The Basics of 5-Star Customer Service

1. “5 Star Customer Service”
June 12th, 2014

2. Kenlyn T. Gretz
President and CEO

4. Fast Customer Service = Revenue!

5. Fast = Revenue
» Quotes
» Bids
» Answer Questions & Turn Them Into Sales
» Ask Their Expectations.
» Fast <> Poor
» Fast <> Incomplete

6. Fast = Revenue
» Track how long it takes to get an answer.
» Eliminate Road Blocks and People.
» Streamline processes.
» Create check points.
» Give partial answers and updates.
» Don’t cause unnecessary road blocks yourself.

7. How Do You Interact With
Customers?
1. Face to Face
2. Phone
3. Email
4. Combo of all three
5. Combo of phone and email
6. Combo of face to face and phone

8. Your Clients?
1. Business to Business
2. Business to Consumer
3. Combo

9. Greet!

10. Social Media

12. IGNORE OR RESPOND?
What do you think?

15. “I am sorry you had a bad experience. As you
can see from other reviews we do much better
99% of the time. The next time you stop in,
ask for the manager. Mention this post and we
will have something special for you.”
Does this encourage more negative responses?

16. “I am sorry you had a bad experience. 99% of
our customers have a good experience. I will
send you a private message and make it right
for you.”
Does this encourage more negative responses?

17. Fast Response Customer Service

18. Smile!

19. Clean Language
A simple principle: If I use the same words as you,
then we have a greater possibility of creating a rapid
rapport based on mutual language use.
» Customer calls it: medical bill, don’t say statement
» Customer calls it: turned off, don’t say power cycle
» Customer calls it: balance, don’t say reconcile

20. Stop Everything.

21. “I am sorry, but that is against
our policy.”

22. “Our Policy”
» Try to avoid the words “our policy” and “procedure”.
» Most policies are required because of laws that require
them.
» Most policies do benefit your customers in some way;
maybe not directly, but as a whole.
» When you have to say: “our policy” or “our procedure”, see
if you can change it to show their benefit or at least that
they are not alone in the situation.

23. Example
“I know this sale item is only 2 per customer,
but may I have 3?”
No, that is against our policy. (stop)
Answer Fire Back:
“I know this sale item is only 2 per customer,
but may I have 3?”
No, that is against our policy. Would you be paying
with cash, check or credit card?

24. Example
Answer Fire Back:
“I know this sale item is only 2 per customer, but may I
have 3?”
We have so many great customers like you and we want to
make sure that they all can take advantage of the sale
so everybody is happy. I am sure you understand!
Never said NO.
Turn them into loyal buyers and be assumptive in closing
the conversation.

25. Even Better Example
“I know this sale item is only 2 per customer, but
may I have 3?”
I know you are a great customer. I am going to
bend the rules a bit for you! But you have to
promise to be a customer for life! 
Do we have a deal?

26. Policy | Policy | Policy
» Know Why (KW?) you have the policy.
» Re-Evaluate the policy.
» Make sure your competitors have a similar policy.
» Know a “quick story” about the policy.
» Know how to “bend” a policy for good customers.
» Give co-workers the understanding of when to
“bend” a policy and how to do it.

27. Look Me In The Eye!

28. Tell Somebody Where To Go!

29. Directions To:
» Nearest Gas Station
» Park
» Event (Fair, Festival)
» Hospital
» Theater
» Think: out of town people/visitors
» Why not have it printed off!

30. Speak Clearly

31. Not OUR Fault
Still Our PROBLEM!

32. Not Your Fault, Still Our Problem
1. Look up phone numbers for people.
2. Find other companies that can help them.
3. Be a connector.
4. Creative Solutions.
5. Brain Storm.
6. Turn problems into loyal customers who then
tell the story over and over.

33. One Call Resolution
Benefits?

34. Voice Mails & Emails
Business to Business
ABC Supply calling Mary at XYZ Company:
“Hi Mary. Sorry I missed you. This is Mark from
ABC Supply. Call me.”

35. Voice Mails & Emails
Business to Business
“Hi Mary. Sorry I missed you. This is Mark from ABC
Supply. Your account number I am calling about is
154984 for the Barnsom Job. I would like some more
information on line item 24 regarding the specs of
your quote. I need to know the capacity. You can
call me at 920-484-4848 before 4:30 CST time today
or I am in at 7AM CST tomorrow. If it is easier, just
email me. I am not sure you have my email so it is
marks@abcsupply.com - Thanks. I need this
information by Friday at the latest.”

36. Voice Mails & Emails
Business to Business
“Hi Mary. Sorry I missed you. This is Mark from ABC
Supply. Your account number I am calling about is
154984 for the Barnsom Job. I would like some more
information on line item 24 regarding the specs of
your quote. I need to know the capacity. You can call
me at 920-484-4848 before 4:30 CST time today or I
am in at 7AM CST tomorrow. If it is easier, just email
me. I am not sure you have my email so it is
marks@abcsupply.com - Thanks. I need this
information by Friday at the latest.”

37. Voice Mails & Emails
Give people what they need to get the job done!
The cost of phone tag and email tag is HUGE!

38. Email Attachments

39. Email Attachments
What are they going to do with your attachment?
MM-DD-YYYY_Americollect_ABC_Clinic_History.xlsx

40. Organizing Meetings
With Three or More Via Outlook

41. Suggestion Times:
Please Reply All with the number of the time
that does not work for you.
1. Monday, June 16th 3:00 - 4:00 PM CST
2. Tuesday, June 17th, 10:00 -11:00 AM CST
3. Wednesday, June 18th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM CST

43. Be Fun!
Even in Emails!

44. Ideas!
http://nationaldaycalendar.com/
» Happy Thursday!
» Plans for the weekend!

46. Choose The Right Words

47. Upset Customer

48. RAPPORT

49. Building Rapport
Simple Definition:
Getting somebody to like you quickly.
Create a sympathetic relationship or understanding.
Rapport building time starts as soon as you say hello
with a smile.

50. Building Rapport Over The Phone
Your Tools:
» Their Name
» Natural
» Warmth
» Pleasant
» Interested
» Smiley
» Volume
More Tools:
» Pace
» Words
» Active Listening
» Caring
» Tonality
» Breathing
» Inflection

51. Building Rapport
Makes difficult customers easier to work with.

52. Upset Customer

53. Upset Customer
1. Let them finish.
2. Take notes & don’t assume.
3. Their First Time!
4. Apologize: “I am sorry you had a bad
experience. I may be able to help.”

54. What Type of Complaint?
1. Complaint about employee.
2. Complaint about product.
3. Complaint/misunderstanding of how the process
worked.
4. Complaint about price/value.
You should have a scripted response
for each of these.

55. What Type of Complaint?
Complaint about employee:
“I appreciate you letting me know about your experience
with John. I will surely let his manager know about
your experience. I personally know John would
appreciate the feedback and he will grow from this.
Thank you.
Is there anything else I can do for you?”

56. What Type Of Complaint?
Complaint about product:
“I appreciate you letting me know about your experience
with our company. I will surely let the owner know
about your experience. I personally know the owner
would appreciate the feedback and he is always
looking to improve our products. Thank you.
Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Need to go deeper?

57. What Type of Complaint?
Complaint/misunderstanding of how the
process worked:
“I appreciate you letting me know about your experience
with our company. I will surely let the owner know about
your experience. I personally know the owner would
appreciate the feedback and he is always looking to
improve our processes. Thank you. I am sorry that we
didn’t do a better job explaining what happens after you
do X. I can appreciate your misunderstanding and I think
we can improve for the next time.”
Need to go deeper?

58. What Type Of Complaint?
Complaint about price/value:
“I appreciate you letting me know about your experience
with our company. I will surely let the owner know
about your experience. I personally know the owner
would appreciate the feedback . Thank you.
Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Need to go deeper?

59. Service Recovery
1. Price Discount.
2. Bounce Back Coupon (for next time).
3. Completely Free!
4. Toss in something for free.
5. Free for somebody else (careful).

60. Upset Customer
Practice
Practice
Practice
Practice

61. Satisfied Log

62. Newest Customer/Finish Next
Decision

63. Surprise!

64. The Art of Surprise

65. The Art of Surprise
1. Random
2. Not expected
3. No reason
4. Not based on purchase amount
5. Sincere
6. Special
7. Controlled/approved by company
8. Select vocal, connected people

67. Under Promise And Over Produce
Your Sales
Person

68. Under Promise And Over Produce
Sure we can do
that! Just sign
here!

69. Hey look at me!
I just sold a
new client! I am
so cool!
Under Promise And Over Produce

70. You told them
we could do
WHAT! By
FRIDAY!
Under Promise Over Produce

71. Under Promise And Over Produce
Don’t back yourself into a corner with outcomes
that are hard to achieve.
» Deadlines
» Pricing
» Service
Educate your sales & front line people about the
reality of your business and your competitor’s
ability to accomplish what they are proposing.

72. Under Promise And Over Produce
“I think we can generate that report for you. It
may be a custom report or a current report
may need some tweaking. Do you have a
specific deadline or would early next week be
good for you?”

73. Under Promise And Over Produce
“I think we can generate that report for you. It may be a
custom report or a current report may need some
tweaking. Do you have a specific deadline or would
early next week be good for you?”
Then get it DONE now and get it out the door.
John: “After I hung up the phone with you, I realized that this report
should be escalated because you are such an important client.
So I completed it today. Have a great weekend!”
LOYALTY

74. Under Promise And Over Produce
Challenge:
List where you fail your clients?
Is it because they were “over promised?”
Challenge:
How could you train your team to better state the reality
of the promise to make your company look better?
LOYALTY

76. What is your nail!
This is your pain.

77. Capture Opportunity
To Bring Value

80. Capture Opportunity
To Bring Value
Bringing value is really adding to your product. It may
turn out to make your customers more loyal and/or
give an opportunity to increase the “add on sales.”
Ask your customers what they would like even more
about your company/service/product?
Steal ideas from different companies/industries and
apply them to your own.

81. Capture Opportunity To
Bring Value
Brain Storm - What can I do?:
» Substitute
» Combine
» Adapt
» Modify – Minimize – Maximize
» Eliminate
» Create other uses
» Reverse
http://www.gitomer.com/

82. What To Remove?

83. Dr. Robert Paczkowski

84. I Am Not Your Friend!

86. Answer

87. Now, What Is The Question?

89. Don’t Over Share
I am the only one here!
Nobody showed up for work today.
Our email servers just came back up!
Our phones were down!
My computer is a piece of junk!

90. Big Data From The Little Guy!

93. Like Our Page!

94. Thank You!
Manitowoc County Chamber!

95. FIVE time winner of Inc Magazine’s Fastest Growing Private
Company!
2009 – 2013
FIVE time winner of Inside ARM Best Places to work in Collections.