Get the 'tude Keys to excellent customer senrice

By Jeffrey Hansler Oxford Co.

on the people and hard on the issues to be resolved. This is a must in order to take care of the customers, themselves, their co-workers, and your organization. Educational subjects that will contribute to this attitude include assertiveness training, negotiation training, and persuasion skills (Yes, you can even call it sales training!).

A 'tude says: "I think like my most demanding customer."

Yet, we're not just talking about individuals here-we're talking about your whole organization. As more products are driven into the commodity category, delivering customer service excellence is critical to establish value in the mind of the customer.

You may have some enlightened mavericks in your organization that get it. These front-line saints are contributing to the bottom line with every transaction. They must be backed with congruency in the organization and education for strong communication skills for everyone in the organization or these people will leave your organization. Or worse, they'll just stop delivering customer service.

Here are some suggestions to develop and keep the 'tude, dude:

A'tude says: "I am a courageous listener.t'

When customers have a problem. they want to be heard. Unfortunately. when they need to be heard the most is when they have gone ballistic. At that point, they have most likely forgotten all of their communication skills. They attack the very person from whom they need help. A courageous listener is able to clear up any personal doubts. "This customer is frustrated, hurt and angry, and they need to be listened to. I have the courage to understand and not react to any personal attacks that express them with a smile and plenty of positive personality. may come from their frustration." Listening is especially challenging when the person facing you is surrounded by negative energy. Yet that is exactly what the individuals in your organization must be trained to do. They must be given the communication skills to overcome the customers' communication weaknesses. This includes having practiced the listening skills enough to be able to SOME get it. some don't. and some LJnever will! Attitude is key ro customer service excellence.

A'tude says: "I am hard on issues, soft on people."

Develop the communication skills to show empathy and establish a partnership in responding to a problem. Show empathy by listening, feeding back expectations, and looking for resolutions. Build partnerships by being assertive in redirecting the customer to the issues and away from personal attacks.

Develop the desire

always exceed customers' expectations with smiles, words and actions.

The individuals in your organization are the single most important element in a customer interaction. If they're not at their best, nothing they are associated with will be the best. Exceptional customer service will never be delivered by a victim or a codependent in an abusive relationship. They must learn the communication skills to be assertive and insightful enough to use assertiveness skills, when appropriate, to keep the relationship in a parlnership situation.

A situation where evervone is easv

Develop the desire to always exceed a customer's expectations with smiles, words and actions. Reward the individuals in your organization for asking themselves the tough customer service questions. How can I deliver more value? Make this a memorable experience? Turn this negative situation into a positive experience that's good for all parties-the customer, the company, and me?

Have you or has anyone you know ever had a bad experience with Nordstrom or Federal Express? The answer is probably yes! These companies are not perfect, but they get it right many times more often than they get it wrong. Why? They empower and reward their employees to use their best judgment in all situations and spend the company's money to do it!

How long does the euphoria of exceptional customer service last? At most. only until the next experience outside their expectations of regular service. However, if your last experience was exceptional, you are much more likely to start off with a positive attitude, and that makes everyone's job easier. To provide your organization with the opportunity to deliver exceptional customer service, conduct internal focus groups, strategic planning, creative thinking, and experiential learning sessions.