For the month of September I thought I would make it “Ten Tips Month.”   I will share with our readers ten tips to enhance team building ideas, customer service skills, leadership development and sales coaching skills.  Some of these tips may be new ideas to you and others may be reminders of the importance of the things you are already doing.   As I say in my workshops “We all know things, what is most important is what we do with what we know.”

Customer Service

Building and maintaining excellent customer service takes focus and due diligence.  Every customer interaction has the opportunity to communicate how much your organization cares. 

1)      Good enough never is – I love this saying by the Debbi Fields the founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies.  If you ever hear yourself say “good enough” stop and ask yourself “Has this been done to the best of my ability?” or “Has this been done the way it was meant to be done?”

2)      First impressions count – The saying “Your never get a second chance to make a positive first impression” is very true and I think companies need to have a great “first impression” attitude always.  Your relationship with your customers can never be taken for granted or assume once you have them they will be loyal to you.  A few bad experiences can undo a positive “first impression” very quickly.

3)      Sweetest sound – Our name – people love to hear their name.  When interacting with a customer use their name at least once during the conversation.  Caution here, do not over use or it can actually have an adverse effect.

4)      Everyone is your brand 24/7 – sometimes in a workshop when I say this people look at me like I am crazy.  Think about it, you work all day in a company and you sing their praises, then go out for drinks with colleagues and bash and complain about the company.  What are you communicating to your colleagues or anyone else who might be listening?  It is my personal belief when you represent a company (we are all really in customer service) we need to be responsible about what we say both at work and during our time off – 24/7.

5)      Train your employees – give your employees the adequate training and resources to effectively manage all situations that may arise to satisfy any customer issues.  If there is the occasional situation that needs special attention, make sure your employees know the proper channels to go to so they can get things resolved quickly.

6)      Keep in the loop – most customers are understanding when things go wrong.  It is not so much that a problem has occurred, more important how it is handled.  If the situation takes time to resolve make sure you keep the customer updated daily so they are never left with the feeling that no one cares or you have forgotten them.

7)      Online reviews – customers may not complain to you directly and if you have a place for feedback on your website, they may feel more comfortable letting you know this way.  It is also a great practice to perform periodic satisfaction surveys.

8)      Track challenges – when there has been a challenge it is a good practice to debrief what happened and explore ways to change processes to prevent another occurrence.  By tracking and monitoring changes you will have an audit trail of your improvements.  Also letting a customer know that you have addressed the issue will show them you take their loyalty seriously.

9)      Apologize first – when there is a customer complaint – apologize first, then correct the problem.   By telling the customer you are sorry they had this experience, it will show you are willing to take responsibility and it also lets the customer know they were heard.  In some situations the customer may be wrong but they should always have the feeling that you are there to support them.

10)   Employee input – often managers miss the opportunity to solve some of their customer service issues by not asking employees their input.  I learned this the hard way, years ago when I was a Customer Service Manager of a manufacturing company.  I thought I had to have all the answers and solutions.  Not so.  Once I started to ask for suggestions, things moved a lot smoother and new procedures were implemented much quicker when the ideas came from the employees.

By Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

For the summer months I thought I would like to share with you some of the great articles written by my Alliance Members.  Please enjoy the following article submitted by Claire Sookman:

The Four Powerful Keys to Virtual Team Success

Creating virtual teams is not challenge-free. Why? Imagine trying to communicate effectively with people you have never met and whose personalities you are not familiar with. If this hurdle is not overcome, establishing successful virtual teams can be extremely frustrating.

Why still pursue it? Harnessing the power of technology to connect with business units scattered across the country or around the world can result in dramatic increases in efficiency as well as significantly reduced costs

Harness the Power of Differences

You’ve heard it before, each individual is unique. Ponder the implications to virtual team success. Each of us brings strengths and challenges to the table. Understand and appreciate the uniqueness of others, yet, don’t fall into the trap of believing everyone thinks the same as you do.

You’ve probably heard of the DiSC system before. The DiSC system looks at how we tend to behave and what motivates us in a given situation by breaking behaviors into four categories corresponding to the letters D, I, S and C.

Knowing how to recognize a particular behavioral type, realizing that you want and need this person on your team, understanding the challenges they will introduce and how to manage them for success will now be discussed.

The Challenging One

In DiSC “The Challenging One” is the Dominance Style – represented by the letter “D”.  A “ D” likes to have control and can be very opinionated. They are inclined to be very direct, which means they do not mince words and they will always let you know exactly where they (and you) stand.  D’s thrive on change and are often risk-takers. They can become very impatient with people who try to slow down their progress.

The D’s can energize a virtual team, whether virtual or collocated.  They are extremely task oriented and have high personal standards.  They can be counted on to get things done with quality results. Their direct and forceful approach can inspire others when they recognize the value and contributions offered by others. Being task oriented is a characteristic that is highly valued in virtual teams, but only after good relationships and trust is established.

A “D” can also exhaust a virtual team. They can be very forceful and tend to take over. This can be particularly difficult for a team since a “D” might want to do it their way instead of getting buy-in from the team. This can cause resentment among less vocal members who may be naturally shy or reticent when it comes to expressing opinions. Body language (a natural indicator of how one is responding to another’s suggestions) also looses impact in a virtual team situation, making it even harder to determine a team member’s buy-in level  A “D” not only has high standards of themselves they have equally high standards of other people.  This can be challenging and stressful for some people.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• When giving them information be sure to focus in on the relevant facts of the task at hand
• Give them autonomy to do the work; it is not necessary to tell them how to do it. Just let them know what needs to get done.
• Don’t bog them down with details just give them the bottom-line
• When communicating with them be very direct

The Social Butterfly

In DiSC “The Social Butterfly” is the Influence Style – represented by the letter “I”.  These individuals are extremely friendly, positive and enthusiastic. Other people may see them as outgoing or extroverted. They are very communicative and they love to network with everyone. They are your team builders and motivators.

“I”s are naturals at pulling teams together and building and maintaining team spirit. They are the morale builders and motivators on your team.

People who are a high “I” can have difficulty following through on tasks and tend to be less detailed oriented. “I”s have a need to be part of a group, so if the team is virtual, or they are required to do solitary work, they may have difficulty.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• Since an “I” is not particularly detailed oriented, you may want them to team up with someone who loves details
• The “I” enjoys socializing but needs to realize not everyone likes to “schmooze.” Give them an opportunity to socialize with you before moving onto business. In fact, it has been proven that the most successful virtual teams are those which have either had the opportunity to meet face to face or which have established the human touch prior to focusing on work
• Utilize your “I” to build team spirit. Also, an “I” needs to feel appreciated, so let them know how they are doing

The Trusted One

In DiSC “The Trusted One” is the Steadiness Style – represented by the letter “S”.  An “S” is ready and willing to help. You can always count on them to support the team through loyalty and cooperation. An “S” would rather let others have their way than to start an argument; they don’t like conflict or radical change. They will support change if they understand why it is necessary. Unlike an “I”, an “S” does not like to be the center of attention, they may also take longer to warm up to people.

An “S” will rarely let you down, making them invaluable “team players.” They are patient and supportive and they create balance and harmony on the team. They are also the mediators on your virtual team.  They will be the ones who provide praise and encouragement to the rest of your team. An “S” will move cautiously especially when it has to do with change. Some people may view it as being stubborn or inflexible when in fact it’s because you tend to see the risks.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• Since change is something that an “S” finds disconcerting, make sure they know why the change is necessary and how it will impact them and the team
• Encourage them to ask questions and try to answer them all
• Whenever possible provide an environment that is predictable

The Analyzer

In DiSC “The Analyzer” is the Conscientiousness Style – represented by the letter “C”.  A “C” is very demanding on themselves and others. They are sticklers for details and would rather do things right than do things fast. A “C” has the reputation for producing high quality work. If detailed-oriented work is required give it to a “C”; they excel in making sure things get done correctly and you can be assured that they will follow through on their commitments.

A “C” expects everyone to have the same high standards as they do. This can be intimidating for some or appreciated by others. Also, because they demand high quality work from themselves, it tends to take them a longer to complete their work.

They prefer to work alone which can be particularly difficult if they are part of a team. Since a team can only function when an open information sharing model is in effect, it is crucial that a “C” – who generally prefers to work alone – be actively kept in the loop.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• Let a “C” know your expectations prior to giving them a task.  Incomplete instructions are difficult for a “C” to work with. Not only do they need to know what your expectations are but the standards you expect from them. “C”s tend to get bogged down with details so it’s critical to let them know when a task needs to be completed.
• Be very specific about deadlines

The key to communicating is not only understanding our behavioral style but, learning to adapt our style to others on the team. This is even more critical to do this when the team is virtual.

At first it may not be easy to detect each member’s personality type. However, making the effort to do so – even by using a simple survey – then tailoring your style to interact based on their personality type and preferred method of behavior can spell the difference between a powerful virtual team or a virtual disaster.