EMPLOYEE TRAINING | Today Isn’t Yesterday!
February 16, 2010
I speak with thousands of employees every year. A common theme has been surfacing for some time: The life experiences of those coming into the work force isn’t anything near what those in the past have, and it’s getting worse. I don’t want to blame the folks at Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo or Electronic Arts for the demise of society.
It’s just a fact of life that many of those coming “online” in today’s tough work environment don’t know what it’s like to be treated like you were a guest at the Ritz-Carlton, because they have never been there!
Here’s a word to the wise, make sure your employees can articulate what you need them to do, before you walk away. Most want to try to please, just make sure you’ve filled their toolbox so they can deliver.
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | Are You Local? Are You Global?
February 15, 2010
We have mystery shoppers in over 100 countries across the globe. That’s a good thing! However, does the shopper in Guam look for the same things the shopper in Paris does? While there are some similarities in customer expectations, there are subtle differences from country. For that matter, these differences can show up from state to state, or even from country to country.
Are your employees aware of customers and traditions of the other areas your customers want to do business in? I was recently in a Macy’s store in Northern California‘s San Francisco Bay Area. At the wedding registry, I mentioned that we were purchasing a gift for a former employee who had moved out of state, and I would like to have it shipped to her home. The woman who was helping me immediately asked if this was for the shower or wedding, as it was the custom to give gifts at the bridal shower and cash for wedding gifts in that area of the country. Now, I’m sure the bride wouldn’t have been offended, as I was buying a gift she wanted. However, this told me that the employee I was dealing with knew her stuff! I immediately took all her recommendations, without hesitation.
So, when you’re looking at the scenarios your mystery shoppers are using, make sure you toss in a few zingers that will allow them to have their knowledge tested. It keeps the secret shopper and employee on their toes!
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Would Your Employees Earn an Olymipc Gold Medal?
February 15, 2010
WOW! As I was watching the mogul skiing event Sunday night, I was amazed to see how the Olympic athletes deal with the pressures of competition and the ups and downs of the event. Much like customer loyalty, each Olympian’s success is only as good as their performance in the moment. Even then, you could be in place to win a gold medal, only to be knocked out at the last minute by another competitor.
Who would be your Customer Loyalty Olympics gold, silver and bronze medalists? As their coach, what could you do to improve their performance? What competitors are waiting in the queue to knock them off the medal stand?
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | Shopping IS Training
February 15, 2010
I was talking to a manager the other day about mystery shopping, and he was lamenting that the budgets were tight, and they were considering eliminating their secret shopping program because the usually got a 90% or better score. He wanted to use the money to send employees off to training programs at their corporate office out of state.
The questions I posed to him were simple, considering I was almost ready to jump out of my skin! Have you revised your mystery shopping program to reflect the current state of your business? Do you share the results of each secret shopping report, and pass out accolades to those with the 100% scores? Are all your employees being shopped?
His answer to each was no.
What a waste of time and money. His secret shopping observation outline is probably outdated, and doesn’t come close to helping the employees get “to the next level” or even improve their skills. Each of these 100% reports is a free opportunity to build employee satisfaction and loyalty. More loyalty equals better employees. Happy employees equals less turnover. Less turnover means less money spent training new hires. You get the picture.
Perhaps the most important key is to ensure that all employees are being shopped! When he looked at the reports, sure enough, about 30% of the employees had actually encountered a mystery shopper in the past year. We see this happen time and time again. Good employee actively engage customers. Those who may not be as good, may not engage customers as frequently.
Taking these three steps could make the secret shopper program work for him. He would see immediate results, much more cost effectively than sending one or two people out of state for a few days to the corporate headquarters.
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT | Olympics Paralell Customer Loyalty Effort
February 14, 2010
I have to admit that I’m not that big of a sports fan. I’ll go to see just about anything fro jai alai to zebra races, but it’s seldom that I will sit down and actually watch an event on TV. That is, except for the Olympics.
I think my attraction to the games is that these are people from throughout the world who have dedicated it all for this event. It doesn’t matter if you are a snowboarder like Shaun White, or speed skater like Apolo Anton Ono. They have trained for years, given up everything, for one purpose — to take a medal at this event. And, I’m not even touching on the sacrifices your family makes for you. Some athletes have one shot at a medal. If something doesn’t go their way, they are out of luck until the next competition. Their hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations are all wrapped up into their performance at this event, in this moment.
Building exceptional customer service skills does have some parallels with the Olympics, too. You can’t just take a class or read a book and become an expert. It takes years of practicing the skills you acquire along the way, from classes, interactions with customers, and yes, sometimes books to become a “champion” at building loyalty.
Remember this when you are looking at your team’s performance when it comes earning customer loyalty medals. To win the gold, you need to stay the course, and practice, practice, practice.
So, what’s your medal count?
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | The Toyota Prius Meltdown part 2
February 13, 2010
This is the first in a continuing series of articles analyzing the Toyota Motor Company‘s disaster, brought to light by the recent recalls of just about every model made, and most recently the Toyota Prius, due to the failure of the breaking systems and a problem with the car suddenly accelerating.
When you’re looking at a situation in arrears, it’s easy to point out the mistakes and flaws. However, I do think it’s important to analyze what went wrong, or at least my perspective, before offering solutions.
If the news reports are true, that Toyota knew about the acceleration and break issues since at least 2002, then there’s a serious character flaw in the overall organization. We’re not just talking about an inconvenience. We’re talking about a life threatening situation.
The question should have been, how can we really fix the problem? Certainly, within ten model years, they should have been able to identify the root cause of the issues. From the outside, it looks like the issue was buried deep and far away. This isn’t a case of whistle blowing. Whoever identified the issue and connected the dots should have been heralded as a hero.
Each one of us, as managers, is responsible of fostering a climate where employees are encouraged and rewarded for identifying problems and solutions. If you haven’t already, take your organization’s pulse on open communications. Are you where you need to be? How could you do better?
Given an environment of open communications, how could you put together a quality task force that would include vendors, as partners, to attack issues as they arise? In this case, if there was such a body, reporting only to the Chairman of the Board, an entire team could have been assaulting the problems from the start.
Not to place blame, but to offer a solution that could have been deployed on the models affected and going forward. Perhaps a few lives could have been saved.
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | The Toyota Meltdown
February 13, 2010
This is the first in a continuing series of articles analyzing the Toyota Motor Company‘s disaster, brought to light by the recent recalls of just about every model made, and most recently the Toyota Prius, due to the failure of the breaking systems and a problem with the car suddenly accelerating.
I was having lunch with some friends, a couple of whom drive Toyota Prius‘, and the topic came to the recent troubles that the media has been reporting. My colleagues looked at me and said, “What would you do, from a customer service and customer loyalty standpoint?” My immediate response was, “I’m still in shock that such a thing could happen!” What was supposed to be an hour-long get-together turned into an all afternoon discussion.
I couldn’t believe that such a large company, with a mostly untarnished world-wide brand recognition and loyalty, could not have a specific plan, formulated over years of experience, on how to deal with such a potential disaster. They could have taken a lesson from history and averted the current crisis, and possibly saved some lives, too.
My purpose in writing these series of articles is not to “kick someone when they’re down” but rather to pick apart the tragedy and, hopefully, allow some of our loyal readers and clients to avert such a catastrophic disaster for their organization.
Yes, I said catastrophic disaster. I’m not sure that Toyota will recover fully, if ever, from the events brought to light over the past few months. The public does have a relatively short memory. However, when families are killed, they have a tendency to remember a little longer. Coupled with the apparent decision to not do anything about the problems for eight years or more and the world-wide economic crisis, I’m not 100% sure Toyota will survive.
Should people be fired? Damn straight. Should those who knew about the problems and covered them up be help criminally and civilly liable. You bet. I recall reading stories of the fabled Japanese executive who would commit Hari-Kari over some small misdeed. If the leadership in Japan knew about the problem, it would be raining top executives in Tokoyo.
Unfortunately, this situation is playing out to look a lot like the recent Tiger Woods public relations disaster. When will people learn that you just can’t lie or “no comment” your way out of a bad situation. Sorry, but lying always comes back to bite you in the ass. Sooner or later, you will be found out.
I recall the Tylenol tampering case in 1982. The folks at Johnson & Johnson, who make Tylenol, immediately recalled every single bottle in America, almost overnight. Their swift response cost them profitability for the quarter. However, consumer trust was saved in the brand and within a year, they were back on top. They didn’t lie, disavow any knowledge, or cover it up. They acted quickly and decisively to fix a problem that they weren’t really responsible for. They proved, with their wallet, that they really put their customers first and foremost.
How would things be different if Toyota had reacted this way?
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | Are You A Celebrity?
February 12, 2010
Some people dream of being a celebrity. People stopping them on the streets, asking for their autograph. Are you a celebity in your home town? Didi you know that a targeted mystery shopping program can help you become a celebrity?
How, you may ask? It’s simple. If your employees are doing what they should be doing, actively engaging customers all the time, using their name, finding their needs, and filling them with the best value you offer, you will become a celebrity. I’ve seen hundreds of examples of business owners and managers who are more popular than many movie stars at their local supermarket or restaurant. Customers seek them out to say hello. They track them down on the street.
Now, these owners and managers are out on the floor with customers. They are practicing what they preach. They are living examples of their vision.
Are you a celebrity? If not, or you want to maintain your popularity, give us a call and we can get you on the road to stardom!
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
EMPLOYEE TRAINING | Can You See The Vision?
February 12, 2010
It really bugs me when I see a poster that shows an organization’s vision or mission statement, and nobody who works there seems to notice it or even is aware that it’s right there!
I walked into a retail store the other day, and right out in front of God and everyone, on the counter was the store’s mission statement. I asked the clerk who was ringing up my sale about the company’s mission statement. She looked at me like I had just asked her a question in an ancient lost language.
My point is simple — if you tout it in front of your customer, make sure your employees know it, understand it, and can articulate it. Otherwise, your customers may call your bluff!
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
MYSTERY SHOPPING / SECRET SHOPPING | How Are You Looking?
February 11, 2010
How are you looking? I didn’t ask are you looking good. What I mean to ask is, “From what perspective are you looking?” Too many times, when an organization is preparing their secret shopping or mystery shopping outline, they look at the customers experience — from their (the company’s) perspective.
I would argue that you should look at the entire interaction from the customer’s perspective. If you go into a Walmart, there’s usually a greeter, often a senior citizen, there to welcome you. After Walmart started to publicize the fact that they had greeters, large retailers from Sears to Target started to have greeters at many locations. I even noted that there’s now a greeter at my local ACE Hardware and Fry’s Electronics!
They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But, sometimes something get’s lost in the translation. The purpose of the greeter at Walmart was actually three-fold; To make customer feel welcome, answer questions, and prevent thefts/robberies (crooks like to be unnoticed and invisible — kind of hard to do if your grandma just greeted you…) What often happens, is that the imitators don’t get it!
They chit-chat with other employees — I learned more about pregnancy while I was waiting for a young lady at the ACE Hardware to wrap up her conversation. The flat-out ignore customers coming in the door — it took me 23 — YES 23 VISITS — to Fry’s before the person standing at the “greeter” desk actually acknowledged that I was coming through the door. (I’m not being too critical, I’m not counting the times when the store was busy with tons of people coming through the door — these are the times it was just me!)
It doesn’t matter whether you’re in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago or New York — your customer wants to feel welcomed! If you look at the entire customer’s experience from their perspective, not yours, you will begin seeing immediate results.
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
The Service Quality Department
ServiceQuality.US
ServiceQuality.CA
ServiceQuality.co.UK
ServiceQuality.CN
High Definition Mystery Shopping
