Today’s guest blogger is Edward Caulfield, a service management professional with over 20 years experience in customer service management for high tech companies.

Not too long ago I was at a conference for Service Management. After signing in at the registration desk, I was given a small lapel pin with multi-colored blinking LEDs. As the father of two children, the first thought that ran through my mind was that my children, both of them old enough to no longer hurt themselves with a lapel pin and still young enough to go gaga over colorful blinking lights, would get a kick out of one of these. As anyone who has more than one child knows, it is dangerous to bring home only one of anything, so I asked if I could have a second pin and explained why. As rules would have it, only one pin was allowed per registered participant, even if the pins only cost fifty cents and the event cost me well over a thousand dollars.

I knew full well – as did the lady at the registration desk – that by end of the conference, she would have a hand full of extras that she would either throw away or stuff in a drawer to gather dust forever. Not a big deal, however. I was sure to find some other trophy to bring home. I was in Kansas and cowboy boots crossed my mind, with the challenge being translating my children’s European shoe sizes to US sizes. Within a few minutes of finding a seat in my first session and starting a chat with the fellow next to me, someone tapped me on the shoulder and before I knew it, I had two additional lapel pins handed to me. That was nice, I thought. Then I thought some more and saw that it was more than nice, it was “Service Recovery.”

What relevance does this have to Service Management? There are several takeaways from this experience.

1) We all make mistakes every now and then, but it is never too late to go back to a customer who suffered under our error and make things right. Both you and the customer feel better for it. Because this happens so seldom, your customer may even remember you for life. As well, apologizing for your mistake mentally reinforces that you not repeat that mistake.

2) You don’t have to wait for an angry customer to do the right thing. When I didn’t get the lapel pin, I wasn’t upset. I didn’t express anger or even disappointment. Just because a customer doesn’t verbalize their disappointment doesn’t mean they aren’t disappointed.

3) Sometimes breaking rules is the right thing to do. Strictly speaking, I should not have received the additional lapel pins. In the end, the person at the reception desk realized that a happier customer is more important than sticking to a rule that, in the end, had precious little legitimate basis.

To learn more about Edward Caulfield, visit http://seriousaboutservice.eu//

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Post tags: Customer Service, Edward Caulfield, http://seriousaboutservice.eu//, relationship management, relationship managemetn, service recovery

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Lori Jo Vest, co-author of "Who's Your Gladys?"

In my twenty year career, I’ve spent most of my time in sales or other high-client-contact positions. My career path has provided excellent lessons (some learned painfully) in how to have successful relationships with people of all kinds. After all, no matter what type of customer you have – older than you, extremely liberal or conservative, of a different ethnicity, the possibilities for variance are endless – if you’re in customer service, it’s your job to make them happy so they keep coming back.

One of the most important ways you can “be” – to ensure that you build strong customer relationships – is consistently gracious. What does gracious mean? On dictionary.com, it’s defined as “pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.” I know, you’re wondering, “why would you want to be any other way with a customer?” It may seem obvious, but there are days when it’s not. Here are a few suggestions that will help you be consistenly gracious:

Practice email etiquette: ALWAYS put a greeting (Dear Customer), a close (Best regards) and your contact information (at least a phone number) in every email. Sprinkle in “please” and “thank you” wherever appropriate. If your customer is being short and perhaps sending along one and two word answers, don’t follow suit. NEVER send an email to a customer that’s anything but polite.

ALWAYS allow a minute or two in every conversation for some small talk: Something like “Hi Brad, How was your weekend?” or “Happy Monday!” adds a personal touch that furthers your relationship with that customer.  You may feel rushed or busy, but the small amount of time it takes to personalize the conversation is worth the effort.

When things go wrong, keep your eye on the big picture: When something bad happens, a mistake is made, or the client is angry, it can be difficult to be gracious. If someone is being demanding or bossy, keep your eye on the big picture. Rather than seeing just the immediate happening, focus on how you want the interaction resolved. When the dust settles, you want the customer to remember how calm, polite and helpful you were when things got tough. Act with your desired end result (a happy customer) in mind and you’ll naturally manage it appropriately.(...)
Read the rest of NOT Being Gracious is NOT an Option (164 words)

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We want to hear from our readers! Tell us your story.  It just might get you featured on this blog or even in our next book. Please email a brief summary of how you used one of the strategies or tips in our book to Submissions@whosyourgladys.com.

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Imagine being that employee. How easy would it have been for him to stay where he was and watch me figure out how to maneuver my two hot cups to push that elevator button? What did he have to gain by helping me? I think the bigger question is, “What would he have lost by not stepping in?” Experiencing the genuine appreciation of a customer feels good. Being someone’s hero in a moment of need is inspiring.  Expressing an act of compassion is rewarding.

Take a moment and complete the following sentence: “If I could do it over, I would . . . “

Would you have chosen to be a little less or a little more? Less or more accommodating? Less or more helpful? Less or more compassionate?

When I think about how I might complete the sentence, it comes to mind that I would have been a little kinder, shown a little more patience, and chosen to go the extra mile,  if I could do a few things over.  This is the kind of exercise that wakes us up to who we really want to be with the people in our lives.

(...)
Read the rest of If I Could Do It Over, I Would . . . (287 words)

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Lori Jo Vest, co-author of "Who's Your Gladys?"

These days, it seems that all of us are severely overstimulated.  We get up in the morning, check our email, read the paper, go to the office, do the job of two or three or even four people, manage a constant stream of email, take calls from customers and coworkers who need something  from us, check our social media accounts, listen to news or talk radio on the way home from work, take on homework (our own or our child’s), then read a bit or watch TV before bed…the barrage of input goes on and on and on.  It seems like we’ve all committed to multi-tasking as a lifestyle.

In customer service, this half-attention that is seeping into the work life of even the most diligent worker can present a serious problem. Customers are more sensitive than ever and if you’re multi-tasking, you’re not giving them your full attention.  You risk making mistakes, coming across as uncaring and not getting all the information you need to serve them well.

And even if you’re trying hard to listen, apparently you can only retain a certain amount of what you hear. I recently read an article by Mark Smock on elearn-university.org that provided a great statistic on listening:(...)
Read the rest of Are You Really Listening When They Talk? (213 words)

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We are absolutely delighted to present today’s guest blogger, Michael Soon Lee, MBA. He is the author of “Cross-Cultural Selling for Dummies”. He is the first Asian American to earn the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation in the history of the National Speakers Association.

If businesses and salespeople want to survive and thrive in today’s difficult economy, they need more customers. Multicultural consumers are the fastest-growing consumer group in America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau over one-third of all Americans are minorities and by 2042, they will be the majority. People from diverse cultures present a tremendous opportunity for companies to sell more products and services… if they are willing to adjust their practices to better serve the unique needs of Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, Middle Easterners and others.

Many Americans wrongly believe that multicultural people only want to do business with people from their own culture. In most cases, nothing could be further from the truth as long as they are treated with respect and patience. In some cases, minorities deliberately seek out businesses and salespeople who are from outside their culture. For example, in real estate, some Asian and Hispanic clients look for agents who are not from their culture because they are afraid that if they share personal financial information with one of their brethren that private information might get spread around their community.

Developing a diverse customer base takes more than simply printing brochures in different languages or hiring a few bilingual salespeople. It requires a long-term commitment and a willingness to adjust business practices to meet the special circumstances of minorities in America. U.S. businesses can bridge this gap and increase sales to the multicultural market by educating themselves on the differences.

One of the biggest challenges when trying to attract this group is that they don’t buy products and services in the same way as Anglo Americans and they may prefer goods that are customized for them. For instance, grocery stores may need to expand their selection to include the preferences of growing ethnic groups in their service areas.

Just a few of the other diversity differences that affect retailers and service providers include: building rapport, negotiations and contracts. For instance, it’s a little-known fact that not all people throughout the world are comfortable being greeted in the same way. As Americans, we assume that everyone wants to be met with a firm handshake. That is not necessarily true. In fact, the most common greeting in the world is the bow, not the handshake which can actually be offensive to many people.(...)
Read the rest of Today’s Guest Blogger Michael Soon Lee, MBA Shares: Adjust Your Style for Multicultural Customers (1,018 words)

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Lori Jo Vest, co-author of "Who's Your Gladys?"

Like most Americans, I have health insurance and once in a while, I have to talk to someone at the insurance company to provide information before they’ll pay a claim.  Since I’ve changed insurance companies recently – we’re in Michigan and my husband is one of the former white collar automotive engineers that’s changed careers – I find myself talking to the health insurance customer service department rather frequently lately.  They want to know when my former coverage was canceled.  They want to know if I have additional coverage.  They want to know if the trip to the ER was anyone’s fault besides my own. (It wasn’t – I twisted my ankle in my own backyard.)

Last week, I had to call them to discuss when my former dental insurer’s coverage had expired. It was a fascinating study in customer service, as the call center representative didn’t seem to understand that I was, in fact, a “customer.”

Her initial tone was more than a bit condescending. “Your name?” she asked. I told her and spelled it out. “V as in victor, E – S – T.” I went on to explain that I had received a letter and was calling to discuss the cancel date of my last dental insurance policy.

“Ma’am,” she said in an impatient tone, “we’ll get to that. Let me get through the rest of the information I need first.” She was determined to lead the conversation and wasn’t pleased that I wanted to be a bit more conversational.  It’s my nature to talk to people in a friendly fashion and if you’re a customer service rep, I’m even more likely to do so, as I find service so fascinating.  I found myself wondering how many customers are intimidated by their insurance company customer service reps and simply go along, doing what they’re told.  (...)
Read the rest of Bossy Doesn’t Work in Customer Service (225 words)

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Here are a few quick examples.

What if you thought of your pushy and demanding customer as someone who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it?  You’d most likely treat that customer differently.

What if – when your customer was asking for discounts – you thought of them as someone who has a very limited budget?  It would make a difference in how you felt about them AND how you acted toward them.

Reframing your negative thoughts about someone into more positive thoughts WILL change the way you behave, making it easier to be kind and compassionate toward them. It’s inevitable that what is happening on the inside shows up on the outside.  Give it a try today and see what happens today!

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Today’s guest blogger is Edward Caulfield, a Service Management Professional with over 20 years experience in customer service management for high tech companies. Throughout his career Edward has executed on a variety of fronts from his l

 For as long as there has been someone responding to a customer’s request for assistance, Customer Service has been struggling with the challenge of providing efficient, high quality experiences to those asking for help. Tremendous progress has been made as Customer Service has evolved from being a back room, money absorbing, overhead consuming operation to an intelligent, efficient and profitable aspect of most market leading companies. Today, most companies understand the importance and benefit of providing World Class Customer Service and a plethora of supporting literature and tools have evolved that help Customer Service Management professionals find their way.

 As much as things have moved forward, there still appears to be a consistent habit in most organizations of pressurizing the Customer Service team to provide an “instant answer”, oftentimes measuring performance on duration of calls and number of calls addressed in a given day or week. As a result, significant percentages of calls need to run the loop through several times before the client either gets the sought after information or gives up in exasperation. The greater the complexity of the product being supported, the greater a problem this becomes.(...)
Read the rest of Guest Blogger is Edward Caulfield Says: Mirror, Mirror on the Call… (921 words)

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Post tags: Customer Service, Edward Caulfield, Who's Your Gladys

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