HOSPITA

LITY

HOSPITA

LITY……

Mounta

inee

r Sty

le

Mounta

inee

r Sty

le

Organization Stress

Shrinking Brand Loyalty

Increased Price Sensitivity

Heightened Competition

Increasing Customer Knowledge

Demanding Customers

Symptoms of Today’s Business Challenges

TODAY’S ECONOMY IS COMING BACK …BUT NOT LIKE IT WAS

Will today’s customer Will today’s customer buy from you or your buy from you or your

competition?competition?

“There’s no good just being better…you have got to be

different.” Charles Handy

Today’s Customers are Revolting...Excuse Me…Excuse Me…Enough is Enough is EnoughEnough!!

Today’s Customers Are Keeping Score

...and sharing their scores!

Why We Give Bad Service• We don’t understand the purpose of being in

business.• We don’t understand customers.• We don’t understand what business we’re in.

You aren’t in the coffee business serving people.

You’re in the people businessserving coffee.

Howard Schultz, Starbucks

THE F

IRST

STEP

Is Des

ire

IT’S A CHOICEYou can create GREAT service if you want to –

but you have to WANT TO.However, you have to give up your excuses

first.Ask yourselves this question:

Why aren’t we giving it all we’ve got?Decide to put some OOMPHOOMPH into your

ordinary!

Service is a process…not an event!The beginning of the customer

relationship impacts the ending.How many hands do your

customers pass through in the service cycle?

Service Cycle

START

WIT

H

THE R

IGHT

PEOPL

E

Can you afford me?

START

WIT

H

THE R

IGHT

PEOPL

E

How about me?

Customer Service Is…

Attitude

Technique

What Is Customer Service Attitude?

The inherent ability to look at every Customer interaction as an opportunity

to create a smooth, seamless and memorable service experience.

THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT YOUR BUSINESS...

Have to genuinely enjoy people Must be active, energetic, outgoing Must be willing to serve Must demonstrate a sense of

urgency Must have non-discriminatory

attitudes about other people

It’s Not Easy To Teach Someone to…smile

be friendlywant to servebe personable

What you can do is hire people who have those qualities and then teach them

about your products, services, expectations and service culture.

Five Core Principles Of Customer Care

1.To customers, frontline representatives ARE your company.

2.Employee Satisfaction Matters; directly impacts employees’ service to customers

3.Show customers they are valued…never assume.

4.Internal customer care is as important as external customer care.

5.Train your staff to deliver great service – and hold them accountable.

Principle #1: To Customers, Frontline Representatives ARE Your Company. Do frontline employees view themselves

as ambassadors?Are they trained in communication skills?Are they empowered to satisfy the

customer on-the-spot?Are you aware of the various customer

touch- points that occur in your organization?

"An empowered organization is one in which

individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally

succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.“

Stephen R. Covey, Principle - Centered Leadership

Principle #2: Employee Satisfaction Matters – Directly Impacts Employees’ Service To Customers What is the turnover rate for our customer-

facing employees? How do you measure employee satisfaction

and motivation? When employee satisfaction is low, what do

you do about it? Do performance issues in your organization

stem from an employee’s attitude or from his/her skill level?

Principle # 3: Show Customers They Are Valued. Never Assume They Know It.

If you were a customer of your company, would you feel valued?

When closing a call or other type of customer transaction, are employees expected to thank customers for their business?

Do customer-facing employees understand the importance of earning a customer’s loyalty?

HUMANIZE

THE

Custom

er E

xper

ience

Customer Service is the New MarketingCustomer Service is the New MarketingCustomer Service is the New MarketingCustomer Service is the New Marketing

Principle # 4: Internal Customer Care Is As Important As External Customer Care.

Do employees know who their internal customers are?

Are employees’ measured on the service they provide to internal customers?

Do they recognize that everyone in the organization is a service provider?

Sometimes…you have to fake it until you make it.

Principle # 5: Train Your Staff To Deliver Great Service – And Hold Them Accountable.Do employees know what’s expected of

them?Do they have the knowledge, skills and

competencies to provide great service to internal and external customers?

Do supervisors and managers provide regular, constructive and skilled coaching to employees?

Are employees rewarded for their success? 

Bed-rock of Business Success…Clear Expectations for Your TeamDo they know…• what to do?• how to do it?• why they are doing it?• how they will be measured?• when you want it done?

Do they want to do it for…• themselves?• your business?• your customers?

BREAK TIME

•1st Impressions

•Answer the “knock at the door” of a ringing phone line

•Smile in advance

•Enthusiastic greeting

•Speak slowly and clearly

•Give your name

•Ask: “How may I help you?”

•Ask if caller can hold…and wait for a response

•Thank callers

•Ask: “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

The Telephone Is Your Storefront Window

• Don’t allow your “foul mood” or your coworkers to carry over• Hanging up on a caller first • Your company doesn’t return phone calls or voice mail messages. (Call customers back promptly or have calls returned on your behalf.)

• Rush callers• Vent to callers

• Place callers on hold without asking them first.• Place callers on a speaker phone without asking permission first?• Eat, drink or chew gum.• Hold side-bar conversations• Reassure callers• Personal phone calls/ text on company time

Telephone Taboos

You CANNOT...Not Make A First Impression!

We are judged by people through what we say, how we say it, our

body language, facial expressions, our tone of voice, and the way we

answer the phone.Your company is judged by the way

your telephone is answered.

If you only get one chance to make a good first impression how...

enough are you to plan what happens in this important

moment?

•Know Me•Understand Me•Lead Me•Help Me

•Serve Me•Respect Me•Thank Me•Surprise Me

Customer Expectations

Match our associates unknown expectations With our unknown capabilities

Wouldn’t it be nice to....?

Customer’s Perception…is “The Perception”

Senses Impact Customer Perception

What

Customers See

What Customers

Smell

What

Customers Hear

What Customers

Touch

Will Customers talk + or – about their

experience with you?

IS YO

UR TEAM

TRAIN

ED TO

HANDLE D

IFFIC

ULT

CUSTOMERS?

WHOSE

CONVENIENCE…

THE

Custom

er’s

or t

he Com

pany’

s

ARE YOU

LISTE

NING

LISTE

NING T

O…

CUSTOM

ERS?

ARE

YOU

HEARIN

G?

HEARIN

G?

ARE YOU RESPONDINGRESPONDING?

Or…

“Executives say that the way their organizations interact with

customers will be the greatest challenge in their operations.”

Economist Intelligence Unit – Business 2010

Your competition is waiting for your customers to become

dissatisfied with your lack of customer service.

We will always be defined in the marketplace by what our customers say

about us.

JUMP

HIGHER

RAISE T

HE BAR

RIS

E TO

THE

BE YOUR

OWN

COMPET

ITIO

N

BE AN E

NEMY

OF

THE

STATU

S QUO

TAKE

ACTION…

NOT NOTE

S

TAKE AWAYS• Creating and Sustaining a Service Culture is

not an option, it’s a necessity for survival.• When you reduce your sphere of control you can

increase your sphere of influence.• Demonstrating “The Customer Experience,” starts

with YOU!• Smash the silos.• Knowing and doing are not the same.• Take your shoes off before walking in the customer’s

shoes.

Your CVB…“One-Stop Resource Shop” for Community Information

GREATER MORGANTOWN WEST VIRGINIA

Greater Morgantown Convention & Visitors Bureau 1-800-458-7373         1-800-458-7373       • 68 Donley Street, Morgantown, WV 26501

Free Downloads: E-Newsletter, Visitors Guide, DVD Download, E Postcard, 101 Things To Do and 25 Things To Do

Please keep “FiveStar…on your Mind.”

Hospitality…Mountaineer StyleHospitality…Mountaineer StyleBring it on!Bring it on!

2092 S. Sherwood Drive, Valdosta, GA 31602

www.fivestarcustomerservice.com

Home: 229/249-0166 – Cell: 229/563-7482 – 5starcss@bellsouth.net