Workshop: Excel @ Customer Service Presented by Office of Human Resources and University Library December 2004 Welcome Welcome to Excel at Customer Service Introduce presenters Also thanks to Cherron and Yolanda from Office of Admissions and Student Affairs Cell phones set to vibrate

Why a workshop? Survey September Opportunity Why workshop? Who remembers CS training from 2 years ago? Customer Service Standards. Who is familiar with them? Events in September. Gaps quickly identified themselves. Fill those gaps. Refresh. Once basics are in place (you may already be there), opportunity to take this to next level—through advanced CS techniques As a community—give someone excellent service and then transfer to XXX and then maybe the person doesn’t get taken care of. Participants introduce themselves. Name, department and favorite animal, vegetable, or mineral…

Learning objectives By the end of today’s session, be able to: Demonstrate GGU customer service standards in person, by phone, and by email Ask probing questions to solve customer problems Manage difficult customer interactions Build customer relationships

Topics What’s my role? GGU Customer Service Standards CS standards—the basics In person By phone By email Dealing with Difficult Customers Advanced Customer Service skills

Customer service video How many of you have seen this video? Ask questions of participants Can anybody tell us an outstanding customer service story? What made you remember this story? Complete this statement: The most unpleasant part of my job would become my favorite part if only I got to….. I think our customers would love it if every time they called here we….

What's My Role? GGU priority to provide excellent customer service Student customers Internal customers—coworkers, other departments, offices Customer service skills: “tools of the trade” First point of contact: voice on the phone, face behind desk, email exchange 1.

GGU Customer Service Standards Key Points: Commitment Exceptional Consistent Throughout all GGU administrative and academic departments Treat people courteously, promptly, and respectfully In person, by telephone and email Distribute full standards Key points are . . .

In person Make eye contact, smile, say hello when people enter. Your manner of expression and body language set the tone. What lessons have you learned in a diverse, multicultural environment?

A face is worth 1,000 words Learned very early, as you can see, message-sending is one of its most important functions of the human face Humans are also extraordinarily well equipped to send non-verbal messages. What does yours say? Across cultures, ages, gender, races and ethic groups. What does it mean to have a poker face? Takes about the same number of muscles to smile (12) as to frown (11). Easier to smile because the muscles are in better shape, used more often.

In person Treat all people just as you would want to be treated: with courtesy and respect. Behave in a consistently professional manner to all people. Remain sensitive to diversity of all kinds. Adhere to posted office hours. What examples can you give of diversity?

Telephone Guidelines Answer the phone with a smile and recommended greeting. Identify FAQs. Designate a live person to answer calls. Design and put in place a system to roll over calls. Answer phone calls by the third ring. Identify your name and the department, school or region. Return all calls and messages within one business day. Record an out-of-office greeting on voicemail when absent from the office. When another department needs to be involved, transfer the call to the appropriate party, identify problem and introduce the caller. Ask permission before putting someone on hold. Do not put someone on hold for more than two minutes. Check back frequently with callers who are on hold.

Email All email inquiries should receive a response within one business day. Email is a business communication tool. Spell check your email before sending. Do not use email to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Create a GroupWise rule to reply to your email when out of office. Use an email signature: Full name, title, department or office, phone number, fax number, www.ggu.edu What is GGU’s tag line? How many of you have clicked the send button and then regretted it? Go to sent items, right click, choose Delete. Prompted to delete from your mailbox, recipient mailbox, other mailboxes. Guideline—only put in email with what you are comfortable projecting in a courtroom

Dealing with Difficult Customers Here’s why I am upset I was shuffled around Someone was rude to me Someone was indifferent No one listened to me My expectations were not met

Dealing with Difficult Customers Stay calm yourself. Use the STOP technique: Signal (Notice your body signals—Are you clenching your jaw? Breathing rapidly?) Take control of yourself. Do the Opposite of warning signal (Relax your jaw; take a slow, deep breath). Practice being aware of and dealing with your body signals and emotions. Let the customer vent. Listen without interrupting. When customer finishes venting, you will know—there is usually an audible outflow of air. Deal with emotion first. Show empathy. Restate what you heard them say. Thank the customer for bringing it to your attention. The goal is to move the customer from an emotionally upset state to a logical, problem-solving frame of mind. Problem-solving techniques – not blame mentality Dealing with different scenarios The customer is Confused Irritated/angry Customer’s communication skills fall short The customer is wrong The customer has shopped around for an answer Attack/Defense vs. Professional detachment

Dealing with Difficult Customers Avoid words that trigger upset customers: policy, can't, sorry, "No, I don't know," "But you should have," "The only thing we can do.“ Take a time out to consult a second opinion. "Let me look into this matter, and I'll get back to you in a few minutes." Consult with a supervisor or team leader. If necessary, bring that person into the conversation with the customer. Gently confront abusive customers. "Mr. Baker, I really want to help you. As long as you continue to use this language, I'm finding it difficult to help. I can get this taken care of. Will you help me do that?" And most customers will. Here's what I can do . . Do you have to take anything a customer dishes out? No! Common sense tells you when it is out of hand: Own reaction—feel yourself getting angry Swear words, shouting Scenario 1 Upset Customer

Hand off to a supervisor when . . . You’ve tried various strategies and customer remains dissatisfied You are becoming upset Remove yourself from situation Professionally—aim for smooth transition Involve supervisor Give yourself a Time Out—break Practice tuning in to what you are feeling Timeout This is where advanced skills come in Knowing when to do this and how to do this Breaks: Ask participants how they take breaks? Avoid the temptation to use breaks to vent. Instead: Take a walk Read a magazine or book Listen to music Eat a healthy snack Write a letter or card Make out a list

Advanced Customer Service Focus on the customer Commit yourself to solving customer’s problem Establish an immediate connection by using person’s name Be conscious of your attitude—use a mirror Ultimate challenge: stay professional throughout Already successes in letters/emails of praise How to take service to the next level Scenario 2

Sharpen Communication Skills Advanced Customer Service Sharpen Communication Skills Avoid jargon Match the customer's speed and style Actively listen to ensure your understanding Anticipate questions Have answers ready Suggest options What is the definition of jargon? Give some examples of GGU jargon? GGU4You ETS

Advanced Customer Service Ask probing questions: To truly understand the problem Examples “Please explain what you mean by 'XXX'?" "Could you tell me more about YY?“ "What, specifically, did you need to do by Friday?" Probing question—open ended, requiring more than yes-no answer

Advanced Customer Service Clarify, clarify, clarify Tell me from the beginning Help me to understand what happened How did you arrive at that conclusion? Sorry, I don’t understand. Could you help me by giving an example? Could you give me an example of when you did XXXX?

Advanced Customer Service Take ownership How are you handling the caller who's been transferred twice already? Do you actively look for people who appear lost or in need of assistance? Are you detecting uncertainty in a customer's voice that shows he or she doesn't fully understand? When you are busy, do you recognize a customer who is waiting and give a sign that someone will be available? Do you follow up with a customer to ensure that his or her needs were met, even if by another team member? Do you walk customer to the next office? Examples of taking ownership Walking the customer to the next person, to the next office Calling or emailing customer to check that customer is taken care of What would excellent customer service look like? Brainstorm these ideas--post

Advanced Customer Service Final pointers Thank customer for choosing GGU Build relationships for the future Think a step ahead—what’s the next thing customer will need Pass the baton—escort person to next office Identify other ideas in your departments

Golden Gate University Customer Service Standards   We have committed ourselves to provide exceptional customer service, delivered consistently throughout all administrative and academic departments of Golden Gate University. To support our commitment, we have established guidelines to follow to ensure that all members of the Golden Gate University community are treated courteously, promptly, and respectfully in person, by telephone, through the Internet and in email correspondence. General Guidelines: ·         Make eye contact, smile, say hello when people enter. Your greeting will set the tone. ·         Treat all people just as you would want to be treated: with courtesy and respect. ·         Behave in a consistently professional manner to all people. ·         Remain sensitive to diversity of all kinds. ·         Adhere to posted office hours. Telephone Guidelines: ·         Answer the phone with a smile. ·         Utilize a script for dialogue protocol. ·         Designate a live person to answer calls. Design and put in place a system to rollover calls. ·         Answer phone calls by the third ring. ·         Identify your name and the department, school or region. ·         Return all calls and messages within one business day. ·         Record an out-of-office greeting on voicemail when absent from the office. ·         When another department needs to be involved, transfer the call to the appropriate party, identify problem and introduce the caller. ·         Ask permission before putting someone on hold. Do not put someone on hold for more than two minutes. Check back frequently with callers who are on hold. E-mail Guidelines: ·         All e-mail inquiries should receive a response within one business day. ·         Remember that e-mail is a business communication tool. Proofread your e-mail before sending. ·         Do not use e-mail to resolve interpersonal conflicts. ·         Use automatic return replies when you are out of the office (be sure the automated response is ONLY for the sender, NOT for cc’s).

For your attention and participation Thank you For your attention and participation