After the holidays, one of our readers sent me a customer service story that explains why he will continue to be a loyal Best Buy customer. He and his wife were buying a product that needed an accessory to make it work. So they asked the Best Buy employee what they needed. He told them.

Then he said they could get a better product at Radio Shack.

While I’m not sure his management would approve of this, his customers sure did. They appreciated his honesty. They understood he was trying to help them, not just make a sale.

By sending a customer into the arms of their competition, this employee built a huge amount of trust and credibility for himself.  He did the same for Best Buy.

Because these customers now feel greater loyalty to Best Buy, the company, not just this employee. Their loyalty to the company just went up. In fact, he went on to say their next purchase is “guaranteed” to be from Best Buy.

How’s that for loyalty?Other articles you might like:

• Don’t Make It Hard For Customers To Spend Their Money
• Lowes still knows customer service
• Don’t always tell your customers the truth
• Imaginative Service: Honesty is not a policy
• Get More Customers by Sending the Right Message

“Never to Part”

Instead it said something else. The person doing the inscription thought the “P” was an “F”. (I’ll let you figure out what the ring said.)

The groom brings this to the store clerk’s attention. Rather than apologizing and working on a solution, the clerk avoids eye contact with the customer and calls another employee over. He asks her what she thinks it says. of course, she agrees with her co-worker.

The customer continues his protest so they call more employees into the fray. To combat the employee’s action, the customer drags another customer into it to support his side of the argument.  But his cause is lost because everyone else in the store agrees it’s an “F” not a “P”. ( See the clip here. It’s very funny.)

The lesson here is clear:

If enough employees  think the customer is wrong then they are. The way to resolve a service issue is to vote on who’s right and who is wrong. If the company gets the most votes then the customer loses and nothing more needs to be done.

Of course this is ridiculous. And watching the movie, it’s hilarious.  But it’s not necessarily fiction.

This sort of “customer service” actually happens. I’ve seen it. I think we all have. All it takes is an employee with a bad attitude or a competitive streak. Their focus is on who’s right rather than how to fix the problem.

While we can laugh at this extreme example we should also keep it in mind as a useful tool. Use it to evaluate how you interact with customers in service issue situations. Does any part of your process involve focusing on the blame or the cause rather than a solution?

The more time your employees (or processes) focus on blame rather than solutions, the more customers you will lose. They will part ways with you and never come back.

Other articles you might like:

• President Obama offers useful customer service lesson
• My commitment to Tiffany and Co.
• How to Prevent Invisible Customers
• Black Jack Pizza Should Win a Customer Service Award
• It’s Okay to Say “No”

“Ask yourself which is more important.”

She went on to explain how she makes decisions when she’s feeling indecisive. She looks at all the choices on their own and asks herself, which is most important. Looking at each option on its own in detail helps her see what it offers. Then she compares it with the others to see which one aligns better with what she values the most.

In other words, make the decision based on your values, not on your current emotional state.

This is critical. Making decisions using our values helps us make more consistent choices. It helps us make decisions that work better for us in the long run.

As you work with customers, use this tool.

For example, you might find yourself tired, crabby, angry or simply stressed out. If your emotional state is elevated, it’s hard to focus on the needs of others. Our emotions are designed to get our attention, to get us to focus on our situation.

But this conflicts 100% with our job. We can’t serve our customers well when we’re focused on ourselves. So use this simple (but effective) tool to get your focus where it should be.

Ask yourself, “What’s most important?”Other articles you might like:

• Customer Service Expert Offers 5 Steps to More Job Security
• Walk a day in your employee’s shoes
• Burn Notice offers customer service lessons
• Deliver Better Customer Service by Having Fun
• Black Jack Pizza Should Win a Customer Service Award

It didn’t happen because the food was spectacular. It wasn’t. It wasn’t because the restaurant team did everything right. They didn’t. And it’s not that our server was overly funny or charming or entertaining. He wasn’t.

It was a great experience because we were able to enjoy our food and each other without being distracted. Our server was not the center of attention. That was not his job. And he knew it.

Every time someone at our table needed something, he was there. But he never interrupted any conversation. He never reached over any of us. He brought us our food and delivered it correctly to each person without “auctioning” it. He never disrupted what we were doing. His “performance” was subtle and understated.

The outcome was we were able to do exactly what we wanted: Share some fun conversation with each other while we broke bread.

Does your service disrupt or distract your customers? If it pulls their away attention from the experience they want, then it’s not building loyalty.Other articles you might like:

• Lasagna – Should you pay for it if you didn’t order it?
• Recognize your loyal customers
• Have Real Conversations with Your Customers
• Showing up is just not enough!
• Customer Retention Tip: Let your employees be real

Here’s a funny (and true) example of how something can seem so clear to an employee but not their customers. Thanks to the good people at NotAlwaysRight.com for this.

Me: “Hi, [pizza place].”

Customer: “Hi, it says you have a nine inch small pizza. How big is that?”

Me: “Nine inches, six slices.”

Customer: “But how big is it?”

Me: “The diameter of the pizza is approximately nine inches. There are six slices.”

Customer: “Like, ok, but you already told me that. How big is it?”

Me: “I’m not sure what other metric to use. The pie is slightly smaller across than a third of a meter.”

Customer: *brief pause* “Okay, what size is the medium?”

Me: “Twelve inches, six slices.”

Customer: *another brief pause* “The small has six too. So they’re the same size?!”

Next time you have contact with a customer, think of this example and apply it to your situation. Are you helping the customer understand everything as clearly as you do?

Other articles you might like:

• Lie to Your Customers
• A simple four step plan for renewed success
• To improve customer service, assure your customers
• Black Jack Pizza Should Win a Customer Service Award
• Top 10 things you should NEVER say to a customer

But they never told me it was resolved. And they didn’t tell me how to apply the fix.

So, from where I stood, the problem was not resolved. Not even close.

The problem was, they focused solely on fixing the problem. They forgot about communicating with their customer. Sure, they fixed the problem. But they never told anyone it was fixed or how to apply the solution.

A better way would have been to post a note in their help desk system that the problem was fixed and include instructions on how to apply the fix. In fact, they did exactly this AFTER I asked why they marked the issue “resolved” with no information on the resolution.

Fixing the problem is never enough.

To deliver Amazing customer service, you have to communicate with your customers along the way.  Don’t make them come back to you (repeatedly) to find out the status. Don’t make them ask you how to use the solution you provide. Go to them.

A customer service issue is never resolved until you close the loop.Other articles you might like:

• Customer Service Recovery Gone Awry
• Never explain defend or justify (part 1)
• How to Handle Customer Complaints: Tip 5
• 5 Steps to turn complaints into loyal customers
• Thank your customers when they make your job easier

Thank your customers when they make your job easier.

Recently I had a technical support issue with my website host company. Because we communicated via chat, I was able to provide him with a lot of background and technical information on the problem. (I had researched the issue before contacting technical support.)

The experience was relatively fast and painless. And after it was all done the technical support guy thanked me for being so helpful. He said the resolution was easier and faster because I provided so much information to him.

This was a first! And it felt good. It made a good customer service experience even better because he acknowledged my efforts. And it made me appreciate this company even more.Other articles you might like:

• Customer Service Example: Meet your customers where they are
• Only ask for what you need
• Don’t assume anything
• I’ll Take a Number Three Please
• Twitter Beats Customer Support at Comcast

That’s like a grocery store clerk asking if I need help with anything as I pay for my groceries.  Timing is everything!

But while most servers neglect to tell me their daily soup or specials, they are militantly consistent in wanting me to buy whatever beverage, appetizer or dessert they happen to be promoting that month.

They get so focused on pushing products (because management tells them to) they forget the basics.

As a customer, I don’t mind a server making suggestions. I’d prefer their suggestions were customized to my needs rather than read like a script. But even more important, I’d like to have the fundamentals covered before they start tossing in extras.

Help your customers get what they want by focusing on what they want.  Sometimes that means you need to stop suggestive selling, cross-selling, up-selling and other manipulative practices unless your suggestion fits what your customers actually wants.Other articles you might like:

• Don’t upsell or cross-sell
• Customer service basics are timeless
• See things from your customer’s view
• To improve customer service get back to basics
• Recognize your loyal customers

Perhaps the hardest thing to do is to behave one way when we feel another. Acting upbeat when you’re feeling beat down is never easy. If I’m in  a bad mood it’s natural to let that show through my actions.

But I shouldn’t.

Even though customers, co-workers and bosses will break this rule, we shouldn’t. If you want to deliver Amazing customer service you need to treat everyone well every time. No exceptions. Being the best means acting the best, no matter how you feel inside.

The good news is, how you act can determine how you feel. By being polite and friendly and helpful with others (even if you don’t feel that way inside) you create positive and fun interactions with people. You change your environment. That can change your mood.

So, be grouchy on your own time if you want. But when you’re serving customers, take the high road and stay positive. When you do that, everyone around you benefits, including you.Other articles you might like:

• For better customer service be consistent
• Does Anyone Say Thank You Anymore?
• How to give the right customer experience every time
• Choosing service means choosing responsibility
• Your turn: go give ‘em some love

Remember, the three requirements of an Amazing customer experience are:

1. Treat me well
2. Help me accomplish what I want
3. Offer me value

As a customer if you routinely violate the first rule then you’re part of the problem. Being a customer does not give you permission to be rude, discourteous or less than civil. No matter who you are, the same standard applies to everyone: Treat everyone well.

I see this in my business every now and then.

A person will email or call me asking for a proposal. I send them the information they want.  (This takes time and is an interruption but I do it because it’s part of my job.) Then I hear nothing back from them. They never say “thanks”. They fail to respond if I email or call them. Often I never even know if they got the information I sent them. Once they get what they want, they disappear without another word.

Because, in their world, customers have the right to be rude.  (But they really don’t. No one does. )

If you want to deliver consistently Amazing customer service, make sure you treat everyone well all the time. Playing nice with some people and not others will come back to haunt you.

And, as you do business with others, watch how they treat their employees and vendors. If they treat customers like royalty and everyone else as a second class citizen then avoid them.  They’re really only looking out for themselves. They’ll treat you well only as long as they need something from you.Other articles you might like:

• Be a better customer
• What might happen if you treated everyone well?
• Be unusually good every time
• Bad manners are bad for business
• Why customer service matters in SEO and Internet marketing

He focused his efforts on finding solutions rather than blame. And he took responsibility for moving toward a solution. Although the mistakes that happened were not his direct fault, he made it clear, national security was his responsibility.

We should all remember this when we work with customers who have a complaint or a problem.

Even though you didn’t cause the problem that led to the situation, if the customer has come to you, it’s now your responsibility. Make sure your customer knows you are committed to finding a solution for them. Then do it. Forget about pointing fingers and finding fault. Focus all your energy on helping your customer.

Leave no doubt that the customer service buck stops with you. Do that and you’ll keep your customers coming back again and again.

Other articles you might like:

• Toyota Recall: The Brand Challenge
• Offer your customers solutions not dead-ends
• Top 10 things you should NEVER say to a customer
• Don’t always tell your customers the truth
• What is adequate compensation for being stuck for hours on the tarmac?

Give your customer a cookie

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

At my favorite coffee shop, they do a lot of things right for their customers. A recent example is how they handled a service recovery situation.

I had placed a lunch order and it didn’t get prepared and served right away like usual. Someone forgot to process the order. After I asked about it, the employee apologized and took care of it very quickly. And, she included a chocolate chip cookie in my order at no charge.

This might seem like no big deal. And it’s not. It was a simple, honest error with a nice recovery. No harm no foul.  And that’s how it should be. Service recoveries should not be turned into an earth-shaking event. Apologize, fix it, offer a little extra and move on.

The other thing they did well was they paid attention. They chose a chocolate chip cookie to give me as an extra because they know I like them. They know this because they pay attention. (Apparently, I buy them often).  Simple, easy and entirely effective.

Do you know what cookies your customers like? How could you fit them into a typical service recovery?
Other articles you might like:

• Subway Offers Both Extremes of Customer Experience
• Give customers the gift of attention
• Are Your Customer Service Recoveries Really Recoveries?
• Make sure to communicate value when adding extra charges
• Four Strategies for Dealing With Employee Burnout

We choose our attitudes and our actions

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

In just about every customer service training session I do, I hear someone say this (or something like this):

“It’s hard to be cheerful all the time because some customers make me so angry.”

People who say this are often guilty of treating customers (and others) poorly because they feel bad. Their emotional state is negative and it comes out in everything they do.

But when working with customers we shouldn’t act out how we feel, unless our feelings are appropriate to the situation.

Remember, customers come to us to accomplish something. They do not show up on our doorstep just so we have an opportunity to express how we feel through our actions. Our actions need to focus on helping our customers, not on how we feel.

How we behave is 100% within our control. Believing this is the first step to providing Amazing Service to every customer every time.Other articles you might like:

• Remember What You Control (And What You Don’t)
• Forget revenue. Focus on serving your customers well.
• We Choose Our Attitude
• Here are Three Steps to Handling Stressful Situations
• Focus on what you control. Don’t worry about the rest.

Of course, this is fiction advertising, so we need to take it with a massive dose of skepticism.

But though the message might be light on accuracy, the idea is a good one.

What if they actually DID listen to their customers? What if they did engage customers more than ever before as they developed Window 7? Just imagine how well the product would fit its customers?

Do you think a product like this would have more happy and loyal customers? I do!
Other articles you might like:

• The Smart Marketing Formula – Part 3
• Recognize your loyal customers
• A Customer Experience Lesson from Microsoft
• Send your customers away
• How to Handle Customer Complaints: Tip 5

Only ask for what you need

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

A big complaint customers often have is when companies waste their time asking for irrelevant and unneeded information.

Here’s a good example of this. This company offers a handy resource (for no charge) to their readers.  Then they ask for a lot of information that is not necessary at this stage of their sales cycle. (It might be nice to have this information but it is not necessary.)

By doing this they put an obstacle between their readers (potential customers) and the “free” resource. They take their reader’s time and they invade their privacy. They do this because they are focused on what they want, not on giving their readers a good experience.

How many potential customers are they losing because of this? How many more might they get if they made it easier, faster and less invasive?
Other articles you might like:

• Thank your customers when they make your job easier
• Customer Service Toolkit Now Available
• Amazing Customer Service Resource: WBSOnline.com
• Amazing Service Resource: ManagementHelp
• Sometimes “no” is the right answer

Don’t hide important information

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

I had a document to print and I wanted it spiral bound for easier reading. So I pointed my web browser to Fedex Kinko’s to get pricing before I went to their nearby store to do the printing. What I found amazed me. Actually, what I DID NOT FIND amazed me. Nowhere did I find copy or printing prices on their web site.

So I went to Google.  (When all else fails, call on Google!)

Still, I had no luck finding printing prices for Fedex Kinko’s (or OfficeMax) but I did find something sadly amusing. This blog post was written by another frustrated surfer looking for the same thing. (She never found it either.) What’s funny is how many other people found this blog post (and commented about it) when they were looking for FedEx Kinko’s printing prices.

Think of all the potential customers Fedex Kinko’s has driven away because they make it hard to get pricing for something as simple as copies.  And it does not have to be this way. Because I went to Mimeo.com and got a price quote in under 60 seconds. (It was a very good price quote too!).

People generally like to know what the price is BEFORE they make a buying decision. When you withhold that information you’ll lose some and you’ll irritate others. What you won’t do is build customer loyalty.Other articles you might like:

• Social media rescues customers before company does
• Amazing Customer Service Resource: Alltop
• Fix your competitors’ mistakes and you’ll earn their customers
• Google’s strength is offering value, engaging customers
• Customer Feedback is Easy and Free

Be passionate about customer feedback

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Recently I was chatting online with a guy who does web design and software development. I was evaluating one of his products. At one point I asked him if he wanted feedback and if so how he preferred to get it.

His response: “I want all feedback!”

I love this. He’s actually passionate about getting feedback. This is a refreshing change from many people who avoid customer feedback like a virus.

The more customer feedback you get, the more opportunities you have to improve your business. And if you’re passionate about getting feedback, you’ll probably get more.Other articles you might like:

• Encourage feedback from your customers
• Never blame defend or explain (part 2)
• Remember and share customer feedback
• Are your customer service recoveries really recoveries? Part 2
• Thank customers for their complaints

Your first contact sets the bar for customer expectations

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Is it always a good idea to “wow” your customers the first time they do business with you? Maybe not.

Your first contact sets the bar for all future interactions. So if you really knock their socks off the first time, be ready to continue at that level.

If you don’t, you risk losing their confidence and their trust. They’ll wonder why things have changed and if the change is permanent. Once they start thinking this way it will be harder to keep them.

Make sure whatever their first experience is, you maintain or exceed that level of service on all future contacts.Other articles you might like:

• Connect with your customers
• Use faith and frustration to improve
• Every Contact Counts
• How to Beat the Recession – Part 3
• Attracting Loyalty from the New Customer – Part 3

Here are some ideas that might help:

Ask your customers these three questions:

1. What do they want from you?
2. How are you doing (giving them what they want)?
3. How can you improve?

Get everyone involved

The more people in your company who are involved in creating solutions, the more (and better) solutions you will have. Besides, the success of your company is everyone’s responsibility.

Pick one thing to improve

Whether you manage a company, a team or yourself, start your customer service improvement planning by picking just one thing. This gives you the power of focus, which can multiply your success. It’s okay to have a few other goals in reserve. But don’t focus on them until you accomplish the first one.

What are you doing to improve your customer service for 2010?

I’d love to hear about it. Please share your thoughts using the comment form or send me an email. Thanks!Other articles you might like:

• What would help you improve customer service?
• Three things you can do to improve customer service
• 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Amazing Customer Service
• Get everyone involved in customer service
• Make the Most of Customer Service Week 2008

Don’t let automatic customers become invisible customers

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

At some point we are all automatic customers. Whether it’s a fitness club membership, an insurance policy, a banking relationship or a cell phone account, we all have companies that expect us to show up every month.  Whether by contract or inertia, we continue to do business with them every month until we take action to stop.

It’s easy to let automatic customers become invisible customers. Because the customer has to take action to leave, it’s often easier for them stay. So we count on them being there month after month.  But this can lead to existing customers getting less time and attention than they should. They can get ignored. They can become invisible.

This happens when companies focus more on attracting new customers and keeping those who want to cancel, than they do on serving their existing customers.

One way to spot this is by looking at how often you connect with existing customers compared to new potential customers and those who want to cancel. Who gets most of your attention?

Another is by the words used in your company. If the terms “customer acquisition” and “customer retention” get more airtime than “customer service” then you might be making your automatic customers invisible.

Who gets the higher priority in your company?Other articles you might like:

• How to Prevent Invisible Customers
• Eliminate invisible customers
• Let your customer lead
• Does your company have invisible customers?
• Referrals increased by over 100%