Paradigm Shifts for Techs: Customer Service – Part 4
By Derek Iannelli-Smith, IT Strategist, Progressive Integrations, Inc.,
The birds are singing, your coffee is just the right temperature, and your favorite song is playing on Last.FM. You are working in a software package and all of a sudden, the computer locks up, fades and the top-most window bar says, “Not responding” and it’s the 4th time that has happened today with this particular program. What are you thinking? Maybe you have felt like this guy did?
Maybe one more applicable to us techs? It is one of those days at the IT shop, finally, able to catch up on some of the details in the inbox, and one of your fellow employees says, “Can you come here for a minute, my computer is acting weird, and I wanted you to see it before I did anything.” As you get the end-user’s desk you notice the familiar package that consistently causes problems and you take a deep breath as you get ready to work your magic the whole time thinking… “Why are we using this program again…?”
Two separate perspectives, yet involving the same level of high emotional content. Frustration and anger at an inanimate object, software package, etc that is preventing you from completing your task. Here are some items I have learned in giving exceptional customer support;
1. Thank the client/employee for calling/writing/ etc, they pay your salary.
2. Reflect empathy to the client/employee over the predicament/incident.
3. Actively listen and press for specifics about the incident/situation.
4. Paraphrase client’s/employee’s details and specifics reflecting active listening not active passivism.
5. Keep watch of the time! Their time is valuable just like yours. I have a rule, if you cannot solve it over the phone in 30-minutes or less, schedule an appointment or get back to them.
6. Avoid words/phrases like;
a. “I have 100’s of clients with XXXX, and none of them are having any problems.”
b. “I have been doing this for XXXX years and I … (on and on ad-nauseaum about your experience, resume, and how you desperately need a hug from your mom, your toenail hurts, etc).
c. “When I installed it, configured it, gave it to you, left yesterday, etc, … it was working just fine… what happened?”
d. “You always… You never… “
e. “It cannot be the upgrade, patch file, etc, as I have tested it and it works just fine on my computer, my software, my iPhone, etc.”
f. “If you had a backup, you might not be in this situation…”
g. “Did you follow the instructions I sent?”
h. “There are only three ways a file, database, system, software package, etc could get corrupted and there is nothing wrong with the programming, therefore you must have XXXX somehow.”
i. “It seems to me we have had this incident before and previously you elected to XXXXX.”
7. Take ownership of the incident and let the client/customer know that you are going to invest resources in solving this incident to their satisfaction.
8. Explain solutions, resolutions, and estimates in 4th grade English (the same level most newspapers are written) not geek speak or programmer lingo filled with acronyms etc.
9. Ask if they are satisfied with the results and if there is anything else you can do for them.
10. After situation is solved to client’s satisfaction, strongly consider NOT sending a bill (unless of course it has been discussed, clearly within contract confines – even then a discussion is warranted, not taken up considerable time, etc). That does not mean that you train your clients to blow up at you so they don’t have to pay, I am just saying, sometimes going the extra mile by not sending a bill, can be the one ‘pay-it-forward’ that may just be the glue that keeps them loyal to you.
11. If it ends up being your fault, fix it, ask for forgiveness and go the extra mile to make it better.
12. Remember, they are angry with a machine, software, etc, not you (in most cases), therefore your role is to join with them in solving the problem not making them part of the problem.
13. Qualify your clients, vendors, partners on the front end. I have found ways to test support results with most of the vendors, clients, and partners we use on the IT side of our business. Many times, within the first email, phone call, letter, I am informing the vendor, client, etc, that they are not the only ones I am considering, that customer service is a deal breaker from us, and if there is ONE failure or lack of communication, their product, good, or service is a commodity in a service based economy and we will find someone else. I did this with CRM vendors for our IT business and Autotask ended up being our vendor of choice due to the fantastic customer service. If I mentioned the others who failed miserably the trials I gave on the front end, you would be very surprised. Our hosted Kaseya Company, Virtual Administrator is also another vendor we qualified with exceptional customer service for our managed services.
Just so you don’t think we do not have our own wounds and scars, we have a vendor we do business with that says all of the items in #5 above to us regularly. Essentially what we are hearing is very similar to “Nick Burns: Your Company Computer Guy” (you have click on this link). When the vendor started the repeating record recently, I said, “Look! These terms and tone are not helpful and we are more interested in solving the problem than blame shifting or giving a defense for everything. Can you help us with that?” Deathly silence. “Can you help us with our problem or not?” I did not belabor the point, and we continued on to solve the problem. I remember one time with another client, after the 3rd email back and forth with blame-shifting, I finally said, “We can do this for the rest of the day, and I can send you a bill for wasting my time, or I can help you solve your problem. I am going to call you shortly; I look forward to the opportunity to serve you.” That client recently referred us new clients!
Here is my point, I was not (and neither should you) their emotional bean bag and I am a person and deserve dignity and respect. Regarding the vendor I mention above, we pay you few hundred bucks a month subscription fee for the software to work! Our sore spot is we cannot fire the vendor because the proprietary software is currently the only one in our industry that does what it does (I think), so we swallow the poor customer service, condescending attitude, and bills. Every time the vendor asks to get on our machines, I run recording software to document that we have not indeed intentionally damaged or sabotaged the product it in any way. There is no forum, knowledge base, best practices etc. The manuals are outdated and the excuse is… “it is changing all the time and we have so many changes regularly requested it would be impossible to put a manual together.” Trying to get self-empowering knowledge to stay functional without being billed or harassed about it, is like pulling teeth. Every correspondence with the vendor is based upon fear of seeing a bill appear. Most of the time, the problems we have are developer issues (yes we do mess stuff up too), but no apologies, nothing. It is a customer service and time consuming nightmare. That is not customer service, that is bondage. We are looking for another vendor and we sent out a message recently on all of our social networks asking for ideas for replacement software.
I wish a vendor like the one I describe above on everyone. Why? Because some of us need the reminder that we just might be giving that kind of service to someone else. Also, an entity like the one I described above also spurs a person on like me to be determined NOT to do business like that. I was reading up on Patrick Lencioni’s “Getting Naked” and realized that my customer service model is a lot like he is talking about. The problem is, most folks in the technology industry are in bondage to the 3 fears he talks about (fear of losing business, fear of being embarrassed, and fear of feeling inferior) that we are perpetuating the Nick Burns (see video link above) situation, just like our vendor I mentioned.
Many of us are small businesses trying to act like enterprise businesses. The reality is, we are not. However, we can control our integrity, how we do business, who we do business with and how we respond to being wronged much faster than enterprise. I tell folks, “You only have one chance to make a good impression.” I think we all need a reminder of the wisdom of SCORE:
60-Second Guide to Establishing Great Customer Service
Every once in awhile it pays to sit back and take stock of how you’re running your business. Is the accounting software still the best for the job? Is the phone system meeting your needs? And most importantly, are you focusing on your greatest asset of all: your customers? Sometimes we get so caught up in the mechanics of doing business that we forget the reason we’re in business in the first place.
In just 60-seconds, you’ll learn to establish a way to keep your customers loyal to you.
0:60 Incorporate Customer Service into Your Business Culture – Customer service should be as routine as paying your bills or ordering office supplies. And it doesn’t have to be elaborate to make an impression. Often it’s the small things that customers remember: a phone call returned on time, a card to mark a special occasion, a thank you note or a gift.
0:46 Small Businesses Have a Customer Service Advantage – An advantage of being a small business is that it’s usually easier to respond quickly and personally to customer inquiries. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Ask yourself how you would like to be treated, and then act accordingly. Remember to be proactive toward your customers as well as reactive to their concerns and questions.
0:38 Communicate with Your Customers – Keep your customers apprised of the status of their accounts. If someone’s order is held up, let them know as soon as possible. If you promise to have a job done by a certain date and there are glitches, tell your client right away and let them know when you expect the issue will be resolved.
0:20 Respond to Customers Quickly – When dealing with customers or clients over the telephone, try not to put them on hold for longer than a minute or two. If you expect to be tied up for longer than that, take a message and respond as soon as possible. When you plan to attend an important meeting or event with a client, call beforehand to remind them of how they should prepare. After the meeting, check back with the client to find out their impressions. The client will appreciate your concern, and you will gain valuable feedback.
0:11 Let Customers Know You Appreciate their Business – Thank customers for their business. If customers regularly visit your place of business, make them feel welcome with coffee. Also, if customers are likely to bring children to your store or office, keep a basket of toys handy. Harried parents will appreciate the distraction, and are likely to stick around longer if their children are occupied.
0:03 Ask Customers for Feedback – Finally, when you sit back and ask yourself how you’re business is doing, be sure to ask your customers as well. Send them postage-paid response cards or make a questionnaire available in your place of business.2
I said something earlier, which I want to conclude with. We are in a service economy not a commodity economy. That means the best service wins, not the best widget. I am not fearful of the competition in our area because I know I provide the best service. I do not chase after penny pinchers, compete with lower prices, nickel-and-dime people to death, because I know I provide the best customer service. The vendor above that I mentioned still thinks we are in a commodity economy. They obviously have not checked out the top-10 customer service trends of 2010. Make a commitment to blow your clients minds with customer service and you will have a lucrative business. Bottom line: treat others like you want to be treated, I am not telling you something new, we all know it, maybe we just need a reminder now and again.
2.http://www.score.org/60_guide_customer_service.html
2 Responses to “Paradigm Shifts for Techs: Customer Service – Part 4”
Leave a Reply
Subscribe to Computer Repair Blog by Email
July 19th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Great Article. Alex
March 1st, 2011 at 10:47 am
[...] the migration (1st para above), I was in bondage to the vendor. Last year I wrote an article about poor customer service and vendors that hold you in bondage and how to get rid of them and more importantly, don’t repeat [...]