OUTRAGEOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR SMARTIES

Why Were Driving Customers Away...And What To Do About It! Author: Richard Andreini Publisher: Andreini Enterprises Date of Publication: 2004 ISBN: 0974826502 Number of Pages: 150 pages

About the Author

The Big Idea

Companies that focus on the convenience of customers are easy to do business with because they provide good customer service. They meet and surpass the needs of the customers by having employees that are knowledgeable about these needs and know how to deal with them. In his book, Outrageous Customer Service for Smarties, author Richard Andreini explains the importance of customer service and provides tips and techniques that can transform corporations and businesses.

Richard Andreini

Mr. Andreini meets with over 20 presidents monthly as an advisor, mentor, coach, and facilitator. As a noted consultant in marketing, leadership, hiring/selection, and strategic planning, his speaking credits include Japan, Europe, Mexico, Canada, and most of the United States. He has been CEO of several small/medium public companies and run divisions of large companies. His clients include IBM, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Quantum, the City of Sunnyvale, San Francisco International Airport, the Indian Army, Master Charge, the New York Stock Exchange, Control Data, Fujitsu, AMS, Westpak, Opus One, and several companies engaged in distribution and manufacturing. As the author of articles on marketing, Andreini has been quoted in Time, Newsweek, Business Week, San Jose Mercury News, Datamation and two bestseller books on IBM. His published works include the highly successful The Information Elite about the software and information technology services market in 1997 For more information, visit http://www.andreinienterprises.com.

What Is A Customer?
Customers are: The most important people. Not dependent on you; you depend on them. Not an interruption of your work; they are the purpose of it. Part of your business. Flesh and blood like us. Not to be argued with because you lose if you do. People whose want you have to fill profitably for you and by you.

Handling Complaints and When You Have To Say No!

Published by BusinessSummaries, Building 3005 Unit 258, 4440 NW 73rd Ave, Miami, Florida 33166 2003 BusinessSummaries All rights reserved. No part of this summary may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior notice of BusinessSummaries.com

Outrageous Customer Service for Smarties by Richard Andreini

You should think of each complaint as an opportunity for you to become accepted and to make a positive impact on a customer. When a customer thinks that you treat him well, this becomes a fact because a customer's perception is always a reality. It is therefore essential that each complaint be answered in a fast, efficient and courteous manner and this can be achieved by focusing on the problem instead of the person to be blamed. However, there are instances that you cannot give what is requested from you and in such cases you have to explain in a polite and courteous manner the reasons why. Furthermore, policies should not be cited, and you should never patronize nor make the customers feel stupid. Instead of making excuses and blaming people it would be best if you offer alternative solutions.

Who Is Our Customer?

Each person that you come in contact with is a costumer, whether he is a client, visitor, vendor, or employee. You should take care of your present customer because it is four times more costly to get a new customer than continue having a good relationship with an old one. Among all the mentioned customers, your employees are the most important because when you treat them well they provide good service to your clients.

What Are Our Customers Expectations?

Knowing what the customer wants and expects from you, knowing what your business is, and having a clear definition of what you do and what you deliver are the key ingredients to Outrageous Customer Service. Several tools can be used to know the customers' expectations and how to improve customer service: Surveys and questionnaires. Meetings with customers. Comment cards. Employee training and refresher classes. Tracking repeated business transactions. Brainstorming at company meetings.

Why Is Customer Service Important?

Customer service is important because: We now live in a Service Economy where the primary product is service itself. It is the competitive edge. Customers buy expectations and benefits that we promised them. Good customer service: Is demanded and wanted by customers.

[2]

Outrageous Customer Service for Smarties by Richard Andreini

Makes customers happy and satisfied. Keeps the customers coming back. Attracts new customers. Keeps us in the business. Is the Reason Why We Are In The Business.

Customer Service is a Philosophy - Wrong Philosophy versus the Right Philosophy

Good customer service should start within the company and should be taught to all the employees. Its application and implementation has to be well planned and has to be accompanied by continuous employee training. Everybody within the company should view the customer as an ally and not as an enemy and employees should know when and how to grab each opportunity in presenting good customer service.

What is Outrageous Customer Service?

Four Basic Principles of Outrageous Customer Service 1. Utilize high-tech and high-touch systems, procedures and processes this enables you to effectively gather and receive complaints; monitor customer satisfaction and employee performance; customer profiling and categorization; capture new ideas from different sources; provide an outrageous customer service model to the employees. 2. Create and maintain an environment for presence, awareness and excellence - this includes the company's facilities; the appearance and attitude of the employees; product packaging and shipping; customer referrals; community involvement such as charity works; and benchmarking with competitors. 3. Develop state-of-the-art customer service and warrantees that shutout competition (here comes in Outrageous Customer Service) - It can be said as such by going beyond the customers' expectations; providing regular but special services; making and giving the best for the best customers; proving special treatment that is cost effective. 4. Be unique and maximize convenience to win back old customers.

The Cycle of Good Service + 10 Critical Behaviors That Define First Class Service
The key to having a cycle of good service is having happy employees because they in turn will make the customers happy and satisfied which leads to the customers' continuous patronage of the company.

[3]

Outrageous Customer Service for Smarties by Richard Andreini

Ten Critical Behaviors 1. Be prompt in providing help and assistance. 2. Smile, be polite and sensitive. 3. Recognize and call the customers by their names. 4. Stick to the topic on hand, do not side track. 5. Provide answer to all the questions. 6. Offer additional products. 7. Empathize and thank the customer for the sale. 8. Make a note of the products that you do not have that the customers are looking for. 9. Explain the outrageous warranty or return policy to develop confidence and hospitality. 10. Ask the customer to fill out survey and comment forms.

Best and Worst Customer Service List

Top Ten Commandments Of Customer Service 1. Care about your employees and treat them well. 2. Praise and recognize your employees. 3. Know and listen to your customers. 4. Believe that customer service delivers profit. 5. Train and empower your employees. 6. Clarify your service strategy. 7. Remove all processes and procedures that are unfriendly to customers. 8. The company culture must be totally practical about customer service. 9. Continually improve your service levels. 10. Remember that everyone has customers.

Telephone Policy
Specific procedures in answering the phone are limited to few companies. It should be noted, however, that phone calls should be answered whenever possible and before the third ring. Give your name when answering a call and address the customer by his name during the conversation. In transferring calls, avoid as much as possible having the customer wait for someone to answer the call. Always remember that the time a customer is kept on hold should be at a minimum. Speaker phones should never be used in dealing with customers because they might think that you do not care to talk to them.

How to Implement Outrageous Customer Service

For a company to be able to implement Outrageous Customer Service, it has to know its vision. Furthermore, the company should be able to put into practice the Four Basic Principles of Outrageous Customer Service accompanied by setting and monitoring the goals that the company has set. Step 1: Know your company's vision of the company and the manifestations of

[4]

Outrageous Customer Service for Smarties by Richard Andreini

Outrageous Customer Service. Step 2: Know your company's Outrageous Customer Service vision. Step 3: Review the Four Basic Principles of Outrageous Customer Service. Step 4: Implement high-tech and high-touch systems, procedures and processes. Step 5: Appoint a team and a leader for each of the procedures and have them formulate five major goals that have to be achieved. Step 6: Try functionality of the models, processes and procedures. Step 7: Create and maintain an environment for presence, awareness and excellence. Step 8: Appoint a team and a leader for each of the procedures and have them formulate five major goals that have to be achieved. Step 9: Try functionality of the models, processes and procedures. Step 10: Develop state-of-the-art customer service and warrantees that shut-out competition. Step 11: The True Unconditional Warrantee Kill all the qualifiers. Be certain no competition can match it. Make sure that you can do it. Assign the cost to doing it. Measure the positive effect of it. Step 12: Things that we can offer to win a customer back Coupons Discounts Follow up policy Brainstorming Step 13: Know the hours that are Convenient for the Customers

Agenda, Materials, and Tips for an All-Day, Offsite, Outrageous Customer Service Workshop
Develop high-tech and high-touch systems, procedures and processes. Outrageous Customer Service Model Strategic Customer Service Plan Right People Model Employee Internal service Goals Measurement system Customer Marketing communications and Information Systems Customer Satisfaction Measurement Process Customer Profile and Development system

[5]

Outrageous Customer Service for Smarties by Richard Andreini

Great Customer Service Ideas Systems Web Site Strategy Order Fulfillment Process Complaint an No System Telephone procedure

Create and maintain an environment for presence, awareness and excellence Facility Appearance and attitude of employees Product maintenance, packaging and shipment Word of mouth Community involvement High profile CEO Benchmarking with competitors Develop state of the art customer service and warrantees that shut-out competition

[6]
ABOUT BUSINESSSUMMARIES BusinessSummaries.com is a business book summaries service. Every week, it sends out to subscribers a 9- to 12-page summary of a best-selling business book chosen from among the hundreds of books printed out in the United States every week. For more information, please go to http://www.bizsum.com.