The 5 W’s of World Class Customer Service Training
The 5 W’s of World Class Customer Service Training
The preamble to the United States Constitution begins, ‘we, the people.’ I feel strongly that we, the people, are what make the difference in life, both personally and professionally.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your employees, including you, gives a customer– whether current, potential, internal or external–an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours. I’m not just talking about call centers here. All technical support or help desk personnel are included as well. As a matter of fact, anyone who is in the customer service business period.
With continued focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customer’s experience. For the customer, the person on the other end of the phone is the company. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contact is through the center. And it’s been reported that 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, having nothing to do with technology. State of the art technology is a necessity today, but it is meant to enable human endeavors, not to disable them.
I often talk about taking customer service and ‘kicking it up a notch.’ In the food industry, the word ‘lagniappe’ is often used. Its definition is “a small present given to a customer with a purchase. For example, when you go to the bakery and buy a dozen donuts or bagels, you oftentimes get a ‘free’ one or a baker’s dozen. That’s what customer service should be about–giving the customer more than they expected! Let’s bring lagniappe into the contact center industry.
If we’re going to speak about world class customer service, let’s have a working definition it so we’re all on the same page. Customer service is those activities provided by a company’s employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made, thereby leading to satisfaction and repurchase.
Let’s look at the first W which is Why?
The state of customer service today is not good, be it over the phone or self service. Because 92% of people feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, this reinforces the importance of centers in branding the image of their companies.
In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, here’s what happened because of poor customer service:
60% cancelled accounts with banks
36% changed insurance providers
40% changed telephone companies
35% changed credit card providers
375 changed Internet service providers
Are you one of these statistics? I certainly am.
In a study done by Purdue University and BenchmarkPortal.com, in answer to (1) how did agents satisfy your needs and handle the call, and (2) based on any negative experience, would you stop using this company in the future? the findings reveal a strong correlation between the participant’s age and the tendency to stop using the company after a bad experience.
What does this mean? Younger participants were less tolerant and more likely to move to the competition. People over 65 were found to be more demanding than those in middle age.
What can you do? Give younger callers a ‘wow’ experience–maintain their loyalty. People over 36 probably have more of an ‘emotional bank account’ with the company they are dealing with–maybe had some good experience and therefore are more willing to ‘forgive.’
In a recent study (CRM Magazine/PeopleSoft Web Seminar on How Usability Helps to Drive a Profitable Contact Center), the number of applications required for agents to access customer inquiries were:
3.7% just 1
81.5% 2 – 5
7.4% 5 – 10
7.4% more than 10
As you can see, the majority of applications are 2 – 5. The goal, of course, is to link every point of contact to one central location for a customer-centric, synchronized approach satisfying customer experiences with every interaction.
Strategies for success for world class service should include:
Respond promptly
Handle requests through the customers’ choice of medium
Be brief and clear
Reduce back and forth communications (especially in writing, i.e., email, kick it up to a phone call if it goes beyond two)
Personalized service
Delight the customer
What do we mean by delighting the customer?
Inform and educate them
Establish your expertise and professionalism
Offer options
Diffuse upset, anger, when and if necessary
Escalate, if required
Take Ownership of the call
Remember we’re still on the first W – the Why. Today’s pressures on agents are different than in the past. They are asked to handle more customer, more volume, more complex and/or complicated calls. After all if we could handle our issues with self service, we probably would not call. But if we tried self service and it didn’t work, now we’re upset and it’s an escalated call from the get go.
They’re asked to provide more information, do it faster and be available and accessible. But they are to lower costs, generate revenue, incorporate new technologies, ensure closure and commitment, deliver ‘great’ service and when? Yesterday, of course.
As a matter of fact the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has said that the causes of death for people under 65 are:
21% – environment – war, accidents, crimes
9% – health care system – doctors, hospitals, medications
17% – human biology – not because of lifestyle
53% – because of the way people choose to live their lives!!!
This is the good news and the bad news. It’s bad news because it’s more than half. However, the good news is that this is something we can do something about, it’s about choice.
The #2 W is Who should be trained?
We suggest front line agents/representatives, supervisors, team lads, managers, assistant managers, internal customers and other departments – anyone who is a touch point so that they can learn to speak the same language, and more importantly, not be in an adversarial position, but rather, together they are serving the external customer or end user.
The #3 W is Where should the training take place? Offsite vs onsite, and there are advantages and disadvantages for both.
Certainly it is most cost effective to have training on site. However, distractions are rampant as is the participant’s availability to a person or problem.
Offsite is more costly. However, there are no distractions and the participants are unavailable to other departments, their managers, or any issues. I believe there is psychic value in taking people away from their work stations and off site to acknowledge the touch jobs they have.
The #4 W is What should be included in any training? We believe the following modules provide a robust, powerful, and succinct training curriculum:
Quality Customer Service Rapport Building
Customer Expectations
Perception Shifting Conflict Resolution
Language Skills
Anger Management E-Mail Protocol
Stress Reduction Empathetic Responsiveness
Change Management
Communication/Listening Skills Interaction/Role Play
Service with a Smile
Further suggested is university certification to up the ante. The more professionally you treat your employees, the more professionally they will treat your customers.
The #5 W is When. We say for new hires, monthly, ongoingly, consistently, whenever change occurs, when stressors increase, and as needed.
We further suggest that each employee get a minimum of 24 hours per year of ongoing training, spread out over time for the most absorption. We divide our trainings into two four hour sessions per day and deliver 6 days per employee. Therefore, 30 people can participate in the training per day. If there has been no ongoing training, we do four days once a month for four months and then a session three months later, and then another three months later. In this manner, training is customized, in real time, and can address whatever challenges are presented when they occur.
How To Get Cheap Car Insurance Online In Missouri
How To Get Cheap Car Insurance Online In Missouri
Getting cheap car insurance is the goal of most drivers in Missouri. I mean, who wants to pay even a penny more than is necessary for quality car insurance?
Thanks to the internet it is now possible to compare car insurance policies and prices at a number of different insurance companies here in Missouri and find the lowest-price insurance that’s right for your driving needs.
But before you spend your time making comparisons it might be a good idea to know what steps you can take to reduce your insurance rate right off the top. In that way the final rate your comparison shopping reveals to you actually will be the lowest rate you can reasonable hope to find.
Let’s start with your driving record. Whatever you do, do not drink and drive or drive while impaired in any way. If you are caught and convicted your car insurance premiums will skyrocket and remain high for several years. Likewise, a speeding ticket will also cause your rates to rise.
If you’re young, stay in school and keep your grades up. A “B” average qualifies most young drivers for a Good Student Discount.
If you’re older ask your insurance agent if you can sign up for a special driver’s program that will result in a savings on your monthly car insurance premium.
If you have multiple insurance policies, such as a homeowner’s policy or a health insurance policy, consider getting your car insurance policy from the same company – most Missouri insurance companies have a special discount for multi-policy holders.
Only carry the insurance coverage that you actually need. If you own a newer car – especially one that being financed – you may not have a lot of leeway in the kinds or amounts of coverage you need to have, but if you drive an older car, especially one with little or no Blue Book value then you might consider dropping or reducing some of your coverage, especially comprehensive.
Your deductible is the area where you can probably make the most headway on reducing your can insurance premiums in Missouri. A deductible is simply the money that you will pay in case of a claim before you ask your insurance company to pay anything. The more you are willing to pay for each claim – in other words, the higher your deductible – then the less you will be asked to pay for your insurance each month.
Now that you have a better idea of the types of things that affect the cost of your car insurance, it’s now time to get cheap car insurance online here in Missouri. You’ll find several websites willing to let your compare prices among different insurance companies, but keep in mind that no one website compares every insurance company, so if you want to compare the largest number of companies possible and increase your chances for finding the truly best and cheapest car insurance online, you’ll have to make your comparisons on more than one website.
It can be a bit work getting cheap car insurance online, but it’s not nearly as much work as it used to be and the bottom line is that you can feel confident that you now have the best and the cheapest car insurance that you’re ever likely to find in Missouri.
Cheap Auto Insurance – A Practical Solution for Reducing Car Expenses
Cheap Auto Insurance – A Practical Solution for Reducing Car Expenses
In today’s world auto insurance is a necessity for any one with a car. I believe you will agree with me when saying that having a car is an expense on its own. Not to mention the
Fuel prices these days. So what actually can be done to cut costs from your car payments?
One of the easiest, quickest, safest and cost efficient ways to save money is getting cheap auto insurance rates. Some will say that their insurance payments are relatively low. That may be true but keep in mind that over 35% of auto insurance policy holders are overpaying their insurance and don’t even know about it.
The competition among insurance companies these days is huge due to a simple fact; the amount of cars in the world is constantly growing, meaning more insurance is needed. Some people insure 2 or even 3 cars through the same insurance company and aren’t aware that if they demand an additional discount they will easily get it and even if they don’t, no worries, there are lots of other reliable companies that will give them a better rate.
There are plenty of ways of saving hundreds of dollars from your annual premium. The first step is getting a quote. Filling out a quote should be done correctly and the cheapest and fastest way to get free quotes is online. Correct comparison is the key to great rates and it’s needless to say you should compare quotes from at least 3 different companies (the more the better). There are organizations which provide unbiased services helping you compare 1000 of bids from different auto insurance companies with filling out just one form. These systems can come in handy and save hours of quote comparison.
Ways To Save
The following are a few tested strategies you can apply for saving 0 – 0 from your premium. The more tips you apply the more you can save, believe it or not saving couldn’t be easier.
- Raise your deductibles
- Reduce coverage on older cars
- Compare male and female as main drivers
- If you haven’t had an accident – negotiate a discount
- Take a defensive driving course and let the insurance company know that you have
- Install anti theft devices
- Ask for a discount if you have more than one type of insurance from the same company
- Check for low mileage discounts
All in all it is important to understand that there are more than enough ways to save money, all you need to do is get started and it doesn’t require much effort or time. If you take a close look at what your payments are all about you will see that you could cut costs daily if you just give it a bit of time and correct calculation.
Tips On How To Arrange Cheaper Home Contents And Buildings Insurance
Tips On How To Arrange Cheaper Home Contents And Buildings Insurance
If you are looking for tips on how to reduce the yearly premiums you pay on your home contents and/or home buildings insurance policies, the following are some sure-fire ways to do it:
Increase the insurance excess amount
While still maintaining a sensible threshold, why not increase the excess amount on the insurance policy? The excess amount is the amount you and the insurance company agree you’ll be liable to pay you can make a claim on the insurance policy. In theory, with an increase in the excess amount should come a reduction in the premium – as there is less chance you’ll claim.
Increase your home security
Insofar as home contents insurance is concerned, security is a major contributing factor. Therefore, if you want to reduce your home contents insurance premiums, you should seriously consider beefing up your home security system. Depending on the valuation you have put on your home contents, ideas here should include putting in a home alarm system.
Rent a safety deposit box
While none of us like the idea of keeping our most prized possessions safely locked away in a safety deposit box, if you have one or two very valuable personal items, you may well find that it is a lot less expensive to keep these in a safety deposit box and only bring them out on special occasions than it is to pay an expensive insurance premium to keep them on-hand all the time.
Look around for a new insurance provider
Although you do need to consider whether or not your home buildings insurance provider is an approved insurance company, so far as your mortgage lender is concerned, these days the insurance industry is a very price competitive one. As such, take advantage of this and look around to see if you can get a cheaper deal either on the Internet or in the real world.
Insure against the mortgage value
Although it is never recommended practice that you only insure your home buildings against the mortgage loan outstanding, if money is tight and the amount of your mortgage outstanding is not too far off the real value of your home, you may want to consider insuring your home for the value of the mortgage loan outstanding. This way, with a lower home valuation should come reduced premium payments.
Although there are a number of ways that you can reduce both your home contents and home buildings insurance, where possible it is best practice that you try to maintain adequate insurance to reflect the real value of all your wonderful possessions.
Some Of The Best Health Care Tips In One Place. (2)
Some Of The Best Health Care Tips In One Place.
Nothing is more important than your health, but few things are more confusing than finding the right health insurance. From state laws to federal regulations and everything else guiding the health care industry, it is one complicated headache after another. The information contained in this article is designed to lessen the headaches and make it easier for you to understand the nature of health insurance and how to put it to work for you.
When shopping for health insurance, try one of the many websites that offer rates from several providers at the same time. Enter your information for the type of policy you want and find the rates for different companies offering the coverage you want. This can save not only time, but money too.
If you have health problems, be sure to shop around for your health insurance. Some insurance providers have more liberal medical guidelines when compared to their competitors. For example, some insurance companies allow a total cholesterol level of up to 270 to qualify for their cheapest policies, whereas other insurance companies specify a total cholesterol level of up to just 230.
If a health insurance company representative asks you a question to which you do not know the answer, tell them so. There is no shame in telling them that you are unsure of what they are asking, and they should call your physician to get the proper answer. They may seem frustrated, but that’s okay. Don’t let it bother you.
Avoid being turned down for insurance or having to pay astronomical rates, by avoiding dangerous, risky activities like racing cars, rodeo riding, skydiving, bungee jumping, scuba diving, kiteboarding, and so on! If you do have a dangerous hobby, don’t keep it a secret. Be sure to tell your insurance agent about it right up front. That way, if you are injured while participating in your dangerous hobby, you will have insurance coverage. If you don’t tell your insurance agent, you could lose your coverage altogether.
When you do decide that it’s time to switch health insurance plans, do not wait. Your medical bills and needs do not wait, so any kind of gap in your coverage can be risky to your finances and health. Try to locate and get a new policy before the one you currently have runs out.
Bundle many types of insurance to save more money. Often when you are looking for good prices on your health insurance, you can make a couple of calls that will speed up your search. If you have life insurance, auto insurance, or homeowner’s insurance, ask them if they have bundle deals.
Plan for the worst when taking out a new health insurance policy. Health insurance can be expensive. However, even the cost of health insurance is pocket change when compared to the astronomical cost of some health bills. Take out a policy that won’t leave you completely bankrupt if an emergency hits.
Your only way to understanding health insurance and how to get the best coverage for your money is through education. Hopefully, this article has helped you to gain better insight and understanding of your options, as they relate to the coverage of your well being and you are now prepared to navigate your way to a good solid health care plan.