“Inside the Magic Kingdom” (part one) by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

Several years ago I read the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan for a project I was working on for a client. I am rerunningthis series of blogs as there is so much wisdom in this book on how to provide extraordinary customer experiences every time.  For the next seven weeks I am going to share with you the seven lessons outlined in this book.  At the back of the book Tom has provided questions for each lesson that each reader can apply to their own situation and I will include them as well. The book gives the readers permission to use the information provided proper credit is given to the author. 

 LESSON 1

The competition is anyone the customer compares you with.       

When I first read this concept I thought, how can that be?  In the book talks about how the same people that call your organization also call other companies and people are always comparing whether they realize it or not.  Quote from the book “If someone else satisfies customers better than you do, no matter what type of business, you suffer by comparison.”  Literally everyone competes in the world of customer experience and satisfaction.  It is the same whether you are talking about an internal or external customer.

Questions for discussion with your team:

1.    Recall a situation where you were very impresses with the level of service you received.  How did it raise your expectations of other companies?

2.    How does our company’s service compare?

3.    Who are our direct competitors?

4.    Who else might our customers compare us with?

5.    What does that suggest about how we might change the way we do business?

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!

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

The Many Faces of Customer Service

I have had many requests over the years for customer service training.  We pride ourselves in our ability to tailor every training program to meet the specific needs of our clients.  I spend the time needed up front during the assessment stage to ensure I clearly understand the objectives and desired outcomes from the program.

Several years ago we delivered customer service training to a local funeral home.  Initially it was for the people who interacted with the families of the deceased.  The pilot was so successful that they decided to roll it out company wide.  This included delivering to the grave diggers.  I remember calling David (the alliance partner who delivered this program) one day and he said he was on his way to visit the grave diggers to have a better understanding of their jobs and how they interact with the customers.  The program was a huge success years later they have experienced sustained changes in how they interact with their customers.

I was called by an existing client who has results from a customer service survey they wanted to discuss with me.  The survey results revealed that for the most part the customers were happy with the service they received.  There were however, several comments made about the way the truck drivers interacted with their staff.  Comments were made that the language, tone and sometimes tardiness of drivers were frustrating.  I immediately connected them to David and together they designed a program that not only addressed all the concerns of their customers, it also included a number of ways to take all their customer service initiatives to a new level.  When I spoke with the VP of Human Resources recently she was excited by the participation and the feedback she received.  Management is committed that this level of service is maintained and they are very optimistic that the next survey will deliver much more favorable results.

Often when we think of customer service, we just think of our external customers.  I have a client who was concerned about the way the employees interacted with each other, in particular the accounting department.  She shared with me that she constantly got complaints from other departments on the way the accounting staff treated and reacted to the other departments.  She was not sure what to do about it.  I suggested she provide the members of the accounting team with customer service training from the perspective of working with internal customers.  At first she wasn’t sure.  I introduced her to David and he outlined what a program like this would look like and shared the success he had had in the past.  She was then clear this was the way to address the issue.  I spoke with her several months after the program had been delivered and she said she had received positive feedback from, both, the other employees and the members of the accounting department.  Having the tools to handle the sometimes difficult conversations made all the difference.

These experiences confirm for me that everyone is in customer service, no matter what job or role in the organization.

 By Cindy Stradling CPC, CSP

Six Pillars of Self Esteem – The Practice of Living 6

As a coach, I often get asked the question “What do you think the biggest take away is for the people that you have coached?”  Obviously it varies from person to person, and the most common feedback I hear is coaches say they have more self confidence and a higher level of self esteem.  I know for me personally this is true as well.  Several years ago I read the book “The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem” by Nathaniel Branden. The information in this book has stayed with me and has helped influence my coaching style. The June blogs will highlight each of the pillars and provide an exercise at the end of each one.

Six Pillars of Self-Esteem – The practice of living:

Pillar #6 – Personal Integrity

• The integration of ideals, convictions, standards, beliefs and behavior.  When our behavior is congruent with our professed values, when ideals and practice match, we have integrity.

• When we behave in ways that conflict with our judgment of what is appropriate (hypocrisy), we lose face in our own eyes (not self-accepting.).  If it becomes habitual, we trust ourselves less or cease to trust ourselves at all.

• When we breach our integrity, we wound our self-esteem.  Only the practice of integrity can heal it.

• Integrity is the reputation we acquire with ourselves.  The more you live with integrity, the more you enjoy self-esteem.

• Integrity does not guarantee that we will make the best choice but we must stay conscious, stay connect with our knowledge, call on our best rational clarity, take responsibility for our choice and its consequences and most importantly, do not seek to escape into mental fog.

• Most of the issues of integrity we face are not big issues but small ones, yet the accumulated weight of our choices has an impact on our sense of self.
  • We start to not trust our judgment.

• The higher the level on consciousness at which we operate, the more we live by explicit choice and the more naturally does integrity follow as a consequence.

Exercise for Pillar #6

Complete the sentence: Integrity means to me…

Complete the sentence: If I think about the areas where I find it difficult to practice full integrity…

Summary…

Behaviors that generate good self-esteem are also expressions of good self-esteem.  Living consciously is both a cause and an effect of self-efficacy and self-respect.  And so is self-acceptance, self-responsibility and all the other pillars.  Surrounding all this is the love for experiencing your life! Self-esteem is the immune system of consciousness.

The philosophy of self-esteem

Practices (actions) and convictions (beliefs) both play a role in supporting self-esteem

• Convictions are important because they give rise to emotions and actions (practices).  They are a crucial factor in the development of an individual’s self-esteem.

• Beliefs are convictions deeply grounded in our being.

• Our beliefs may be so implicit in our thinking that we are hardly aware of them or not aware of them at all.  Yet they clearly lie behind our actions.  These are beliefs about our self or beliefs about reality.

Self-fulfilling prophecies

• Our self-esteem – high or low- tends to be a generator of self-fulfilling prophecies.

• We will either sabotage our route to success (what we want) or sabotage our sustainment of that success because our self-esteem is not worthy of the results we produce. 

• If a self-concept cannot accommodate a given level of success, and if the self-concept does not change, it is predictable that the person will find ways to self-sabotage.  We are in an adversarial relationship with our well-being.

Self esteem and peak performance

• When you have a healthy self-esteem, you become unstoppable in your achievements.
• If you live consciously and consciously live the pillars of self-esteem you have achieved your peak performance.

• We can run not only from our dark side but from our bright side – from anything that threatens to make us stand our or stand alone or that asks that we break through to a higher level of consciousness and reach a higher ground of integrity.

• We live productively – making ourselves competent to life.

Look at long term – what you do today is planting seeds for the future – not immediate gratification

• Think in terms of small steps.  Small improvements make a difference.

• Only need to raise one’s average level of performance a little to experience growth in self-efficacy and self-respect.

• Fear and pain should be treated as signals not to close our eyes but to open them wider.

• We must be self-disciplined which requires the ability to defer immediate gratification in the service of a remote goal.  This is the ability to project consequences into the future – to think, plan and live long-range.

• You have respect for the present that does not disregard the future and respect for the future that does not disregard the present – you must live consciously!

You are never going to be perfect

It’s the action of trying to be the best we can that builds self-esteem (as long as you live consciously to the fact that you will never be perfect).