Got this note from Greg this morning in response to my post about customer service –
Just a quick note to thank you for your last post about the Wal-Mart Optometrist. I am the GM of a 250+ employee call center and your lessons really hit the mark. So much so that I forwarded the post to everyone in the call center to read (we work in Vancouver, BC thus the Wal-Mart in Athens will not benefit unfortunately). Thanks again! Greg
Tells me two things that aren’t always so obvious when you are blogging: 1) We live in a global community that is shrinking…. Greg is reading me from Canada. So now I have 4 readers and global reach. 😉 2) Even though you don’t get a comment on your blog, it may still have an impact. Hey wait a minute, if Greg forwarded my post to everyone in his call center of 250+ does that mean I have readership larger than 4?!?!?!? 🙂
Another thing it tells me is that the message of how important customer service is needs to be repeated over and over again.
By the way Greg, I’ve been to Vancouver and the scenery is breathtaking. I hope that your team gets something out of the article. Thanks very much for sharing your story with me. Feel free to participate in the conversation any time. -Carl
Thanks Carl!
Agree about my fine city, although right now we are being blanketed with snow. That being said, in the summer, there is no better place to be. Not many places in the world where you can snow ski and water ski on the same day.
It is extremely important for everyone in my call center to understand empathy. To take ownership of our customer’s issues and own it until the issue is resolved. In the industry we are in, there is tremendous competition and the only way we can truly differentiate ourselves is through customer service. Knowing what it will take to satisfying the customer….then doing even more to wow them.
Our customers are our business. In order for us to succeed, we need to establish long lasting relationships with our customers and expand the lifetime of each and every customer we come in contact with. Here are our 6 key objectives:
-Seize every opportunity to EDUCATE our players on our business, our products, and why we do things the way we do.
-Players come to us with expectations based on previous experience. It is our job not to just meet them, but EXCEED them.
-Our players should know we are just like them, and we UNDERSTAND. When a player doesn’t understand us, it is our job to understand them.
-We are always HONEST and FAIR.
-We help build our business by creating ADVOCATES. Our best players are the ones who are referred by others.
-The greatest commitment we can make to our players is to continually DEVELOP ourselves. Learn what is important to our players and relate better to them. Develop skills that help deliver great service.
Again, thanks for your blog! Was well received in my call center as well, with alot of favorable comments, many thanking me for sending, thus you have a following all the way up here in Vancouver!
Take care,
Greg