IS YOUR AGENCY SENDING THE RIGHT SIGNALS?
by Emily Huling
When was the last time you viewed your agency, either by phone or in person, as if you had never done business before? If you're like most busy business people, you probably haven't taken time to see and hear what your customers see and hear. Next time you call or enter your agency, take a minute and answer these questions:
- Is your office inviting to all who enter?
- Does the first contact person (receptionist or customer service) display enthusiasm, helpfulness, and customer focus?
- Does your staff call regular customers by name and show appreciation for their repeat business?
- Does the appearance of your staff reflect the image you want to convey?
- Are all phone calls returned promptly?
- Is your voice-mail system used effectively by all, or is it merely an excuse not to have live customer interaction?
- When your staff faces a dissatisfied customer, does it have a problem-solving attitude?
- Does your staff assume personal responsibility for the quality of your product and service?
Well, how did your operation fare? If you found some room for improvement, don't waste time beating yourself up! Read on for tips on improving the image you present to your customer.
Questions 1 to 4 focus on the customer's initial impression of your business. During these first few moments of dealing with your operation, customers want to feel important, appreciated, and confident that your staff knows that its job is to serve customer needs. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to set the tone, create the standards, and make sure the standards are maintained consistently. Good first impressions require these actions:
- Post only positive signs in the entry area. 'Welcome,' 'We appreciate your business,' and 'Thanks for not smoking' (instead of 'NO SMOKING') set the right tone. Remove all negative signage.
- Language used should be positive and helpful. 'Thanks for calling XYZ Agency' should precede the curt 'How may I direct your call?' 'Please' and 'Thank you' should be used during every customer interaction.
- Set standards for dress. Whenever I think I've seen every type of casual attire, another example is brought to my attention. Dress standards need to be clearly defined; for instance, you may require collars on shirts (eliminating T-shirts), pants with patch pockets (eliminating sweat and stretch pants), and clothes that cover (eliminating clothes that are backless, see-through, or skimpy). Be sure that dress-standard abusers are spoken to immediately or even sent home to change; someone you want to impress could visit your office on the day you decide to let standards fall short.
- Encourage all staff to call customers by name. There is nothing more pleasing to one's ear than the sound of one's own name or to be remembered as a valued customer.
Questions 5 to 8 focus on the service you provide your customers. Keep this in mind: Customers are not as concerned about what you offer as they are about what you do when the service or product you provide fails to meet their expectations. They want to be assured that they are being heard and understood and that your response is appropriate. Again, it's up to the agency owner to set the standards and ensure that they're strictly maintained.
Voice-mail systems should have a release option to connect with a live person. Voice-mail outgoing messages should leave the caller with a clear understanding of what to expect-for example, when the call will be returned or the individual's future availability. At the very minimum, calls should be returned before the end of the business day.
The person answering the call should assume personal responsibility for making sure it's answered. He or she needn't necessarily handle the issue, but should tell the caller, 'If this isn't resolved, give me a call and I'll see what I can do.' This is particularly critical when dealing with a dissatisfied customer.
How can you begin consistently sending the right signals?
- Be a role model for every behavior you want to instill.
- Create your own '10 Commandments of Customer Service' for your staff.
- Publicly recognize and reward employees who are living up to these standards.
- Talk privately with employees having trouble adhering to the standards and reinforce the standards you expect.
When people know what is expected of them, there's an excellent chance they'll live up to the standards. But if you never tell them, you have no chance of seeing any improvement. What do you want to do?
Contact Emily Huling at Selling Strategies, Inc., P.O. Box 200, Terrell, NC 28682, (888) 309-8802 (toll free), fax (888) 309-7355, e-mail [email protected], or Web site www.sellingstrategies.com.