creating the customer service experience Archives

Business, Consulting Services, Management, Service

Empathy – I’ll Know it When I Feel it

Empathy “I’ll know it when I see it” is a phrase often used to describe a thing or situation which is typically subjective in nature and cannot be clearly defined. However, when it comes to empathy perhaps a better way to describe it is “I’ll know it when I feel it”.

In our workshops we talk a lot about empathy and in fact, it is hard to define. Empathy is not what we do so much as how it is reflected (or not) in what we do. As a result, empathy really can’t be seen, but it can be felt. And, interestingly enough, it is most often felt in the smallest, most common of actions.

I was reminded of the importance of small things that reflect empathy just last week and how it can make such an important difference. I was at my mother’s house when the HVAC technician arrived to check the air conditioning system before the weather got too hot. I answered the door to a bright, clean and friendly young man with a warm smile. Here are four little things that he did during the course of his work that demonstrated that he had empathy.

Warm greeting with a smile. “Good morning Mrs. Baston. My name is Eric and I am with ABC Mechanical. I have come to complete the spring start-up of your air conditioning system. May I come in?”.

Taking time to understand the customer’s situation. Before he got to work he asked my mother if she had had any questions about the heating or cooling. Did everything seem to be working okay? Any problems?, etc. He then explained that he would like to start with the programmable thermostat. He asked if she had any questions about the programming.

Keeping the customer informed. Eric explained exactly what he was going to do. Firstly he would check things out downstairs. When that was done, he explained that he would be going to inspect and clean the air conditioner itself.

Explaining the work that was done. When completed Eric explained exactly what he had done and went over the checklist while confirming understanding. He explained that he had found something about the furnace that needed attention and would be putting in a work order for a part to be replaced. He explained that my mother would be receiving a call in the next few days to schedule the part’s replacement. “No charge Mrs. Baston. It’s all under warranty.” Again, he asked my mother if she had any questions.

Being in the customer service business, I couldn’t help but ask if his company did any customer service training. “All the time”, he said. “We talk about customer service constantly. We take it very seriously and measure our performance. You know, I always score at the top”, he said proudly. No kidding, I thought.

So here it was, as fine an example of empathy as one is likely to feel. Eric did nothing fancy, nothing special, just simple actions that showed that he really did care. “I’ll know it when I feel it”. I certainly felt it that warm day in June.

I’d love your feedback on this. And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim

“From caring comes courage.”

Lao Tzu

June 24, 2014

Business, Service

The Difference Between Losing a Sale and Losing a Customer

customer service expert Jim Baston There is a difference between losing a sale and losing a customer and I experienced it first-hand this week. In this case, I became the “lost” customer.

My car is getting a bit long in the tooth. It’s a 2008 and, with over 230,000 kilometers on the clock, it really is time to trade it in. So it was a happy coincidence that I got a call from the salesperson at the dealership where I purchased this car to tell me about a great deal on the same model I currently own. I knew that 2013 was the last model year this particular vehicle was made and I was delighted that there were still four available. I took the car for a test drive while the dealership inspected my car. When we returned, the salesperson offered me an opening price for the trade-in. The price was very low and I explained that I just could not see my way to make a deal. I thanked him for thinking of me and we shook hands.

I got a call on my cell about two minutes later from the salesperson. “Good news!” he said. It turns out that they could increase the offer by over 27%! Over the next few days we negotiated a deal that would be “acceptable to the sales manager”. We finally agreed on a number – about 43% more than the original offer for my trade-in. The sales manager accepted it. We had a deal – or so I thought.

In fact there was really no deal and that was where the problem lies. “All you need to do now is come in and sign the papers and give us a deposit and the car is yours”, the salesperson said and I arranged to come up that morning. “Everything will be ready. We won’t keep you long.” In fact, everything was not ready. There was more to it than just signing the papers. Before making good on their part of the agreement, the sales manager insisted on taking “one last look at my car”. So the deal, unbeknownst to me, was conditional on a second inspection of my vehicle.

I am sure you can guess what happened next. The sales manager inspected my car, returned to his office, and had a quick word with the salesperson, who, was sent out to tell me that they could not honour the offer that they had agreed to just 30 minutes before. I wasn’t very happy and a little upset that I was not told that our agreement was conditional. I felt that my time was wasted and I expressed my disappointment to the salesperson and that I thought they had acted very unprofessionally. It occurred to me that this is the type of activity that gives car salespeople such a bad name.

In their zeal to make the sale, they lost sight of the customer – a customer who has been with this dealership since 2008. They could (and should) have been honest with me during the negotiation. Had they been up front with me that the deal we negotiated was conditional on a second inspection, or had they made it clear that their original offer was the best that they would be able to do instead of putting me through a “mock” negotiation that they wouldn’t honour, then I would have little cause for complaint. In either case, I may not have ultimately purchased this car, but they would have kept a customer. Sadly, they have lost both.

This incident brought to focus the difference between losing a sale and losing a customer. Sometimes we get so focused on the prize, that we will rationalize any means to get there. Questionable tactics may win the sale on occasion, but the risks are high. If caught we will not only lose the sale, but also the customer. And that lost customer is bound to tell others about the experience.

Professional business people realize that it is better to be up-front with the customer even if it means that they are unable to come to an agreement. When approached this way, the business person may not win the immediate sale, but their integrity will likely win their respect and retain the customer and the opportunity to serve them in the future.

I’d love your feedback on this. And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim

“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”

– Groucho Marx

June 3, 2014

Business, Consulting Services, Customer Service, Service

Don’t Make Promises you Can’t Keep – Especially in Business

broken promises in business Don’t make promises you can’t keep was one of the common maxims in our household when I was growing up. Wise advice. I was reminded of the importance of this message just last week and that sometimes, it is better to turn business away rather than disappoint. Have you found that you sometimes take on work or make commitments for which you have a low likelihood of fulfilling?

While visiting family in the UK, we decided to take a brief break in a part of the country we had not been before. We headed for Cambridge and the wonderful colleges and booked a small inn in a village not far from the city. It was an old stone building that had recently been converted. We found it on the internet and were impressed with the descriptions previous patrons had written about it. Quaint, attentive, old-world character, friendly staff. Perfect.

We drove out to Cambridge full of anticipation and, by early evening, we found this small, quaint “post card” inn situated on the quiet main street of the village. There was a newly constructed glassed-in dining area at the back and a large parking lot which was almost full. Must be a popular spot! As we walked past the dining room to the entrance, we noticed that it too was full. It turns out that there was a wedding that evening.

Check-in was friendly but not exceptional. The room was small, clean and functional. It overlooked the glassed-in dining area – we could look down and see the wedding party having dinner. We went out to dinner ourselves. We returned about 9:30, both tired and ready for bed. However, sleep was not to come easy.

By the time we returned, the wedding was in full swing. The music was loud – very loud. Too loud! Our little room literally shock to the beat. We called the front desk to ask for another room and were informed that they were fully booked. There was nothing else available. We were stuck. The music continued until almost midnight. We decided to grin and bear it.

At check out we expressed our disappointment. We explained that we had expected a quiet, relaxing stay as promised on their website but we experienced just the opposite. We felt that we should have been told about the wedding at the time of booking and advised about the noise problem associated with the room we were given. We then could have made an informed decision about whether to stay there. The inn should have been prepared to turn us away but instead chose to fall terribly short on their promise. Instead of more raving fans, they created raving detractors. We certainly won’t recommend this place and will avoid it on any future visit.

I think the lesson has direct applicability to the service business and yes we sometimes take on work or make commitments for which we have a low likelihood of fulfilling. Usually the commitments come with the best of intentions and are often made in the heat of the moment. Sometimes we think we are doing it simply because we don’t want to let the customer down. Regardless of the intentions, whenever we make promises we can’t keep, it ends in the same result. Disappointed customers and possibly raving detractors.

I’d love your feedback on this. And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim

“Life is like photography, we develop from the negatives.”

-Unknown

May 13, 2014

Business, Consulting Services, Customer Service, Education, Management, Service

Rude Awakening to a Valuable Reminder

customer service expert It was a rude awakening to a valuable reminder. Bang! I was in Calgary to present a seminar on communicating value. I squinted at the hotel alarm clock. Not quite five. Bang! There it was again. Another insensitive guest on their way to an early start I surmised and closed my eyes.

Voices. Hang on. They are still there! Someone – a man – is in the hall shouting something. I hear a female voice make some kind of reply – further away. Bang! I look at the clock. Still not quite five! Voices again. Bang!!

I paddle over to the door and peak out the peephole. There is a bag trolley in the hall. The door across the hall has the security bar closed so the door won’t close completely. Suddenly the door opens and a man, in mid conversation, emerges with a bag. He is having an argument over his shoulder with a woman in the room… seems that she can’t find something and is complaining to the man. Unfortunately the man is in a hurry to get away and he is not too shy of sharing this fact with the entire hotel. Bang! The door slams against the security bar. He puts the bag on the trolley and re-enters the suite. Bang goes the door behind him.

CMCEF Webinar Series

I am delighted to let you know about a webinar series that I am presenting in conjunction with the Canadian Mechanical Contractors Education Foundation (CMCEF) that I thought would be of interest to you. The series is called Transforming the Service Experience. The webinars are intended to help service companies in today’s highly competitive service environment create a highly valued service experience that distinguishes them from their competitors through the activities of their field service team.