Service: Critical Success Factor Speaker Min Swe Oo January 25, 2009 Myanmar Info Tech Conference Hall

Service - A Definition Service is the ongoing relationship between: BUYER (Customer) & PROVIDER (You) Service focuses on keeping the buyer happy with the provider during and after the sale

The Purpose of Business To attract and maintain customers Customers give us business Customers are only source of income No customer = No business No business = No revenue No revenue = No Job

Customer service, like a brand, is what the customer perceives and remembers of the service they received. Customer service is about treating others as you would like to be treated yourself Customer service is the ability to provide a service or product in the way that it has been promised Customer service is an organizations ability to supply their customers' wants and needs, and to meet or exceed their expectations What is Customer Service?

Customer Service Components Treatment Service Product

Why do we lose customer? %Reason 1 Customers Die 3 Move Away 13 Price Competitiveness 15 Dissatisfied with the products or service 68 Dissatisfied with the treatment they receive

Being on par in terms of price, product quality and service only gets you into the game. Treatment wins the game.

4 TYPES OF CUSTOMER Praiser PatronTalker Walker Satisfied Dissatisfied

Service Continuum

Levels of Customer Service level of concern The level of concern shown for the individual customer level of friendliness The level of friendliness shown towards the customer level of civility The level of civility shown towards the customer

Biggest question Isnt it really customer helping rather than customer service? Jeffrey Gitomer

Customer Expectations based on their perceptions of you, your company and your industry. formed through personal past experience, and the experience of others with whom they interact.

3 Special Benefits Every Customer Wants 1.Fast Results 2.Easy Procedures 3.Personal Attention

Secret of Simplicity Always give people more than they expect to get.

Key Service Attributes Care and Concern Care and Concern Spontaneity Spontaneity Problem Solving Problem Solving Recovery Recovery

How do we attain key service attributes? Acknowledge; Recognize; Appreciate; Thank Anticipate; Take initiative; Plan in Advance Be flexible; Do more for the guest; Never say no Recover; Take ownership of the problem; Act accordingly

To err is human --- Customers dont expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong. Donald Porter V.P., British Airways

What a customer remembers about a service is not just dependent on the usual suspects of first and last impressions. It is dependent on the "moments of truth. Jan Carlson Scandinavian Airlines

A moment of truth is when an interaction occurs between a customer and the service provider that can leave a lasting positive or negative impression on a customer.

The Top 7 Customer Service Sins 7. Not adequately training your staff 6. Trying to win an argument with a customer 5. Being impersonal 4. Spending too much time with chronic complainers 3. Taking criticism personally 2. Not acting like you care 1. Not delivering what you promise

If marketing is the fuel for your business then customer service is the octane.. The higher the octane, the better the business will run. Customer service - part of the marketing process. Word of mouth marketing - one of the best, most reliable and cost effective forms of marketing available. Excellent customer service helps to establish you as a brand. There really is nothing better than the testimonial or endorsement of one customer to another.

Quality is the best kind of advertising in the world. For your company identity to be successful, the service provided must be of the highest quality possible. Focus on delivering world-class service first, then, and only then consider marketing it. Milton Hershey

Economic Downturn Looking to increase value for money Making hard earned cash go further More critical when making buying decisions With less disposable income, less forgiving of a mediocre or poor service experience When it comes to service, the vast majority, 90 to 96%, will not complain and simply go elsewhere Looking to deal with organizations that appreciate customers

The Retention of Existing Customers All the more important during difficult economic conditions Existing customers are more profitable Maintaining existing customers improve operating expenses and result in bottom line Five percent increase in customer loyalty can contribute from 25% to 125% directly to bottom line. Customers always have the choice of buying from us or our competition. When times are tough, that choice becomes even more important.

Points to Ponder Your customers wont love you if you give bad service, your competitors will. Kate Zabriskie

Customer Loyalty Leadership must show everyone customer service is a priority. Get management in direct contact with customers. Solicit feedback from the guest or customer. Get employees involved in planning and implementing customer Service standards. Empower employees. Take care of the internal customer

Who are our Customers? Internal customers - People within our organisations served by what we do External customers - People outside our organisation who are the end users of products or services

"I love mankind. It is people that I cannot stand." Charles Schultz

Three Types of Customer Explorers Vacationers Prisoners

Either External or Internal Explorers - loyal ; rave about our business to everyone they meet. Vacationers - loyalty can be quickly switched to competition. Prisoners - no loyalty and will quickly share their displeasure with 6 to 10 other individuals.

WE WANT our people to treat our customers with warmth and respect. our people to constantly improve their work standards and output. our people to take the initiatives and constantly work toward improving their services our people to be friendly and have good attitudes lest the customers wont come back.

WE TEND TO FORGET Customer Care and Employee Care Go Hand in Hand Delivering a level of service for true customer loyalty means caring for employees If customers are the foundation of a company, employees are its lifeblood If employees needs are ignored, bottom lines and brand image will be hurt Employees are brand ambassadors to the outside world. When internal customers (employees) dissatisfied, their interactions become unauthentic Negative energy flows through the organization and high performance will never be achieved Keep focusing on employees, especially when things are difficult.

Job Satisfaction Affects Customer Loyalty Why employees are unhappy especially front liners Individual assessments that look beyond the "Hows" of behavior to the "Whys" of behavior. Developing employees based upon the results of assessments Failing to take corrective actions result in unhappy employees Unhappy Employees = Higher Customer Turnover Higher Customer Turnover = Lower Profitability

Who Matter Most Quality begins in the boardroom with the owners, leaders and managers who: make the rules and the procedures. create the empowerment in the employee or tie their hands and have them afraid to make a decision. are the ones that decide how much should be spent on training and what objectives are important. are the ones that decide if they are going to share part of the profits with the employee and make them feel like part of the company. are the ones that decide how they are going to treat the employees on their interactions.

You Are The Leader - Customer Excellence Begins With You Your organization is like an engine - and you are the switch that can ignite excellence The parts of the engine all have their function but without the spark, the engine will never run. Donn Kirst