There are many ways to cook up something take Customer service for instance ( I won’t beat around the bush here) we are cooks of a sort. We have the books we read about our craft, we have manuals that tell us what to look for and the Internet to explain what we do not know.
We collaborate with colleagues we ask questions. We get and give an answer that is what we do.
Is what we do what we are? We have a system that contains the following ingredients:
A easy to use (for most) product,
A sales staff to sell it
A development team that makes it better that it was (Believe me it is much better now!) and fixes quickly the things that go wrong.
A talented second level team that can look at something we missed or that is a flaw in the programming or make right the junk file we received.
Then there is us…. The front line. We let the customer know it will be all right and that if not we will make it so. We train, We take orders, and we are the complaint department and vent for the frustrated. We (front line folks) wear many hats. The others however do not.
My Hat is Trainer, Customer relations, and Client services liaison I sell to salesmen the needs of a client I watch our product with great diligence. In my quest to be better I now am reading 4 books at the same time.
I am learning new things all the time, as are you.
We are what we do we do the same thing every day, we bring these systems home with us, The house is not the same place it was before we started here. We become more tolerant of the frustrated child and their homework, The Brooding spouse, the house runs in a different order more efficient than before
We bring to this place the tools we used at other places of employment, refine them into the tools and systems we have today .
What we do for our customers affects what we do for our families and friends. We get to look at things in a different light and see things as they really are. We take all this stuff home with us and mix it with what we already know.
We build relationships with our customers to the point they are almost friends. The closest job to ours is that of Client services they do what we do but without the technical stuff. We service and support our company, product, customers and staff. But most importantly … by assisting all the above mentioned people.
We service ourselves.
Wear Hats.!Lots of Hats! Wear them at work take them home, give them away and you will get more hats in return. We are what we are and we are what we do!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
More Friday Humor
This was sent to me by a friend of mine...Time to let off some steam!
20 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level Of Insanity
1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "In."
5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to Espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your cheques, write "For Smuggling Diamonds"
7. Finish all your sentences with "In Accordance With the Prophecy."
8. Don't use any punctuation
9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face
20 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level Of Insanity (cont'd) Nov 18, 2008
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go."
12. Sing along at the opera.
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.
15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
16. Have your colleagues address you by your wrestling name, Rock Bottom.
17. When the money comes out the ATM, scream "I Won!, I Won!"
18. When leaving the Zoo, start running towards the car park, yelling
"Run for Your Lives, They're Loose!!"
19. Tell your children over dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To
Have To Let One Of You Go."
20. And the final way to Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity.......try any 1 of this…LOL
20 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level Of Insanity
1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "In."
5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to Espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your cheques, write "For Smuggling Diamonds"
7. Finish all your sentences with "In Accordance With the Prophecy."
8. Don't use any punctuation
9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face
20 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level Of Insanity (cont'd) Nov 18, 2008
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go."
12. Sing along at the opera.
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.
15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
16. Have your colleagues address you by your wrestling name, Rock Bottom.
17. When the money comes out the ATM, scream "I Won!, I Won!"
18. When leaving the Zoo, start running towards the car park, yelling
"Run for Your Lives, They're Loose!!"
19. Tell your children over dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To
Have To Let One Of You Go."
20. And the final way to Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity.......try any 1 of this…LOL
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
To be Committed or be Committed
Often I wonder about commitment and duty and why we do things as we do?
Me, I work all hours and from getting up in the morning to just before going to bed and that work place comes to mind. I dread (sometimes) getting up at 2:50 am. Waiting for the phone call "that" never comes until I decide it is safe to hit the snooze button. But I do it anyway.
I do it because the job demands it and it pays me well enough so only my wife would complain about the hours.
When I was in the auto industry I started down the” he needs to be committed” path, I would get to work at six to be open at seven, work until break time (about 10 or so) Then work through lunch because no one was there to answer the phone. My shop always had coffee, a clean desk someone to make appointments and take customers cars earlier than before. I would get a snack for lunch and back at it. I stayed late to detail cars or sound guard them (paid extra) and had time to work on my own car. Little wonder why I do hours no lunches and stay later than I should to this day.
I work with great people who aren’t old enough to remember desperate times. When they were in diapers I was washing cars in the cold and getting scared when they announced another lay-off at the local steel mill.
With the economy being what it is there are some lessons to be learned. Lessons I was taught a long time ago and have made me the raving lunatic you see before you today.
Lesson one. You have a job, better do it, or some other person will and then you don’t have one
Lesson two. You need to be good at what you do or you will learn lesson one.
Lesson three. Just because you have a job does not mean you won’t keep it. A better opportunity may arise, but don’t ever count on what you haven’t got .
Lesson four. If you are not a Doctor, Lawyer or Mortician you might get to learn lessons 1,2 and 3 as they are never out of work!
My Father always said ”Hard work was it’s own reward” I guess it paid off because he started his career digging ditches, he retired from his company selling the very ditches he dug so many years before.
Me I thought I started servicing cars I found out that I service people instead. I get up to work with some of the best people on the planet (no wait… I mean our customers) and to that extent the staff here as well.
We may have different views on work and life, how it is done and how it should be done. Don’t learn the lessons I learned the same way. I do things the hard way because that is how they should be done. I do things the long way as it gives me stability, step by step along the way the job gets done and when it is done right I feel good about what I have done.
Crazy? You bet! Committed? Yes! Should I be? YES!! I love what I do and as My Grandfather said “If you love what you do, Then you will never work a day in your life”.
Me, I work all hours and from getting up in the morning to just before going to bed and that work place comes to mind. I dread (sometimes) getting up at 2:50 am. Waiting for the phone call "that" never comes until I decide it is safe to hit the snooze button. But I do it anyway.
I do it because the job demands it and it pays me well enough so only my wife would complain about the hours.
When I was in the auto industry I started down the” he needs to be committed” path, I would get to work at six to be open at seven, work until break time (about 10 or so) Then work through lunch because no one was there to answer the phone. My shop always had coffee, a clean desk someone to make appointments and take customers cars earlier than before. I would get a snack for lunch and back at it. I stayed late to detail cars or sound guard them (paid extra) and had time to work on my own car. Little wonder why I do hours no lunches and stay later than I should to this day.
I work with great people who aren’t old enough to remember desperate times. When they were in diapers I was washing cars in the cold and getting scared when they announced another lay-off at the local steel mill.
With the economy being what it is there are some lessons to be learned. Lessons I was taught a long time ago and have made me the raving lunatic you see before you today.
Lesson one. You have a job, better do it, or some other person will and then you don’t have one
Lesson two. You need to be good at what you do or you will learn lesson one.
Lesson three. Just because you have a job does not mean you won’t keep it. A better opportunity may arise, but don’t ever count on what you haven’t got .
Lesson four. If you are not a Doctor, Lawyer or Mortician you might get to learn lessons 1,2 and 3 as they are never out of work!
My Father always said ”Hard work was it’s own reward” I guess it paid off because he started his career digging ditches, he retired from his company selling the very ditches he dug so many years before.
Me I thought I started servicing cars I found out that I service people instead. I get up to work with some of the best people on the planet (no wait… I mean our customers) and to that extent the staff here as well.
We may have different views on work and life, how it is done and how it should be done. Don’t learn the lessons I learned the same way. I do things the hard way because that is how they should be done. I do things the long way as it gives me stability, step by step along the way the job gets done and when it is done right I feel good about what I have done.
Crazy? You bet! Committed? Yes! Should I be? YES!! I love what I do and as My Grandfather said “If you love what you do, Then you will never work a day in your life”.
Friday, November 14, 2008
12 tips for all kinds of happy customers
This was found and caught my eye as we can do more. I want suggestions from all departments as to how one can help another as we grow we must remember we started small , we want to grow our business but keep the small company feeling when we deal directly with customers one on one. We shouldnt become bigger than ourselves or our customers.
12 tips for taking care of your customersBy Dana Dratch • Bankrate.com
Do you drop your old friends as soon as you acquire new ones? That's not a smart business move. Old customers, especially those who return often, are a business's best friend.
"It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing one," according to Norman Scarborough, assistant professor of economics and business administration at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C.
It's also smart marketing to reach out to someone who has already been a customer in the past. "That's an easy sale," says Scarborough, a co-author of The Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. "They're already there."
- advertisement -
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document.write(sline);
//-->
window.google_render_ad();
Here are a dozen ways to keep customers coming back:
1. Get to know your customers. "And that takes data," says Scarborough. He cites Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which operates a nationwide network of casinos, as an expert at data mining. With one popular loyalty card program, Harrah's can track which games a customer played, as well as ancillary interests like restaurants and shows.
"They know each individual's hot buttons," says Scarborough. Based on customer preferences, the company sends special mailings with deals on games, shows or activities likely to appeal to patrons.
Don't have the technology or know-how for a customer card? Take a low-tech approach. Talk to your customers regularly about what they want and need from your business. For more details, ask them to complete a survey or feedback form -- in return for a generous discount on their next order. If you have a Web site, make it easy for them to send an e-mail rating the service.
"You have to develop a relationship where they know you value their opinion," says Kim T. Gordon, author of Bringing Home the Business.
2. Give customers something new. Last year, when organizers of the Indian River Festival of Fine Music wanted to stem declining attendance at the annual summer event, they started selling it a little differently, says Doug Hall, CEO of Eureka! Ranch, a Cincinnati-based business consulting firm. Rather than focus on the music, they added candles, flowers and oysters at intermission and touted the Prince Edward Island festival as a romantic experience, says Hall, an adviser to the festival board. The result: despite a 20 percent price increase, attendance went up 50 percent.
"Come up with ways that are exciting enough to bring new customers in to buy and chances are you will keep your old customers happy," says Hall, author of Jump Start Your Business Brain. "But if what you're offering today is the same thing you were offering six to nine months ago, you're dying and you don't even know it."
3. Respond immediately to problems. "It doesn't matter who's right, make the appropriate restitution," says Gordon. "And do something fast." Even though your business is your baby and the customer may be a little hot under the collar, step back and "set personal feelings aside," Gordon says. Your goal is to make the customer happy and keep that person coming back.
4. Stay in touch. Don't let customers go too long without thinking of your business. You can use a variety of methods to get your message across: direct mailer, e-mail, phone call or fax. Every four to six weeks is a good rule of thumb, says Gordon, who also recommends segmenting your database. Top customers might get communications more often, others less.
Elaine Biech, owner of ebb associates inc, an 18-year-old business consulting firm, has specially-designed cards that she sends to clients for special occasions or when they've met a business or personal goal. "A handwritten note only has to be three sentences," says Biech, author of The Consultant's Quick Start Guide.
And Biech says businesses can get even more bang for the buck with a clever promotion targeted to a smaller holiday, like Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day when no one else is spending anything. "[Customers] know you're thinking about them and they appreciate it," she says.
5. Set yourself apart. "Avoid being a 'me too' business," says Scarborough. "Differentiate yourself from the competition."
In 1994, Albert Straus was facing the loss of his dairy farm, which had been in the family for generations. So he took his Marshall, Calif., farm organic. Now, yearly sales at the Straus Family Creamery top $7.6 million, according to Dun & Bradstreet estimates.
Another plus: Give your customers something they can't get anywhere else, and you can command a higher price, Scarborough says.
6. Follow up with customers. Whether you're a plumber or an auto mechanic, contact your customers after the job and find out what they think of the work, says Jan Norman, author of What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business. That way, if they are happy, you can ask for referrals. If they're not, you're the first to know and have a chance to set things right.
Don't fall into believing that "if I ever make a mistake, I've lost a customer," says Norman. If you follow up with customers and correct problems to their satisfaction, they will probably be even more loyal because they know you care.
7. Entertain your customers. "You have to become almost a destination for your customers," says Scarborough. "Make it fun and interesting."
In the Boston area, the Jordan's Furniture chain attracts customers with fanciful re-creations of famous places, like a recent Bourbon Street scene that featured an automatronic Louis Armstrong. "They've done an amazing job," says Scarborough. "You think 'furniture store -- how exciting can that be?' But these guys have done a lot with it."
8. Give your customers superior service and convenience. "People are so busy that many customers are willing to pay for extra convenience," says Scarborough. Likewise, if they get great service at your store they'll be less likely to switch when a new one moves in down the street.
At Texas-based JoeAuto, customers can schedule their service appointments online. And while their car is in the shop, they can watch the mechanic at work via real-time cameras.
9. Emphasize value. If you're competing with a superstore, you may not have the cheapest price in town, but you can still offer the best value. In the long run, that's a much smarter strategy, says Norman. "You're not going to keep loyal customers based on price," she says. "The minute someone is a penny lower, you've lost them."
10. Find out what the customer wants and provide it. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But too many small businesses overlook the obvious. Beartooth Mapping Inc., based in Red Lodge, Mont., started out offering topographical maps to government agencies. Campers, hunters and outdoor aficionados also liked their products, so the company now has a Web site where customers can order custom-made maps. "They make it very, very simple for the customer to get what they want," says Scarborough. "And they're using the Web as a marketing tool."
11. Give customers more than they expect. Whether it's spending a few extra (non-billable) minutes helping one client solve a problem, taking others to breakfast a few times a year, or becoming the expert they can call for solid research, give your customers more than they pay for, says Biech. Often, she will order books or reprints of magazine articles on timely topics and send them to clients with a short note.
"I have the reputation of being a resource center," she says. The approach has paid off. "I can track 75 percent of my clients back to my first client," she says. "There's a definite trail."
12. Reward your customers. "Ever had dinner at a restaurant and been surprised with a free dessert?" says Gordon. "It's a great idea. You've got the folks there, you've got the product. It costs very little. And there are lots of ways you can reward customers."
From promotional calendars to pens to writing tablets with your logo, there are all kinds of inexpensive, inventive ways to say "thanks." Gordon recalls a mail-order firm that used to send a gift with every order. It was always something small, inexpensive and very usable.
"Essentially it made it fun to order," says Gordon. "Things that are unexpected can help contribute to customer satisfaction."
Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Georgia.
source :
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/biz/Biz_ops/20020206a.asp
12 tips for taking care of your customersBy Dana Dratch • Bankrate.com
Do you drop your old friends as soon as you acquire new ones? That's not a smart business move. Old customers, especially those who return often, are a business's best friend.
"It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing one," according to Norman Scarborough, assistant professor of economics and business administration at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C.
It's also smart marketing to reach out to someone who has already been a customer in the past. "That's an easy sale," says Scarborough, a co-author of The Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. "They're already there."
- advertisement -
";
document.write(sline);
//-->
window.google_render_ad();
Here are a dozen ways to keep customers coming back:
1. Get to know your customers. "And that takes data," says Scarborough. He cites Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which operates a nationwide network of casinos, as an expert at data mining. With one popular loyalty card program, Harrah's can track which games a customer played, as well as ancillary interests like restaurants and shows.
"They know each individual's hot buttons," says Scarborough. Based on customer preferences, the company sends special mailings with deals on games, shows or activities likely to appeal to patrons.
Don't have the technology or know-how for a customer card? Take a low-tech approach. Talk to your customers regularly about what they want and need from your business. For more details, ask them to complete a survey or feedback form -- in return for a generous discount on their next order. If you have a Web site, make it easy for them to send an e-mail rating the service.
"You have to develop a relationship where they know you value their opinion," says Kim T. Gordon, author of Bringing Home the Business.
2. Give customers something new. Last year, when organizers of the Indian River Festival of Fine Music wanted to stem declining attendance at the annual summer event, they started selling it a little differently, says Doug Hall, CEO of Eureka! Ranch, a Cincinnati-based business consulting firm. Rather than focus on the music, they added candles, flowers and oysters at intermission and touted the Prince Edward Island festival as a romantic experience, says Hall, an adviser to the festival board. The result: despite a 20 percent price increase, attendance went up 50 percent.
"Come up with ways that are exciting enough to bring new customers in to buy and chances are you will keep your old customers happy," says Hall, author of Jump Start Your Business Brain. "But if what you're offering today is the same thing you were offering six to nine months ago, you're dying and you don't even know it."
3. Respond immediately to problems. "It doesn't matter who's right, make the appropriate restitution," says Gordon. "And do something fast." Even though your business is your baby and the customer may be a little hot under the collar, step back and "set personal feelings aside," Gordon says. Your goal is to make the customer happy and keep that person coming back.
4. Stay in touch. Don't let customers go too long without thinking of your business. You can use a variety of methods to get your message across: direct mailer, e-mail, phone call or fax. Every four to six weeks is a good rule of thumb, says Gordon, who also recommends segmenting your database. Top customers might get communications more often, others less.
Elaine Biech, owner of ebb associates inc, an 18-year-old business consulting firm, has specially-designed cards that she sends to clients for special occasions or when they've met a business or personal goal. "A handwritten note only has to be three sentences," says Biech, author of The Consultant's Quick Start Guide.
And Biech says businesses can get even more bang for the buck with a clever promotion targeted to a smaller holiday, like Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day when no one else is spending anything. "[Customers] know you're thinking about them and they appreciate it," she says.
5. Set yourself apart. "Avoid being a 'me too' business," says Scarborough. "Differentiate yourself from the competition."
In 1994, Albert Straus was facing the loss of his dairy farm, which had been in the family for generations. So he took his Marshall, Calif., farm organic. Now, yearly sales at the Straus Family Creamery top $7.6 million, according to Dun & Bradstreet estimates.
Another plus: Give your customers something they can't get anywhere else, and you can command a higher price, Scarborough says.
6. Follow up with customers. Whether you're a plumber or an auto mechanic, contact your customers after the job and find out what they think of the work, says Jan Norman, author of What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business. That way, if they are happy, you can ask for referrals. If they're not, you're the first to know and have a chance to set things right.
Don't fall into believing that "if I ever make a mistake, I've lost a customer," says Norman. If you follow up with customers and correct problems to their satisfaction, they will probably be even more loyal because they know you care.
7. Entertain your customers. "You have to become almost a destination for your customers," says Scarborough. "Make it fun and interesting."
In the Boston area, the Jordan's Furniture chain attracts customers with fanciful re-creations of famous places, like a recent Bourbon Street scene that featured an automatronic Louis Armstrong. "They've done an amazing job," says Scarborough. "You think 'furniture store -- how exciting can that be?' But these guys have done a lot with it."
8. Give your customers superior service and convenience. "People are so busy that many customers are willing to pay for extra convenience," says Scarborough. Likewise, if they get great service at your store they'll be less likely to switch when a new one moves in down the street.
At Texas-based JoeAuto, customers can schedule their service appointments online. And while their car is in the shop, they can watch the mechanic at work via real-time cameras.
9. Emphasize value. If you're competing with a superstore, you may not have the cheapest price in town, but you can still offer the best value. In the long run, that's a much smarter strategy, says Norman. "You're not going to keep loyal customers based on price," she says. "The minute someone is a penny lower, you've lost them."
10. Find out what the customer wants and provide it. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But too many small businesses overlook the obvious. Beartooth Mapping Inc., based in Red Lodge, Mont., started out offering topographical maps to government agencies. Campers, hunters and outdoor aficionados also liked their products, so the company now has a Web site where customers can order custom-made maps. "They make it very, very simple for the customer to get what they want," says Scarborough. "And they're using the Web as a marketing tool."
11. Give customers more than they expect. Whether it's spending a few extra (non-billable) minutes helping one client solve a problem, taking others to breakfast a few times a year, or becoming the expert they can call for solid research, give your customers more than they pay for, says Biech. Often, she will order books or reprints of magazine articles on timely topics and send them to clients with a short note.
"I have the reputation of being a resource center," she says. The approach has paid off. "I can track 75 percent of my clients back to my first client," she says. "There's a definite trail."
12. Reward your customers. "Ever had dinner at a restaurant and been surprised with a free dessert?" says Gordon. "It's a great idea. You've got the folks there, you've got the product. It costs very little. And there are lots of ways you can reward customers."
From promotional calendars to pens to writing tablets with your logo, there are all kinds of inexpensive, inventive ways to say "thanks." Gordon recalls a mail-order firm that used to send a gift with every order. It was always something small, inexpensive and very usable.
"Essentially it made it fun to order," says Gordon. "Things that are unexpected can help contribute to customer satisfaction."
Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Georgia.
source :
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/biz/Biz_ops/20020206a.asp
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Do you really know your customer?
Do you really know your customer? Their expectations? , Their needs? Most organizations think they do . . . but there are two sides to every story and you need to clearly define the people you deal with on a daily basis both internally and externally
Why are understanding and managing one s work expectations important? Expectations have a powerful impact on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and play a key role in driving our attitudes, whether spoken or unspoken. Research shows that people who have clearly defined, well-communicated expectations find more satisfaction and success in their work than people whose expectations remain unspoken or unrealized.
We as technicians have expectations too. When a customer calls we expect they know what they are doing or have the capacity to follow simple instructions. However in all likelihood they do not! So we refer to the 10 commandments of Technical support and speak to them as if they were our grand parents, taking it slow and easy depending on the feeling we get from them after they describe the issue they are facing. We ask the Socratic questions in hopes they find their own answer, we lead them in the path we wish them to go, and we praise them like children.
We have power too we can either make the experience a good one or a bad one with just a few words or that utterance under our breath that gets overheard. I am a poor practitioner of both and have had my fair share of bad experiences.
One of those experiences has shown her face in the light of a new project. I attempted (unsuccessfully) to assist this person with little experience with the product I was supporting.. She in turn got upset and I attempted to calm her down by being nice she got more and more upset. To the point if I answered the phone with my name she would ask for someone else, because I was a "Condescending little Bastard!" if I didn’t use my name we got along famously. I had a call from an associate, he was working with her to move to the new product. I answered his questions to the best of my knowledge and sent him reference materials as well. I Gave him the advise be careful with this one. She will not tolerate incompetence in any way, you should be factual and use tact while dealing with her as she has higher expectations from us as she does with the product.
Moral to my story?. Be kind, truthful, be confident in your knowledge but I don’t know still is a valid answer. Be humble enough to ask for help. Use your customer skills as a regular customer to deal with one.
Learn from your customers. They are the key to the others in their area of the country. What plays in Peoria won’t play in Miami. We have so much to know about people, we have to know people we have to know ourselves.
Why are understanding and managing one s work expectations important? Expectations have a powerful impact on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and play a key role in driving our attitudes, whether spoken or unspoken. Research shows that people who have clearly defined, well-communicated expectations find more satisfaction and success in their work than people whose expectations remain unspoken or unrealized.
We as technicians have expectations too. When a customer calls we expect they know what they are doing or have the capacity to follow simple instructions. However in all likelihood they do not! So we refer to the 10 commandments of Technical support and speak to them as if they were our grand parents, taking it slow and easy depending on the feeling we get from them after they describe the issue they are facing. We ask the Socratic questions in hopes they find their own answer, we lead them in the path we wish them to go, and we praise them like children.
We have power too we can either make the experience a good one or a bad one with just a few words or that utterance under our breath that gets overheard. I am a poor practitioner of both and have had my fair share of bad experiences.
One of those experiences has shown her face in the light of a new project. I attempted (unsuccessfully) to assist this person with little experience with the product I was supporting.. She in turn got upset and I attempted to calm her down by being nice she got more and more upset. To the point if I answered the phone with my name she would ask for someone else, because I was a "Condescending little Bastard!" if I didn’t use my name we got along famously. I had a call from an associate, he was working with her to move to the new product. I answered his questions to the best of my knowledge and sent him reference materials as well. I Gave him the advise be careful with this one. She will not tolerate incompetence in any way, you should be factual and use tact while dealing with her as she has higher expectations from us as she does with the product.
Moral to my story?. Be kind, truthful, be confident in your knowledge but I don’t know still is a valid answer. Be humble enough to ask for help. Use your customer skills as a regular customer to deal with one.
Learn from your customers. They are the key to the others in their area of the country. What plays in Peoria won’t play in Miami. We have so much to know about people, we have to know people we have to know ourselves.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Three tips for dealing with callers on the "Socratic Helpdesk" By Pat Vickers
I stumbled upon this article while researching communications.
Socrates died in 399 BC, of Hemlock poisoning. He drank it after being sentenced to death for the crime of corrupting the youth. Times have changed, and today he would be given his own radio show.
Before his trial, Socrates was most well known for asking questions. He questioned everyone on every topic, particularly his students. He was usually surrounded by a horde of young men who sought to learn from him. Whenever they asked him about any subject -- virtue, ethics, even geometry -- he insisted the inquirers already knew the answers and would proceed to ask question after question until they arrived at the truth. Many trainers today find this approach to be a very effective method of teaching. It's much easier for students to remember what they discover than what they are told.
You might be wondering, "What has all of this got to do with a helpdesk?" The truth is most callers to the helpdesk hold all the answers to their questions. They are the ones in front of the computers. They are the eyes ears and even hands of the helpdesk analyst. Any solutions you might offer will come from information you glean from the caller. In fact, when asked the right questions, callers often discover the solutions, seemingly, on their own. So good analysts don’t have the answers so much as they have the questions.
On the Socratic Helpdesk, before any attempt to give an answer is made, the analyst asks questions, even when the answer is obvious. Callers often don’t have the vocabulary to word their questions correctly. "The printer isn’t working." might actually mean "I have no network connectivity." Or "How do I change the default printer?" We’ve all spent a significant amount of time working with a caller only to learn we were trying to solve the wrong problem. Asking questions instead of offering answers will help prevent that.
You might think that being asked a lot of questions, instead of being offered answers would frustrate callers. Since customers are often very frustrated to begin with, a lot of analysts are reluctant to chance making things worse. That is a valid concern, but there are a few guidelines to keep caller frustration low and analyst credibility high.
Here are two tips that might make an analyst’s job much easier. First, start the conversation by acknowledging the issue, and, second, do so before asking for the caller’s name or employee ID. The conversation could go something like this.
Analyst: Helpdesk, this is Pat. How can I help you?
Caller: I can’t print and I really need to get this document out or I’m going to be in big trouble.
Analyst: OK, printer problems, I’m sure we can take care of that. But first, can I get your employee ID so I can prove I worked today?
Caller: PA211112
Analyst: Thanks, now back to printing. What error message are you getting on your computer when you try to print?
Caller: None.
Analyst: Hmmm, do you always use the same printer?
Caller: Usually but yesterday, oh wait, I see what you mean. Yesterday I was in the Atlanta office and added their printer. I think it is my default now. Yep, that’s it. Thanks! I can change the default.
Starting out by repeating the Caller’s statement accomplishes two things. First, it lets the caller know you have heard him or her and are willing to help. Second, it lets you confirm you heard the caller correctly. From there continue to ask questions until you and the caller discover the answer. Usually it’s not this quick but more often than not, those questions lead you and your customer to the solution.
One last tip for the Socratic help desk analyst: Never ask questions that have a yes or no answer. You’ll get the information you need much faster by asking callers questions that require them to think or even try something on their computer and report the results.
Many helpdesk analysts think their callers lie to them, and frequently they do. Callers often feel their problem could be solved much faster, if the analysts were just willing. So customers say whatever they think will move the call along. Therefore "yes" is the answer customers almost always will give, regardless of the truth.
You’ll get the information you need much more quickly by asking callers questions that require them to think or even try something on their computer and report the results.
You may be doing these things already, and just never thought of yourself as Socratic. If so, congratulations. You are most likely very good at your job. If not, give it a try. Socratic Helpdesk analysts aren’t much different than any other analysts. They just know that, on any given call, the answers lie within the caller. Like Socrates, they are wise in that they know--without the caller’s help--they know nothing.
Socrates died in 399 BC, of Hemlock poisoning. He drank it after being sentenced to death for the crime of corrupting the youth. Times have changed, and today he would be given his own radio show.
Before his trial, Socrates was most well known for asking questions. He questioned everyone on every topic, particularly his students. He was usually surrounded by a horde of young men who sought to learn from him. Whenever they asked him about any subject -- virtue, ethics, even geometry -- he insisted the inquirers already knew the answers and would proceed to ask question after question until they arrived at the truth. Many trainers today find this approach to be a very effective method of teaching. It's much easier for students to remember what they discover than what they are told.
You might be wondering, "What has all of this got to do with a helpdesk?" The truth is most callers to the helpdesk hold all the answers to their questions. They are the ones in front of the computers. They are the eyes ears and even hands of the helpdesk analyst. Any solutions you might offer will come from information you glean from the caller. In fact, when asked the right questions, callers often discover the solutions, seemingly, on their own. So good analysts don’t have the answers so much as they have the questions.
On the Socratic Helpdesk, before any attempt to give an answer is made, the analyst asks questions, even when the answer is obvious. Callers often don’t have the vocabulary to word their questions correctly. "The printer isn’t working." might actually mean "I have no network connectivity." Or "How do I change the default printer?" We’ve all spent a significant amount of time working with a caller only to learn we were trying to solve the wrong problem. Asking questions instead of offering answers will help prevent that.
You might think that being asked a lot of questions, instead of being offered answers would frustrate callers. Since customers are often very frustrated to begin with, a lot of analysts are reluctant to chance making things worse. That is a valid concern, but there are a few guidelines to keep caller frustration low and analyst credibility high.
Here are two tips that might make an analyst’s job much easier. First, start the conversation by acknowledging the issue, and, second, do so before asking for the caller’s name or employee ID. The conversation could go something like this.
Analyst: Helpdesk, this is Pat. How can I help you?
Caller: I can’t print and I really need to get this document out or I’m going to be in big trouble.
Analyst: OK, printer problems, I’m sure we can take care of that. But first, can I get your employee ID so I can prove I worked today?
Caller: PA211112
Analyst: Thanks, now back to printing. What error message are you getting on your computer when you try to print?
Caller: None.
Analyst: Hmmm, do you always use the same printer?
Caller: Usually but yesterday, oh wait, I see what you mean. Yesterday I was in the Atlanta office and added their printer. I think it is my default now. Yep, that’s it. Thanks! I can change the default.
Starting out by repeating the Caller’s statement accomplishes two things. First, it lets the caller know you have heard him or her and are willing to help. Second, it lets you confirm you heard the caller correctly. From there continue to ask questions until you and the caller discover the answer. Usually it’s not this quick but more often than not, those questions lead you and your customer to the solution.
One last tip for the Socratic help desk analyst: Never ask questions that have a yes or no answer. You’ll get the information you need much faster by asking callers questions that require them to think or even try something on their computer and report the results.
Many helpdesk analysts think their callers lie to them, and frequently they do. Callers often feel their problem could be solved much faster, if the analysts were just willing. So customers say whatever they think will move the call along. Therefore "yes" is the answer customers almost always will give, regardless of the truth.
You’ll get the information you need much more quickly by asking callers questions that require them to think or even try something on their computer and report the results.
You may be doing these things already, and just never thought of yourself as Socratic. If so, congratulations. You are most likely very good at your job. If not, give it a try. Socratic Helpdesk analysts aren’t much different than any other analysts. They just know that, on any given call, the answers lie within the caller. Like Socrates, they are wise in that they know--without the caller’s help--they know nothing.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Are you a Customer? Yes you are!
The question is how do you like to be treated? More over how do you treat your clients?
If you look at the question you may have the answer already, But indulge me for a moment as I have another view of the situation. I want you to concider this scenario. I am a Salesman who needs technical information related to a customers needs, the sales man goes to the support department for advise. The sales man is now a customer. The technician does not have all the information at hand so he goes to the second level technitions to ask for more information. The first tech is now a customer.If someone calls into the frontline technicians they are THE CUSTOMER, If we remember that no matter what you do within a company or walk of life you the expert may have to be a customer at one tome or another during the day.Remember that when they call to walk in their shoes for a little while. If you do this you will feel more comfortable, be more empathectic to their needs and be more confident with them making the whole calling experience better for them.
If you look at the question you may have the answer already, But indulge me for a moment as I have another view of the situation. I want you to concider this scenario. I am a Salesman who needs technical information related to a customers needs, the sales man goes to the support department for advise. The sales man is now a customer. The technician does not have all the information at hand so he goes to the second level technitions to ask for more information. The first tech is now a customer.If someone calls into the frontline technicians they are THE CUSTOMER, If we remember that no matter what you do within a company or walk of life you the expert may have to be a customer at one tome or another during the day.Remember that when they call to walk in their shoes for a little while. If you do this you will feel more comfortable, be more empathectic to their needs and be more confident with them making the whole calling experience better for them.
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