8 minute read

Harvey Mackay

29442 120th St. Grey Eagle, MN 56336 320-285-2323 Email: htnews@icloud.com

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A high school student landed her first summer job working in a drugstore. As she arrived at the store for her first day on the job, the phone was ringing. Everyone was busy and the manager asked her to please answer the phone. " G o o d morning,” she said

in a cheery voice.

“Do you stock Ben Gay?” asked the caller.

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, does your store carry Vicks Vap-ORub?” queried the customer.

“I don’t know,” said the new clerk.

“Do you have Pepto-Bismol on hand?”

“I couldn’t tell you for sure if we do or don’t.”

“You don’t know much do you, young lady,” said the caller.

“No, I guess I don’t,” the new employee responded. “In fact, when I said, ‘Good morning,’ I told you everything I know.”

Obviously, this new hire had not been trained to actually help customers. No excuse for that. But to put her in a position to potentially drive customers away for lack of preparation was not her fault.

Responsible businesses understand that customer needs come first, and staff must be capable of meeting them. Because so much interaction is dependent on the phone, let’s start there.

Good phone skills are crucial for customer service. At least this young worker was cheerful, sincere and had a positive tone – three important ingredients in telephone communication skills. When you answer the phone, you want to project an enthusiastic and natural tone, making the customer feel comfortable in carrying on a conversation.

Listen and try your best to understand the problem and then resolve it as quickly as possible. Studies show that a call under five minutes is a success.

Put a smile in your voice. A person’s voice sounds and feels friendly and warm when you speak with a smile. A study by the University of Portsmouth found that people can hear whether a person is smiling on the phone.

Clearly enunciate your words and speak as clearly as possible. I realize it is frustrating for many people when they call customer service and reach a person with an accent or a different dialect that can be difficult to understand. Because call centers are located all over the world, it’s important to make sure your representatives are understandable and patient when callers ask for information to be repeated.

Give customers the time to vent any frustration. Don’t interrupt them, as they can get more upset if they aren’t allowed to tell their story.

Watch your language and avoid slang. And it should be obvious: Don’t chew gum, eat or shuffle papers during a call. Give callers your undivided attention.

Never argue with customers. Remember that they are the most important people in any business. The customer is not dependent on you or your company; you and your company are dependent on them. They are part of the business and not outsiders. They bring you their wants, and it’s your job to fill those wants. If that is not possible, be honest and explain what you are able to do, rather than focusing on what you can’t.

Try to learn the caller’s name and use it naturally in your conversation. Doing so reinforces that you are focused on them.

In customer service, your ultimate job is to leave the customer satisfied, so do whatever you can to make that happen and finish any conver

I don’t know anyone who likes being put on hold. Although you may have to ask a client or customer to hold, it doesn’t have to be frustrating for the caller. Here are a few courtesies that can make the wait time a little more tolerable for the caller: • Don’t multitask. When you try to do two things at once, you’ll be more likely to miss something important a caller is trying to tell you. • Ask before placing a caller on hold. Don’t just tell customers to “please hold.” Ask if they can hold. Wait until they respond, and then thank them. • Don’t tell customers you’ll put them on hold for “just a second.” Instead, give them a reasonable estimate of how long you’ll be away from the phone and why they’ll be on hold. • Faster doesn’t always mean better. Speed should always be second to carefully attending to a caller’s needs. • Take notes. Don’t rely on your memory.

The next time your phone rings, let your customers know you mean business!

Mackay’s Moral: Taking care of customers is taking care of business.

Reprinted with permission from nationally syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” “We Got Fired!...And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us,” “The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World,” and “Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door.”

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Upcoming Events

SATURDAY, JUNE 11 • History Book Discussion at 10:30 a.m. at the Grey Eagle Public Library. See ad on page 5. TUESDAY, JUNE 14 • Melrose Legion Post & Auxiliary Family Gathering: social 6 p.m.; pot luck dinner 7 p.m. SUNDAY, JUNE 19 • Freeport Fire Department 61st Annual Ham BBQ - Hog/Beef & Quilt Raffle from 4:30-9 p.m. at the Freeport Community Center. See ad on page 7. FRIDAY, JUNE 24 • St. Joseph’s Church of Grey Eagle Dinner & Auction starting at 5 p.m. at The Hub Supper Club, Burtrum. See ad on page 7.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 • Folk & Old-Time Music & Potluck starting from 1-3 p.m. at the Village View Apartments, Grey Eagle. ALBANY TOWNSHIP • Meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany City Hall. • Planning Commission meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany City Hall.

BURNHAMVILLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Burtrum City Hall. BURTRUM CITY COUNCIL •MeetsthefirstMondayofthemonthat7p.m. FEET FIRST CLINIC • Meets the 1st Tuesday of the month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Holdingford City Hall. FOOD DISTRIBUTION • Ruby’s Pantry Food Distribution first Saturday of the Month from 10-11 a.m. at River of Live Church, Sauk Centre.

FREEPORT CITY COUNCIL • Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

FREEPORT SENIOR MEETING • Meets the third Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. with cards/Bingo/coffee/dessert.

GREY EAGLE CITY COUNCIL • Meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. GREY EAGLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the first Monday of the month at 8 p.m.

MELROSE TOWNSHIP • Meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the town hall.

MELROSE VFW #7050 POST/AUX. • Meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Melrose American Legion Clubrooms. STEARNS CO. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY • Meets at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Monday of the month at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Albany. SUNSHINE CLUB • Meets every Monday, weigh in starts at 8; meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the Village View Apartments, Grey Eagle. ST. ROSA CITY COUNCIL • Meets the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Community Park building.

SWANVILLE CITY COUNCIL • First Tuesday after the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. SWANVILLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the second Tuesday of the month at 8:30 p.m. at the Swanville Fire Hall. UPSALA CITY COUNCIL • Meets the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m.

If you have an upcoming event or meeting, please let us know by email: htnews@icloud.com or call 320-285-2323.

Temperatures

Date High Low 6/1 64 45 6/2 70 46 6/3 66 43 6/4 75 46 6/5 73 46 6/6 70 50 6/7 68 52

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