Everyone is in Customer Service

by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

We are all in customer service.  It doesn’t matter what position you hold within an organization you can affect the customer experience.  Often it is an indirect impact, but you can affect the overall experience just the same.  Since we start the Athena Alliance we have had many situations where we provided customer service training to internal departments.  A recent example of this was a service company who was having difficulties between the various departments and the finance department.  The finance personnel didn’t realize the impact they were having on the other departments ability to service the customer in a timely manner.  After the training, things improved drastically.

Everyone in an organization should have customer service excellence as a focus. Customers have many choices these days and depending on your industry they can move their business without too much difficulty.  In sales we always talk about the importance of building rapport and trust. It is equally, if not more important when it comes to the service we provide our clients.  Without our customers we have no business. Everyone needs to understand this!

I am sure I am no different than anyone reading this blog and have come to expect the employees of the companies I deal with to treat me with respect – all the time, not once in awhile. I have read many stories over the years about how some hotels have empowered their people to “go the extra mile” when needed.  Companies that adopt this philosophy don’t make excuses, pass the buck or point fingers when a customer calls to complain.  Their staff does what it takes to WOW their customers.  This doesn’t mean you will do everything your customer asks (especially if it doesn’t make good business sense for your organization), but it does mean the customer has the experience of being heard and respected. It is extremely important to tell the truth even if it isn’t what the customer wants to hear.  I have had the experience where I have literally had to chase a customer service person for three weeks only to find out they couldn’t help me.  What a waste of time and energy.  I would never consider doing business with them again.  I would have stayed their customer if they had said right from the beginning it wasn’t something they did.  I could have gone elsewhere and still felt OK to continue with them.

Take a minute now and close your eyes.  Think about an exceptional customer experience you have had in the past.  What made it so special?  Do your customers experience service like that from your company? If not, what has to change?  Who needs to be involved to make the change?

How often do you ask your customers about their experience?

One of my personal pet peeves (maybe because I am a boomer) is when everything is automated, when there is no phone number to call in the event I have a problem. Sometimes the phone number is so buried on the website it is next to impossible to find.  I say put it front and center!

I have listed three keys to delivering exceptional customer service every time!

1. Learn what can be a hindrance to good service first.  Are there systems or policies and procedures that affect the ability of the customer service rep to perform at their peak?
2. Ensure everyone has adequate training.  Make sure your employees know how to handle difficult situations, upset or irate customers.  This is critical when the emotions are high.
3. Have aone-touch approach. What I mean by this is when a customer calls, that as much as possible they are not passed from one department to another.  It can happen of course from time to time but it should be the exception not the norm.

The old saying “treat people the way you want to be treated” may not apply anymore.  The newer version of “treat people the way THEY want to be treated” is the better approach.

Remember your customers are your best advertising, make them brag about you!

WOW!!!  What an Alliance!

When I first started the Athena Alliance seven years ago I had no idea what great relationships and wonderful people I would have the privilege of working with.  I often hear from my partners what wonderful customers we have.  I couldn’t agree with them more.  We have been able to support small , mid-size and large organizations with a plethora of various training programs, coaching agreements and Human Resources consulting support.

I can remember the first time I met one of my long standing customers.  She was new in her position and had a mandate to create a learning culture for this mid-size construction company.  Her energy and passion for creating a powerful college was infectious.  Every alliance partner has consistently commented on how fantastic it is to work with her and their employees.  She loved the alliance concept right from the beginning and could see how aligning with me could save her a lot of time and also have trust that the trainers and coaches I introduced her to would be able to deliver the customized solutions she required.

To date she has contracted our alliance partners to provide training in the following areas:

• Leadership (many areas)
• Listening skills
• Power hours
• Empowerment programs for the Admin team
• Priority/time management
• Business writing
• Disc
• Presentation Skills
• Mentoring program
• Outlook

Every year we sit together and discuss what they have accomplished in the past year and what they want to focus on in the coming year.  I then get to work with my partners to make sure she has the partnerships she needs to make it happen.   She is such a delight to work with and we are all grateful for the opportunity to provide the ongoing support for this organization. 

Just one more reason I love what  I do!!!

By
Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

One of the great things about running the Athena Alliance is the vast amount of knowledge and sharing.  For the summer months I thought I would like to share with you some of the great articles written by my Alliance Members.  On May 21^st 2008 our Alliance Partner, Scott Kress stood on top of the world, he had just successfully climbed Mount Everest.  He shares with us his experience and his learning.

Learning In Thin Air
by Scott Kress

It was a pretty amazing site to see the world from that height; the same height at which commercial jets fly. I could see hundreds of mountains, the arid Tibetan plateau and the curvature of the earth. I was exhausted, but overjoyed at the same time.

I am not an exceptional athlete, nor am I not blessed with super human genes, I am just a normal person with a dream. My dream was to climb Mount Everest. Like many people with big dreams I did not really expect it would come true. I had climbed mountains all around the world and even guided for a while, but I always felt Everest was out of my league. Then life happened and I changed my view.

In the spring of 2005 my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was admitted to the hospital and died a few short months later. It was too quick, he was too young (61). I was shocked that something like this could happen. I started to think about my mortality. Then I was also diagnosed with cancer. Mine was caught early and with a couple quick surgeries I was cancer free, but the shaky hold we have on life would stay with me. I resolved to live out my dream of climbing Everest.

I set out for Nepal in March with four friends. Our intention was to climb the North East Ridge in Tibet, but the Chinese Government had different ideas and cancelled our climbing permit at the last moment. They were fearful that we would interfere with their attempt to carry the Olympic Torch to the summit as part of the international torch relay. We quickly re-grouped and secured a permit to climb Everest from Nepal via the South Col and the Southeast Ridge.

Arriving at Base camp on April 9 we set up our home for the next seven weeks. We began to make climbs higher and higher on the mountain to acclimatize to the lower levels of oxygen and pressure and to stock our higher camps with gear, food, and oxygen. I traveled through the infamous Ice Fall, spend time at our rugged Camp 2, climbed the deadly Lhotse face and slept at the spectacular Camp 3. I was now acclimatized and ready to make my attempt on the summit.

Once the Chinese made the summit with the torch we were allowed to go for the top. After Camp 3 I strapped on supplemental oxygen and marvelled at the increase in my strength. I had not noticed how debilitating the lack of oxygen had been. My trip to Camp 4 was exciting and full of anticipation of what would come.

Once in Camp 4 I spent several hours resting, drinking, and eating and then departed for the summit at 9pm. The full moon shown bright and led the way through the dark. The night was relatively warm, but my toes were still going numb. After 10 hours of climbing I reached the top. I slumped down in the snow too tired to celebrate, but I had made it.

Our team put four out of five climbers on the top. We were very successful and I attribute this success to several factors. We worked as a team and supported one another and we did not succumb to the rumours and drama all around us. I dared to dream and with careful planning and attention to detail, I made it.

Lessons learned on the world’s highest mountain:

1) Leadership is a critical factor in determining the team culture.

2) Team dynamics will strongly influence personal commitment and level of risk adversity

3) A strong team culture enables the team members to better deal with change and challenge

4) At least 50% of success is dependent upon leadership and team development

5) Open communication helps leaders make better decisions and helps team members commit to the decisions

6) Open communication also enables the leader to learn of challenges as they arise and alternative views and ideas

7) No one can climb alone, it takes a team to make it to the top