Tuesday, May 29, 2007

A new week and a new chance to provide Great Customer Service!

As you begin your work week, all that I ask of you is this: What would you expect to receive if you were the customer in front of you? So as you go through the motions of your day, remember those words...and remember that if it weren't for that customer (and many more just like that one) you wouldn't have a job.

Therefore, treat each customer as you would expect to be treated. Thank them for their business (since you are thankfully employed) and ask them to come again. And then smile. It will not only make you feel better but it is contagious. It will make the most irritant and angry customer change their mood.

Good luck and have a great week!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Reward Great Customer Service!

As my mission becomes more clear to me by the day, I have made a realization that there are some out there that are providing great customer service but not being rewarded for it. I would like to ask all of you to PLEASE reward someone who provides you with Great Customer Service.

The reward doesn't have to be anything monetary and you don't have to really even go way out of your way to reward that person. I know some of you are thinking "I'm way to busy for that!" but just listen for 2 seconds... a simple compliment to the person who gave you Great Customer Service would be a nice reward. Or, a comment to that persons manager would also be a great reward. It would only take a minute of your time but could make all the difference in the world to the person who went out of their way to provide you with Great Customer Service and could change their lives forever.

Now, some of you may be asking yourselves "why is this even important? If we are all entitled to receiving great customer service, why should we reward those who give it to us when it is our God given right to receive it?" Well, let me ask you this - if you were going out of your way to provide stellar customer service and day in and day out continued to get slapped around, would you continue to go out of your way? NO, you wouldn't! Furthermore, if it is my mission to change customer service than we need to recognize the fact that we have to reward those who are providing us great customer service so that not only do they continue to provide it but also to encourage others to do the same.

So, the next time you are at a restaurant and the waitress does an extra special job, compliment her on it. Or, if you are calling a customer service help desk and the person on the other end of the phone does an extraordinary job or goes out of their way to assist you, compliment them for it and offer to inform their boss as well.

Together, we can make a difference!

Sunday, May 20, 2007

How to provide Great Customer Service!

Check out my article on how to provide great customer service at amysarticles.com.

Also, look for it on ezinearticles.com.

A Great Customer Service Line!

Just had to share a great customer service line I heard the other day... I was calling an insurance call center for some assistance and when I was done with the call I said, "Thanks for you assistance!" and the customer service rep at the insurance company said "Thanks for the opportunity to assist!".

I thought that was a great customer service line. I don't normally believe in mentioning company names, especially if they don't provide good service (every one, companies included deserve a second chance), however, I feel that if a company excels at customer service than it is worth mentioning their name.

So here's to you Nationwide for training your customer service reps right!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

A Great Example of Horrible Customer Service

So, as you know, it is my mission to open the eyes of the world on what is proper customer service and to recognize what we really have been getting as customer service, which frankly sucks.

Here's todays example of horrible customer service:

One of my clients tells me a story about how they were in a brokerage firm waiting to see the financial advisor that they had an appointment with. While he was waiting, a man comes walking down to the waiting room. Now, just looking at this man, you could tell he was dressed in his thousand dollar suit and ruled the world, or at least that was the essence he protrayed. He stops to ask my client if he can help him. My client proceeds to let the gentleman know that he has an appointment with someone(whom we will call Mr. X for future reference) and is waiting for that person. The man says, "well, I have time now if you want me to help you... wait, how much money is it that you plan on investing?" My client thinks the question is odd but answers him and says that he plans to invest $15,000. The man says, "oh, than Mr. X will be right with you!" and walks away. Dumbfounded, my client continues to wait for Mr. X but contimplated walking out the door.

Now, what was wrong with the above example, which by the way is a true story, but the names were obviously withheld to protect the innocent, I mean guilt, I mean.... C.Y.A., right! No, seriously though, what was wrong with that? If your not sure, either I didn't tell the story right or you really need help! Can you imagine waiting to see a financial advisor and having someone ask you how much money you plan to invest and when you tell them, they walk away as if you are a nobody! WOW! You know, to me and my client, that $15,000 is a lot of money in which he has worked extremely hard to earn. And imagine the nerve of the man who told him it wasn't enough?

So, what do you think of that type of customer service? I don't care if you have $50 or $50 million dollars, you should be treated the same when it comes to customer service. That is my philosophy and we all need to adapt it in order to change this world. Now, to make the story even better, my client has a large amount of money and that man never saw a dime because of the poor customer service he received.

My point is this... when waiting on customers, you never know who they are , despite how they may look or how they are dressed. And, no matter who they are, from the street bum to Bill Gates, we all deserve to be treated equally when it comes to receiving proper customer service.

Don't let this happen to you. Take a stand and fight for your right as a consumer to receive the best possible service out there. And for the employee in all of us, treat everyone the same. And give everyone the best you have to offer!

Together, we can all make a difference!

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Poor Customer Service - Examples that must come to an end!

So, to prove my point that customer service has gone to hell in a hand basket, I am going to give you two examples that just happened today.

1) We had our furnace and central air unit cleaned today. The man from the heating company (which I will leave unnamed since I don't believe in mentioning the names of bad companies) leaves all the doors to our house open letting our dog out. The dog was at the end of our driveway when my husband had realized what had happened. Then, the cleaner he used is all over our laundry room, garage and driveway. Again, we have pets who could lick up this cleaner and get very ill...not to mention the fact that we have a toddler in the house. And, when the man left, not only did he not clean up the house, but he didn't close any doors, including our garage door that he opened behind him. What, were you born in a barn? Not only was he a slob but had absolutely no care in the world about the fact that our animals could have been lost for good (not only our dog but our indoor cat). This is completely unacceptable. We have already filed a complaint. You have to act immediately! Don't just shake your head and say, "well, next time I'll say something". No way, make it stop now!

2) While waiting at the window of a fast food restaurant, my husband notices one of the workers, who was wearing rubber gloves to handle customer's food, was also handling his own food and eating it. He was dumping candy from a box into his gloved hand and then eating it. And then he picks up customer's food, with the same gloves, and handles that. GROSS!

Not only is this poor customer service but it's a health code violation. Are you kidding me?

What is wrong with this picture? And you wonder why I believe we need a change?

Friday, May 4, 2007

It's time for a change - No more poor customer service!

My name is Amy Rodgers. Like you, I work for a living, pay my taxes, and spend my hard earned money at stores and restaurants that no longer appreciate my hard earned dollar.

Come on...you know what I mean. When is the last time you actually went into a store or a restaurant and received such great service that you said "WOW, I'm really glad I came here today!" I bet you can't remember a time. I know I can't.

All I hear, over and over again, is people like me who are receiving not just less than stellar service, but truly horrible customer service. When are we going to stop the madness? What do we have to do to get the attention of every business, every employer, every employee, every consumer, everyone to make a change? Why have we just sat by and accepted the fact that no matter where we go, we won't get good service?

It's time for change.

Next time, I will share my thoughts on how we can start making the change!