The document discusses the importance of customer relationship management. It emphasizes that customers are more likely to return and refer others when they have a positive customer service experience. To provide good customer service, businesses should identify customer needs and work to satisfy them. The document outlines specific customer needs like acceptance, respect, and fairness. It provides tips for handling complaints and difficult customers, as well as going above and beyond expectations to strengthen customer relationships.

1. The Secret to Customer
Relationship Management
Eric Vanderburg
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

2. Customer Service
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Customer Service –
Find the alternate perspective
(satisfying a need)
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Selling clothing – selling attractiveness
Selling tickets – selling fun experiences
Selling cell phones – selling a connection
to loved ones, security
Selling __________
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

3. Why practice good customer service?
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Customers come back
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Costs 5x more to find new customers
than to keep the old ones
Customers are why we are in business
Implementing customer service
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Identify customer needs
Satisfy the need
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

4. Needs
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Acceptance
Acknowledgement / Recognition
Respect
Individuality
Comfort
Heard
Treated fairly
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

5. Giving bad news
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Use a calm tone of voice
Be polite
Explain the issue
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Give specific causes
Don’t over apologize
Suggest a positive solution
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

6. Complaints are good
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Unvoiced complaints still lose
business
Ask questions that encourage a
suggestion instead of the common
response (what could we do better?)
Listen and act on complaints
Reward helpful complainers
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

7. Difficult customers
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Don’t take it personal (loss of self esteem)
Listen
Get all available information
Understand their point of view
Suggest a solution
End on a positive note
You can’t make everyone happy so don’t
expect to
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

8. Do more than expected
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“go the extra mile”
Good start for many relationships
Cements customer relationships
Customers will evangelize your
business
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

9. Other considerations
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Act ethically
“The customer is always right” only
goes so far. Don’t let the customer
control you.
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

10. Customer Relations
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Understand their needs – listen and be
sensitive
Learn about their business
Exceptional service
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005

11. Building customer self esteem
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Make them comfortable
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Smile
Use their name
Use a similar tone of voice and body language
Consider the customer’s point of view
Show that you are listening and that you
understand
Customer is most important (no distractions)
Give genuine compliments
Human Relations – Eric Vanderburg ©2005