Getting It Right For Customers
It's easy to put small
touches to a product or service that make you stand out from "the
rest". Some find this comes easily, others take longer to understand what
this may mean for them.
Recently, I went to buy a cordless telephone for my ageing
parents-in-law. The idea was that they wouldn't have to get up and go to the
phone, but instead that they would have a cordless handset with them in the
house, wherever they were. The store I went to was one of the larger department
stores and had a "reasonable" selection of phones.
I was thinking of getting a set of three to four phones (one
"base" unit and two-three extra "remote" handset) that
could be positioned conveniently around the house so that there was always a
phone nearby. This was where the problems started. The store only sold in sets
of two (base and remote handset), so really, I needed to buy two sets of two
phones if I was to get the four that I wanted. I decided that this was acceptable on the
basis that if I REALLY needed four, I could buy an extra two. The sales
assistant showed me the contents of the box which included the power cables for
the charging bases for the handsets. On closer examination, I saw that the
plugs on the chargers had the European two-pin configuration, whereas for the
country in which my in-laws live, the standard plug is a UK three square-pin
configuration.
In other words, the store was selling something which was
unfit for purpose. The assistant showed me where to buy an adaptor (at extra
cost) that would solve my problem, but seemed mystified when I pointed out that
the store was selling something that was clearly unsuitable for the current
environment. Yes, the store would kindly
sell an adaptor, but my question was, would it be so difficult to specify to
the supplier that the charging units should be supplied with the correct
plug? Otherwise, what about including a
suitable adaptor as part of the deal?
This made me think about what I could and should be doing to
ensure that I provide those extra little "touches" that make a real
difference to my customers. It seems that in some markets, the
"almost-but-not-quite-there" approach is acceptable, but how much
extra effort would it REALLY take to provide that little bit extra that
distinguishes you from"the rest"?
I've heard people saying "We're no worse than anyone else." as
if to justify a substandard product or service. In this age of choice and
consumer ability to expose you on the Internet, there's little room for such
complacency.
You need to remember is that it's often the LITTLE THINGS
that count (like the example above with the plugs). They take little time and often cost little
or no effort, but show that you're putting yourself in your customers' shoes and
understand what matters to them. Examples could be:
·
Greeting them when they enter your premises;
·
Addressing them by name;
·
Keeping your promises (e.g. if you say you'll
call back, make sure you do);
·
Fixing any blemishes on a product you're selling
(even if its the last one);
·
Including something small (to you) free in the
price (think about the adapters above);
·
Having a "No questions asked" returns
policy;
·
Tidying up after you leave.
In the modern age of "packaged" or
"commoditised" services and products, many people have little room
for "individual" touches ("they're too expensive and don't make
money!"). however, if someone feels that you're treating them just that
but differently and that you care, the profits will speak for themselves.
I have spent more than half my life delivering
change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging”
economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services industry
running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started my own
Performance Management Consultancy to offer solutions for improving
performance, productivity and risk management.
I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies
and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer,
author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Selling, Strategy
Effective Problem-Solving
Everyone wants problems solved
FAST (especially customers). Being seen
as someone who comes up with a “fast” solution is “good”. We feel good when we’ve “solved the problem”. However, this often means that people
rush at things to impress bosses, customers or colleagues. Fast solutions aren’t always the best,
particularly in the longer-term.
Why
do problems occur? It happens for any number of reasons, particularly where
people are involved. Dealing with
people, faulty systems, changes in processes or technology or with customers all give rise to the problems that
we face every day.
It’s
no use moaning or getting angry (unless the problem’s been caused by someone
who has already been instructed in how to “do it right”). The fastest and most effective
problem-solving approach is to have a framework that works. Here’s what works for me.
1.
Make sure that there IS a problem.
If so, don’t ignore it in the hope that it’ll go away.
2.
Acknowledge and accept it. One of
my friends says “We are where we are” whenever he has an “issue” on his
hands. Accepting that there’s a problem puts
you in a positive frame of mind for dealing with it.
3.
Define the problem. What information
do you need? Gather as much as possible in the time available. Use the “Six Honest Serving Men” (Who, What,
When, Where, Why, How) to understand what happened. Often you have to treat the symptoms first, then the longer-term causes. During the UK horsemeat saga, food
retailers had little time to work out how
horsemeat was getting into beef products (cause). The short-term solution: remove all beef
products (treat symptoms). The long-term
one: review supply chains (cause).
4.
When defining and gathering information, don’t turn it into a “blame
game”. You will make people cover up
vital information, making the situation worse.
5.
Distinguish between “causes” and “symptoms”. Inefficient processes cause customer complaints (symptoms).
Treating causes is the way to go, but isn’t always possible due to cost or
other practical considerations (we can’t eliminate “human error”). Is it
cheaper/easier/more to treat the symptoms rather than the cause?
6.
Is there more than one cause? Problems are caused by people, processes
and systems. Can they be eliminated?
What will elimination cost? Is it easier
to change people/process/systems even if it’s a customer-caused problem? With the UK’s horsemeat problem, people identified
various causes (pressure to keep prices low, complex supply chains,
insufficient checks of product and/or end suppliers).
7.
Don't trust the first solution that presents itself. Is there more than one solution? Is it cheaper/easier/more diplomatic to
change people/process/systems even if it’s a customer-caused problem? Is there a short-term “fix” and a longer-term one? Make sure you pick the right solution for the
right problem.
8.
How much time do you have to resolve the problem? The more time, the
better the solution. Solutions take more or less time to implement,
depending on the problem and its cause(s).
Causes may take longer to treat than results. Do you need to adopt a “short-term/long-term”
solution?
9.
What needs to be done? Why?
Where will it happen? How much will it cost? When will it happen? Who
will be in charge? How do you explain this to others?
10.
What will you do to make sure it doesn't happen again (eliminate),
reduce the impact of it happening again (mitigate), or react more quickly if it
does (anticipate)?
A lot
of people tell you to “follow your gut”.
“Gut reaction” actually involves the human brain reacting to stimuli,
comparing them to past experiences and selecting a response within milliseconds
(Prof. Robert Cialdini calls this the “click-whirr” response). “Gut instinct” is great, but remember that you
may react to the wrong signal and make the wrong decision.
Have
a problem-solving framework. Include:
·
Who does what
·
When to refer
·
Limits of authority to commit to action/expense
·
What needs to be done to eliminate, mitigate or anticipate errors happening
again?
·
Encourage/reward people who spot problems (and solutions!)
·
Encourage participation in problem-solving/anticipation
·
Don’t play “blame games”
·
Remedial training/coaching facilities
·
Structured and focussed hiring and training approach
·
If someone continues to be a problem, despite all your efforts, let them
go…
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services
industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I
started my own Performance Management Consultancy to offer solutions for
improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses,
charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An
international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
.Labels: Crisis Management, Customer Care, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
Customer Complaints: Welcome!
Most people would consider me mad for suggesting that
customer complaints were a good thing.
We all strive to AVOID them, after all.
Personally, I see a complaint as an opportunity for a number of reasons:
·
It shows where your business or organisation
could perform better;
·
It indicates that there may be serious problems
(e.g. fraud) of which you’re not aware;
·
You’re getting feedback from someone prepared to
give it;
·
Many customers will just switch to a competitor
without telling you what’s wrong. If
they’re telling you what’s wrong, they’re giving you a chance to put it right.
No one likes to receive complaints. However, a well thought out and implemented
complaints framework will not only pacify customers but also act as a tool to improve
performance and increase customer loyalty.
In my experience, these are the key actions that you can take:
1.
Ensure
that customers feel comfortable complaining:
None of us like to
complain/criticise. After all, it means
we’re pointing out that someone else isn’t performing up to standard. Equally, there are organisations (and I’ve
experienced plenty) which take offense at even the most minor observation. Train staff to listen before either making excuses or denying there’s a
problem. If a customer’s complaining,
there is.
2.
Make
it easy to complain:
Customers may complain face to
face, by telephone or in writing. If
they complain face to face, don’t make things difficult by saying that they
have to put things in writing to such-and-such an address. Have a mechanism for taking the complaint
down in writing (preferably without the customer having to do the work).
3.
Apologise
that the customer is upset and take responsibility:
By this, I don’t mean that you
immediately admit it was your mistake (unless it is obvious that it was), but
that you will investigate the complaint and revert with an explanation.
4.
Give
a deadline for your response:
Some organisations’ “Complaints”
or “Customer Care” departments seem to be empty rooms, for all the response
they give. Assure the customer that you
will respond within a set timeframe, whether you have completed your
investigations or not. This shows that
you’re serious. Nominate a suitably
experienced team member to investigate all complaints.
5.
Provide
a full and frank explanation:
However embarrassing, be
honest. Some organisations try to cover
things up – don’t try to deceive customers.
State where your organisation was at fault and what will be done to fix
this. Apologise at this point if you
were at fault.
6.
Fix
the problem:
Change processes, re-train staff,
compensate the customer. Check that the
new processes, systems and training work and that the customer is satisfied
with the outcome.
7.
Train
your staff:
No matter how good your
processes, training staff in complaint handling is critical. Being on the receiving end of a complaint can
be just as stressful as what caused it. Staff
need to know what the customer is feeling, how they themselves are likely to
react, how to get the essential facts in a possible high-tension situation, how
to defuse the situation and how to move on.
Don’t just throw them into work with a manual.
8.
Review:
Make sure you understand what
went wrong and why. Have there been
previous instances of the same complaint connected to the same customer,
product, person or department? Is there
a pattern? Review complaints regularly, keep a register.
I’ve tailored frameworks for a number of organisations and
customers and have found that everyone is different. How could you use this framework?
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services
industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started
my own Performance Management Consultancy to offer solutions for improving
performance, productivity and risk management.
I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies
and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer,
author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Customer Care, Productivity, Selling, Strategy
