Now that you’ve had a chance to determine whether or not your customer service team members have the skills necessary to get the job done, let’s take a look at a model you can follow while training and monitoring your group.

The PACT customers service model was designed to ensure that all major aspects of the customer service process are covered with every transactions. The model itself is as follows:

• P – Process
• A – Attitude
• C – Communication
• T – Time

In short, you are responsible for making sure that your customer service team members know exactly what process they are to follow from the beginning of a transaction straight through to the end and they should have a positive attitude throughout the entire experience. They should be able to clearly and effectively communicate with not only your client but with other internal teams who may play a role in completing the job as well. Finally, they should have a good sense of time management – getting the job done within a reasonable amount of time and reporting back to the client as soon as possible.

Does your customer service team follow the PACT model? If not, can you make a few simple tweaks to get them back on track? You’ll be surprised at the increased customer service satisfaction levels you may achieve by doing so.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

What do you see when you lookat your current customer service team? Do you see a highly functioning group of individuals capable of keeping your clients happy or do you see – well – something else.

I’ve spent years working with customer service representatives as well as HR managers and salesmen. We train IT helpdesk staff on how to hone their own customer service skills; we teach customer service representatives the proper steps for dealing with complaints, and we even provide customer service trainers with their own training courses.

What I’ve found, after years of watching these people in their different roles, is that there are really three core factors that make up a great customer service team. They are:

• The ability to listen and communicate – with themselves, their customers, and their management teams;
• Reliability – including consistent responses, fair decision making, respect for others, courtesy, and ultimate dependability; and
• The ability to solve problems. That’s what they’re there for, right?

Do the members of your current customer service team exhibit these qualities and skills? Are they polite and productive at the same time? Do your customers love working with them?

You should have answers to all of these questions. If not, you need to take a closer look at your team!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Courses

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

So many corporations focus on sales and I’m often left to wonder if they care as much customer service as they do about making the sale. Early in my career I worked several customer service jobs and was surprised to hear clients ask, out loud, if anyone cared about them after they sent in their first payment.

Truth be told, customer service should be as important as the sale itself. As a matter of fact, I think quality customer service should be more important to an organisation than sales. Here’s why:

• Nine out of ten of your customers will not tell you if they are unhappy. Instead they’ll quietly find another provider and disappear.
• More than 75% of your customers are ready and willing to pay more for a product if it means they’ll get better customer service.
• It costs four times more to attract a new customer than it costs to retain a current customer.

These factors should be the driving forces behind everything your customer service team aims to accomplish. Keeping your customers happy is easier than you think and, in the long run, costs much less than advertising your products in order to attract new faces.

Communicate with your clients regularly and make sure they’re happy. Take the time to work with your customer service team and make sure your employees are doing their jobs properly.

The results will be apparent when you review your company’s bottom line.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Quality customer service should be your team’s number one priority, whether you deal with internal customers, external customers, or both. The truth, though, is that many managers have a distorted view of their abilities as customer service representatives. Here are three myths you need to get over in order to succeed:

“I can tell when my customers are unhappy or satisfied.”

No, you can’t. You did not wake up one morning with magical mind reading skills. If you aren’t asking your customers if they are satisfied then, trust me, you have no idea whether or not they are happy. You should be emailing them, sending polls or surveys, or conducting review of their files and asking them over the phone or in person. Ask them if they are happy with your products or services. Don’t assume anything.

“My customers would tell me if there was a problem.”

No, they would not. If this were true you’d spend quite a bit of time fielding complaint calls on a regular basis. The truth of the matter is that your customers will become upset, brood internally, and then simply start looking for a product or service to replace the one you are offering.

“My staff keep me informed about customer satisfaction.”

This one is a bit laughable. Sure, your staff will tell you a horror story if it turns out to be funny or if they need your help. They’ll definitely tell you stories that make them look good. But regular reports giving you general updates as to the satisfaction (or lack thereof) of your customers? Don’t hold your breath.

It’s your job to keep track of your customer care team, your clients, and their needs. If you are unable to do so I can guarantee that, eventually, your clients will become the clients of your competition.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

How well do you rate with your customers? Are you providing them with the absolute best customer service possible or is your service quality, or the quality of your product, viewed as being low?

Here are a few key indicators that will help you determine whether or not there is something serious that needs changing:

• You spend a great deal of time fielding complaints;
• You feel as though you waste a ton of time making corrections and backtracking;
• Your or your team members frequently feel frustrated and/or hassled;
• You are confused and don’t know why things aren’t going smoothly;
• You are overloaded with work; or
• You don’t have enough work.

Poor quality control and customer service can seriously backfire on any organisation. It causes duplicate efforts, negative attitudes, and either an overabundance of work (due to constant corrections) or a lack of work (because no one wants to deal with you).

Are you experiencing any of these problems within your department or team? If so, it’s time to resassess your customer service procedures and make some changes before it’s too late.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Courses

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”