Customer Service Excellence: Shannon Coughlin

posted by Allan_Chan @ 1:20 PM

Summary

TC3
Customer Service Excellence. Shannon Coughlin. Customer service is not something you offer once a year...it's the way you treat your customers every moment of every day. Find out what your customers really want and how to provide superior customer service so they'll keep coming back again and again.


Notes
Shannon Coughlin, General Manager, Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre.

From Managing the Service Environment to Training the Team to Dealing Effectively With Complaints and Difficult Clients

The C/MBSC is all about Service.

Libraries and Customer Service:
-From Day One, committed to professional information management and information dissemination, but it's about more than the professional skills
-Libraries do have competition
-Customer service doesn't only apply to business
-Customers have growing expectations, more sophisticated needs
-Customer service applies to internal and external customers
-Decisions need to be made about what expectations your library can meet

Powerful rule: Always give people more than they expect to get, BUT never under deliver.

"It takes months to find a customer or to develop their appreciation for your service, just seconds to lose one or undo past good work."

Why worry about customer service?
For business, high quality service means increased profitability and a competitive edge. For libraries, perception also positive, need taxpayer support. It costs 10 times more to seek a new customer than to keep the one you already have. Positive public perception: your reputation at stake - one unhappy customer will tell a dozen others.

Drivers of Satisfaction
-Timeliness
-Courtesy
-Fairness

"Customer service is the difference between a good library and a great library." A good measure of customer service is "return" customers.

The Four Keys of Perception
1.Customers are needs driven.
2.Customers have choices.
3.Perceptions are formed moment to moment.
4.Perception is all there is.

The Hidden Dimension
Solve internal problems, settle disputes, try to deal with disruption tension ASAP. It creates a hidden dimension in your customer service, clients/customers can sense underlying tension, staff disputes/disrespect.

Basic Necessities of Customer Service
A clear mandate and simple statement of your services...what you can and can't do...clearly communicate to your users. A set of service standards-qualitative vs. quantitative. Clear understanding of each individual's role and responsibilities in delivering the service and meeting or exceeding the standards. Why? Gives the service deliverer a strong base to operate from -everybody knows the rules.

Quality Service Skills
In the beginning:
-Project an attitude of service.
-Consider the customer.


Service Task Skills

Seeking information:
-start with an open probe
-get all the facts
-check your understanding

Supplying information:
-give clear relevant information
-check for customer understanding/acceptance

Extending yourself:
-identify alternatives
-provide extra information
-take extra action steps

Concluding the Service:
-Review committments if any.
-Indicate availability for future service
-Thank the customer

"Customer service is listening...and hearing...what customers say and what they don't say."

What is a difficult client?
-Very angry. Wants someone to pay. Wants to be heard. They believe anger will get them action. Recognize the signals of customer irritation. Difficult clients on the phone, have a three step policy. 1.Ask client to please stop name calling/swearing. 2.Ask again advising you will have to terminate the call if behavior doesn't stop. 3. Advise you are terminating and invite them to call again.

Know Yourself to Give Customer Service Excellence
-Your level of comfort and knowledge
-What your hot buttons are and how to control them
-Tips and exercises for keeping your "cool".

Handling Your Own Emotions
-Use calming tools
-Remind yourself you cannot change this person today
-Use negotiating tactics - go to the balcony, broken record etc.
-After...take a mini break - go for a walk, talk to other staff, nerf bat.

"Everyone brings joy to the office, some when they come, some when they leave."

Don'ts
-Tell people to calm down
-Respond with cliches, policy statements
-Sound condescending
-Automatically give advice
-Jump to conclusions that you understand the whole situation
-Express irritation or anger
-Try to take control too early
-Get defensive

Do's
-Maintain professionalism
-Identify your personality style and the personality styles of customers
-Use your personality
-Choose vocabulary/words that are calming
-Improve your vocal quality to increase credibility and perceived authority over the phone
-Develop a personalized strategy for improving your listening skills
-Get comfortable with the recovery system

How can we become a better customer driven organization?
With staff:
-service excellence recognition
-employee peer evaluations
-bonus program
-train, train, train - educate people how to think service, what your standards are
-employee focus groups
-praise

With customers:
-customer recognition -"bonus" for loyalty
-Ask for and respond to customer feedback
-facilitate the purchase to process eg: Costco
-know who your customer is
-innovate and evolve


Thoughts:
In my library system, there has been a strong direction towards that of customer service. I forsee libraries becoming more of an information service station rather than a warehouse of books. The paradigm shift has begun and we in libraries must focus on providing top notch customer service.