Articles tagged: "Standards"

Tata Indicom rolls out customer service standards

by Kevin Stirtz


Recently we reported on the president of Brazil’s decree that companies operating in his country will meet certain standards in how they deal with customers. While I’m not a fan of increasing government regulation I like the idea of making customer service standards a big deal.

That’s what Tata Indicom has done. Even better, they’re telling their customers about it.

They have made five specific promises to their customers in these areas of service:

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Where is the Leadership for Customer Focus?

by Lisa Ford


The most frequent question I get from clients is how do we get our people to do something differently tomorrow. They are asking about execution from their top leaders, managers and front line teams. The executives have spoken of service excellence at many meetings and they don’t see implementation. Or they see too much variability and not enough accountability so it goes back to some people get it and others don’t.

Here are three thoughts:

Posted in All, EmployeesComments (0)

Customer Service Tips from a Suburban Detroit Restaurant

by Laurie Brown


In a recent post, I wrote about my friend’s experience at Beau Jacks, a suburban Detroit restaurant. Their experience was exceptional; so, I decided to interview the owner, Gary Cochran. I wanted to learn what he does to keep his customers coming back 3 or 4 nights a week. His restaurant is so successful that patrons are willing to endure long waits, because it’s worth it, even in Detroit’s depressed times. Beau Jack’s is also one of Jay Leno’s favorite Detroit restaurants.

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Is customer service a basic right?

by Kevin Stirtz


In 2008, the president of Brazil signed a decree (number 6.523) that defines customer service standards for companies operating in that country. According to Michael Maoz, of Gartner.com this is not necessarily is a good thing. He does not believe it will improve how Brazilian customers are treated.

Whether it works or not, I like what the Brazilian president has done. Not because I’m a big fan of regulation. (I’m not.)

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100 things restaurant staffers should never do (plus 1 more)

by Kevin Stirtz


Restaurant dos and don'tsLast week Bruce Buschel wrote an amusingly useful piece in the New York Times on what restaurant employees should and should not do. It has been popular. A search on Google now shows 124,000 links for the title of this article.

This thrills me because the Buschel made some fine points. He offers excellent advice for anyone who manages or works in a restaurant. As a frequent restaurant customer, I applaud his list. If I found a restaurant that met every one of these standards I’d probably be speechless. But I’d also be a loyal customer because these tips make sense. They fit what I want in a fine dining experience.

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3 ways to improve your online customer feedback

by Kevin Stirtz


customer feedback

“If you make customers unhappy in the real world, they might each tell six friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.”

-Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com

The days of ducking down and hoping nobody will notice when things go awry are over. These days, if customers get a bad experience, they are likely to share their story with the whole world. Internet review websites are here to stay. So, rather than ignore them or hope they’ll go away, it’s better to deal with them in a positive and proactive way.

Here are three ways you can improve online customer reviews:

1. Get in front of it

Bad online reviews from customers come from bad customer experiences. This happens when

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Seven steps to more customer referrals

by Kevin Stirtz


One of the best ways to increase revenue and profits in a tough economy is to get more new customers who are already sold on your product, service or brand. These customers can be hugely profitable because they require very little marketing or sales costs. By the time they reach your door they have already heard good things about your business and they are interested in learning more. If handle them right a high percentage will become customers with little effort on your part.

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For better customer service, catch them in the act

by Kevin Stirtz


Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Catch people in the act of delivering amazing service

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

If you want to improve your own customer service then watch people around you and observe the customer service they deliver. Maybe these people are co-workers. Maybe they are employees in businesses you patronize. It doesn’t matter. Your first step is to watch them and note how they do. Your second step is to reward them when they deliver great customer service.

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What if your city was famous for customer service?

by Kevin Stirtz


friendly-city

Cities and towns often develop reputations for different things. Beaches, golf courses, fishing, art, cold weather. You name it and a locale is probably associated with it. But I’ve yet to hear about a community famous for their customer service. I’ve never experience or been told about a town where the service is so good and so consistent, it’s part of their brand.

But what if that place existed?

How would a community benefit if they were famous for their customer service? What difference would it make to their local economy if people who came there were routinely thrilled at how well they were treated?

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Customer Retention Tip: Tell your customers what to expect

by Kevin Stirtz


You might call it a brand promise. You might call it your Customer Service Standards. Some companies call it a brand message or promise. I call it your Customer Experience Promise.

What you call it is not as important as what you do with it. Use it to tell your story. It tells people why they should do business with you. And it helps them know what to expect when they do business with you.

Your Customer Experience Promise comes from your customers based on what they want. It also comes from management and employees based on what the company does best. All three groups should play a role in developing your Customer Experience Promise because

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How to make the most of Customer Service Week 2009

by Kevin Stirtz


cswlogo1

Customer Service Week

Very soon (46  days to be exact) we will begin Customer Service Week. This is an opportune time for you to show your customers and employees how important customer service is to you and your organization. And to make the most of it, you should get started now.

My first suggestion is to go to this website for Customer Service Week: CSWeek.com. They have

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Don’t try to be perfect

by Kevin Stirtz


Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Don’t try to be perfect

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

I’m always amazed at how many of us fall into the perfection trap. We can’t start something until we think we have the whole thing planned out. Or we don’t finish things until they’re done to our level of perfection. I’ve done both, more than I care to admit.

Striving for quality is great. So is meeting standards. But we should never strive so much for perfection that we lose sight of our goal. That is wasteful.

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Service Recovery

Are Your Customer Service Recoveries Really Recoveries?

Recently my wife picked up dinner for 4 on the way home from work. We had ordered online from Swiss Chalet (Canadian Rotisserie chicken franchise). Swiss Chalet is known for their dipping sauce, which is included with every signature meal.

When she arrived home, we discovered that the “special sauce” was not included in the order.

I called the order desk to report this lapse and the conversation went something like this.

Technology

Customer service and Twitter

The popular notion stating that if a customer receives poor service, he/she will tell nine other people, has been grossly out of date since the advent of the Internet. In reality, customers can electronically tell millions of people about their experiences. And now, with Twitter, people can tell others about their experiences as they happen.

Feedback

How to get amazing online reviews from your customers

More and more customers are going online before AND after they do business with a company. They’re getting smart about using online tools to make the best decision about who they do business with.

To thrive in this new world of connected customers you need to do more than ever to make sure your customers get the experience they want. If you do this well you can leverage the power of online feedback and reviews to grow your business. If you fail at this, the online chatter about your business can tarnish your reputation both online and off.

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