Getting Employees to Take Care of Your Customers

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>By:2'> Libby Anderson

mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>Customers are willing to pay up to 10 percent more

if they receive outstanding service, say some studies. However, customer

service is often described as mediocre, at best. How often do you think the

service you receive is worth an extra 10 percent? And, more importantly, how

often do you think the service your customers receive is worth an extra 10

percent?

One

of the great challenges for employers is getting employees to handle customers

with care. So how do you overcome that challenge and get employees to support

your customer service mission and to share your customer service values?

It isn’t as hard as it might seem. By following these

simple concepts, you can get your employees to take care of your customers, so

you can take care of the rest of your business.

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Hire customer oriented

people. If

you want someone who is great with customers, a “people person” is what you

need. But, just because a potential employee describes himself as a people

person in an interview, doesn’t necessarily mean he is one. So be sure to ask

him how he would handle having multiple customers with multiple needs all at

the same time. Then ask him to give you an example of a time when he has been

in a similar situation. If you are looking for someone with a can-do attitude,

ask him for examples of his can-do behavior at a previous job. If you find out

how your applicant has handled customers before, psychologists say you can

predict that he will repeat the behavior with your customers.

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Tell your employees what

your customer service standards and expectations are. style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Never assume that everyone

shares your philosophy about customer service. Your first step is to put it in

writing so that you can share your standards with employee -- and customers.

During staff meetings, distribute copies of and talk about your standards,

making note of those employees who have met them. Post them on bulletin boards,

include them in employee newsletters. Use providing service excellence as

evaluation criteria during performance discussions. Your customer service

philosophy should be evident throughout every element of your business. The

most critical part of communicating these standards however is that you

walk-the-talk. Don’t expect employees to meet your customer service

expectations if you yourself aren’t willing to set the example with every

customer interaction that you have.

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Train. Train. Train. And

then, train some more. 10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>Tmso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>raining is critical to getting employees to provide

service. They need to understand exactly what

they are supposed to do and how to do it. Customer service training is

something that should happen regularly. One time only training won’t stick.

Customer service training should be fun and include a lot of role-playing. Take

real-life customer situations and act them out with your employees. The

training will be a success if you help the employees to understand how

important it is to their own personal success and that the skills presented are

ones that can be put into use right away. Remember too, to follow scheduling

rules. Don’t try to train late in the day, for lengthy time periods or during a

busy business time when there are lots of distractions.

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Motivate employees to take

care of customers by helping them see how they fit into the big picture and the

success of the organization. mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Indifference is one of the primary reasons customers

“quit.” Indifferent employees are ones who don’t know that they matter and that

what they do affects the entire organization. They don’t know how important

they are to the success or failure of your business. One way to show them is

through “open book management.” This is becoming a popular motivational tool

with many businesses. Basically it means reviewing with employees a simplified

version of your financials so that they can see where you’ve been and where

you’re going -- with their help. Recognize their efforts to provide service

excellence in the presence of their peers, being specific about the behavior

you want to reinforce. Say “thank you” sincerely and often. Too many times the

only feedback an employee gets is negative. It is also important to get them

involved. If you’ve had a glitch with a customer, ask your employees what could

be done next time to prevent it. Challenge them to come up with new and

different ways to wow your customers. Include them in putting together a

mission statement for your business.

Libby

Anderson is a Human Resource Consultant and Trainer who will be presenting a

professional development seminar at Edison Community College on Motivating

Employees To Take Care Of Your Customers. Call 489-9235 for more information.