Customer Service Articles

The Three “Secrets” of Customer Service Excellence

By David Illingworth

“Everybody wants to give good service” I’ve heard it said. “Well, you could have fooled me” you may reply after experiencing some of the ways we are treated as customers. We all have our horror stories don’t we? Where we are dismissed with an uncaring look, gesture or phrase; where we are met with a scowl if we dare to complain, where we just can’t get a sensible answer from a sales assistant?

But how about when we’re giving a customer service? When we’re answering that phone call? When we’re facing that demanding customer who wants it now? When we’re having to face the angry complaining customer. How do we cope on the receiving end?

There are many fads that come and go in customer service. Primarily at the instigation of consultants when on the current “initiative” doesn’t seem work or some body wanting to make a name for themselves writes a book or article pointing to “proof” that it doesn’t work. So we think up a new name repackage the old and come up with a new initiative which at least gets the shareholders off our backs for another year!

How often do we hear “We tried this before and it didn’t work”. I’ve discovered a remarkable truth - there are only a few truths in customer service and to get it right requires persistence, perseverance and practice.

Customer service starts from within us. Three secrets:

#1. Build your own self-confidence.
#2. Build self-confidence in colleagues and customers
#3. Build colleagues’ and customers’ confidence in you.

Secret #1 – Build your own self-confidence

This is about confidence not arrogance! In fact confident people are more inclined to exhibit a humility and self-control.

“People who feel good about themselves produce good results” said Blanchard in his book “The One Minute Manager”. How true! Confidence is about feeling good about who you are. Feel confident and you will tend not to be defensive, you will tend to take responsibility. You will act assertively (not aggressively or submissively) being interested in the other person as well as your own interests. Feel confident and even if you can’t answer the question posed by a customer you will fine someone who can! How often have we, as customers, been frustrated by service givers who make defensive excuses, pass the buck or at best try and stumble through an explanation about something they know nothing about?

Confidence enables you to take control, make rational decisions, deliver what you promise and deal with those difficult situations and complaining customers.

Three simple (but powerful) ideas how you can develop your own confidence:

Start off the day by achieving something positive. Set yourself an achievable task in the “customer service” field. Don’t start by looking at that impossible “to do list”. Reward yourself and accept that you did a good job well.
Help someone else. Make it a point to (willingly) help someone overcome a difficulty. A customer, a colleague, your boss, your team, your partner. Develop a “service habit” or whatever euphemism you like to call it! Start to look out for things people are needing help with. What you give out often returns tenfold!
Listen … with the intent to understand! One of the most powerful tools we have are our ears yet we so often don’t listen to others without feeling that we have to open our mouths to respond. Our oral response would take preference over our aural response. We misunderstand not only what is being said but why it is being said and the result is “negative feedback” destroying our own confidence.

Secret#2 – Build self confidence in colleagues and customers

Building confidence in others similarly reduces the risk of conflict and increases the chance of building an “excellent

service” reputation with those you are dealing with be they customers or colleagues. Forgive the jargon! We all know the benefits of developing a good reputation. Where do you tend to go for what you want?

Interestingly this is applicable to all relationships – not just in the customer service area. Try these ideas with your family and friends too.

Building confidence in others also creates the right environment for ideas to germinate. Kill someone’s self-confidence and ideas will tend to dry up.

One final thing. People are drawn to where they can feel good about themselves. Encourage your customers to feel good about themselves. Help them build their self confidence.

Three tips on building self confidence in others.

1. Practice Secret #1.
Don’t expect others to do it if you don’t! Lead by example. I have worked with many organisations who have seen the front line staff as the only people responsible for service excellence. The further up the hierarchy you go the further the actions are removed from giving good service. There is a thought that the real service delivered to customers cannot exceed the internal service culture. OK, maybe you can plaster poor service over in the short term with strong service systems but ultimately it will show through!

2. Give others your full attention.
Involve your team in the challenges you face. Ask for their advice.Pay attention to colleagues and customers alike. The old favourites of making eye contact, being aware of body language, dressing the part etc. are not “out of date”. Ask your partner, your children, your friends what it feels like when you’re not appearing to pay attention! Paying attention to someone helps to make them feel valued and accepted and confident.

3. Listen ... With the intention of understanding. Yes again! It’s the most important factor. Find out who they are, what they want and possibly why they want it and you will give them confidence that they can get the right service. Having done this then of course you need to deliver. Keep listening for further opportunities!

Secret #3 – Build colleagues’ and customers’ confidence in you.

Leadership in customer service is the responsibility of all. Leadership demands confidence from the led.

3 Tips on building confidence of others in you.

1. Do what you say you’ll do or don’t promise what you can’t deliver.
I often wonder if company strap-lines are just chosen from a book and whether people really think about what they are saying and what they mean. “Delivering the promise” or its near derivatives are commonly seen. But are they really living up to the expectations that promises? Fail to meet expectations and you’re doomed – in the sight of your customers, colleagues, partner, children etc. We often promise to do things “to please” because we lack confidence to say no without damaging the relationship.

If you fail to deliver what you promise then the damage can be far worse.

2.Deal with difficulties well.
There will be times when things go wrong. Deal with them with confidence. Practice the ideas in Secrets 1 and 2 – Pay attention, ask and listen, understand the situation, promise what you can do not what you can’t, listen for feedback, do what you promise! Easy! But you’ll only be able to manage it through confidence in yourself and making rational decisions. You’ll only get others to do it if they feel confident.

3.Don’t give up! If it doesn’t work initially don’t look for the next fad – it will have just the same things in it! Work at it. Establish what is holding you and your team back. Involve your team, your boss, your customers. Get “360° feedback” without getting scared to death by the jargon. It’s not a new idea! But it may be a new practice!

So the “Secrets” of customer service, are not really secrets – just blinding flashes of the obvious. Of course there is more to it. Systems need to support the service and people need to be rewarded for achieving the right things. The foundations have to be right though and the direction set correct or else you have conflicting messages, disgruntled people, and worst of all, dissatisfied customers. What you do speaks so much louder than words.

Confidence is the fundamental building block to excellent customer service!