6 ways to gather the complaints that make your business better…….

Since continual improvement requires continual feedback, it’s important to make finding out about and analyzing customer complaints/compliments/needs a formal part of your business strategy. Following are six tactics you can employ to ensure your company is listening to its customers—particularly when they have complaints.

1. Lost sale follow-up program: Follow up with lost customers or lost sales by finding out exactly why customers took their business elsewhere. Ask them. Then make adjustments to prevent further losses for the same reasons.

2. Key account reviews: Some B-to-B companies conduct periodic key account reviews, which they call “debriefings.” Everyone involved in an account from product managers to customer service supervisors conducts open-ended discussions. Problems, upcoming special needs, recognition of competent activity, and complaints, are all topics for discussion.

3. Customer visits: Some companies pay a visit to their customers now and then. They observe their products being used. And, they talk with their customers’ employees to find out if they have any insights and observations that might help in product design, delivery, or service. There is no better way to get an insight into your customers’ needs and how you can meet them than by watching them and asking questions while they are working. This approach will make a powerful positive impression on your customers as well as everyone else in the company. Some companies go so far as to set job objectives for all middle managers to visit a specific number of customers each year.

 4. Complaint correspondence summaries: Consider summarizing customer complaints (and kudos) for senior and middle management as well as front-line people involved with the issues at hand.

5. Service expenses: Dig deep for tips to customer needs, wants and potential complaints in repair costs, field service costs, liability costs, high warranty costs, and returns/refunds. Include counts and amounts in regular management reports.

6. Focus groups: Bring customers in for a focus group on the topic: “What is it like to do business with us?” Record the meeting. Show the video to every employee. Run it continually in employee lounges, perhaps, and show it as part of most routine training sessions.

Sincerely,  

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga---Canada).

                  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Have you encountered this scenario before?

Top candidate # 1 has an outstanding résumé, aces both interviews, and gets raving recommendations from previous employers. 4 weeks into the job and after the new hire honey-moon, he seems to have exactly the wrong skills and personality you were looking for. How could things go so wrong?

The fact is that interviews and résumés are only a small snapshot of a person. To really understand how a candidate will behave in the work place, you have to dig deeper. That’s where DISC behavioural style & work attitude (aka psychometric) assessments come in. They give you an objective look at your candidates and identify specific areas that may impede or enable their success in your company. Combining this data with your own evaluation of the candidate allows for a much more educated hiring decision. In fact, psychometric assessments have been shown to greatly reduce turnover.

3 Ways DISC Assessments Can Reduce Turnover:

(Know that 70% of hires that fail, fail for reasons of behavioural mis-match as opposed to knowledge/skills deficits)

1) Objective and measurable:  24 simple question that take a candidate 10 minutes to respond enable an evaluation report of the candidate in a hierarchy of work style categories to be compared to key success pre-hire benchmarks that you set

2) Address areas of concern:  With assessment report in hand you are able to generate a set of  specific/tailored interview questions that allow you to dig deeper into potential areas of concern. Know of potential problems BEFORE you hire rather than after.

3) Development Plan: You will have a good idea of how to best onboard this person – what areas to focus on in their training, how they learn best, and how they need to be managed in order to be the most successful. 

Sincerely,  

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

                  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Negotiation ideas….

Avoiding the Deal-Killers

One key to successful business deals is avoiding the major deal-killers while minimizing the minor gaffes that don't necessarily prevent an agreement but lead to less than ideal outcomes. These include:

• Going too fast
• Failure to establish your walk-away position
• Assuming the other side looks at the deal the same way you do
• Taking a short-term view
• Proving the other person wrong
• Failure to conduct your internal negotiations
• Negotiating against yourself
• Improper use of concessions
• Not knowing when to stop

 

Dealing with Hardball Negotiators

From time to time you will run across negotiators who like to play by their own rules. These people, referred to as "hardball negotiators," tend to have rigid thinking patterns, are unwilling to compromise and have an overwhelming need to be right. Worse, they tend to pursue win-lose outcomes. Negotiating with these people requires a careful assessment of the situation and a slower, more deliberate approach to the deal.
When faced with a hardball negotiator, the following is recommended:

1. Take a hard look at all the implications of the deal and what you stand to gain from it.
2. Hold fast to your walk-away point.
3. Don't get caught up in an auction mentality.
4. Watch out for individuals who just want to win.

Successfully negotiating with hardballers requires a three-pronged approach:

1. Step aside. Never go head-to-head with a hardball negotiator because you will always lose. Instead, strive to defuse the conflict they're looking for by acknowledging their concerns and focusing on building communication and trust.
2. Attract their interest. Give the hardballer plenty of air time to talk about what they value, what they are looking for, and any "hot" items the company has to have. To keep them talking about their interests, ask plenty of open-ended questions.
3. Close the deal. Find a way to make the hardballer look good to their boss so they will champion your position within their company. In order to cut a deal, they have to feel like they got a better outcome than they would have received from your competitors.

If these steps don't work, you may have to walk away from the deal. However, in today's environment the business that you don't take will affect your bottom line more than any business that you do take. Knowing when to say 'no' so that you can maintain margins is the sign of a good negotiator."

Chris Wilkinson.

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga, Canada).

                  E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Nine Habits of Highly Effective Sales People…..

 


1. Spend 60% to 70% of a conversation letting the customer talk.

2. Are better than others at recognizing and responding to objections—even silent ones.

3. Are more effective than others at identifying and prioritizing customer needs.

4. Typically offer product or service recommendations after 40% or more of the time has elapsed in a conversation.

5. Present recommendations more in terms of customer benefits than in terms of product features.

6. Are more enthusiastic than others about attending training seminars.
7. Listen to motivational tapes in their cars and read inspirational books at home.

8. Talk more frequently about what they’ve achieved than about what they haven’t done.

9. Smile more than others do!

Working with you.                                          

Chris Wilkinson

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Are You A Customer Service Ace? Take this Quiz and See!

Test your customer service knowledge and learn how to be a service ace by picking the correct answer to each of these 10 questions. 1.  A complaining customer is: A. Always right B. Almost right C. Often lying D. Always the customer 2.  Customers who complain: A. Had unhappy childhoods B. Are genetically predisposed to be sourpusses C. Have trouble in their primary relationships D. Are doing you a service in identifying what isn’t working in your business or organization 3. The best reward for your customer service representatives is: A. Earplugs and punching bags B. Valium or other mind-numbing drugs C. Recognition and appreciation on your part D. Anger management seminars 4.   CRM stands for: A.    Customers Rarely Matter B. Can’t Remember Much C. Communicating Random Meaning D. Customers Rudimentarily Managed E. Customer Relationship Management    5.  Customers who complain want . . . A. Something for nothing B. To be heard and have their experience validated C. To vent for the sport of it D. To be made majority shareholders in the company 6.  Customer Service departments: A. Are the afterthought that cleans up messes other departments cause B. Build customer loyalty C. Are leaders in understanding customer behavior patterns and market research 7.  For a company to be considered service-oriented: A. It must mention customer service in its mission statement.  B. At least 18.3% of its employees must work in the customer service department C. Its managers must at one time have been CSRs D. Customer service must be addressed by all departments 8.  A Call Center is defined as: A. The midpoint in duration of a telephone call B. A revenue sink hole C. A place where middle-of-the-road calls coexist with liberal and arch-conservative calls D. A location where complaints and problems are converted into successful saves for your customers and your company 9. Customer Care is: A. A managed care medical program for customers B. A nifty alliterative phrase that looks good in company brochures C. A new program where customers care for themselves D. A philosophy wherein the customer is wrapped in service even before a problem arises 10.  Customer Service Culture is A.    A new form of yogurt where the lid removes itself for you B. Behavior being analyzed in a Petrie dish for contagions C. A mythical civilization in which everyone smiles and welcomes you when they meet D. An environment where customer service permeates the thinking of the entire company KEY 1.     D. Customers are often wrong but they never stop being the customer. Right or wrong they are to be accorded respect and cared for. Focus on the insights their complaint offers. 2.     D. Complaining customers alert you to systemic problems before they drive off more customers. Their complaints represent many more customers who may not spend the time to tell you about problems, instead just leaving you for your competitors. 3.     C. Your staff deserves and thrive on recognition and appreciation. Take the time to celebrate them collectively and individually. Whether through cards, gifts, surprises, outings and acknowledgements at company functions, let them know how important, valued and appreciated they are to you and the company. 4.     E. CRM refers to systems designed to track and cater to each customer’s whims and preferences over a lifetime. CRM is about managing customer relationships over the long haul by attending to their individual needs. 5.     B. Complaining customers have several needs. Implicit in their actual complaint is also a need to be heard and their unhappiness acknowledged. Fixing the problem is important. So is letting them know you understand their displeasure and feel for them. One without the other is an incomplete remedy for customer complaints. Don’t forget the emotional component in complaints. 6.     B and C. When you solve a problem for a customer you actually build confidence and allegiance. You’ve proven you stand behind your products or service, giving customers a warm and fuzzy feeling of safety and protection. As well, you tap the pulse of the customers. Their complaints and feedback give valuable insight into how well your products are assembled, documented, sold and hold up. Listening to customers tells you a great deal about your company’s products and services (and your competitors’ too) from real life customers. That’s invaluable! 7.     D. A Customer Service orientation must transcend the service department. All departments must understand and model good customer service for the company to be considered strong in service. Many problems can be avoided outright by attending to customer service. Why should the customer service department carry the weight of service for the entire company. Don’t operate under the adage “never enough time to do it right but always enough time to do it over.” Get it right at the source, in all departments.  8.     D. Make your call centre is a shining example of your company’s commitment to its customers. Your centre is a visible symbol of your company’s commitment to customer success. 9.     D. Customer Care is a philosophy wherein customers are cared for by a company – the entire time they’re customers. Care isn’t just to be administered as a salve for problems. Demonstrate care from the start and your customers will flock to your products and services. 10. D. Customer Service Culture is the infusion of service ideals into every department, from  sales, shipping and receiving to legal, human resources and beyond. How'd you do? How did you do?  If you scored 100% you may write the next article! If you scored 80% or better you’re a service ace. 60-80% you understand customer service. If you scored below 60% don’t fret. Make improving your customer service orientation a priority. Ask others what it means to them, take a class, read books and columns on service.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga-Canada).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net