I was asked an interesting question earlier today. Which would I prefer to do, I.T. or Customer Service? Wow, I had not really thought of it before, I love customer service but I am a techno-geek also. Lately I have been getting more satisfaction out of working with people in a customer service capacity. When I was in college we used to go tour different companies and I remember going to one where everyone was in a big room filled with cubicles, sitting in front of a computer with headphones on, no overhead lighting and I thought to myself ‘I don’t want to do that!’. I want to deal with people. Customer Service and I.T. are not and don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In my experience as an I.T. professional they have always gone hand in hand. Think about it, I.T. is about resolving issues, making life easier, answering questions. I.T. always deals with customers either internally or externally (sounds like customer service to me). Some of us are better at dealing with people than others and a lot of technical professionals are better at sitting in that room creating. Some of us are good at both and that is where I come in. This is how I hire people for my I.T. department, you can be the most technically savvy genius that exists but if you cannot fit in to the culture we have created (One of Excellent Customer Service and communication) then you will not get the job. So, the answer to the question of which do I prefer is ‘Yes and both!’ What do you prefer?
To Customer Service or Not?
Service Leadership!
Service standards keep rising. As competitors render better and better service, customers become more demanding. Their expectations grow. When every company’s service is shoddy, doing a few things well can earn you a reputation as the customer’s savior. But when a competitor emerges from the pack as a service leader, you have to do a lot of things right. Suddenly achieving service leadership costs more and takes longer. It may even be impossible if the competition has too much of a head start. The longer you wait, the harder it is to produce outstanding service. – William H. Davidow
What comes around……
I had an interesting thing happen to me the other day and it made me think of how it applies to customer service. I’m was in a drive through line waiting to pay for my order when a homeless person came up to me and asked me if I could help him out. He started asking me if he knew where he could find a job or a referral for a job. I said I did not and then he asked if I had any spare change. I also did not (I rarely carry cash), but I did ask him if he was hungry as I would buy him lunch. He said yes and I asked him what he wanted. When I got to the window I added to my order his order and pulled around to wait for it. I sat there and spoke to this very smart and very well spoken person. We talked about politics, religion and life in general. Talking with him gave me the perspective that there are people out there that are having a harder time then most of us in these tough economic times. I left him feeling good that I did something for someone who a lot of other people would not have. A couple of days later I get a certified letter from a lawyer and I am thinking ‘What now?!?’. I open it up and it is a refund for a retainer from six years ago that I had totally forgotten about. It made me think that the little gesture I had made unselfishly somehow had come back to me. I then had an epiphany regarding customer service. Doing what is appropriate and right when dealing with customers comes back to you and your company in many ways. I always feel good when I have successfully dealt with a customer and that is an immediate return on what I have done. The long-term return comes later when the customer tells others about their experience and then your company’s reputation and bottom line are helped out by what you have done. What come around goes around! How is your Customer Service Karma?
Imagination - Part 2
“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ― Albert Einstein
Service!
You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service than you are now being paid for. - Napoleon Hill
Communicating
“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter.”
Imagination….
The imagination exercises a powerful influence over every act of sense, thought, reason, — over every idea.
“Learn it, Know it, Make it a way of life.”
My best friend Sean use to say this all the time when asked what his phone number was or address or any other information he was asked for. He would give the information and say “Learn it, Know it, Make it a way of life.” It has stuck with me for many years. Unfortunately Sean is no longer with us but his mantra is. This is what excellent customer service should be, a way of life. It goes beyond resolving issues, it is about relationships and how in the end you make people feel and make yourself and your company more successful. It goes beyond the four walls you work in, it is about what is right, it is about fixing or making things better, it is about helping others and ultimately yourself. 99.9% of the time when I get off of a call I find myself smiling and feeling good about what I just resolved and how I made the person feel on the other end of the call. You can tell when someone is smiling over the phone and that makes me smile and when I smile I feel good. Sean was a person that made you laugh, people wanted to be around him, he had friends and when you got off of the phone with him you would smile. I guess I learned it and know it and now it is a way of life….it makes me smile. Do you make people smile?
Great Minds!
I went to a dinner the other night that was hosted by a technology company that was in effect touting their business and what they could do for you. The thing I found refreshing was that their emphasis was on their customer service practices. Not their technological prowess (which from my own research they are one of the best out there), but how they deal with customers and how they give their engineers the freedom and empowerment to make customer service decisions. Deal with the customer on a personal level, do what is right for both your customer and at the same time what is right for your company. You could tell it was the culture of the company just by talking to the employees and to their current customers. It really impressed me and not only is it a company I will want to use in the future but one that I now want to work for! This is rare these days and a throwback to how companies use to be. But now as companies get bigger they start losing sight of what gave them their growth and success. Maybe I have “Good old days syndrome” but the level of service I receive is directly proportional on my continued patronage. You know what they say ‘Great Minds think Alike!’, what do you think?
Making someones day!
I was pleasantly surprised yesterday by an email that was sent to my boss by a customer that I had helped with something very simple. This is what she sent:
“I ordered a new product online and arranged for delivery to my mother’s apartment in west palm beach on February 18, 2012 while I was out of state. The process was very smooth and I was pleasantly surprised. Special thanks to Elwin Hornedo, Director of Technology Services, who was most helpful. I had to change the original delivery date with just a few days notice and Mr. Hornedo was very courteous, assured me there was no problem in making the change and gave me a confirmation. I could not be more pleased with my experience with your company. Thank you for providing fine customer service at a time when many do not.”
It really made my day and made me realize how important the little things are in delivering Excellent Customer Service. Nothing should be trivial and no situation should be so small not to give it the same effort or attention as a big issue.
So I emailed the customer to thank them: “Thank you for your kind words! You made my day! Warmest regards, Elwin”
and this was her response: “You made my day first! Take care :)”
Have you made someones day today?
