Customer Service Resource Center

PHILOSOPHY
At the core you need to have a philosophy around what customer service actually is, and how it is executed daily through your people, processes, and technology.

Have a customer-service philosophy in place. This becomes the corporate cultural ethic and everyone knows they play a key role in making it a reality.

Create a service-oriented culture where everyone recognizes they work for the customer; their job is to ensure ultimate satisfaction and loyalty of the customer.

PEOPLE
Your people need to have the skills and knowledge to provide excellent service. Are you committed to and executing continuous learning

At times in business, these two concepts seem to be opposing forces. On one end of the spectrum is the concept of service; meeting and exceeding the customer’s needs, creating an interaction that makes them want to return to do business again. On the other end, is the enforcement of policies, which describe what we can and cannot do when providing service. How do we find a comfortable balance? How do we enforce policy under extenuating circumstances, provide what the customer wants within company parameters and/or work with what might seem to be inflexible policies? Policies are critical as they provide structure from which we can provide service. This article provides a framework to help you find the right balance.

STEP ONE: SETTING THE FOUNDATION
Ensure you and your team are on the same playing field regarding terminology.

Policy – a course of action selected from among alternatives; a high level plan embracing the general principles and aims of an organization.

Service – assisting someone else; the act of assistance. When it comes to policies, this is how we behave as we work with the customer, within the policy.

STEP TWO: DOCUMENTATION
Are all of your policies, procedures and any associated standards available in writing and formalized? If not, begin here. If your policies are informally communicated, your work is simply to write them down. If not, write down all of the ways in which your customers “connect” with you, and then determine where you need a policy and/or procedure to assist. Examples include: placing orders, refunds, cancelling subscriptions, purchasing memberships, etc. Not everything will require a policy, some activities may need a procedure, others may be best served with a standard (e.g., how we greet customers, transfer calls, time frames for returning emails, etc.).

STEP THREE: UNDERSTANDING HOW TO SERVE WITHIN THE POLICY
This step is what I usually refer to as understanding the black/white and grey. There are policies in place within business that are black and white, there isn’t a lot of room for flexibility. Black and white policies may relate to issues of safety and security for a customer. For example, if you are working in recreation at a pool you will certainly have policies in place related to diving. It isn’t acceptable to be flexible in allowing someone to dive in the shallow end because he is demanding it and you want to provide excellent service and meet his need. There may be other policies related to information and privacy that you cannot be flexible on, or there may be certain steps in a procedure that need to be followed from a legal standpoint. Other policies are grey, there is (or can be) flexibility. Here are suggestions to action this step.

(a) List your policies.

(b) Write the word black or grey beside each to identify if it is flexible or not.

(c) For black policies, identify the reasons you cannot be flexible from a business standpoint. Then consider all of the ways in which this policy supports customer service (i.e., no diving provides safety for customers, pre-requisites to a course set a customer up to succeed in further learning, etc.). Evaluate whether the manner in which you are enforcing this policy is contributing to service or whether it is perceived as a barrier (i.e., maybe staff just need to understand why the policy is in place, or time needs to be spent brainstorming how to communicate this policy to a customer in a manner that isn’t perceived negatively). Your goal is to have evaluated each policy to ensure it is relevant and has considered the customer, and that staff feel good about enforcing it.

(d) For grey policies, identify the ways in which you could be flexible (what are all of the things an employee can do/offer without jeopardizing business integrity). I call this putting the black and white around the grey. Maybe you start with situations and identify what 2-3 options might be available. Over time, you might expand these options. This process enables you to be consistent yet flexible to your customer needs. For example, in which situations can an employee provide a refund or choose to credit shipping and handling fees? The goal of this step is to ensure a sound understanding of policies that have flexibility and to provide a structure around those grey areas.

This isn’t a step that you successfully do alone, or is it a one-time event. Find ways to engage the team in policy discussions and learning such as team meetings/in services, or send out an email policy challenge of the week (“here is a situation, what would you do”), etc. When an employee isn’t sure what to do, use the opportunity to coach and build their skills. “If I wasn’t here, what would you do in this situation and why”? Over time, you will find employees come forward with their own pre-thought out suggestions and will be seeking affirmation versus the answer. If policy enforcement is a challenge, find ways to share and celebrate successful attempts.

STEP FOUR: CONTINUOUS EVALUATION
Create opportunities to revisit your policies and procedures. Are frontline staff communicating problems serving within a policy? Has your business changed or are you hearing a lot of customer complaints related to the same thing? Revising your policies and procedures from the perspective of a customer and your business help you ensure they continue to be relevant. Perhaps a policy has become out of date, you need more flexibility, or there is a need for a new policy.

One final suggestion. The word “policy” often has a negative connotation associated with it. As customers, when someone says to us, “that’s our policy” it often is provided with an attitude of “sorry there is nothing I am going to do to help”. When enforcing a black and white policy, find ways to explain the rationale behind it from the customer’s perspective. When there is flexibility within a policy, communicate the alternatives and work with a customer to find a win-win solution.

-By: Jayne Kowal

Jayne Kowal, Director/Owner of Customer Service Works
http://www.customerserviceworks.com

Is it my imagination or has customer service really taken a beating lately? It seems that, on an almost daily basis, we experience less than adequate customer service. Conversely, we could go ages before experiencing extraordinary customer service. Have businesses lost sight of what made them successful in the first place? It seems so. Here’s an example of something that happened to me last week.

On the weekend I was hosting a rather large get together at my house. Approximately 30 people or so were coming at noon on Saturday for a Barbecue. As I usually do, I did the shopping for the event the night before at about 9:30 pm. I go to a large National Grocery Store chain (which shall remain nameless) that is opened until midnight. It’s just easier for me to do my grocery shopping at night. Anyway, I proceed to work my way through the store picking things up here and there. At about 9:50 or so I end up at the deli counter. There was a young lady there wiping the counters. She looked up at me and gave me a head nod to acknowledge me and continued to wipe the counter. I assumed that she would put down her cloth and attend to me (the customer), but I was incorrect in my assumption. (That was my first clue that this was not going to go well) She continued to wipe the counter until she had finished. (STRIKE 1) At that point she came over to me and asked “what can I do for you?” I asked her to slice several cold cuts and for the next few minutes had to listen to her complaining to a coworker about her job, other employees and her private life. At one point even commenting on how she was going to go apply for a job at another business because she didn’t like working there. I’m sorry but I don’t feel that, as a customer, I should have to listen to people complaining about their lives while I am being served. (STRIKE 2)

At that point her coworker went on a break and left her alone. That’s when things got worse. The employee asked me if I needed anything else, to which I replied, “yes, may I please have some Provolone cheese?” She said they were out. I pointed out that there was a huge brick of Provolone cheese in the display case, to which she answered, “but it’s not sliced.” That left me somewhat confused as it did not sound to me as though this was an insurmountable obstacle (silly me). I very naively asked, “can’t you just slice some?” Well you’d think I just asked her to make me cheese from scratch. Her response was unforgivable from a customer service standpoint. She told me that she would not slice more cheese as she had already cleaned the cheese slicer and she was off at 10 pm and didn’t want to have to reclean the machine. Even more confused, (knowing that the store closed at midnight and it was not yet even 10 pm) I asked if the deli counter closed early. She informed me that it did not. Which led me to my next silly question, “if the deli counter is opened for another 2 hours, why can’t I get my cheese? She repeated that she was off at 10 pm and stated outright that she was not going to slice the cheese. (STRIKE 3, YOUR OUT!)

I am not one that normally complains to the manager, when unsatisfied with service, I simply just don’t return. I protest by withdrawing my business (as I believe alot of people do). But in this case I had a party to get ready for in the morning and didn’t have time to go shopping for cheese somewhere else the next day. So I really wanted that cheese! I asked to speak to a manager. I explained the situation to the manager and to make a long story short, I got my cheese. Too little…to late. The damage had already been done. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that buying cheese should be that much of an ordeal. This store and other businesses like it need to wise up.

Now you could argue that I just got a bad employee and that it wasn’t the organizations fault, but I strongly disagree. In this instance it is painfully obvious that the organization had dropped the ball and needs to look at their systems and procedures. Somewhere along the line, this employee was under the impression that it was OK to refuse a customer service in order to make her life a little easier. She was so sure of that fact that even though she new that the manager was being called, she was still adamant that she didn’t have to slice the cheese.

In my opinion, this organization failed on many levels. It obviously failed to instill a culture of customer service. It failed to communicate any sort of expectation of superior service to this particular employee and it absolutely failed in its employee selection process. More importantly, I would wager that somewhere in their policies and procedures manual, there is a procedure that says, “pre-slice and package sufficient amount of cheese to last until the end of the night. clean machine by 10 pm.” I would also venture to guess that it does not state what to do if they sell out of the pre-packaged cheese and then get a request for more cheese. Again to me it’s a no brainer…you slice more cheese and then clean the machine again. The overriding policy should always be, “do whatever is necessary to please the customer.” It wasn’t that apparent to this particular employee and as a result, I will take my grocery shopping needs elsewhere.

Let’s work this out in terms of what it is going to cost the business. I spend on average about a thousand dollars a month in groceries (probably more, but I want to be conservative), times 12 months a year, times 20 years of shopping (my lifetime value to the store)…this store just lost $240,000 in revenue because an employee didn’t want to take a few minutes to clean a machine. Not to mention the hit it’s going to take in bad word of mouth and negative PR when I retell my less than stellar customer service story to anyone who will listen.

You organizations out there need to wise up…remember why your in business…to build profits through superior guest service. In this day and age the only competitive advantage you have over your competitors is the extent to which you can create Raving Fans out of your customers. Select the right employees, ones with a customer service mindset, a good attitude (you can train for skill, you can’t train for attitude) and common sense. Outline your expectations clearly (do whatever is necessary to please the customer). Give your employees the proper training and tools to do their jobs and design your systems, policies and procedures in a way that makes the customer the priority. Oh yeah…you managers out there…walk the floor. Make sure that your people are fulfilling your promise of superior customer service, evaluate them, give them regular feedback, deal with poor performers and consistently instill a customer service culture.

PS.

In case you haven’t already guessed it…this was not about the cheese, it was about the principle. As an organizational consultant, my message to my clients is simple…if you want to achieve lasting success, your main focus and the central theme of all your employee and organizational policies and procedures must be to, “Exceed customer expectations and create Raving Fans.” Unfortunately it seems, the opposite is true in most organizations. At the very least your employees should know to, “JUST SLICE THE @#

It doesn’t matter if you own a business that is a large conglomerate or just a sole-trader, if you do not give excellent customer service, your company will eventually fail. That extra personal touch promotes a business because if a client has received excellent customer service then the customer will give the company valuable advertising by referring other people or companies to the business or sole trader who had time to tend to their personal needs as well as providing them with the goods or services they need. My personal thoughts are that presentation, pride and the ability to listen to the customer to ascertain whatever goods or services.

Do not try to force this however, you could try to suggest other services that you could provide that would be more beneficial or would complement the goods and services that the customer could benefit from as well as any special offers that you will have by combining a comprehensive package of goods and services.

This will make the customer feel as if you are caring about them and you are providing quality customer service that is personal to their needs and not just going through the motions. This will prove to be winning combinations in helping a business thrive.

For that vital ingredient for customer service check these suggestions out.

1. Think of yourself as a client in whatever goods or service the client receives. How would you like to be treated?

2. Would you like to have someone friendly and professional on the other end of the phone?

3. This sounds a little crazy but it works for me, the business course I attended at college, I was once told by my tutor to always smile when answering the phone, because as you smile your mood changes and it reflects in the conversation you are having. There is nothing worse than a person who is half interested in listening to what you have to say.

4. Don’t interrupt the client when they are requesting the goods or services they require.

5. Have a working pen and a note book ready for taking notes or even open a word processing program on your computer if you can.

6. Take note of the time and date of the conversation and essentially make sure you take a note of the name of whom you are speaking to. So that you can call them by their name, never use the client’s first name unless they give you permission to do so, as it is very unprofessional.

7. Next take a note of their company or who they represent. Then the goods or services they require and make sure you find out when they require the goods or services. However, don’t make promises you cannot keep. Clients remember when people have a fundamental flaw; they remember when people break promises.

8. Everyone talks in business and they do tell others about individuals or companies who let them down by poor customer service as well as those who did give them that vital ingredient customer service that does an impact on the number of people who are willing to take a chance on your company. So it is essential you listen and get things right.

9. If there is an unavoidable delay in which you cannot supply the goods or services contact the client immediately and again be honest about the time in which you can deliver what you have promised in the beginning. If you can, you are providing a service; you could even give a little discount for the inconvenience which may smooth things over.

10. If you require something from the client, always use the words please and don’t ever demand or try to bully. Remember everyone has problems from time to time, so try to accommodate the customer as much as possible.

11. From time to time things do go wrong, goods can become faulty or there could be a misunderstanding as to what service a customer requires. Try to be patient, listen and then try to offer solutions to the problem.

12. If a solution cannot be met, offer a full refund right away and then give them a name and address of an alternative company who could help them so that it will have less impact on your company.

13. Manners and presentation are everything. Please and thank you do not cost anything and they can be very effective in persuading employees and colleagues to help fulfil the client’s request.

14. No one likes anyone who demands or bullies in order to get what they want, if you treat your customers, employees or colleges with respect, you in turn will be treated with respect and if you are pleasant with people they tend to try to help as much as they can. However, if you are rude and demanding people tend to think less of you and make you wait longer or do their best not to fulfil your need to fulfil your customer’s request.

15. Be fair with your employee’s or colleagues, if they do need time off for personal reasons, try to do your best to fulfil their request and if you can’t make sure you show them the reason why. Otherwise the employee may think you are being mean and when you really need their help by them working overtime they may refuse.

16. If someone has done a good job praise them however if they have made a mistake, don’t shout it a person’s mistake, so that everyone can listen. Instead take the colleague or the employee to one side and explain that you feel that they have made a mistake and listen to them. That way the person won’t feel humiliated.

17. It might be after you speaking to your colleague or employee, that is you that has made a mistake, apologise immediately, people do respect other people who are willing to admit they are wrong from time to time.

18. Above all, put the needs of the customer, employee’s or clients before your own, however, you do have to be careful not to take on too much otherwise you will burn out very easy and become very resentful because you are very tired.

19. Don’t try to overcharge, have a good look around and find out how much the item or service is going around the market place, and then make a reasonable offer, customers hate the feeling of being ripped off for a service that they could have got for half the price elsewhere and up to the same quality standards.

20. If you have a bad experience with a difficult customer, don’t pick up the phone in a bad mood. Take a little break by having a coffee and chill out for a couple of minutes if you can, and allow your staff to do the same before dealing with other customers.

Remember this:

“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” –Benjamin Mays

Written by TanyaPetrena

-By: Tanya Petrena

@ http://www.petrenavirtualservices.com

Please find more articles on my website.

http://www.petrenavirtualservices.com

In customer service the key priority is to be the first port of communication for all customers and to deal with all of their inquiries, questions and requests regarding the services provided by the company.

The job involves communicating in a polite and professional manner on the telephone, via email or face-to-face conversations. The ability to respond to customer requests quickly and efficiently is essential and dealing with customer complaints appropriately is a key skill. As the first voice customers speak to when contacting the company, it is crucial that company guidelines are adhered to and customers are spoken to in the most professional a manner as possible because customer service is fundamental to the reputation of a company.

The job can be multi-faceted and other than dealing with customers the job responsibilities also include processing forms and applications, keeping communication between departments as smooth as possible, keeping colleagues up to date with any customer activity, directing complaints and requests to the correct source and ensuring the general administration is organized. Managing customer accounts and maintaining the upkeep of records and filing systems are also expected responsibilities. In addition to receiving communication and acting upon it, customer service representatives are occasionally required to actively make telephone calls whereupon the same code of conduct regarding politeness and professionalism is needed.

Being privy to customer information is a delicate situation and customer service is required to keep all information within the workplace at the risk of losing their job.

Level of education required

A high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree are the necessary qualifications to enter customer service. Applicants should also be computer literate and although it is generally not required to have any qualifications in this area, fluent use of word processing and spreadsheet programs is expected. The ability to touch type is a major bonus to anybody in Customer Service.

Career Path

A Customer Service job can be entered at any stage of a career and is a viable option for fresh graduates. After gaining experience in the role it is perfectly plausible to move up to roles such as supervisor or team leader and from there getting promoted to a management level is an obtainable objective. Using the experience gathered, these skills can be utilized in a management career elsewhere or even to become a customer service manager. There is plenty of opportunity for career advancement.

Summary

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When discussing the Customer Service Resume, possessing excellent communication skills on the phone, face-to-face conversations and via email are essential to a demanding job that requires satisfying all the customers’ requests efficiently. Computer literacy and the ability to maintain organized records are both skills required. Being the first point of call at a company is a crucial position in which the reputation of the company is at stake and coping with that pressure is essential.

The job is suitable for those with a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree and it offers fantastic prospects in management.

-By: Joakim Odegaard

Learn more about a typical CEO Resume by visiting http://www.esampleresume.com/

As with all forms of business, providing good customer service is a must for Internet marketers. There is no reason why an Internet based business should provide any different standard of customer service than other businesses. In fact, having an internet based business is a big reason to step up your customer service efforts.

Shopping online these days is so much easier to do, it most likely contributed to your choice to enter the internet marketing arena. Visitors will demand excellent customer service and expect it to be offered at any site that they will be doing business with. When you provide this for your customers, you will have someone who will continue to come back to you.

Here are six ideas that you can use to improve your customer service.

1.) Respond to any messages you get promptly. It’s best if you respond to them the same day, or the next day at the latest. And when we talk about responding, I mean a personalized response that comes straight from you. Don’t have an autoresponder as your only form of communication.

2.) If you address all questions, inquiries and complaints promptly and in a personal manner, people will notice that you really care about their concerns. If you had a brick and motor store, you wouldn’t leave your customers standing there while you were busy with something else? No offline business could get away with this for long!

3.) Run a giveaway for past customers. People will take the incentive to contact you. You don’t have to give something to each person who then contacts you. You choose how the contest will be run

4.) People love to win things. You could offer a free service to someone who offers a response. The winner could be chosen randomly

5.) You also choose what kind of question to ask. You could ask basic trivia, or look for business feedback. Whatever you ask, you may be overwhelmed with the responses. Add people to your original list, they may respond as well.

6.) Another important aspect of customer service is offering your customers an easy way to reach you for questions or support. Having no contact information will reduce the number of sales you make and the number of people who return to your site. If you can’t be contacted, visitors will often assume you are a scammer.

Practice these tips above, you can’t expect to run a business and remain completely anonymous; you have to give people some personal service. So people have to be able to contact you in some way. A few internet marketers think this is too much additional work for them, but I say the additional sales it could mean are worth the effort.

Just knowing they can contact you is often enough to convert visitors into paying customers

It shouldn’t be a chore to provide good customer service. Including these little touches in your customer service will take very little time and effort, the rewards will be more sales, and repeat customers.

Spending fifteen to thirty minutes a day to make sure you are offering your clients good customer service is certainly worth it. Particularly when those few well placed minutes each day could translate into hundreds or thousands of dollars in additional sales for your business.

Since it is really very easy to offer high quality customer service, why is it that you have not yet improved your efforts in this field?

It can only help you!

-By: Buckthorn Silver

Next, read this article about Converting Lookers To Buyers, just click this link Internet Marketing – “The 100 Poles Method to Convert Lookers to Buyers” and this one about “Marketing Your Products – 6 Steps To Success”

If you could discover a no cost way to increase sales and profitability, would that interest you? That’s exactly what we’re talking about in this series because universally poor customer service presents the savvy business owner a marketplace opportunity to capitalize on the situation. In parts 1 and 2 I shared some examples that belong in the Hall of Shame and introduced the concept that learning to love your customers is the no-cost way to build strong relationships with your patrons, turning first time buyers into repeat customers who tell their friends so they’ll come, too. This time we’ll explore what world-class customer service really is and why it’s a key to your competitive advantage.

What is World Class Customer Service?

World-class customer service is simply everything you do to ensure that your patrons are delighted in every business interaction. The concept is straightforward, but the implementation is a continual process of getting your customer service and other details right… repeatedly… on time… every time as you profitably help your patrons solve their problems or provide them with the pleasure they’re seeking. The concept is straight foward, but the devil is in all those details.

“Why Do I Need World-class Customer Service?”

Your customers vote in every transaction with their wallets and their feet. Nearly two thirds of customers who stop patronizing a business quit because of an indifferent attitude the business has toward their serving their patrons. Those who scoff at these principles will soon be out of business because dissatisfied customers will vote for your competitor; they’ll use their feet to go elsewhere to open their wallet.

World-class customer service builds and maintains strong relationships with your current customers to ensure they continue to open their wallet in YOUR business and not defect to the low-priced competition, and is a major attractant to your new prospects who interact with your business.

And offering a superior business experience to accomplish these goals doesn’t have to cost you a dime!

Diana Morrison, owner of Advertising Specialty Services in Savannah, Georgia, shared her insight saying, “Today’s economic climate has forced all businesses to place priorities on what supports their survival. Business owners have to recognize that impeccable customer service is the only piece in their plan that adds much to their bottom line, while adding nothing to their cost.”

So, with that perspective your job is to keep your customers so delighted with the way your business solves their problems or provides them pleasure that they’ll consistently open their wallet in your business. World-class customer service makes your business “customer friendly”.

“I Already Offer Great Customer Service”

Maybe. But, if your business is operating just like the rest of the crowd it’s probably NOT very customer friendly. And if it’s not, then you won’t have the edge that tells your customer, “It’s safe to spend here.” Even worse, your competitor who has that edge will cheerfully collect your hard won customers because they will feel safer and more cared for in his shop than in yours.

Diana said, “Customer service in today’s world has two different extremes in my opinion; the businesses who understand or ‘get it’ and train their staff to offer the utmost customer service and those who choose to place blame on doing more with less in our current economy with the errors of their ways.

“Most employers assume their staff is offering ‘good’ customer service. But, it isn’t just about being nice. It is a plan devised and carried out every moment in every aspect of a business to support, sustain, and grow a culture around your brand, your staff, your current clients and those who one day might be.”

The Bottom Line

Being customer friendly is about building relationships through superior service and creating a competitive advantage so strong that they’ll consistently choose to spend their money with you… even if your prices are higher than the mega marts. Wouldn’t you like that advantage?

In part 4 we’ll take the first steps to creating and implementing world-class customer service in your shop.

-By: Dan Elder

Dan Elder is an experienced business coach and management consultant with Business Growth Accelerators, specializing in growing professional practices and retail and service industry businesses. He offers a free initial phone consultation to those interested in significantly improving their business situation. Learn more about how he can help you at bgaccelerators.com/services-business-coaching.html.

Dan is also a regular columnist for Business in Savannah (The Savannah Morning News), speaks on a wide variety of business topics, and is the author of the Business Growth Accelerators series on Amazon.com. He welcomes your comments. Contact him at bgaccelerators.com.

(c) 2010 – Daniel J. Elder. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this article in its entirety without fee or royalty. Portions may be excerpted for publication provided attribution is made, including the author’s contact information.

There are several different ways to make big money online by taking advantage of work at home jobs. One opportunity that is growing in popularity are customer care professional jobs. A customer care professional provides customer service to the clients of major companies by making and receiving phone calls from their home.

This type of position is excellent for people who want to begin working at home but need a little help getting started. Many companies will hire you as an employee rather than as an independent contractor and they will provide you with the necessary steps for working productively at home. Working as an employee you will enjoy company benefits and you will also have the freedom to work your own schedule from the comfort of your own home.

The requirements for a customer care professional include some customer service experience, good phone skills, and a strong speaking voice. There are several legitimate companies on the Internet that offer work as a customer care professional and you can apply directly on their websites. If you meet their initial criteria for employment and they hire you, they will provide you with the necessary equipment and resources to get started working from your home, and paid training may even be part of the arrangement.

If you are someone who enjoys talking on the phone and helping customers, and you are serious about working at home but need a little help getting started, becoming a customer care professional is a great way make big money online by working from home.

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Recently I spent over two weeks in Japan. I spent my time in Yokohama, Tokyo, Shizuoka and Kyoto. This article was originally written while I was still overseas.

Although I had been working with Japanese people in Toronto for 8 years this was actually my first visit to their country. There are many things I could write about, but today I will focus on the politeness that is ubiquitous here.

Some of us may consider ourselves very polite, and/or very courteous in our jobs. I myself used to work in customer service so I understand how to be polite, even when handling disputes.

What I would like to discuss today is how mandatory politeness seems to be here in Japan. Even if I do not enter a shop, the clerks are still greeting the people walking by. If you do enter the shop or restaurant etc. then of course they will welcome you again. And usually it is not just one person but several. When you are paying for your food or product they are very polite in how they handle your money or credit card. Very respectful indeed and very gentle. It goes without saying that all of this is happening with a smile and with a soft tone of voice. Finally, when you leave they thank you for your business.

One of the strangest things I saw here so far was when we went through a toll booth, and both the driver and worker exchanged ‘good mornings’ and ‘thank yous’, in addition to an electronic image of a worker bowing to the driver!

I cannot say for sure how much of this society’s politeness is forced, conditioned, or genuine, but it is definitely expected, and to not act politely is a terrible social offense here.

I really like the calmness of the people and the politeness of the service industry. It certainly is better than a lot of customer service in the world, and there are a few staff workers in the past that I have dealt with that could use this kind of training. The politeness is standard here too, so you can expect it and count on it. In other countries, we seem to be thrilled to get excellent customer service or to get a happy, efficient staff worker. Here, it happens 99% of the time. I found myself smiling all the time after purchasing something.

The big question remaining is, I suppose, how do the Japanese feel about it, and how do they feel about the perceived lack of social and professional courtesy when they travel or emigrate? If you know a Japanese person in your circle, why don’t you ask them?

All the best from the land of the rising sun,

-By: Ric Phillips

Ric Phillips, B.A. Communication Coach

There are more and more demands being made of front line team members, and sometimes the pressure can be heard by your customer. As the leader of a customer facing team you must be aware of what is going on with your team members – how to best support them, develop their skills and handle some tough situations. Building a strong customer service team is no easy feat. Here are some suggestions for building and strengthening your team:

Hire the right people

Decide up front what skills, strengths and personality you want on the team. The team creates its own culture based on your leadership. Be clear in interviews about what expectations you have for the job, what will create success and how it will be measured. As you narrow down candidates it’s a good idea to have them meet a few people on the team. Let the candidates get a feel for the team they may be working with.

Be a team member as well as a manager and leader

A successful team is only as successful as each individual team member. By viewing each role as an integral part of the team, not as a subordinate, each team member feels valued. This results in greater trust, smoother communication and better individual and team results.

Model the behaviour you want to see

As a leader you are the role model for the team. They set the tone based on you. When things go wrong they look to you for help. After a tough customer call it’s important that they feel they can tell you about it – for two reasons: you never want to be broad sided by an irate customer or customer issue, and you want your team to have trust in you. You can information gather after a tough call which allows you to identify any trends in product issues or identify any training or interpersonal issues. The sooner these are identified the better.

Jointly set objectives

It’s amazing what happens when team members are asked to set monthly objectives! They gravitate toward those tasks that best utilize their skills. Once your team members are clear of the overall objectives they can begin to make them their own. They explore how they can best support and advance the departmental objectives. In a monthly one on one meeting you invite your direct reports to prepare what they each feel are reasonable objectives for the next month. Your role is to ensure that these objectives are moving the individual and team forward in achieving the overall objectives. Delegate any task that you feel is best done by this person if they haven’t already added it on to the list. Inform the team member why you would like them to take it on (remember that the buy in is much greater when you provide scope). If the team is working in harmony the progress toward completing these objective increases. Result: a more motivated, productive team.

Handle problems as soon as they arise

Just as we want customer problems to be handled immediately, it’s important to assist in problem resolution as soon as it arises. Here’s a watch point: you want to let your team members to step out and try new things, take chances and manage the consequences; however you need to be there as the support system if they need you and to help as needed. Be there, be available and be supportive.

Develop your team members

Look at each team member as an individual. If one of your team members is very detail oriented try to give that person process tasks that utilize those strengths. If another team member is a high level type of person who achieves good results with the efforts of others get that person involved in a team project. Taking this individual approach will result in happier, more productive and satisfied <a target="_new" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cmctraining.org/reg/category.asp?sid=0