How Transparency Improves The Customer Experience

We’ve all been there: interacting with a store employee or customer service representative only to feel immediately of their distain and frustration with their job. There are many factors that can lead to frustration, but one of the most common is working for an organization with a bad company culture, especially one that isn’t transparent. Companies that aren’t transparent are full of office politics, bureaucracy, and nonsense and don’t make employees excited to come to work. That culture can quickly seep into the customer experience and make it difficult for customers to enjoy simple interactions with employees.

To improve the customer experience, you must start with the employees and the overall company culture. Employees across multiple industries say transparency is one of the most important things about a workplace—instead of feeling like just a cog in the machine, transparency helps employees see their place and helps them feel valued at work.

There are a number of things that can be done to improve transparency, and they all start from the top down. When leadership is open and honest with employees and shows it cares about them, that feeling will filter through the company until it becomes a strong part of the culture. Common practices to improve transparency include the following:

Honest communication. Transparency starts when leadership is open and honest with employees, which means they have to interact with employees, especially those on the front lines. This can happen through company-wide meetings or small group interactions. In larger companies where it can be difficult for executives to visit the contact centers to talk with employees, leaders can record videos with company news and updates to broadcast instead so every employee gets involved.

Open doors. Even something as simple as opening an office door can have a huge affect on transparency. An open door shows there’s nothing to hide and that the manager or leader is open to sharing and to suggestions. Encouraging employees to open their doors whenever possible creates a culture where information can more easily be shared.

Collaboration technology. Employees who feel isolated from the rest of the company can easily get frustrated and feel they don’t belong. Providing collaboration technology to front-line employees, like cloud software or instant messaging, can allow them to always be in the know with what is happening in other parts of the company.

Share news. Find a way to candidly share updates with employees, whether it’s a newsletter, email update, or in-person chat. Transparency means every employee knows what’s going on, and that doesn’t happen unless information is shared. It also means sharing more than just the good news—if there are rumors swirling around or if the company is going through a rough patch, be open and address that with employees. It’s better they get information straight from the source than to hear different versions from other sources; plus, it helps them feel invested in the success of the company.

A lack of transparency can cause stress for employees, especially if they are worried about their job security. Improving transparency throughout the organization can create a more cohesive place to work, which will almost immediately be felt by customers throughout the company.

Blake Morgan - www.forbes.com

Customer Support secrets - Equal treatment/Not 2

Last week on our discussion about Equal treatment/Not remember i mentioned that there were 2 sides of this topic for me? I appreciate all your kind words and thoughts you shared with me on the various subjects. In last weeks post of Equal treatment/Not 1,   We also established that it is very important to treat all customers with respect and not to judge customers by their looks and how much they can afford for your service or not.Today we are doing to look at the other side of the coin.

The Temperament Factor

I could say a lot about this exact phase. Customers are either angry, frustrated or just need some kind of clarification when they get in touch with you, as a customer service personnel.  I do not think customers should be treated same way. In the sense that each customer reacts differently to submissions. Like i mentioned in Know How To Apologize, some customers do not care for an explanation when things go wrong, all they need is a solution. All customers are different. The line you used for Customer A , may not work for Customer B he may find it offensive or feels he's been ordered. Let your delivery make the difference.

Psychologists have also identified personality traits that are common to all temperaments to a greater or lesser degree: extroversion, agreeability, openness, stability and conscientiousness. When hiring customer service reps, consider their levels of extroversion and agreeability because anyone who deals with sales or customer service must have the ability to get along with other people. Not everyone can handle customers. Stability and conscientiousness relate to performance on the job, such as arriving on time to work and taking care to perform the work they were hired to do. Openness is not necessarily a good trait for a customer service rep because a very open person may talk about extraneous things that should not be part of a customer service conversation. As a customer service rep you need to know what to tell the customer and not what to tell with regards to being open and truthful.

I get confused when some people share with me that they do not like how they were treated as a customer for a service and others say otherwise, and this is me wondering someone actually got a preferential treatment when someone didn't lol. You need to always encourage customers to come forward with problems. Know how to deal with them, treat them seriously, fairly, quickly and of course with respect. Customers will always come back.

Encouraging Customer Loyalty

Most customers are also aware that that some organizations have reasons for treating best customers differently for various reasons;  to enhance their loyalty and because Top customers are more likely to refer additional customers or just because Customer who are given preferential treatment serves as an incentive for regular customers to patronize more.

And please don’t get me wrong here, because ranking customers by their value is indeed a necessary step in setting up a customer-centric marketing program. But while it's necessary, it's not sufficient for long-term success. It isn't likely to generate much customer goodwill or genuine, emotional loyalty, and it will leave you competitively vulnerable to some other company that can better tailor its own offerings to the more finely differentiated needs of your customers.

Equal treatment or not, should only open our minds to the fact that whiles it is very necessary to treat all customers with respect and as a sense of urgency, you will also need to be sensitive in your deliveries to customers to be able to tell what works for one customer and what doesn't for the other.

Looking  forward to your thoughts.

Keep Being Awesome!

Yours Truly,

Ese😘

Customer Support Associate,

DreamOval Limited

Customer Support Secrets - Equal treatment/Not 1

When I finally decided to write on a subject as this, a few things were running through my mind. This topic is 2 sides of a coin but I will stick to one today.  So a friend had shared her experiences with me about how she went into a shop to make some enquiries and she was disgusted by the way the shop attendants looked at her,( literally looked at here from head to toe before addressing her)  and doubted she was capable of buying what she asked for. In her mind, she was thinking "Is it because of the way I am dressed that they think I can't afford this, or its the way I look?" She left the shop and never came back again. The lady had lost a very potential customer.

I know a lot of you can relate to this kind of  treatment from Customer Support personnel, shop attendants, waiters, etc where people give

preferential treatment to people who "look" good, rich or worthy of good customer relations. Should that be the case?

For me, all customers deserve the best treatment that they can get. You need to smile and treat all customers with the best reception. Greet them and ask if they need help even before they begin to speak especially for those you meet face-to-face. Your smile should be welcoming and exceptional. It is very bad to assume what people want or how much they can spend based on how they look. It is very bad to judge by what we see.


Serving Customer is your top priority.

Also, you need to understand that serving customers is your top priority. You need to make sure they are attended to before returning to other tasks. Another friend of mine in my office also shared an experience where she was at the bank to make a deposit, right in front of her, the teller was receiving personal calls and had a divided attention in handling her. He kept asking the same questions over and over again. My friend was wondering if it was because her money was small? lol, This can be very rude, frustrating and disrespectful. Not when you have a customer in front of you waiting to be served. Better still, you can ask the customers permission to pick a personal call if it is very important. The former shouldn't happen :-) when you have a customer, give him or her your topmost attention. It makes them feel important.

Another friend I follow on Instagram shared an experience about sitting at a restaurant for close 2 hours without anyone attending to her. She shared a story and in her own words, "..so I went to sit at xxx for almost 2 hours and nobody came to ask me if I will eat something or not...is it because I don't have dollars? let me take my small cedis away" a lot of us can relate to this too isn't it?

Keep Your Customers Well Informed

Another thing is in order to enhance customer loyalty, it is important to keep your customers well informed about updates of your products and services. In order to avoid some customers feeling left out, try as much as you can to keep customers well informed of your systems and processes. If they don't understand they will get impatient and angry. If you suggest a solution to a customer, just make sure it is a very efficient one. It saves every other person some stress.

Your feedback and comments are always welcome as usual, let's discuss and look for better ways in making customers our priority, treating each and every one of them with respect regardless. I will be coming up with some series on how customers should relate to customer service personnel or what do you think? Let me know your thoughts.

Keep being awesome!

Yours Truly,

Ese

Customer Support Associate

DreamOval Limited

Customer Support Secret - Skip the blame, Solve the problem

How would you feel if you called a customer service centre and instead of the person assisting you, he or she begins to blame another department or another colleague for causing you problem or not getting back to you? Can you picture that?

Most often, customer service personnel unconsciously tend to let you feel it was your fault for having this issue. Or they would say "if you did it this way, you wouldn't have got here"

Statement like these will put a customer in a defensive mode or will get the customer more angry. Especially when you are trying to help a customer, blaming serves no purpose. Just like try as much as you can not to blame another department or another colleague. The customer identifies you as a company. However, it is adviceable to say "I" or "we" when dealing with customers. It personalizes the conversation and this shows that you are accountable.

Little secret, Never assign a blame, when you offer a solution, do not fault the customer. It is true that in your line of business or in real life, the blame game feels satisfying for a moment but it does not actually fix the problem. Does it? Remember we discussed in 'Value Complaints' that very few customers will actually make time to complain directly to you. These customers are either angry or frustrated. I can understand that when a customer has an issue and is angry, it is very difficult to not respond immediately with a blame.

Often, the issue is genuinely not your fault and so you don't feel like you're actually "blaming" anyone by just explaining who caused the problem. Always remember, the customer does not need to know and frankly does not care that it was not your fault. The customer is only interested in what you are going to do to fix his problem.

Customer Loyalty is Key

Stay focused on what you will do to resolve the issues and keep the finger pointing out of it. It doesn't help in building customer loyalty. Staying focused on the solution, does not only make you more effective, but also shows your customer that you are confident and capable.

This results in a more positive customer experience and goes a long way to give the customer an opportunity of coming back to you whenever he or she has issues because he believes in you.

Keep Being Awesome!

Yours Truly,

Ese.

Customer Support Associate,

DreamOval Limited.

Customer Support Secrets - (5 C's) Know How To Apologize

How will you feel if someone just said "I'm sorry" and you can really feel it in their tone of voice that they do not mean it? In our various relationships, we get hurt in one way or the other from friends and loved ones. It is not just about what you say to apologize. IT IS HOW YOU SAY IT! :-)

Same with handling your customers on a daily basis. People will always reach out because they are frustrated and need urgent assistance. The most important key to providing an outstanding customer support is empathy. What best way to empathize than to acknowledge and accept responsibility when your customer has been left down? Apologizing! Isn't it?

The following are a few nuggets to how to apologize.

1. Concede

It is necessary that you apply empathy during the act of apologizing and by showing that you really understand how the customer is feeling at that particular moment. Acknowledging and validating that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Don't just say "I'm sorry" because that is what the customer needs to hear, say it like you mean it. You could say "I am very sorry that we caused this, and I understand your frustration, I am motivated to assist you and once we are through you will be smiling again." (What i did mostly say)

2. Clarify.

After you have acknowledged how frustrated the customer is and tried to calm him, It is important to explain what happened. A number of people will be willing to understand why this happened to them. At this point, the customer will understand how something is a problem but clarify or justifying the situation helps to build trust and transparency. One of the things that has helped me in my line of work is because I will always acknowledge the problem and then try to explain why the customer had a bad experience. Some will make time to listen so that they do not face the same issue again, others will not need the explanation but will only be fine with a solution. You should always be in the position to look out for what the customer really wants then find a way to chip in the reason for the issue.

3. Cherish

Mostly this could be done in the first stage. It is just cool that you appreciate the customer in using your service. It demystifies the perception of not having a warm customer interaction. Showing appreciation not for only the customer's problem but also for the person himself, this will always diffuse the negative feelings by mixing it with positive ones. You see that thing?

4. Compensate

Another important part of an apology is making amends. In our relationships, once we apologize to our friends or family we try to make amends by getting a gift, a card, go on a date and so on. Throwing money at the problem can at times be appropriate, but can also cheapen the gesture. This might be an offer for some personalised attention or simply asking an assuring "Let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help"

5. Confirm

Finally, your apology should invite a response, such as asking the customer if his complaint was resolved to his satisfaction, and if not, what more can you do?. This makes the customer feel involved and respected and possibly a part of the solution. This also assures him that you will be here for him even when the issue has been resolved.

Lastly, a word of style. Just so you don't sound like a robot :-)  a cliche sentence like "sorry for the inconvenience". Personalizing your style goes a long way to establish a connection. I will sometimes say "keep being awesome" But avoid being too cute - you want to empathize not trivialize.

I hope these steps will go a long way to find that your relationship with your customers has actually strengthened as a result. Don't we all make mistakes? we do :-) - your style of assistance could make the customer look forward to the next problem just to know it is an opportunity he can rely on your support.

Keep Being Awesome!

Yours Truly,

Ese😘

Customer Support Associate,

DreamOval Limited

Customer Support Secrets - Value Complaints

In my first post on Secret to great customer support, I mentioned that every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to create a great experience working with you. If customers receive positive customer experience, they will intend share with family and friends which will, in turn, lead to more people using your service.

If they are not happy with the service, they will complain. In as much as you enjoy their praises while they enjoy the experience, you will also need to take them serious when they complain. As a matter of fact, very few customers really take the time to complain directly to you. There may be a number of them facing the same issue who will not see a need to complain, hence you have to value those who reach out to complain to you.

In the last few years handling customers, I have come to realise that customers whose complaints are handled quickly become very loyal, trust your service and further become advocates of your brand.

When customers complain, take the time to understand what their problem is regardless of the field you serve in.

Apologise and acknowledge their complaints. For some very unhappy customers, it's advisable to compensate them. If you run an eatery, for instance, you can deliver their next lunch for free, give a freebie if you run a business. There is always something for everyone. I bet the troskis should also give us free rides often. Or what do you think? Lol

Now you will need to find a solution to the complaint, a lasting one or a temporary one. Whichever one it is, as soon as you find a solution as a team, you will need to follow up with the customer(s) who were involved. Find out if they are satisfied with the solution.

Personally, I value customer complaints because it gives us the opportunity to improve!

Why not share with me about how you treat customer complaints. I will love to read from you.

Yours Truly,

Ese

Customer Support Associate,

DreamOval Limited

Customer Support Secrets - Pamper The Customer

To what extent have you gone just to put a smile on the face of a customer?

Well for me, I use love words; Beautiful, Delightful, Pleasure, Magnificent, Awesome.. (just to mention a few) These love words lift moods,  make people smile, and deliver a small dose of happiness.

Did you know that the Customer is the reason why the company exists? Do not take him or her for granted. Be willing to bend some few rules if the need be.

I do not have the opportunity to see my customers face-to-face so i always need to pay attention to their tone of voice and make sure i keep a smile in my voice. Some may not be having a good day, trust me, you can tell. In that case you need to be the one to brighten up his day. It doesn't take much.

Personally, once a while i would love to take a customer out for lunch. :-)

I will love to read from you about how you put a smile on the faces of your customers.

Yours Truly,

Ese😘

Customer Support Associate,

DreamOval Limited

Secrets of Great Customer Support 1

Customer support is considered as one of the main data channels for customer satisfaction and a way to increase customer retention. In more and more companies, especially within the technology field, the responsibility for customer support is placed within the customer service team to ensure maximum customer satisfaction among their clients.

Customer support is more of an art than a science. Achieving the right state of mind should be your major priority to a great customer experience. One needs to be passionate about it rather than just doing it because yeah you need to manage a service. Every interaction with a customer is a unique opportunity to create a great experience working with you.

Once a customer likes a service and is satisfied, you can be sure he will keep coming back.However, if the service is poor, the customers is less likely to work with you again. Analysis have shown that, you need to actually delight customers and not to satisfy them (Gregg A Hawrylko, PMP).

Making Customers Feel Important

Another thing with dealing with customers is that you need to make every customer feel important. Why is this so appealing? You know everyone loves VIP treatment, no one likes to wait in line. Customers derive satisfaction from operating outside established processes; if you do all these for all customers in one way or the other, you make them feel important.

How To Make Customers Feel Important

A few ways you can make customers feel important in order to make them continually use your service

1.    Recall a good customer service experience

Treating customers with respect, personalized attention, greeting them with enthusiasm and going beyond to resolve any problems and issues can keep customers coming back.

Customers will always recall a good customer experience, because your service delivery was spot on. Also because it erases some kind of perception in their minds and this leaves a long lasting impression. Happy customers help spread positive word-of-mouth to family and friends.( Nicole Long: http://smallbusiness.chron.com)

2.            Use their names and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere - customers know.

In mastering the art of customer support, you will need to always make your customers feel like there is none other. It is also important that you save numbers of your customers. This helps you address them by their names the next time you have an interaction with them. Once you mention a customer by name, he begins to feel important and in place. He is then able to see you like a friend and tell you specifically what his issues are without doubt. This is good

3.            Your words, non-verbals and actions must all match and show that you care!

This needs to come in when you can tell by the voice of a customer that he is frustrated, disturbed or very worried. For Support services where you physically meet customers on a daily basis, your non verbal actions really matter to the customer. That tells him whether you are empathizing with him. Your tone of voice for customers you do not come into contact with, also helps. For instance, “..I am very sorry about that, but not to worry i am here because of you. As soon as i am done assisting you with this, you will be fine.”

4.            Think of ways to generate good feelings about working with you - bring passion to your job.

Like i mentioned initially, it is important that you are passionate about dealing with customers. Being passionate about this also means that there are times that you may need to spend extra hours just for the customer to be sure that he is satisfied with the service and will come back again.



If you handle customer's in your field of work, do not hesitate to share your experiences with me in the comments below on how you made/make customers feel important.

Yours Truly,
Ese😘