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Nine Myths About Customer Service
"The Customer is Number One!"
"With Us, You're Somebody!"
"The Customer is King!"
"We're in the Business of Caring"!"
With the proliferation of many such slogans, there is no question that corporate North America has tuned into the message that good customer service pays.
Unfortunately, in many organizations those well-intentioned words ring empty in the face of an opposite reality. Often, certain myths about service get in the way of providing customer satisfaction.
Here are nine myths about customer service to which many companies unknowingly subscribe:
No. 1 The "Smile Training" Myth
Many companies take a simplistic view and think that teaching their employees to smile is going to bring about good service. Several problems are caused by this myth. In the first place, adults don't like to be told to smile. They'll smile when they feel like it, and even if they do fake it, the customer will perceive how they are really feeling.
Second, a smile doesn't fix the situation when a customer is frustrated and angry. Customers want a concerned empathetic response, followed by an effort to resolve the problem.
Too often, training for people in service positions is aimed at teaching them how to operate equipment and how to smile as they perform the function. The truth is, the job of a customer-service person is one of the most complex, stressful and demanding positions in any organization. Numerous competencies are needed to do this job effectively.
Moreover, customers perceive that the person with whom they are dealing in that company, in fact, represents the company. As Jan Carlzon, President of Scandinavian Airlines explained. "In every customer contact situation, there are many moments of truth." Each and every employee with whom a customer has contact, no matter how brief, can make a difference. It only makes sense, then, to arm every employee with knowledge about and the ability to carry out customer-service policies and procedures.
No. 2 The "Expert" Myth
The kind of thinking described above often leads to belief in myth number two: the idea that the best way to give good customer service is to set up a Customer Service Department.
The challenge with this myth is that it absolves the rest of the organization from service responsibility. Problems and complaints are shuffled off to the specialists in the Customer Service Department.
The companies which are most successful at providing customer satisfaction practice excellent service at all levels of the organization. "The buck stops here" is the attitude of all employees, from CEO to receptionist. The customer's concern can thus be handled quickly and effectively. And, everyone in the organization knows where the priority lies - on the customer.
No. 3 The "Quality" Myth
Many companies think that if they pay attention to quality, customer service will take care of itself. Unfortunately, you can have the best product in the world but if you lack the sales and service to support it, your competition will soon edge you out. Customers today are not just buying products, they are buying relationships. They are seeking the guidance and expertise of the seller, so that they can get the greatest possible advantage from the product.
Quality and service are interdependent. To maintain a competitive advantage in quality of product, the input of the customer is needed. It is the companies which produce a good quality product but also respond to the customers' feedback and service needs that capture the largest market share. According the 1985 P.I.M.S. study, those companies gaining market shares at a rate of 6% a year are able to charge higher prices, and average a 12% return on sales.
No. 4 The "Complaint" Myth
Many companies subscribe to the notion that good customer service is simply a matter of fielding customer complaints. They develop elaborate customer feedback forms, set up 1-800 numbers that can be used by unhappy customers and create complaint departments.
It is true that part of providing customer satisfaction is being willing to hear their concerns. Unfortunately, many companies fall short by failing to adequately resolve the customers' complaints.
Sometimes the system for reporting complaints is difficult to access, complicated and time consuming. A customer who is frustrated is unlikely to bother issuing a complaint. And, when a customer does go to the trouble or discomfort of expressing a complaint and there is an unsatisfactory or absent resolution, little is gained.
No. 5 The "Pep Talk" Myth
Another myth about improving service is that a rousing pep-talk, given by the company president, is enough to bring about good customer service.
Many companies attempt to instill a commitment to customer service among their employees by holding a staff meeting, giving a pitch for service and showing a video tape. Usually, the video tape depicts employees in other companies, where progressive management practices and acts of heroism result in astounding examples of good customer service.
Unless these sessions are followed by similar actions on the part of management, such pep-talks often do little that is positive for the company aspiring to give better service. Employees may feel chagrined at the lack of latitude they may have in dealing with customers in a similar way.
No. 6 The "Policy" Myth
Some organizations which do give their employees the opportunity to make decisions when dealing with the customer, think that an explicit list of "do's and don'ts" is required. They amass volumes of policies and procedures to cover every conceivable customer service interaction. Unhappily, many of these policies are designed to protect the company, not its customers. For example, the return policy is peppered with a list of stipulations: the sales slip is required; it must be within 30 days of purchase; the original packaging must be intact, etc. , etc.
Not surprisingly, customers dealing with such organizations hear the customer-contact person using phrases like, "I'm sorry, that's not our policy…"
No. 7 The "Only for the Front Line" Myth
Some companies operate under the myth that customer-service training is only for the receptionists, counter clerks, cashiers and other employees on the front line.
To achieve excellence in customer service, however, it is essential that all members of the organization are customer oriented. The front-line employees should be supported in their efforts to satisfy the customer by every level of the company hierarchy.
To quote Jan Carlzon again, "If you are not serving a customer, you'd better be serving someone who is."
Manager and supervisors should be trained not only in concepts of customer service, but also in methods of modeling, reinforcing and coaching the desired behaviour.
No. 8 The "Turnover" Myth
Another myth about customer service training is that it is not worthwhile in organizations with high turnover. Turnover among service employees is an increasing problem today.
But, perhaps such attitudes about training create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Today's service workers seek employment in companies which provide opportunities for training, promotion and development. The organizations providing their customer -contact employees with effective training are more likely to attract and retain the best service representatives.
No. 9 The "It's Only Common Sense" Myth
This final myth implies that providing good customer service is simply an intuitive process.
It would be nice if it were true.
In today's competitive, service-oriented economy, reliance on the good will and good manners of employees is not enough.
Those companies who excel at service have developed customer-focused strategies and have trained all members of the organization to carry them out.
Providing effective customer service is a process. It starts with a sincere, articulated commitment to customer satisfaction. But it goes beyond that. The organizational structure, culture, policies and procedures, planning efforts, recruitment/selection practices and training programs must support it. Every employee, at every level must enact the philosophy.
An organizations' leaders just be willing to disown the myths about customer service.
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