Barney or Training? Which is Better for Your Organization?
You know, the Customers.
And the only reason I'm bringing this up is because of some of the comments that were posted on that major web site about that organization that helps people beautify their homes had been just sort of swimming around my head the past day or two.
And it got me to thinking about how we "train" our clients to accept the level of service we wish to provide.
I'll say it one more time.
We train our clients to accept the level of service that we wish to provide.
Now if this is not hitting home with you, go ahead and turn off the computer. You don't need to read this article at all. Just go and watch the game, or a movie or purple dinosaurs with cute names.
I'm talking about how we provide a level of service that our Customers not only become accustomed to, they begin to expect. And that is a good thing. They know the level of service they are going to receive 100% of the time. It does not really matter if it is good or bad service at this point.
Problems occur when you step outside the limits you and your Customer have defined based on past experiences that your Customer has had with your organization. Good or Bad. Let me explain by giving you some examples.
Your Customer comes in and complains about a purchase. During the investigation of the request you discover that the purchase was quite some time ago and now the widget(s) are out of warranty, thereby guaranteeing a loss by your company should you decide to exchange or refund the item(s). You, acting within company guidelines and management policy, explain that although you would like to exchange the widget(s), your hands are tied. Your Customer then pulls out the "I had this happen once before and you guys exchanged it" card. You stand firm, offer an apology and explain that company policy had changed.
You have just completed training your Customer to the new level of service your company provides.
They may become excited and pull out the "I'm never coming back into this store again" card.
However, no matter what ever happens in the future to this Customer in regards to your company, this is the new standard of service they understand and will measure you by until they are trained again. Good or Bad.
Same scenario. This time, you exchange the item, provide a discount on the new item purchased and invite the Customer back into your store for repeat business.
Again you have trained them to the level of service they can expect each and every time they come into the store from that point forward. How do you start the process of bridging your Customers expectations with your employees proficiencies?
By setting the the standards you expect from your associates, team members and employees and completing a "Train to Retain" campaign. Through training and understanding the effect you have on your Customers in everyday service you can learn how to "train" your Customers. It can be done with lunch and learns, role play (probably the best) or a series of seminars that combine all of those elements and give quick hits on areas that you need to improve over a course of several days. And of course followed up with competency testing.
It sounds simple; however in a large organization with a high personnel turnover it is extremely difficult to maintain those standards.
It's why it's so important to keep key trained and dedicated personnel and allow them to train all who follow them.
So, if you want to raise your CSI index in a hurry, train your personnel to train your Customers the way you want them to be trained.
Or just go watch Barney.
Related Tags: study, change, training, attitude, service, positive, customer, skill, store, refund, definition, csi, retrain
Leonard Buchholz leads seminars in Customer Service, Attitude and Skills and Management. He also provides coaching and consulting in Customer Service. He resides in Southern California and you can reach him at 760-529-5635 or email him at selfemployedagent@cox.net.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- How To Make A Complaint About An Estate Agent
While many estate agents are honest, hard working and will provide an excellent service when it come - Learning How To Build Your Website Through Online Web Builders
Web hosting is being offered by a lot of companies nowadays. Because of this, an average person with - Meet Your Merchant Prccessor
Getting to know your High Risk Credit Card Processing better. By educating yourself on the process o - What Do Customers Really Want?
Do you run a business that relies on loyal customers? If so, then you will undoubtedly have steered - Way To Save Money On When You Move Your Home
Everybody wants to save money on each deal of spending money be it small expenditure area or big. Ho - Is It Practical To Dwell And Wander Full-time In A Camper?
Full time wandering in an rv is largely unknown style of living I happened across about a year befor - Make Checklist For Your Moving - Have Hassle-free Experience
Moving into your dream home is really an exciting experience but the process of move is nobody's dre - Tag Heuer Look To The Future Whilst Celebrating Their Past
For any top watchmaker, a major anniversary is a time to look back through its history, relive its t - Good Tips For Home Shifting
Moving or relocating from one place to another can be how stressful and chaotic I known well. We mov - Beat The Breakdown Blues!
More often than not, car problems occur at an inconvenient place at a more inconvenient time. There
Most viewed articles in this category:
- How The Humble Telephone Will Build Your Business
So, we're heading for tough times! Why? Because if we are told something often enough (by opposition - Take Your Customer Service Dept From 'Cost Saving & Cost Reduction' To High Profit & Business Growth
The more communication I have with people involved in telephone service and sales, such as Contact/C - Creative Ideas for Customer Waiting Rooms
Customer waiting rooms are the doorway to your business. Over recent years an effort has been made t - Customer Service - More Than 100 Surefire Ways to Lose Your Customers
Some people are saying that customer service is the pits these days with surly sales people leading - Have A Nice Day
Service sure does come with a smile, but sometimes with a great deal of understanding.Recently, look - Monitor, Measure and Manage Your Arbitrary Customer Service Reps
I walked into Ikea for the third time in two days, not to shop but to return a non-matching wood ott - Building Customer Loyalty: Make Your Customers Come Back
One of the toughest parts of running a small business is building customer loyalty. Unlike big compa - One Thing That Will Turn Customers Into Advocates And Build Long Term Loyalty
Let's be perfectly honest - there is an awful lot of hype and hoopla being delivered about customer - Customer Complaint - A Complete Job Review
As like any other person who works in a customer service job, I surely get to see my fair share of c - Calming "Customonsters" and Other High-Maintenance Customers
Calming "Customonsters" and Other High-Maintenance Customers Who Want What They Want When They Want