Do you think your automated phone system or website is smart enough to accurately identify your customers?

You may be able to identify the person (name, customer id, etc.) but you’ll have a much harder time guessing what they need.

Take, for example, my recent call with Dell. I called up tech support for help. Dell’s automated phone system some how automatically determined I wanted to talk about my Axim handheld.

Sure, I had bought an Axim from them before. However, my most recent purchase was a desktop computer.

How did I end up in the PDA support queue when I really had a problem with my desktop computer?

I found myself trapped without any option besides hanging up the phone.

Just because a person has previously purchased a product doesn’t mean that is what they want to talk to you about.

In customizing and personalizing our user’s experience we must be careful that we don’t go overboard.

Guessing the user’s next step is important but we need to be confident our decision will correctly match the customer the majority of the time.

Depending on your circumstance you may be able to be more or less strict on your accuracy. This is determined by the consequences of being wrong.

Always give your customer an escape route. If you’re making choices for them, make sure they can override you, take a step back, or even start over.

Lesson #1: Don’t guess wrong.

Lesson #2: If you guess wrong, make the recovery easy. Don’t trap the customer where they don’t want to be.

I host some online projects with Liquid Web. I called them one evening this week to ask some questions and get some issues resolved.

When I got off the call, I told my wife, “That was the best tech support phone call I’ve ever made.”

She responded, rather shocked, “You were on the phone with tech support? I never would have known.

“What do you mean?”

She explained: “Well, with tech support calls, you usually get an aggressive tone and gradually get louder and more frustrated as the call progresses.”

She’s right. Most tech support calls I make end in frustration. Where others have failed, Liquid Web succeeded. How?

The support person made the entire call a very comfortable experience. Liquid Web and my support representative excelled in several key elements:

Availability and Accessibility

I made my call after regular business hours. Often times you’ll have to wait for the next business day to get a hold of companies. In time-critical businesses, web hosting in this case, you need to be there for your customers.

After a few automated phone tree questions, I was routed directly to a support person. No wait. No endless hold music.

Communications

The girl I spoke with could have been the girl who lives down the street. There was no thick accent or language barriers. Imagine how comfortable customers will be when they can feel like they are talking to a neighbor. Localize your support.

No Rush

I was able to make it through my call with Liquid Web without being rushed off the line. Because I wasn’t feeling pressure to finish, I was able to better collect my thoughts and get all my issues resolved.

If your customer is in a hurry, feel the urgency and make things happen. However, you should never rush the customer just to get through the transaction. Customer throughput will affect your margins but you need to carefully balance customer care with operational efficiency.

Customized Support

At one point my support representative asked if I was comfortable doing something myself. I said “not really” and so she walked me through one task and completed another for me.

Your customers will have varying skills and abilities. Find out what they know or can do and tailor your response accordingly. If you know the customer doesn’t know, you can make things as easy as possible. Experienced customers getting simple instructions will take less offense than novice customers getting complicated mumbo-jumbo.

Read the previous issues of Call Center Chronicles:

• Episode 1: Nabisco
• Episode 2: Current

My wife recently ordered some greeting cards from Current. One package of 30 cards only had 29.

Lesson #1: Lack of quality control will lead to more overhead in supporting customers after the sale.

Lesson #2: It is fine to work on improving customer service but don’t neglect the root causes of problems. Fixing those up front will alleviate a lot of the downstream issues you face everyday.

To solve her problem, my wife called Current’s phone number on the shipping invoice.

An automated message greeted her:

Due to high call volume, please call back in 1-2 hours.

She called back a few more times over the next week and got the same message every time.

Lesson #3: Don’t leave the follow-up to the customer. If you’re too busy to help a customer right now, they need alternatives or a proactive, scheduled response from you later. If you leave it up to the customer, they may walk away disgruntled and unsatisfied. Not everyone is as persistent as my wife!

Frustrated, my wife pulled up her order confirmation email. This had a different phone number that actually got her through to the company.

Lesson #4: Be consistently reachable. Ideally, you’d have one phone number that everyone can use to reach you. In reality, you may have several different phone numbers. These may be for different departments or even so you can track the source of incoming calls. No matter how many phone numbers you publish on the web, in emails, or your packaging, they better all work and connect customers to you!

After my wife explained the situation to the Current representative, she was told:

I can take care of that for you.

Lesson #5: Let your employees solve customer problems. If they have to defer to others or need approval to appease the customer, precious time and effort is wasted.

My wife was told:

Sorry, we’re out of stock of that item right now. What I can do is offer you a $2 coupon off your next purchase. Would that be OK?

Lesson #6: Focus on what the customer wants to hear. Tom Vander Well lists several things you should never say to a customer. Most of these include telling the customer “no” or “I can’t.” So tell them what you can do, keep it positive and work towards a solution.

My wife was happy with the coupon and the problem was solved. We’ll surely shop with them again especially since we now have a coupon beckoning us to buy.

Lesson #7: Not all problems can be solved with a coupon for future purchases. Your customer may be so mad they don’t want anything to do with you again and just want a refund. That’s fine because in this situation, a coupon may just be a slap in the face. Be sure to adjust your response based on the customer’s situation and attitude.

Read the previous issue of Call Center Chronicles, Episode 1: Nabisco

Last week I headed to Office Depot to buy a wireless card for my computer. Glancing at the shelf, I saw a model I liked. The big yellow price card on that shelf listed a sale price with which I was happy.

I grabbed the box and proceeded to the checkout. The total price showed the regular price and not the discounted sales amount. I protested that the card should be on sale according to price sticker on shelf.

Another employee appeared after the cashier called for a price check. I walked him to the row and showed him the sales price right below my desired network card.

The employee says: “Oh, this sale ended last week.” He then took the sales card down and said, “It looks they they forgot to take these down when they put up the new ones,” pointing to several other yellow tags.

Lesson 1: It is OK to admit you or your company made a mistake.

He offered a weak: “Are you just looking for any networking card?”

Lesson 2: Recover from mistakes by offering the customers options. You can always ask the customer what she wants or have a set backup plan for such occasions. If you don’t act, the customer will have to do it for you. This could mean they leave without a purchase, or ask for something you can’t give.

I responded: “Will you honor the posted price?”

Lesson 3: Why did I have to ask? Be proactive in making amends with customers.

Employee: “Just a minute.”

He returned to say that yes, indeed they would honor the price. He then walked back with me to the cashier and assisted in the transaction. He apologized for the inconvenience as he left me to pay for my purchase.

Lesson 4: Don’t lose a customer over a few dollars. The future value of a repeat customer is worth more than the difference in a posted versus actual price.

The end result was that I was happy and saved a few dollars even though the process could have gone a bit smoother. Nevertheless, Office Depot did perform better this time than on my previous encounters with their bad products and call center problems.

I called my credit card company to activate the new card I got in the mail. The automated process was smooth and stated that if I needed any help, I could be transfered to a “customer satisfaction specialist.”

Really? As the consumer, I’m all for “customer satisfaction.” This title is effective for several reasons. It is:

• easily understood
• hints at the resolution you can expect
• puts the employee in a positive light
• reduces customer anxiety of speaking with the company
• forces the employee to be customer-centric

Setting up positive expectations with both the employee and the customer help guarantee a higher percentage of happy customers at the end of the call. If the title successfully works its magic, neither party comes into the call being defensive or angry.

These are quite a few benefits from a simple three word title. What is your title? Does it accurately reflect what you can do for your customer? Does your title strike fear and uncertainty into the heart of customers or does it welcome them with open arms?

As you may recall, I sent an email to the makers of Silk Yogurt asking several questions. After some delay, they responded:

Thank you for your recent e-mail to Silk®. We appreciate your interest in our products.

Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.

Sincerely,
Jesus Lopez
Consumer Response Representative

I don’t think he even read my email. This type of response could just have easily come immediately from an email auto-responder. But it didn’t. It came from a third-party customer service provider after several days of waiting.

Don’t Hide

I’m disappointed that Silk has chosen to insulate itself from customers by routing all feedback through a third party. To add to the frustration, if you visit casupport.com, from which Jesus’ email originated, you get this message:

OOPS!!!! If you are trying to reach a consumer products company, you’ve come here by mistake!

To send an email to that company via AOL, simply click on “Write” in the upper left corner of your screen.

Follow the company’s instructions by either entering the company’s name or the product name followed by “@casupport.com” in the “Send To” box.

For example, if you are instructed to use the company name and you are trying to reach “XYZ Company,” type “XYZCompany@casupport.com” in the “Send To” box. If you are instructed to use the product name - say “ABC Product” - type ABCProduct@casupport.com.

Write your message, click “Send Now,” and your email should arrive at the appropriate destination!

Thanks for following these directions!

Good luck with those directions. Not only do you not respond to my questions nor my follow-up email but I can’t even tell who you are or how to escalate my issue.

After a little sleuthing, I found Telerx, a customer care outsourcer, owns the casupport.com domain name. Unfortunately, even they don’t live up to their own hype where they state:

Handling [customers] expertly enhances brand value. Anything less and you run the risk of creating ambassadors of negativity, not to mention lost business.

So this very post has become an ambassador of negativity. Don’t let it happen to your company.

Make it Personal

Keep in direct contact with your customers. Losing that connection will lead to you living in a false reality while customers angrily leave your business for better opportunities.

Craigslist’s founder Craig Newmark is a great example to follow. He personally handles customer service emails. If he can do it, why can’t your company?

Answer Questions

Answer each and every question in your customer’s emails. The customer took the trouble to ask, you can take the time to answer. Don’t ignore questions you’re uncomfortable answering. Don’t respond with just a link to a help page on your site. Answer the questions.

Tell Me Now

If you aren’t going to tell the customer anything useful, tell them sooner rather than later. Customers will understand a slight delay in answering questions if you give good answers. If customers had to wait for you to simply respond with generic babble, then you’ll just make them mad.

Conclusion

Customers require proper customer care. Don’t neglect them, ignore them, or outsource their care to the lowest bidder. Take the extra time and resources to nurture your existing customers and they’ll be yours for many years to come.

This will be the first in a series of many: Call Center Chronicles.

What happens when you call those toll-free numbers on the products you buy? What kind of reaction do you get from customer service?

I’ve used the numbers before when I had trouble. To both Huggies and DiGiorno’s credit, they took good care of me.

But what would happen if I called up with some good feedback for the company? How would I be treated?

This week I called the Customer Service number on a box of Nabisco Barnum’s Animal Crackers.

The Call

My two minutes on hold made me question if I had the right number. There wasn’t any company-specific identification during my two minutes on hold.

Lesson #1: Your automated phone answering system must identify who you are.

Who Answered?

A very nice native English speaker named Dale ended my wait and asked how he could help me.

Lesson #2: Speak your customer’s language.

My Comment

I told Dale that I was calling to thank them for making a dairy-free animal cookie. Barnum’s Animal Crackers are the only ones we’ve been able to find that don’t have milk as an ingredient.

Dale listened patiently to my initial statement but needed to return to his script and asked: “Can I have your name so I can properly address you?”

Lesson #3: Address customers by name. If you don’t know it, ask!

Confirmation

Dale then asked to have the number that was imprinted on the box. After giving him the number, he confirmed it was Barnum’s Animal Crackers.

Lesson #4: Make sure both you and your customer are talking about the same product.

He then restated my comment about the dairy-free cookies and asked if that was right.

Lesson #5: Always confirm you understand what the customer has said by restating the concern or comments in your own words.

Outside the Script

I told Dale he was correct and that my son has dairy allergies. He empathized with me that dairy allergies can have big impact.

Lesson #6: Show interest in the customer’s issues, life, family, etc. Adding the personal touch makes you more human and approachable to the customer.

Wrap-up

Dale told me he was glad to hear praise and would pass along my comments to the appropriate department. He then asked for my mailing address to associate with my feedback.

Me: “Why? Will you be mailing me anything?”
Dale: “If you like I can sign you up for our mailing list for recipes and product announcements.”
Me: “Not today.”
Dale: “Phone number or email address?
Me: “Not today.”

Lesson #7: Maintain a fair exchange of information. Nabisco didn’t really need my mailing address or contact information for any benefit of my own. When you ask for personal information from customers, there better be obvious benefit to them.

Dale thanked me for calling and we ended our conversation.

Lesson #8: Always thank customers for giving you feedback (good or bad). It will encourage more feedback and shows you’re actually listening.

While I was hoping for some coupons or some type of freebie, Nabisco did handle my call well and with respect. The lessons learned here apply not only to call centers but to any interaction with customers you may have.

After reading my review of First, Break all the Rules, Glenn commented that I should take note of the book’s list of customer expectations. That suggestion yielded a handful of gems for working with and developing customer advocates.

Advocates are customers who are aggressively loyal. They will not only withstand temptations to defect, they will actively sing your praises.

How do you build these super Return Customers? By sequentially achieving four key levels of customer service.

#1 Accuracy

At the lowest level, customers expect accuracy.

You expect to get what you ordered without errors or missed shipments. You want your credit card bill to correctly list all your purchases and payments.

Your customers must get what they paid for and are expecting. Deliver on what you promise. Accuracy is an assumed standard in doing business. When present, accuracy is taken for granted. Its absence swiftly leads to customer dissatisfaction.

#2 Availability

Any company that makes itself more accessible will obviously increase the number of customers who are willing to give it a try.

You can leverage the power of convenience to reach more potential customers. When the barriers to entry are lower, you’ve got a better shot of earning first-time customers.

Availability is important but should not stand by itself or be relied on as a single benefit to the customer. Since availability is easy to mimic, your rivals can reduce this “competitive advantage to a commodity.”

#3 Partnership

[Customers] want you to listen to them, to be responsive to them, to make them feel they are on the same side of the fence as you.

Partnerships can be built only when you:

• Identify customer needs.
• Understand and can identify customer behavior.
• Solicit and act upon customer feedback.

#4 Advice

Customers feel the closest bond to organizations that have helped them learn.

Think of the free seminars, telecasts, tutorials, workshops, and classes you see advertised everyday. Remember your alma mater where you earned that degree?

These are all instances where you have learned or can learn something. As a result, you are much more likely to reciprocate the favor. You’ve probably donated to an alumni-sponsored scholarship or even bought that paint you learned to use at a Home Depot workshop.

Building Blocks

Each of these levels builds on the others and will eventually lead to some very happy and loyal customers. Make sure you’re meeting the basics and then work on developing those partnerships and advice relationships with customers. Cultivating quality customer relationships will drive repeat business and allow your company to continue its growth.

A few weeks ago I took a motorcycle riding course. To start the class, the instructor wanted everyone to introduce themselves and specifically address three things:

• our expectations for the class
• any concerns we had
• our motorcycle experience, if any

These three topics allowed our instructor to tailor his lessons to our individual needs. He was able to adjust the complexity of topics to our understanding and experience.

As I was a motorcycle novice going into the class, I surely would have been left behind or at least confused had the instructor not found out our individual situations and adjusted accordingly.

Just like my instructor had his class as an audience, you too, have an audience. Your audience is all those people to whom you market your products. Your customers are the audience. In fact, anyone with whom you do business is your audience.

You’ll be able to sell to more prospects, close more deals, and make happy customers if you better understand their individual situations.

Identify

To begin, you need to understand your customer’s circumstances. You can do this via several methods:

• Do some background checking on the customer before your meeting
• Lead prospects down a self-selecting path that clearly identifies the type of customer they would be. This can be done via direct mailings, websites, or phone trees that funnel the customer to a proper classification.
• Ask the customer
• Infer expectations based on the situation, environment, or first impressions. (Be careful with this one because you could be wrong.)

Expectations

Everyone comes to your business with a set of expectations. They may have heard about you from a friend or read about your service on a blog. Any way you slice it, the customer is expecting a particular outcome.

If your company can meet that expectation, you’ve got the sale. On the other hand, if you can’t meet the expectation, you’ll have some negative consequences.

There are two potential paths your customer can travel: you can meet expectations or you can’t.

Meet Expectations

If you’ve identified the customer’s expectation as one you can meet, it is your lucky day. Just do what you do best and everything should be fine. The bonus is that once you know the customer’s expectation, you can exceed the bare minimum and look like a hero (e.g. underpromise and overdeliver).

Reset Expectations

When you realize that you can’t meet your customer’s expectations, you need to reset the expectation. Clarify what exactly you can deliver and what you won’t. Ideally, you can help the customer understand that you can provide what they really need and not what they thought they needed.

However, if you realistically can’t meet the demand, you need to admit that fact so that you don’t set yourself up for failure. In this case, try to refer the customer to someone you trust that can complete the job.

Concerns

Once you’ve identified the customer’s concerns, you can customize your marketing or sales message to resolve those doubts. Explain how your product removes any need for concern because of it’s features, warranty, support, guarantee, or you-name-it characteristic.

Address any concerns that you identify so they no longer act as barriers to the sale. Be aware that the customer may not tell you everything she is worried about so be prepared to resolve unspoken concerns.

Experience

What type of history does someone have with your product or even your company? Be flexible in your message when you’re selling to newbies and respect the veteran customer by skipping the basics.

If a customer had a great experience with you in the past, they may be more forgiving of mistakes this time, or they may just hold you to that higher standard. Every encounter with a customer must stand on its own merits. You can’t rely on past successes or hide behind past failures. Leverage your knowledge of a customer’s past experience to create a quality one today and for each subsequent visit.

After my recent post about my experience at Which Wich, I was surprised to get an email from their founder and President, Jeff Sinelli, which included the following:

As you will see in our logo/brand we strive for
“Superior Sandwiches” at Which Wich. It looks like we may have come up short on your recent visit.

Find the Word of Mouth

How did Sinelli find my humble little blog entry? If you don’t know, then you just may be oblivious to what your customers are saying about your company and brand.

I was able to find my post via blog search engine Technorati and a simple search for “Which Wich”.

Here are some sites you can use to find customer ramblings and news about your company:

• Technorati
• Google Blog Search
• Topix.net

Most of these services let you subscribe to results via RSS. With that you can get updates via your favorite feed reader or email automatically! Try some of these searches out and you’ll be that much more aware of your customers’ thoughts and experiences.

Contact Customers

Sinelli asked me a series of questions that would narrow down the location and time of my lunch visit. I can only assume he then would follow-up with that franchise’s owner or manager to discuss the problem.

Once you find your customers on the web, reach out and touch them. Although I never heard back about my particular incident at Which Wich, I was impressed that its founder took the time to contact me.

When you go dig up some references to your business, you may find that you:

• need to answer questions
• dispel rumors
• correct misinformation
• fix a problem with your product or service

When you contact those whose feedback you find, please be considerate. If their feedback was negative, the last thing they will want to hear is excuses or an arrogant response. Follow Sinelli’s example by asking for more details so you can fully understand the situation.

Fix the Problems

Once you’ve found out what people are saying: take some action. Confirm the problem exists and figure out a way to fix it.

Repeat

After you fix one round of customer issues, more will inevitably arise. Be sure to continually monitor what others are saying about your business. Look for patterns or recurring problems. These tend to group together and validate problem issues.

Search out customer comments and discussion and you’ll be surprised what you may learn about your business.