Smiles Training

It was interesting to recently read that Philippine police officers who are gruff to the public were told to smile in public or face suspension. In other words, their boss basically told them: “look happy, or we’ll make your life miserable.” Now, that’s the way to motivate your staff to give better service—NOT!

Most businesses consider customer service training a combination of teaching their staff how to smile, greet the customers in a friendly manner, and asking them how they can be of service. Just doing those things places your business in the top twenty percent of customer-friendly businesses.

Think about your last visit to Dolphin Wholesale. You can’t enter the place without one of the cashiers greeting you. When we ask people to think of all the places that have good service, Dolphin is usually mentioned; however, the service you actually receive is no different from most of the other businesses on island. There is practically no other interaction with the customer except for the initial greeting when you walk in and thanking you after you make a purchase.

To place your business in the upper 10 percent bracket, there are a number of things you should implement into your business. You may already have the resources and capacity to grow your business a lot more than you think you are capable, and these 10 questions will help you determine if you are performing at your full service potential, or if there is room for improvement.

Answer each question on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing exceptional or always, 5 meaning good or sometimes, and 1 representing poor, never, or no program in place.

1. Would your customers say that they have a consistently pleasant or delightful experience every time they visit and make a purchase?

2. Do you have an organizational service plan, service mission statement, or service vision that lets everyone understand the level of service you expect, guides their behavior, and provides a standard from which you can measure your service?

3. Do you have a highly motivated staff that is excited to perform at their best and provide outstanding customer service?

4. Have you positioned your business so that prospects, customers, and employees unquestionably understand the unique value you offer over the competition, and have you turned it into a compelling story that they will want to tell others?

5. Even if your service is good overall, do you offer a higher level of service to those customers who provide the greatest value to your organization so that they remain loyal to your business? (This presupposes you already know your customer’s lifetime value and which customers visit more often and spend more money.)

6. Does everyone on your staff that assists customers ask insightful questions to understand the needs of your customers so they can recommend the right products, services or upgrade to purchase that will best satisfy their wants and needs?

7. Do you regularly “take the pulse” of your customers through surveys, questionnaires, or informal discussions, so you can better understand their wants and needs and make the changes that will serve them better?

8. If a customer is dissatisfied, do all your employees have the ability to handle a complaint and do whatever it takes to turn the event into a positive experience that creates a loyal customer?

9. Do you regularly communicate with your customers, and offer incentives that encourage them to return more and purchase more often from your business?

10. Do you have a system in place to turn your ex-customers into your best customers? (Do you know your customer loss rate, and why they leave?)

Add all the scores to give your organization an overall service score. If you scored between 90 to 100, you are already an exceptional service provider. If you scored 80 or better, congratulations, you are probably one of the top businesses in your industry. A score between 60 to 79 means you’re better than average, with 40 to 59 ranking average. If your score is less than 40, you have a lot of potential waiting to be developed.

If you would like to get a 16-point customer service report card, email us at bizresults@yahoo.com. We’ve analyzed the key elements it takes to turn your business into a customer-focused organization that goes beyond mere smiles training. However, if you don’t have time to work on your customer service, at least get your people to smile and be friendlier…or else suspend them (hey, it works for the Philippine police department and it just might work wonders for your business).