This document outlines 7 pillars of customer service: 1) Develop a customer service mission statement, 2) Ensure customer service has the proper attitude and action, 3) Provide base training for employees, 4) Coach employees, 5) Send creative thank you's, 6) Perform functional walkthroughs, and 7) Engage with customers. It emphasizes the importance of going above and beyond for customers to build loyalty and advocates training employees to learn more about each customer. Real-world examples are provided to illustrate how following these pillars can significantly increase sales and improve customer relationships.

1. 7 Pillars of Customer Service Presented By: Sales Progress

2. INTRODUCTION: Wowing the customer builds the organization’s reputation and overall brand. Employees will not always understand this; therefore, it is IMPERATIVE that management challenges employees and coaches them to a level beyond what they’re willing to do.

3. Research 90 % of machine manufacturers said in order to defend against low cost competitors a greater percentage of their revenues must come from services; therefore, the way they service their clients is critical to their long-term success - Industry Week

4. Research If you can prevent 5% of your customers from leaving you can increase your bottom line profit by 25 – 95% - Harvard Business Review

5. Research The average American business loses 15% of its customer base each year. 68% of customers who stop buying from one business and go to another will do so due to poor or indifferent service. 82 % go somewhere else because of a specific customer service issue US News and World Report

6. Are You Convinced Yet?

7. Pillar 1:Develop a Customer Service Mission Statement Clearly convey your company’s specific objectives as they relate to customer service. Should be dedicated to building an organizational perspective of what WOWING the customer is truly about. Communicate mission statement with customers AND employees. All to keep the mission alive as well as communicate its successes. Could include: Signs throughout the organization Internal employee newsletters Incentives for good work

8. Pillar 2:Customer Service is Attitude AND Action It is imperative that employees have the proper attitudes as well as the capacity to take action. Its one thing to be willing to offer great customer service, however willingness means nothing without action. Employees need to be encouraged to take matters into their own hands and impress clients.

9. A great customer Example The president of the organization asked me, how do you go about doing a wow activity? I asked him if he had learned anything unique about any client in the past week or two. He was talking when he realized he had his answer. He stopped by a client site with a book about our military personnel and he told the woman, I just wanted to give this to you to show our appreciation for your son and what he does for our country. The customer began to tear up and cry. It is safe to say this client told a multiple of fellow employees about this act of kindness. $20 and a short drive later a wow factor had been created; client loyalty had been more deeply entrenched.

10. A Great Customer Example One major client we had was in the boating industry, which at the time was down over 30%. Knowing the market was tight we decided to take action. We created a folder system that had articles about how to run marine dealerships successfully. We trained the personnel to ask business driven questions such as how is business, when is your next open house, and what are you doing in regard to marketing your dealership. We took this information and began to disseminate specific articles of interest against what the customer stated they were doing. It was during this program sales increased 22% in a down market.

11. Pillar 3:Base Training Employees must be trained on customer service and best practices. Base training should include 3 major components Workshops Discussion Real world activity Workshops should teach core content and facilitate discussion about real-world challenges of the organization, as well as specific customers. Builds deeper engagement among employees when theworkshop is drawing upon things they can directly relate to.

12. Pillar 4:Coaching Employees Coaching is imperative to helping employees embrace the techniques taught, and form new positive attitudes about the program. Must be a sincere approach to have managers learn the specific techniques that coaching includes. Managing is about telling people what to do; coaching is about asking questions and helping employees improve their performance. For example, an employee with a bad attitude will not magically improve if the manager tells them to improve their attitude. An example coaching question could be “if someone were viewing how you’re acting right now how do you think they would perceive you”? The key difference is when you ask, employees have to come to grips with their own issues as well as subscribe to a level of accountability.

13. Pillar 5:Creative Thank You’s Most people will NOT take the time to say thank you because they are too busy, so make this a common practice in your organization. If your competition is to busy while you make the time, you will truly stand out. A simple hand written note is all it takes. When you go home and you have three bills and one hand addressed envelope which do you open first? The hand addressed envelope… right? Cards are NOT the only way to saythank you, Get Creative.

14. Great Customer Example One of our clients decided to get creative for one of their clients. Their client had won a big contract so as a sign of congratulations they sent donuts in the morning with a card from all the staff. Each donut had the word “Congrats” on it. When they buy their next piece of equipment, who do you think they will think of first? This particular client’s business (a construction equipment company) rose over 30 % in a down economy.

15. Pillar 6:Functional Walkthrough A functional walk-through is a step-by-step view of the lifecycle of a customer as it relates to doing business with your organization. This includes the entire process from the initial meeting to the first product or service ordered to becoming a long-standing customer. The key is to identify stages in which specific people or departments engage and/or interact with the customer. Helps organizations identify key points where they can create worth while methods of interaction. Few organizations will ever take the time to look at the customer in such a manner.

16. Pillar 7:Engage EngageEngage Have your staff learn three new things about clients daily. Employees will push back. Most want to come to work, do their jobs, and go home. Engagement represents going above and beyond any effort they have made in their career up to this point.

17. Real Life Example A major manufacturing firm had imposed a rule in their customer service department where they were to complete all phone calls in 40 seconds or less. The objective was to give the customer what they wanted and then get them off the phone as quickly as possible. This method took a huge risk in assuming they were meeting all the customer’s needs. In actuality, customers reported they felt dismissed and a cold response from the staff. In the first 90 days of the project we removed this 40 second barrier and encouraged all staff members to learn three new things about one new customer in the morning and one in the afternoon. The staff was encouraged to quantify these actions in staff meetings on a weekly basis to enable total accountability.

18. Summary Building a customer service driven organization has many components that rely on one another. It is critical the organization embraces this movement from the top down and challenges employees to go above and beyond any past level of customer service they have experienced. This endeavor will come with pain, frustration, and ultimately an unbelievable exhilaration of developing deep and worthwhile customer relationships.

19. Download the Complete Whitepaper Now http://www.salesprogress.com/7-pillars-of-customer-service-greatness?&t=40805

20. How Can Sales Progress Help You? Sales Progress was founded by speaker, trainer, and sales coach, Tim Hagen. Not your typical sales and customer service training company, Sales Progress rarely does the typical all day workshop. Most people find that format to be boring and not applicable to their needs. Our methodology teaches employees in all departments, including top level executives, the tactics they need to deepen their relationships with their customers. Combined with proprietary training software developed for sustainability of lessons learned, this program is bound to make an instant and long lasting change in your company. For more information visit: http://www.salesprogress.com