55 words or 10 phrases customers rarely hear (part 3)In parts 1 & 2 of the above captioned article, I wrote of the welcome letter a guest received upon checking in at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Florida, and, I went on to explain the benefits of using the ten, nine and eight most important phrases described in that welcome letter. Let’s now look at the importance of phrases 7, 6 and 5.
The SEVEN most important words: "What else can I do for you?" We know that water is very hot at 99 degrees and we also learnt at school that it boils at 100 degrees and with boiling water comes steam. With steam, you can power a train! That one additional degree in temperature provides exponential results! Be prepared to go that additional mile. Remember there is hardly anyone queuing to run that extra mile. Do the unexpected extra no one does anymore. Look for ways to be helpful… to give just a bit more. Acknowledge a birthday or special occasion. Reward loyalty. These are all examples of customer service that anyone who offers these kinds of extras immediately stands out. Brandon Steiner runs the largest sports memorabilia business in the US, Steiner Sports Marketing. Steiner’s rags-to-riches story as Harvey Mackay relates it - is inspirational, fascinating and, best of all, replicable. He started his life in a very poor apartment with a single mother who was often sick. He shares the story of his early endeavours delivering newspapers. When he was having trouble signing up customers, his mother challenged him to find other services to offer to prospective customers. What else could he do for them? So Steiner, who lived near a bagel shop, told customers he could deliver bagels or milk in addition to the newspaper. Before long, he was delivering 100 daily papers, 150 Sunday papers, 100 gallons of milk every week and more than a hundred bagels every Sunday. He found his passion at a very young age and parlayed it into what eventually became a multimillion-dollar business. His success is summed up in one of his favorite sayings: “If you want more money, don’t pay attention to the money. Pay attention to the thing that makes the money.” Steiner is the master of “what else?” — The attitude that has helped him develope the winning formula for his success.
The SIX most important words: "What is most convenient for you?" It is an unexpected (but a hugely appreciated) courtesy when someone asks what works best for you. Be willing to say "Do you want to change that? Most certainly, let me get you what you prefer!" Accept the fact that customers do change their mind about what they want and when it happens learn to stay positive even if you have spent a lot of time taking their initial order. Remember, a good salesperson or ordertaker will allow the customers’ desires to drive the eventual sale. Place the needs of the guest before your own. Remind yourself often that you are there to help as many customers as possible today rather than hope to have an easy day. The ability to tailor one’s sales technique after giving customers a quick read of their intentions is rare or can be more accurately described, as, ‘poorly exhibited by most salespersons’ in this country. As a customer, I abhor that commonly encountered, ‘hovering-around-in-mute-mode’ aspect of sales staff in retail outlets, and can only blame the shop operator for not training staff on the ABCs of customer service. Staff must be able to distinguish between browsing customers who are unlikely to buy things and customers who seem to be actively looking for an item. When a customer seems to be aimlessly browsing, staff must know when to zoom in and ask if he or she can be of assistance,
The FIVE most important words: "How may I serve you?” This question reinforces your role in the customer-staff relationship. Staff must be encouraged to play that role to their best ability. More than a million men and women work in what we refer to as the service sector, doing everything from checking out items at the supermarket to working in hotels. Yet though we have a large service sector, we Sri Lankans by and large, sorely lack an accompanying service culture. All of us have what we call ‘self-worth and pride’. Being unhelpful to others as the mood and inclination takes you is part of your assertion of self, especially if the job is poorly paid and your managers are interested only in how much work they can get out of you. So service-sector employers do have a major challenge on their hands if they want to serve their customers better. But in the end, the buck does stop with individual workers and the way they interact with those they purport to serve. The first step is a consensus that there needs to be change, but we are a long way from that. Why? Simply because there is a ‘long tail of underachievement’ amongst many of the employers in the service industry - in terms of their willingness to train and their ability to attract staff with the requisite customer service skills. To be continued
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