’ excuse is bunk. Maybe we have bad moments, but to have the minor glitches of daily living give license to be less than positive and professional around customers and coworkers? Ironically, one of the best ways to lift our spirits is to stop focusing on ourselves, and instead focus on helping others.

Make a stronger first impression in under 3 seconds

handshakeYou've no doubt noticed that today's workplace is more casual; not only in the way we dress, but in they way we speak. I believe we've gone too far.  Specifically, I'm referring to when you're face to face with customers or colleagues and you introduce yourself by first name only; "Hi, I'm Jeff." If you don't provide your last name, it implies you don't think you're important. And since there may be more than one person in your organization with your first name, it also implies you are hiding and don't like to be held accountable. Remember, your goal is not to become your customers' and co-workers' buddy. Your goal is to be considered a trusted advisor. Fortunately, you can prevent all these negative perceptions in under 3 seconds. Simply get in the habit of introducing yourself using your first and last names.

How to get your customers attention

distractedcustomersCommon sense tells us that customers and co-workers won't be receptive to you when they feel rushed or distracted. That means if your timing is off, people will resist your input. That's why at the beginning of your interaction it's important to get them to commit to being fully present. Start the conversation by asking customers about their timing. As I share in my seminars though, you need to be careful how you word your question. Avoid asking a negative question, "Are you in a hurry?" A negative question sets a negative tone. Similarly, avoid asking a naive question like, "Are you busy?" Everyone's busy. A better way of getting the customer's attention is to simply ask, "How's your time - are we OK?" The wording is positive. And it's asking more than just about time; but how they are overall in terms of being receptive.

Listen Louder

Ever come across situations where customers aren’t really sure what they want? If so, here’s a tool I created that I share in one of my seminars to help H.E.A.R.©  your customers. Simply ask:

Happy – What are you happy about with the current product or service you’re using?
End – What would you like to end – what’s not working with this current solution?
Awesome – What would be awesome – what would be your ideal solution?
Restrictions – What’s are the restrictions – obstacles getting the way of this solution?

Asking these questions helps customers clarify in their own mind what they really want. You can then come-up with a solution to satisfy those needs and address any obstacles. In other words, when you take steps to H.E.A.R.© your customers, you are listening louder. It helps them see you as their Trusted Advisor.

Customer Service Motivation – Five tips for staying up when customers wear you down

Someone once said that life would be easy if it wasn’t for other people. Making a living however, usually involves interacting with humans. Your job may be fine when customers are pleasant and everything goes well. Sooner or later though, unavoidable delays, foul-ups, and interruptions can make even good jobs turn into, well... work. To help you have more up days than down - even when things go wrong - here are five tips I share in my seminars for making your job easier and your mood better. The bonus is your boss and your customers will love you for them...

To read the article click:  Customer Service Motivation

 

Complex leads to conflict

Answer these 3 questions to see how likely your organization is to strengthen customer relationships and prevent conflicts:

  1. Are customers sometimes unclear about the process of doing business with you?
  2. Are there often extra charges or time requirements that surprise customers?
  3. Do customers contact you to request information that's already available online?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the problem is not likely your customers.  The problem is your procedures are more complex than they need to be.  The solution is not uploading more documents to hard to find web-pages.  The real call to action is for you to clarify, and more importantly, simplify. The harder customers have to work to find out what's really involved in doing business with you, the more distrustful and resentful they will be.  Bottom line - a confused customer is a reluctant customer.

Five reasons to avoid the FRIEND zone with customers

Conventional workplace wisdom espouses the virtue of employees being friendly with customers. While friendliness is a good thing, too often employees interpret it as encouragement to become their customer's friend. That's not such a good thing. The key question is what is the most appropriate and profitable employee/customer relationship? Having conducted customer service training seminars for hundreds of organizations over some 22 years, I've come to the conclusion that there are 5 things every employee should consider as they develop relationships with internal and external customers...

To read the article click:  The Dreaded "F" Word at Work

One word other than sorry, to calm unhappy customers

When things go wrong with customers or coworkers, consider the impact of using I language. When I do presentations for CEOs on how to respond to the media in a customer service crisis - such as a product recall or customers being injured - I explain the importance of starting sentences with the word I. I remind CEOs that in a crisis they need to immediately go the site themselves or talk directly to the people involved. Then when answering media questions, they should respond in the first person with, “I” as in, I talked with... or I viewed the damage. Using I language proves you’re fully involved in resolving the issue. Similarly, when you address a concern with an unhappy customer or co-worker, using I language (and actions) helps regain trust.

REDUCE CUSTOMER CONFLICTS

Register today for our 30 – second Trusted Advisor tips and receive as a bonus 15 Phrases that Pay for dealing with stressed and rushed customers.