CUSTOMER SERVICE IN A DECADE OF UNCERTAINTY
County Auditors Institute
May 4, 2011
Richard Cheatham, Presenter
CUSTOMER SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
MAKING THE CASE. . .
LCV
Why Customers Leave
Customer Service Facts
8/20 Rule
12/1 Rule
4% Rule
91% Rule
“SIX FOUNDATIONS OF EXCELLENCE”
1. Create a SYSTEM that supports service excellence
2. Identify your ______in your
customer service.
3. Commit to the concept of ______
4. Measure from ______point of view.
5. The PLATINUM RULE!
6. Make ______a part of your culture
ETDBW Quick Test
The operative theme is being “easy to do business with” (ETDBW). How good are you right now? How many times do you have to wonder “Where did the system break down” and “Where did the customer get lost” and “How can we rewrite the rules, change the policies, or upgrade the gear to keep this from happening again?”
1. Go out to lunch or coffee, or do something to get you out of the building.
2. Call back to your office/department using the general, in-the-phonebook number, not one you know to call when you want fast action.
3. Without identifying yourself (disguise your voice if your have to), ask for something you know to be difficult or strange, but doable, from the person you answers the phone.
4. Count the following:
*Number of times you are put on hold _____
*Number of times you are transferred. _____
*Number of people who say, “Gee, I’m
not sure we do that…” or some variation _____
*Number of people who tell you, “No, you
can’t have that,” in some for or another _____
*Number of times you have to ask to speak
to someone else or someone in charge _____
*Number of times you have to repeat yourself _____
TOTAL _____
5. Multiply the result by 10 and subtract from 150 to arrive at your “Easy to Do Business With” Quotient. Your ETDBW quotient is like an IQ. The lower it is, the harder you are to do Business with.
ETDBW SCORES
125-150 Genius – Your systems are an asset
100-124 Average – Your systems aren’t any worse than anybody else’s
75-99 Slow – Your systems are a detriment to customer retention
Below 75 Disabled – Your systems are probably driving customers away
In droves. Immediate remedial action indicated
DEADLY PHRASES - AND WHAT TO SAY
INSTEAD!
DO SAY: DON’T SAY:
“Thanks for returning my call!” “It sure took you long enough!”
“She’s not available at the moment” “She went to buy another candy bar.”
“She’s working out of the office today.” “She’s out of the state.”
“Could you tell me more about that?” “Well, I never heard anything like
that before.”
“It will be my pleasure” “No problem”
“I think the best way to handle this would “You’ll have to....”
be....”
“Here’s what I can do for you.” “No”
“Let me find that information for you.” “I don’t know”
“The person who handles that is______“It’s not my job”
Please let me get her/him”
ADDITIONAL READING
Anderson, Kristin, and Ron Zemke, DELIVERING KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF
SERVICE. New York: AMACOM Books, 1991.
Berry, Leonard, David Bennett, and Carter Brown, SERVICE QUALITY: A
PROFIT STRATEGY FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. Homewood,
IL: Dow Jones-Irwin, 1988.
Berry, Leonard, and A. Parasuraman, MARKETING SERVICES: COMPETING
THROUGH QUALITY. New York: The Free Press, 1991.
Berry, Leonard L. DISCOVERING THE SOUL OF SERVICE. New York: The Free
Press, 1999
Berry, Leonard L. ON GREAT SERVICE: A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION.
New York: The Free Press, 1995.
Blanchard, Ken, Jim Ballard and Fred Finch. CUSTOMER MANIA! New York:
Free Press, 2004.
Blacharski, Dan W. SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. Ocala, Florida:
Atlantic Publishing Group, 2006.
Branham, Leigh, KEEPING THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP YOU IN BUSINESS.
New York: AMACOM, 2001.
Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt Coffman, FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES.
New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1999.
Coine, Ted. FIVE-STAR CUSTOMER SERVICE. Lincoln, Neb.: Universe Books, 2006.
Davis, Jeannie. BEYOND HELLO. Aurora, Colorado: Now Hear This, Inc., 2006.
Gallagher, Richard. DELIVERING LEGENDAR CUSTOMER SERVICE. Ithaca, NY:
Oasis Press, 2005.
Gallagher, Richard. GREAT CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS. New York: AMACOM,
2006.
Goodman, John A. STRATEGIC CUSTOMER SERVICE. New York: AMACOM, 2009.
Gross, T. Scott. POSITIVELY OUTRAGEOUS SERVICE. Chicago: Dearborn Trade
Publications, 2004.
Gutek, Barbara, and Theresa Welsh, THE BRAVE NEW SERVICE STRATEGY.
New York: AMACOM, 2000.
Gronstedt, Anders, THE CUSTOMER CENTURY. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Johnson, Michael D. and Anders Gustafsson, IMPROVING CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION, LOYALTY, AND PROFIT. New York: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Jonash, Ronald S., and Rom Sommerlatte, THE INNOVATION PREMIUM.
Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group, 1999.
Katzenbach, Jon R., PEAK PERFORMANCE. Boston: Harvard University Press, 2000.
LeBoeuf, Michael, HOW TO WIN CUSTOMERS. New York: G. P. Putnam’s
Sons, 1988.
Levesque, Paul. CUSTOMER SERVICE MADE EASY. Madison: CWI Publishing
Enterprises, 2006.
McCarthy, Dennis G., THE LOYALTY LINK: HOW LOYAL EMPLOYEES CREATE
LOYAL CUSTOMERS. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.
Schaff, Dick, and Ron Zemke, TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: 101 WAYS TO
KEEP CUSTOMERS COMING BACK. Minneapolis: Lakewood
Books, 1991.
Reed, David and David Cottrell. MONDAY MORNING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Dallas: Cornerstone Leadership Institute, 2004.
Wall, Bob, WORKING RELATIONSHIPS. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing,
1999.
Whitely, Richard, and Diane Hessan, CUSTOMER-CENTERED GROWTH.
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Inc., 1996.
Willingham, Ron. INTEGRITY SERVICE. New York: The Free Press, 2005.
Zaltman, Gerald. HOW CUSTOMERS THINK. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press, 2003.
Zeithaml, Valarie A., A. Parasuraman and Leonard L. Berry. DELIVERING QUALITY
SERVICE: BALANCING CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS.
New York: The Free Press, 1990.
Zemke, Ron, and Chip R. Bell, SERVICE WISDOM. Minneapolis: Lakewood
Books, 1990.
Zemke, Ron, and Dick Shaaf, THE SERVICE EDGE: 101 COMPANIES
THAT RPOFIT FROM CUSTOMER CARE. New York: NAL, 1989.
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