21
Sep 21
-

Valued Services Are a Measurement Of The Customer

Tags : cost customer service services value

Do you deliver valued services? How do you know?

In business, people often express that they deliver excellent products or highly valued services. They believe that what they deliver is very good.

It begs a two-part question, compared to what and defined by whom?

When you build a product or deliver a service you can certainly express that it is of great quality and of high value.

Often those producing the product or service will take great pride in their work. They may spend long hours and work extra hard.

Does that make it more valuable?

What about professional services? Are you willing to pay a more experienced or more educated medical doctor more? The same may be true for an attorney, a carpenter, or a consultant.

Who decides the value?

Valued Services

The truth is that the buyer or the customer decide the value.

When a business owner tells you that they have exceptional customer service you may want to ask how they know. In response, they may say, “because our customers tell us.”

Does every customer tell them this, or is it really only a special few?

Often businesses judge their product or services value based on their own opinion. They haven’t really studied it and they choose to ignore any naysayers.

It is hard to completely please everyone, and at some level you probably shouldn’t get too hung up on those few who decide what you provide is not of great value. However, totally ignoring it could sink the business.

Have you ever been served a beverage in a glass in a restaurant and there is someone’s lipstick on it? Is the floor dirty? Did you feel ill a few hours after consumption of the meal? Some things cannot be ignored.

Remember that the creator of the product or the person providing a service does not define the value. They may set the price, but the customer or client always defines the value.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

02
Jul 21
-

Punished Customer, Do You Feel Like One?

Tags : #Custserv customer experience customer service punished customer

Have you ever felt like you are being punished? Being a punished customer seems to be more prevalent than ever. Are you punishing your customers?

What is a punished customer?

A punished customer is a customer who is forced to accept something less in terms of service or quality while the business offering those products or services are finding it much more convenient for their bottom line.

Some examples may include, auto-attendant telephone systems, reduced operational hours, and longer response times.

A Few Examples

Once upon a time, the small business owner could purchase a software product from the shelf in a retail store. In the packaging there was a user manual and diskettes or a CD-ROM disc. The software would theoretically last forever, or until the hardware platform required an upgrade.

Not true anymore. Many software providers now make you lease the software. They want it on the cloud, you don’t really buy it, you just use it, and you get to use it for a nice monthly fee. Who does this benefit more?

We see similar kinds of punishment in other areas. Recently, I needed a gasket for some old plumbing in my home. I went to a professional plumbing store. They told me it was too old and I should replace everything. Disgusted, I left the store and went to a hardware store and found a gasket for less than one dollar.

It happens with home entertainment such as your television subscription. It happens when we want to use a coupon or a discount code. Perhaps, it even happens with airlines, hotels, and at the grocery store.

If I go to a hardware store and buy hammer, do I have to pay a fee each time I use it?

Punished Customer

The circumstances or situations surrounding the exact form of punishment vary. As a customer, when you feel it or recognize it, it is a less than pleasant experience.

In your workplace, where do you see punishment occurring? How is it impacting your customers?

Arguably, somethings may never change. Businesses often believe that they must structure product or service offerings in such a way as to keep profit margins or revenue streams viable. Software is a great example.

Customers will often endure many things, but their opinions of service quality may not be strong.

If service matters, tolerance is a risky space.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

11
Mar 21
-

Monopoly Power, the End of Customer Service?

Tags : #Custserv bad service customer service custserv monopoly

The drop-down menu on the website doesn’t have my option and the telephone number that appears in a Google search is really just an auto-attendant missing the same feature. Monopoly power often means the system is built for controlling their costs not providing customer service.

As a kid, many receive some type of allowance. It’s a monetary gift mostly, but some may have to take out the garbage, cut the lawn, or run the vacuum. If the allowance runs out, the kid waits anxiously for the next deposit.

As an adult, if the paycheck is nearly spent, there may have to be some cutbacks. Reduce spending, skip the gourmet mocha latte, and grab a black coffee from the gas station convenience store instead.

Any business, organization, or government fed entity may need to be mindful of spending. Large pension systems, labor unions, and other luxuries that have been cooked into their recipe for success often force a choice. The choice is to cut back internally (cut back on ourselves) or cut back externally on the customer.

Who suffers in this case?

Usually it is the customer.

Monopoly Power

The persons behind the monopoly power are charged with creating sleeker systems. Systems that reduce cost, fight off the need for more human investment, and are designed to run on their own seems to make sense on the inside. However, on the outside, the customer suffers.

Do you have a question? Go to the website.

Do you need to call us? Great, here is our telephone number, yet, no one is there to answer only an auto-attendant. A chat feature might work, but the frustration of getting on the same page costs the customer more time and frustration.

Not every business or organization delivers this downgraded service. It is mostly just those with monopoly power.

There isn’t much you can do when it is the only gig in town. Not much you can do when you only have one route to drive on, one way (or no way) to reach someone who can help.

You’re stuck.

Yet, without you, there is no monopoly.

People find another way. It may be temporary, it may not last, but when the road is blocked people will find another way or they’ll skip it altogether.

Eventually, the monopoly will either charge more, in an attempt to make up for a weaker economy of scale with existing customers, or it may fail, sell, or get a bailout.

Eventually, it is the end of something.

What will it be?

-DEG

Need a resource for the discovery of improved customer service?

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

26
Jan 21
-

Culture Transformation Is Always Happening

Tags : change culture customer service psychology of work transformation

Is your workplace experiencing a culture transformation? It might be happening right before your eyes and yet, you don’t see it.

Every conscious action, those that are readily observable even by an untrained eye, has an expected outcome.

We plant a tree in the park. In five or ten years it will be much bigger, but its growth is not really observable from day-to-day.

A new car, and if possible, we park it in a shady spot or a garage. The paint and interior will last longer. Hard to notice across just a few months, or a single year.

Someone acquires a new pet, a dog, or a cat. At the moment it feels like the pet will be with them forever, yet eight, ten, or twelve years later the pet is in a geriatric state.

When you pause to think about it, things that seemingly go on and on with little to no change are still changing. When there is no conscious effort to illustrate or showcase the change you really don’t see it.

It is on display but no one notices.

Culture Transformation

In workplaces everywhere there is a similar change, there is cultural transformation and it is happening right before your eyes.

Leadership is responsible.

Leaders are working hard behind the scenes.

They are trying to convert the skeptics, create a stronger environment of listeners, not commanders, and most of all develop a harmonious experience of individual talents serving the greater good of the organization as a whole.

They strive for more “we” and “us” instead of “I” and “me.”

Budgets and money matter, a penny here or a nickel there. Across time the ideology is for a positive shift. A pattern of growth. A building of assets, revenue, and profit.

Perhaps most of all they are learning more about the customer. Exploring new things, discontinuing old, phasing in and phasing out.

Questions are asked and answers are sought. A solution is offered. Some are accepted while others are rejected.

The business of yesterday is not the business of tomorrow.

Transformation is happening, you can see it, or not.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

13
Jan 21
-

Workplace Ruckus And What You Should Do Next

Tags : change customer service leadership pivot team

Have you experienced workplace ruckus? Of course you have. It happens often and it might be something good if it is properly managed.

In late 2002, Honda developed and released for the 2003 model year a small scooter type motorcycle that was called the Honda Ruckus. Powered by a small 49cc engine it likely has its roots in snappy short urban commutes.

Did it make a ruckus?

I’ve seen a few, but I’m not sure how many have been produced or sold. On a small scale, the name does seem to make people curious. Someone in R&D was behind this effort, they literally had to make a ruckus.

What about your job? What happens in your workplace? Are you making a ruckus? Should you?

Are you providing services or shipping goods that show that you care?

It isn’t always easy. In fact, it is often hard to put forward the effort required to only deliver the absolute best.

It requires dedication, commitment, and a willingness to produce time and time again with the customer in mind.

How will the product be used? If you were receiving it what would you want it to look like? What would exceptional levels of service feel like?

Workplace Ruckus

Most people in most organizations are striking some type of harmonious balance. A balance between what is viewed as practical, just good enough, and keeps costs low, as compared with what delights the customer, demonstrates high value, and spreads the good word.

When you care enough to strike a good balance you may also care enough to make it better than before. Build it better. Deliver it better. Create happy and loyal customer relationships.

When you really care you may have to make a bit of a ruckus.

Rally the team, get excited about opportunities, feel the need and be encouraged by change.

Everyone on your team is in it together.

Making a bit of a ruckus seems like a pretty good idea.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

02
Dec 20
-

Emotional Purchases Impact Nearly Every Decision

Tags : customer service emotions purchases sales wants and needs

Will you make some emotional purchases in the next few days? What about across weeks, months, or even years? What you buy is more often connected to emotions than what you may realize.

Do you own a car, a home, or a bunch of really cool tech gadgets? What about collectable items, a bit of candy, or some jewelry?

There is a big difference between what you want and what you actually need.

Wants and Needs

Take an automobile for example, what are your needs? Are your needs transportation or is it the luxury and class of how you get from point A to point B?

If you need transportation, then perhaps the least expensive means of travel will suffice.

You may be able to make a claim that you could walk. Many urban dwellers do not own a car. They may not need one.

Yet, all across America and many other countries, an automobile is a significant purchase considered as a need. It may represent status, comfort, or it may be able to haul eight passengers even when much of the mileage driven is only one or two persons at a time. What is needed?

Do you need jewelry? What about a thousand-dollar pair of shoes, do you need those?

Do you need soda, wine, or sports drinks? What is the real need?

Emotional Purchases

Every day people are making choices that satisfy something beyond need. There is a want or desire that is involved. There are emotional choices connected to status, ego, or lifestyle.

Much of this all appears to be normal. So normal that it almost seems like a stretch of the truth to consider the difference between wants and needs.

Do you have a closet full of some things you barely use? Do you regularly throw out food that you could have consumed if you made different choices?

Many of the things people buy are not needs. They are wants. The purchase satisfies some emotional desire, not necessarily a survival type of need.

Humans are driven by emotions. It is true for the decisions you make about the work that you do, to earn the money that you earn, to buy the things that you want.

While there are some basic life needs, much of those needs are distorted by your wants.

Great marketers and sales teams understand the emotional desire for products and services. It’s is a leadership trait that is commonly underestimated or not fully utilized.

People are often not paying for what they need, they’re paying for something more.

Something that they want.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

10
Nov 20
-

Stopping Pain Always Directs What Happens Next

Tags : cost customer service decisions pain points problems solved

You may not even realize it, yet it is part of the goal. Stopping pain is what businesses do for their customers. They do it internally for the greater good of the organization, and if they’re really generous they do for their community too.

What are the problems?

They are the areas of pain. Often, they reoccur, stop the flow, and make managers and the CEO lose sleep.

The customer purchase is likely connected to an emotional choice. Rooted deep in their decision there are often some pain points. Even when the product or service delights there is almost always room for more.

New features, bugs fixed, or a problem solved.

The goal for most productive things in business then might be classified as stopping the pain.

How would you stop the pain? A miracle drug? An underground top-secret cure?

Stopping Pain

You can start by asking the right questions.

What keeps you up at night? (an oldie but a goodie)

What would make you use this product more?

Does it help you achieve your goals?

Stopping pain is your first priority. It what makes dreams come true. It builds success and shares in the process of what you tell yourself about what comes next.

You may also want to understand how it helps others. How it might change the outlook for families, financial futures, and make everyone look good.

It’s always connected to emotions and sometimes to social norms. People like to look good, feel smart, and be thrilled.

It is exactly why cost or price should be the last part of the discussion.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

28
Oct 20
0

Dennis Gilbert Masterclass virtual customer service

Masterclass : Customer Service Culture

Tags : culture customer service masterclass service excellence webinar

Masterclass : Customer Service Culture

Starts in:

Are you building or contributing to the development of a culture of service excellence? Service has never mattered more. It’s true to get your customers back, and it’s true to forge new relationships. Whether your opportunities are B2B, B2C, or in some cases both.

You also cannot forget about the importance of a culture of service internally. Your staff and team absolutely need to be culturally connected to serving each other.

While it may start within a small group or department, a true culture of service includes everyone in every aspect of the organization.

Does it sound like a lot? It is, and this masterclass will help you immediately start making a greater impact.

CustServ Dennis Gilbert Masterclass

Developing a culture of service means you’ll have employees who:

are fast and effective at solving customer problems
respond appropriately with courtesy and respect
place value on the customer experience not on quick fixes
recognize lifetime value and are devoted to maintaining relationships
deliver customer experiences that compel customers to refer your business
And so much more…

The customer experience begins within the culture of your organization. Teams that understand and value both internal and external customer service will always be more effective at demonstrating these values to the external customer. After all, when your employee teams focus on the customer experience there simply isn’t much room for drama, poor attitudes, or lackadaisical approaches to products, services, and sales.

During this masterclass, participants will consider the aspects of creating a culture of customer service by examining foundational skills and how to apply them. There will be a specific emphasis on the concept of each individual improving their customer service skills and the workshop will close with an activity that reinforces the development of these skills as a cultural practice.

Session one: Understanding culture, building strong impressions, exploring habits. (90 Minutes)

Session two: Expanding habits, internal and external customers, culture development. (90 Minutes)

Are you committed to making a difference? Now is the time.

Where: From your own device. For best results, you’ll utilize a webcam type device (and speakers or earbuds) to connect to the seminar. Optionally, you can listen in and interact through questions without a video connection.

When: October 28, and November 11, 2020, both starting at 10:00 AM (Eastern U.S. timezone) 90-minutes each.

Who: Employees at all levels, front line staff, back-office support, customer support, technical support, team leaders, and all levels of sales and support departments. It is also critically important for supervisors, managers, and business owners who want more emphasis on building a customer service culture!

Each participant will receive:

Two, ninety-minute sessions of high-quality (virtual / webinar) instruction
Digital course materials, which will serve as a reference guide for on-going development
Certificate of completion

This virtual (Zoom) seminar will be presented by business consultant and national level speaker, Dennis Gilbert, CSP.

Dennis Gilbert

“I delivered my first live, on-line virtual training program in 2009. Much changed since then, and the content and delivery is now better than ever. Make no mistake, this program is not a freebie teaser. It is a specially developed live virtual training (webinar) that is jam packed with tips, techniques, and most of all, value.” – Dennis

Cost: $199 per participant – one ticket buys both sessions!

Act Now!

Register now for ~~$199~~ $189

Register Now

Thanks for looking and for supporting small businesses!

24
Sep 20
-

Restoring Confidence Means Creating Certainty

Tags : certainty confidence customer service employee teams

Are you good at restoring confidence? Do you believe that confident employees and customers matter?

A lack of confidence means worry. Worry means hesitation, procrastination, and delays. Delays within employee teams and delays in meeting the expectations of the customer.

Many people are facing new challenges when navigating the workplace. And now, more than ever, more people are working from home (WFH), and as such workflow and communication have changed. Certainty is at a premium and uncertainty is commonplace.

Timelines, metrics and measurements are keys to successful navigation.

When the boss asks, “When will we get an update on the project?” or when the customer asks, “When will my order ship?” how do you respond?

I’m waiting on one more piece from the team, we’ll have something together soon.

Your order should ship out by Friday.

Neither response makes an exact commitment. The unknown is hard to navigate.

Certainty builds confidence.

Restoring Confidence

A common reaction is to stretch the truth, be vague, and hope everything works out for the best. In reality, everyone is being short-changed.

People beg for transparency, truth, and certainty. In most cases, this is a transaction. It’s a transaction that can have the outcome of restoring confidence or the outcome of uncertainty and disappointment.

When we reassure with direct, not dodged, or fuzzy answers, we have a chance to change the level of confidence, certainty, and even manage the disappointment.

Better to say that the project will be finished by the end of the day tomorrow, or the order will be on the truck on Friday. Wiggle words don’t sound the same as a certainty, and its especially unlikely that they will restore confidence.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

10
Jun 20
-

Customer Hustle, Is That What Sells?

Tags : customer service fast-paced hustle quality sales

Energy is contagious and often inspiring. Business minded people often like the idea of fast-paced, work-hard, play-hard, and win. Is it all about the customer hustle?

The act of hustling generally has a stigma of negativity. It may be perceived as trickery, deception, or even fraud. Largely though, in business circles, it represents a feeling of move fast, solve problems, and achieve goals.

Why is there so much focus on the customer hustle?

Time is a precious resource and when people know what they want, they want it now.

They don’t want to place an order for a car and have it delivered in six or eight weeks. When they want an ice cream treat, they expect to find it, quickly and conveniently. It’s true for getting a pizza and it’s true for an order from Amazon.

Customer Hustle

When a business fulfills a customer need or desire, it wins. It is expected to be replicated, modeled, and the competition works hard to exceed the previous best experience.

The moment anyone clicks anything on-line it starts a reaction. Search engines favor it over others, the word spreads, and action happens.

Speed seems to matter most. Timely means immediate.

The unfortunate other side of the customer hustle is that it is a short-run game.

Short-Run or Long-Run?

Short-run works okay for McDonald’s drive through, or the local pizza shop, but not so well in long-run products or services.

A dentist should be thorough, accurate, and complete, no exceptions. It’s a long-run game.

An expensive automobile or home, same thing, it’s a long-run game.

Yet it is often about the war of clicks. Fueled and offered to the public via a friendly search engine algorithm.

Does the long-run game still sell?

What’s Selling?

People talk about home appliances and suggest that they aren’t built like they once were. The same is often true for heavy equipment, electronics, or a garden tool .

The pressure and force connected with the customer hustle has driven a mind-set of fast and now, instead of good and lasting.

What is connected with the work that you do?

Is it built to last, or built for right now?

We don’t seem to find both.

It’s often a hustle.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Tag Archives: customer service

Sep 21

-

Valued Services

Jul 21

-

A Few Examples

Punished Customer

Mar 21

-

Monopoly Power

Jan 21

-

Culture Transformation

Jan 21

-

Workplace Ruckus

Dec 20

-

Wants and Needs

Emotional Purchases

Nov 20

-

Stopping Pain

Oct 20

Masterclass : Customer Service Culture

Sep 20

-

Restoring Confidence

Jun 20

-

Customer Hustle

Short-Run or Long-Run?

What’s Selling?

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