Nancy Friedman, keynote speaker and customer service expert, shares the 5 biggest mistakes companies make in today’s challenging environment. They’re simple, granted. But let’s not lose track that customer service isn’t rocket science. It’s not brain surgery. It’s simple common sense.
Here we go:
1. Mistake 1: Not Smiling. Insanely simplistic. On the phone or in person, we need to understand why a smile works – because you can hear a smile. Don’t feel like smiling? Well, smile anyway. The customer doesn’t care if you feel like smiling or not. It’s better to have the customer think your office is closed than to have the phone answered or greet someone in a negative mood.
2. Mistake 2: Not Acknowledging a Customer’s Request or Problem Immediately. Rapid response. Requests and problems need to be handled sooner than later. Delaying a request or not immediately acknowledging it can cause more problems than the original request.
3. Mistake 3: Immediate Rejection of a Request. Be a “double-checker.” It’s easy to tell people, “We don’t have it,” “Sorry, it’s past the deadline” or “We ran out of that report.” Instead, use a soft rejection: Something like: “The last time I checked it wasn’t available, let me double-check for you.” This simple statement immediately defuses some of the tension of not being able to fulfill a request. And often when we do double-check, we find a way to get what the person wanted after all.
4. Mistake 4: Giving a Price When They Call. Caller: “Hi, how much is the cruise to Cancun?” Answer: “Well, they can start at $699 and go all the way up to suites at $4000.” Caller: “Ok, thanks, bye.” DANGEROUS! Try not to ever give a price at the top of the conversation. Big, big mistake to give the price right out. Try: “What a great question. My name is Nancy, and I’m speaking with?” What we are doing here is taking control of the question. 9 times out of 10 you’ll get the caller’s name and start a conversation.
I’m not saying “don’t give the price,” I am saying don’t give a price first off. Learn to navigate the call the way YOU want it to go. And please don’t tell me it doesn’t happen. I’ve done too many mystery calls to travel agencies and gotten a price right off the bat. It happens. Just don’t let it happen to YOU.
5. Mistake 5: Forgetting What Mom Taught You. YUP. Forgetting to say: Please, thank you and you’re welcome will lose business for you in a hurry. No matter how much or how little money someone has, they all need and want to be treated well. Using their name when you know it makes a big difference too. But those three little phrases please, thank you and you’re welcome are critically important to today’s business world.
Certainly there are dozens of other mistakes in business. Love to hear your thoughts. What mistakes do agents make that we can learn from?
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Nancy Friedman, keynote speaker and subject matter expert on customer service and the customer experience, is president of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training and a speaker at association, franchise and corporate meetings. Nancy has spoken at CLIA, Luxury Travel, Mast Travel, Signature Travel and many more travel related industries including many of the cruise lines. She is a Travel Institute facilitator delivering fun filled, educational webinars. www.nancyfriedman.com; nancy@telephonedoctor.com; 314-291-1012
