QUALITY SERVICE: A “WOW” CUSTOMER INTERACTION

A Joint JIM Seminar Series of CLICK and FUSE Committee

I. The WOW experience

A. What is Quality Service (inject bible principles)?

B. The Paradigm Shift (customer Service mindset) [Servant leadership]
C. Understanding your Customer (Identifying and addressing Customer needs)

II. "Serbisyong Totoo": Practical Application of WOW Quality Service

A. Effective Customer interaction (Ushering as part of quality service practice)

B. More than Just a Phone Conversation (customer focused call flow)
C. Put in into Words (written Customer Communication)

III. When the Going gets Tough, the Tough gets Going

A. Handling difficult Customers

B. Conclusion - Biblical Principles: How Jesus Responded to Anger

]
 I. The WOW experience

A. What is Quality Service?

American Society for Quality: "A subjective term for which each person has his or her own
definition. In technical usage, quality can have two meanings:

a. The characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or
implied needs;
b. A product or service free of deficiencies."

Peter Drucker: "Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the
customer gets out and is willing to pay for."

(see discussion on BPI Quality service in action hardcopy)

B. The Paradigm Shift (customer Service mindset)

Source: http://visualworld.org/inverted_pyramid_structure.html

Inverted Pyramid Structure (for paradigm shift)

Figure 2 Inverted Pyramid Organizational Model - see discussion on the IBM material (hardcopy)
p. 11-12.
 C. Understanding your Customer (Identifying and addressing Customer needs)

See also: discussion on the IBM material (hardcopy) p. 13-18.

In a nutshell, what do customers want, and what is "good customer service" for them?

If you want customers to perceive that you are giving them good customer service, or excellent
customer service, you need to understand them, and look at what you offer from their point of
view. So, what do customers want?

Here's a brief list to stimulate your thinking, taken fromPerfect Phrases for Customer Service:
Hundreds of Tools, Techniques, and Scripts for Handling Any Situation, (Basics of Customer
Service chapter)

Customers want:

• problem solved
 • effort

• acknowledgement and understanding

• choices and options

• positive surprises

• consistency, reliability, and predictability

• value (not necessarily best price)

• reasonable simplicity

• speed

• confidentiality

• sense of importance

How do you measure up? if you are hitting all of these changes are your customers are loyal and
see you as providing good customer service, or even excellent customer service.

(source: http://customerservicezone.com/faq/customerswant.htm)

II. "Serbisyong Totoo": Practical Application of WOW Quality Service

A. Effective Customer interaction (Ushering as part of quality service practice)

Background reading material:

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Goodfriend

IT is not about the words

Customer Service Communication Skills are the most powerful skills we may have in business.
Whether we communicate silently, which is very powerful or verbally, the right thinking will get
you further. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE WORDS. It really isn't. We talk about emotional intelligence
being so important in business now. The simplest way I know to build emotional intelligence is not
saying a word to our customer. All the preparation that you offer yourself will benefit the customer
and yourself.

So What Do I Do?

It is so easy, yet as developing new skills it is difficult, or can be easy. It is your choice. If you
don't try to think about what I am about to tell you, it will be easier. You will be very surprised how
easy this works. You can read hundreds of communication skill books, yet I find this one tip
easiest to have successful communications with anyone, yes anyone.

It Even Works On My Mother: The Toughest Customer:

Yes, if I can easily communicate with my mother, I know this really works for anyone. It works on
every human being, even your most difficult, challenging customer. The customer that makes
your work life not end, because of the resentment you may have from your interaction, you take it
home with you.

How to use this death defying Technique?

It is death defying because it always works. THE TECHNIQUE IS: Before you talk to any
customer, take a second to set your intention. How to set my intention? It is simple. Your intention
is a plan. Here is your plan.

Say to yourself,

I am going to understand MR. ________________ and support all his needs.

Another way to say this is:

I know Mrs. _____________ is needing understanding and I am here to contribute to her needs
as best I can.

Take a deep breath before you say this death defying act. In fact write these templates down as it
will make it easier for you. Before you sit down at your desk or make a presentation, say these
words. If you are about to speak to your boss or your employees, use the template. As the phone
rings, use the template.

Warm Up Your Emotions, your Emotional Exercises

It is a method to wake up your emotions, to warm them up for any challenges coming. The
challenges will be easier to work with. just as we warm up our body for exercises and physical
challenges, the same is true for our emotions. These templates are your warm-up exercises. Use
them, practice them and guess what, they even work at home with your partners and children.

Your intention will set the way you communicate as your intention will seep through to
your customers. This is fun, enjoy your challenging customers.

In Ushering we use this guidelines, which can also work in interpersonal communication
Greeting - a personal acknowledgement, w/ eye contact. Know when to shake hands or not.
Give Personal Distance. Greet with celebration.

Identify their need / interest. Attend to their needs even up to the point that we need to
drop/interrupt whatever you're doing.

Listen to what the customer is saying. Don't pre-occupy. Understand their needs. Don't interrupt.

Observe: To the unspoken words, gestures, clarify, paraphrase / validate questions.

Extend Assistance: Respond to request patiently. Do the extra mile. Ask the question: is there
anything else I can help?

Face to face communication:

See Discussion on BPI Quality service in action hardcopy Also on IBM hardcopy
 Fig. 1 Face to face communication Ref.: Albert Mehrabian, Ph.D. (UCLA Study)

C. More than Just a Phone Conversation (customer focused call flow)

See Discussion on BPI Quality service in action hardcopy Also on IBM hardcopy

Fig. 2: Telephone Communication Ref.: Albert Mehrabian, Ph.D. (UCLA Study)

D. Put in into Words (written Customer Communication)

See discussion - IBM hardcopy

Make bulleted points on writing emails and communications to customers. (posters,

promotions, etc.)

III. When the Going gets Tough, the Tough gets Going

A. Handling difficult Customers

Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hr005
Customer Complaints and Types of Customers1 (for part 5)
Allen F. Wysocki, Karl W. Kepner, and Michelle W. Glasser2
Introduction
In this article we will discuss customer complaints and types of customers. Recent articles by
these authors discussed Superior Customer Performance. The handling of customer complaints
is an important component of providing Superior Customer Performance. Three important
aspects of the complaint process are actively seeking customer complaints, recognizing the type
of customer that is complaining, and responding appropriately based on the type of complainer.

Actively Seeking Customer Complaints

It is important to realize that organizations that are totally customer-focused do not just respond
effectively to customer complaints; they actively seek them out. What specific activities does your
organization utilize to provide customers with easy opportunities to register their dissatisfaction?
Are these activities sufficient? Remember, research indicates that for every complaint expressed
there are over 25 unregistered complaints. Many dissatisfied customers just quietly take their
business elsewhere. Therefore, organizations that are truly committed to delivering Superior
Customer Performance work hard at providing their customers opportunities to complain. What
opportunities exist for your organization to more aggressively invite and receive customer
complaints? No organization is so perfect in the delivery of Superior Customer Performance that
significant levels of dissatisfaction (the source of complaints) do not exist. No news from
customers regarding your performance is not necessarily good news.

Types of Complainers and How to Respond Effectively

At least five types of complainers can be identified. Each type is motivated by different beliefs,
attitudes, and needs. Consider the following definitions of the types of complainers, how one
might respond to them, and the danger of not handling complaints effectively.

The Meek Customer. Generally, will not complain.

Response: Must work hard at soliciting comments and complaints and act appropriately to
resolve complaints.

The Aggressive Customer. Opposite of the Meek Customer. Readily complains, often loudly
and at length.

Response: Listen completely, ask: "what else?," agree that a problem exists, and indicate what
will be done to resolve it and when.

Danger: Being aggressive in return. The Aggressive Customer does not respond well to excuses
or reasons why the product or service was unsatisfactory.

The High-Roller Customer. Expects the absolute best and is willing to pay for it. Likely to
complain in a reasonable manner, unless a hybrid of the Aggressive Customer.

Response: Is interested in results and what you are going to do to recover from the customer
service breakdown. Always listen respectfully and actively and question carefully to fully
determine cause. Ask: "what else?" and correct the situation. Like the Aggressive Customer, the
High-Roller Customer is not interested in excuses.

The Rip-Off Customer. The goal is not to get the complaint satisfied but rather to win by getting
something the customer is not entitled to receive. A constant and repetitive "not good enough"
response to efforts to satisfy this customer is a sure indicator of a rip-off artist.

Response: Remain unfailingly objective. Use accurate quantified data to backup your response.
Be sure the adjustment is in keeping with what the organization would normally do under the
circumstances. Consider asking "What can I do to make things right?" after the first "not good
enough."

The Chronic Complainer Customer. Is never satisfied; there is always something wrong. This
customer's mission is to whine. Yet, he is your customer, and as frustrating as this customer can
be, he cannot be dismissed.

Response: Extraordinary patience is required. One must listen carefully and completely and
never let one's anger get aroused. A sympathetic ear, a sincere apology, and an honest effort to
correct the situation are likely to be the most productive. Unlike the Rip-Off Customer, most
Chronic Complainer Customers will accept and appreciate your efforts to make things right. This
customer wants an apology and appreciates it when you listen. Tends to be a good customer (in
spite of his constant complaining) and will tell others about your positive response to his
complaints.

Handling Customer Complaints

All good managers want to hear about every complaint their customers have. Only when a
complaint has been expressed can the appropriate corrective action be taken. Without customer
complaints management often assumes that everything is okay.

It is estimated that for every customer complaint received, there are at least 26 complaints that
are never expressed. What are the implications of this statistic? Furthermore, a customer with a
complaint is likely to tell 20-25 other customers and potential customers about his complaint.
Therefore, every organization needs a procedure for resolving customer complaints.

A Suggested Customer Complaint Procedure

Consider the following eight-step customer complaint procedure for handling customer complaints
in your organization:

Provide customers with the opportunity to complain.

Give customers your full and undivided attention.
Listen completely.
Ask the key question: “what else?”
Agree that a problem exists; never disagree or argue.
Apologize.
Resolve the complaint. (Ask again: "what else?")
Thank the customer for bringing the complaint to your attention.
As you examine these eight steps, determine which ones your organization does most and least
effectively. Use your answers to determine where you need to improve your customer complaint
procedure.

Conclusion
All customer service personnel need to be trained in handling customer complaints effectively and
being empowered to respond in a positive manner. Upcoming articles will address this issue in
detail.

We hope you found this article useful and invite readers to provide feedback (via email) on how
your organization handles customer complaints and which practices are most prevalent in your
organization. Drs. Wysocki and Kepner are happy to lead a workshop on complaints and types of
customers.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome and you may email us directly at
wysocki@ufl.edu or respond via extension web page
http://www.fred.ifas.ufl.edu/showdirectoryentry.php?id=83&membertypeid=1.

References
Albrecht, Karl. At America's Service: How Your Company Can Join the Customer Service
Revolution. Warner Books. May 1995.

Kepner, Karl. FRE class discussions for AEB 4424 (Human Resource Management in
Agribusiness).

Footnotes
1. This is EDIS document HR 005, a publication of the Department of Food and Resource
Economics, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Published May 2001. Reviewed: September 2008.
Please visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. Allen F. Wysocki, assistant professor; Karl W. Kepner, distinguished professor; and Michelle
W. Glasser, graduate research assistant; Department of Food and Resource Economics, Florida
Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution
authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and
institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age,
disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.
For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative
Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS,

Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners
Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.

B. Conclusion - Biblical Principles: How Jesus Responded to Anger

See passage Matthew 15 NIV make a simple statement/summary how Jesus responded to the
Pharisees.