The BridgeBlog

What makes a customer interaction successful … the first 17 seconds.

I called a wireless phone company yesterday about my cell phone. Seems the phone is eating up battery life in about 8 hours, when it initially took 3-4 days to deplete it. When the support person took the call, they listened briefly, then said … “with the credits I see on your account and a rebate we could get you into a new phone right now for only $19.95, which one would you like?”

Did I ask for a new phone? No. Do I want a new phone? No.

I had asked to get my old one fixed. His response made me mad at him, mad at the company, mad at the phone and certainly mad at the people who drive while talking on their cell phones. Heck, I’m even looking at changing phone companies now.

… a prime example of not connecting to a client in the first 17 seconds of the call.

When it works right

Contrast that with a call where someone immediately hears your issue, empathizes with your problem, and then begins to probe exactly where they should? It doesn’t happen often, but when it does the feeling of good customer service is there, in an instant.

The magic is in the first 17 seconds. During that brief period frontline personnel need to listen to all the clues and then respond. Is the client upset? Are they technical? Is the problem a usage related one? Is the product able to do what they are asking of it? If we can listen for some or all of those clues, then the response will be aimed at the right level.

But if the client is misunderstood, then trouble is about to start.

It is hard … call after call

After your 89th call of the day it is hard to listen to the client with the right perspective. Calls get smeared together, details get lost, and the emotion from one call bleeds into another … try this … put a post-it note on your computer that says … “No matter the call volume, this is THEIR ONLY CALL – make it a good one.”

BridgeFront offers customer service communications training online. Visit our web site for more information. Contact us by sending an email to info@bridgefront.com or call 866.447.2211.

My favorite waiter is Sean Patrick Martin (a strong Irish name if I ever heard one) who works at a wonderful Italian restaurant here in Portland. He is so good, that I will even wait for a table that he is working…I hate to wait for things. What makes him better than the other waiters and waitresses?

Well, there are a number of things. He is there when you need him, gone in a flash, quick with suggestions and supports your discussions…all of which most good waiters do. But what really makes him the best is his behind the scenes control of the support staff – transparent service.

You see, Sean doesn’t do it all.  He directs people to fill water glasses, serve plates, pick up dishes and deliver a little something extra from the waiter. All that service is transparent, unless you look for it. Sean knows that he’s part of a team. Each member has a task and when played in unison it sounds like an orchestra.

Yes, the food is great and the restaurant extremely friendly, but it is the orchestration of services that bring us back time and time again. What Sean Martin does is hard work, but he creates beautiful music.

Does your support team play beautiful music together?

Most likely you have people on the front-lines interacting with your clients or patients. They can’t do everything that’s needed to satisfy all situations, so they escalate or delegate to others. But do those other people know the role they are playing?

Some support might be needed from a technical person, a billing person, or some other staff member. If they fulfill their part of the task, the front-line team member delivers excellent customer service to your client. However, one weak link in the chain and disaster strikes…in that case I hope your front-line team member has taken a course on how to handle the irate client.

Sounds easy, but transparent service is hard to deliver.

It is a team effort – so you need to create that culture. Each member of the team needs to have equal status and recognition. Each individual needs to know what their deliverables are to the effort, as well as what everyone else is responsible for. They need to share in the glory of the happy client and understand the failures as a team.

Most of this starts with training…and ends with training. You need to consider every scenario that could happen; have a plan of action; assign tasks; and then train, train, train. Of course it’s hard and time consuming. But your clients are worth it and if done right they will come back, tell others, and increase your brand equity considerably.

Do it right and you will see the same people back time and time again…thanks Sean.

Olympic Stars – Good Customer Communication Skills?

While thinking about my next post, I was reminded of the Winter Olympics…which is right around the corner. The first person that comes to mind is Bonnie Blair (1). I had the privilege of being a neighbor and a friend to Bonnie and her family…and being part of the “Blair Bunch.”

On several occasions a group of us would head out for dinner or sporting events, with Bonnie leading the charge.  Invariably while at the event, she would be stopped and asked for pictures, autographs and/or introductions.  In watching this unfold time and time again, I asked her if the attention bothered her or became monotonous.

In true Bonnie fashion, she smiled and simply said, “They are the reason that I exist.  They support me, encourage me and give me the focus I need to be the best.”

Let’s take that logic to the workplace.

Do our employees feel that way toward our customers?  Are they willing to accept interruptions and impositions with an attitude like Bonnie’s?  If not, then they certainly don’t understand the power that a personal connection has on our customers.

If our customers take the time to talk to us, we really need to listen.  We need to hear the words, the tone, and intention.  We need to consider the input as gold.  If we use that nugget to improve our companies, we can only win more customers.  However, if we ignore the feedback we will lose one client after another…until, well they are all gone.

It starts at the top.

This attitude does not happen on its own; it has to start from the top.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard executives speak poorly about their customer service people.  The worse case was at a Fortune 100 firm (that started in the radio business and whose logo looks like a bat) when an executive told me that their “Field Service personnel were just trained monkeys.”

Are you kidding me? That’s what you feel about your frontline personnel, who work every day face-to-face with your clients? I resigned from that firm shortly there-after.

We need to train and support our frontline personnel better than any other single group in the company. They are the face of our businesses. We need to give them the tools and empowerment they need to present the right image to our clients.  We need to treat them like the gold-handlers they are.

What does the face of your organization look like?

As noted in my last post, BridgeFront just announced its new customer service and communication skills online course library. Learn More >>>

By Kent Lane, 20-year customer service veteran. Please send questions or comments to kentl@bridgefront.com.

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(1)Bonnie Blair – One of the top female skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated female athletes in Olympic history, Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.

Ever wonder why some businesses make it and others don’t?

Let’s look at one sector for a moment – restaurants. If you compare apples to apples, in most cases the food is good and the cost is about the same. There could be a difference in ambiance, but the real difference is in the service you receive. It starts with the host or hostess and runs clear through the wait-person.

Try this – next time you walk into an Asian restaurant, take note of the host or hostess. They will most likely meet you at the door with menus in hand, counting the number of people you are with, saying “table for 4, come right this way.”

Next, take notes at an American restaurant. As you walk in, the host or hostess will most likely look away or glance at their seating chart. I’ve even experienced a host or hostess walk away as I arrive, without saying a word. Then out of nowhere they will look up, as if surprised, and ask, “oh, ah, how many in your party?” What, they did not see you come in and cannot count up to 4?

After these experiences, how do you feel about their establishments? You have not eaten, nor have you been wowed by the wait-person, but your impression is different right from the start.

In today’s world frontline personnel ARE our companies.

They are what our clients think of our products and service, and they dictate client loyalty. But who are these people and what are we doing to create an image that creates loyalty.

Many times they are entry level. Some have college experience (which does little to promote verbal communications) and some do not.

There is a crisis coming and we don’t even see it coming.

It goes like this … as products become more and more similar, client communications becomes more and more the differentiator … all at a time when the workforce has fewer and fewer people who will accept entry level or frontline positions … and can actually speak to clients.

Outsourcing of call centers is short sighted and will in fact be rescinded. Executives will figure out that future sales are a direct result of clear and honest communication after the sale.

Time to wake up, folks.

Time to meet your clients at the door and deliver what they want. It is time to answer the phone, personally. It is time to put as much energy in your support services as you do your marketing brochures. It is time to ‘in-source’ your call center. It is time to care about your customer, because they are just a ‘click’ away from your competitor.

BridgeFront just announced a new online course library dedicated to customer service, communication and leadership skills. Learn More >>>

By Kent Lane, 20-year customer service executive. Send questions or comments to kentl@bridgefront.com.