First Fix The Customer, Then Fix The Problem

Business, Customer Service.

We, the people, make a difference - we, the people, make the difference. The 2008 CSO Insight' s Sales Performance Optimization Survey( 14th edition) found the# 1 reason companies win deals is because of their relationships with prospects.

I' ve been speaking and writing about how important creating relationship is with your customers - - current, or future, potential. - and conversely, a major reason they lose deals is because of the competition' s relationship with the prospect. This survey also found that product superiority dropped down to the# 3 reason companies win deals, with just 35% of companies citing it versus 56% who say relationships drive their wins. As I' ve often said, what distinguishes one company from another in today' s competitive marketplace is its relationship with the customer - - in other words, customer service. And once again who has the awesome responsibility of creating that relationship with the customer? In that moment of truth which is: Every contact a customer has with you Every time a customer contacts anyone in your company Every experience a customer has with your company' s service strategy Every time a customer interacts with your CEO. is when a decision is made by the customer as to whether to do business with your company or not. Every employee at your organization, including yourself.

In those first three sentences it is determined whether this is going to be a good or bad experience, a waste of your time, an interaction that, a frustration will not get you what you want or need or any resolution. - it' s worth repeating that a customer doesn' t care what you know until they know you care. In those first three sentences! First fix the customer, then fix the problem. I believe it' s a training issue( but then I do have a bias on the people side) . So how do you create relationship with customers?

First, by treating customers( internal and external) with dignity and respect. - and third, and by that, by delighting them i mean: inform and educate. Second, by listening to what they say, acknowledging what you heard, and responding accordingly. Establish Expertise and Professionalism. Escalate, if Required. Diffuse, if or when Necessary. Take Ownership of Call.

Communication means that a message was sent, and most importantly, it was delivered, it was understood. - i say it' s a training issue because we all know how to talk, but very few of us know how to communicate. We are also poor listeners, even though it' s not necessarily our fault. This brings them back to their initial presentation and takes time for you to listen again and take them where they do want to go. Because we live in a fast paced society, we listen for the pause to jump in and take a customer where we think they want to go - - and we may be wrong! There are also representational systems whereby we imbibe information. You hear the expressions, 'we' re on the same page' or' we' re in synch' which means you are on the same wave length so to speak.

Knowing what your customer' s preferred mode of receiving information allows you to respond in the same way thus establishing rapport( connection) and the beginning of trust. - this is where empathetic responsiveness is most impactful. Wouldn' t you love to hear someone respond to you something like this, 'Thanks so much for calling, how may I help you? My working definition is the imaginative transposing of oneself into the thinking, feeling and acting of another and so structuring the world as he does. So if I understand you' re upset because, is that correct? Let' s see what we can do to remedy this situation for you. '

My name is Rosanne and I' d feel the same way if that happened to me.