Customer Service

The TEN

Commandments

1st Commandment

• Thou Shall Know Who is the BossKnow Who is the Boss

• You are in business to service customer needs, & you can only do that if you know what it is your customers want.

• When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want & how you can provide them excellent service.

• Never forget that the customer pays our salary and makes our jobs possible.

2nd Commandment

• Thou Shall Be a Good Listener.Be a Good Listener.

• Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions.• Concentrate on what the customer is really saying. • Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, & most

importantly, how they feel.• Beware of making assumptions - thinking you intuitively know

what the customer wants. • Do you know what three things are most important to your

customer? – Effective listening

– Undivided attention– Resolution

3rd Commandment

• Thou Shall Identify AND Anticipate Needs.Identify AND Anticipate Needs. • Customers don't buy products or services. They buy

good feelings and solutions to problems. • Most customer needs are emotional rather than

logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs.

• Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs.

4th Commandment • Thou Shall Make Customers Feel Important Make Customers Feel Important

AND AppreciatedAND Appreciated.

• Treat people as individuals, use their name & find ways to compliment them, but be sincere.

• People value sincerity. It creates good feelings & trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings.

• Customers are very sensitive & know whether or not you really care about them.

• Thank them every time you get a chance. Be sure that your body language conveys sincerity. Your words and actions must be congruent.

5th Commandment

• Thou Shall Help Customers Understand Help Customers Understand Your Systems.Your Systems.

• Organizations may have the world's best systems AND if customers don't understand them, they get confused, impatient & angry.

• Take the time to explain how your systems work & how they simplify workflow.

• Be careful that your systems don't reduce the human element of your organization.

6th Commandment • Thou Shall Appreciate the Power of "Yes".Appreciate the Power of "Yes".

• Look for ways to help.

• When there is a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you CAN DO it.

• Look for ways to make doing business easy.

• Always DO what you SAY you are going to do.

7th Commandment Thou Shall Know How to ApologizeKnow How to Apologize.

When something goes wrong, apologize. It's easy and people like it.

People may not always be right, but they must always be taken care of. Every encounter is Significant. Deal with problems

immediately & let them know what you have done.

Make it simple for people to complain. Value their complaints. Do not take it personally. As much as we dislike it, it gives us an

opportunity to improve.

Even if people are having a bad day, go out of your way to make them feel comfortable.

8th Commandment

• Thou Shall Give More Than Expected.Give More Than Expected.

• The future of all companies lie in keeping people happy.

• Think of ways to elevate yourself. Consider the following: – What can you give people? – What can you do to follow-up & thank people? – What can you give people that is totally unexpected?

9th Commandment

• Thou Shall Get Regular FeedbackGet Regular Feedback.

• Encourage & welcome suggestions.

• There are several ways we can find out what customers think & feel. – Listen carefully to what they say. – Check back regularly to see how things are going. – Provide a method that invites constructive criticism,

comments and suggestions.

10th Commandment • Thou Shall Treat Each Other Well.Treat Each Other Well.

• WE, employees, are internal customers & need a regular dose of appreciation.

• Thank each other & find ways to let others know how important they are.

• Treat your colleagues with respect & chances are they will have a higher regard for customers.

• Appreciation stems from ALL. Treating customers & colleagues well is equally important.