Best Recipes Ever

Category: Building Loyalty

  • Seven Actions in Working with Customers during a Crisis

    Having lived successfully through two previous crises as the founder and director of a business in Russia, the 1998 financial crisis and the 2008 economic crisis, it stands me in good stead to work through this current economic, business and health crisis caused by actions and directives taken by governments globally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The tendency, rather than embracing the situation and the opportunities that a crisis presents, boards and senior management very often go into “shutdown” mode by cutting as many costs as quickly as possible in order to protect share value and shareholder dividends.

    WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?  

    It means that the 80:20 rule kicks in and the 20% of costs that impact 80% of the results will be addressed first as they have most impact on the bottom line.  Invariably, this equals redundancies.  The labour laws in this country, due to the obligatory notice period and other requirements, do not help organisations in this matter, as they encourage a decision to be made very often before all the facts are known.  In the current crisis an interim option has been made available through furloughing of employees. This helps organisations in reducing the financial burden whilst keeping the most valuable asset – it’s employees.

    Effective leadership and the benefits that this brings has to be “emotionally intelligent”.  In other words, how can we use the current situation to the advantage of the organisation and the advantage of the employees?   This requires using both head and heart when making any decisions in relation to both company and employee wellbeing in the short and medium term.

    Employees especially, in such times, when subjected to decisions that are explained and that show both head and heart involvement will likely respond in extraordinary ways to help both their employers and themselves weather the storm.  Once the storm has passed because of the trust, respect, care and empathy shown them, they in turn are likely to show greater loyalty and willingness to do what it takes to deliver what is necessary to get “the show on the road”, as well as to generate ideas in the pursuit of new opportunities.  Those who have been made redundant when understanding why and how the organisation proposes to assist them in moving on to their next job will also likely show loyalty whilst speaking positively about their employer.

    The CEO of Airbnb, Brian Cesky is a superb example of balancing head and heart.  He clearly explained in his email to all employees, copying clients, why redundancies were being made, how employees leaving and staying would be cared for and above all thanking those leaving, genuinely from his heart, sharing both inspiration and his own sadness.

    “As I have learned these past eight weeks, a crisis brings you clarity about what is truly important. Though we have been through a whirlwind, some things are more clear to me than ever before.

    First, I am thankful for everyone here at Airbnb. Throughout this harrowing experience, I have been inspired by all of you. Even in the worst of circumstances, I’ve seen the very best of us. The world needs human connection now more than ever, and I know that Airbnb will rise to the occasion. I believe this because I believe in you.”

    The approach I adopted both in 1998 and 2008, with my teams at the time came from my heart, with the back-up of logical thinking.   Of course, when the money in the bank account was de-valuing faster than you could think, the immediate response was to cut staff numbers.  However, I knew that every multinational and local organisation was making redundancies. I also knew that these unfortunate people who were then without jobs had no way of feeding their families.  Why would an organisation deliberately choose to lose their well-trained and valuable assets?  Why would I lose my well-trained, effective employees if I could find another way?

    WAS I WILLING TO DO THE SAME TO MY TEAM?

    After much soul searching, I brought the team together and explained a situation that I myself did not fully understand.  At the end of this explanation, I made an offer to keep them employed for as long as I could on a vastly reduced salary, but one I knew they could survive and feed their families on.  In return I asked for commitment in certain ways.  Each person was given 24 hours to think about the offer and decide if it was acceptable or not.  The only other option was unfortunately to lose their job.  A harsh choice, but a humane one.  All, but one opted in.

    HOW DID WE ADAPT TO A SITUATION THAT WENT ON FOR OVER 12 MONTHS?

    Guidelines and expectations were clearly laid out for each person, and within this framework due the challenge ahead our teamwork grew stronger.  To keep the atmosphere conducive to the goal of staying in business, we shared many ideas, developed new product as well as helping each other with the stress of what we were all going through by having some fun. The lack of knowing when this would all end led to feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction, fear and anger. Each one of us experienced some or all of these emotions at different times as we went on our own journey, but together, through the Kubler-Ross change curve.

    Time was used wisely in clearing out, streamlining and improving systems and most importantly building a close-knit team of people who supported each other, laughed together and relieved each other of stress that we all suffered in our day-to-day life.

    WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR A LEADER TO SUCCEED THROUGH THESE TIMES? 

    In my own personal experience, it takes a level head, a strong sense of intuition, the ability to listen to your team and listen to your heart.  Keeping the goal in mind is important.  Listening, guiding and directing, encouraging, supporting, trusting, nurturing and empathising both yourself and individual team members.

    It is important to be grounded and realistic with yourself through self-nurturing, avoiding the frustration and perhaps anger that surrounds a decrease in your own productivity, roller-coaster emotions and the new balancing act required to live up to all responsibilities in new and very different working conditions.

    Seven actions in working with customers during a crisisWHAT ABOUT THE CUSTOMER?

    In all economic crises there will be companies on both ends of the continuum, those that do extremely well as demand for their products increases overnight and those companies that go bankrupt.  Perhaps they were unable to make changes fast enough?  Perhaps they already had market or cash flow What actions should you take when working with customers during a crisis? Having lived successfully through two previous crises, I’m sharing the actions which are valuable and, more often than not, well-received.issues or other internal difficulties, that made them more vulnerable to the harshness of the situation.  Additionally, in the same scenario, there are new opportunities and those that see them, take the risk, and grab the opportunity will leap into action to make the most of the situation either during the crisis or once everything has resumed.

    Under the current lockdown circumstances, the promotion of training as a service is now is out of the question, only falling on anxious or deaf ears whilst everything is so unclear.  Of course, this will change at some point and the point is to be ready.   Customer support at this time is still important, but it is more moral support than providing a service. In my experience the following actions are valuable and more often than not well-received:

    1. Provide moral support by calling to genuinely enquire how your clients are doing with no intention of promoting anything.  Simply to understand and lend a sympathetic ear, should it be necessary.
    2. Benefit clients and potential clients through developing new products and services that can be of value when circumstances change, anticipating that many budgets will be slashed.
    3. Provide grounding and a safe place to act as a sounding board for your clients who need someone neutral to talk to in order to share thoughts, challenges and emotions.
    4. Join in virtual networking events to meet new people and share knowledge of what some of your clients are doing that might be useful for those people in their current situation, observing GDPR.
    5. Introduce your clients to other people, who you think might be a useful contact.
    6. Share with clients, when the opportunity arises to inform about what you are working on, thus increasing awareness for when the situation changes.
    7. Remain positive by avoiding exposure to negative news and people who drain valuable energy, thus being able to show the light ahead to those that might be struggling to see it.

     

    To book Rachel to speak at your event, please contact Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton, Founder of Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health is a leadership trainer, medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in corporate health through face-to-face, on-line and e-learning development solutions.

    For more information contact Rachel on rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

  • Is Your Office Ready to Accept Clients and Team Members?

    I recently went into the City of London for a business meeting. The meeting was held on the client’s premises, the same premises I have visited on numerous occasions prior to the onset of SARS-Cov2 and the implications of lockdown.

    On entering the office building I was taken aback when I was greeted by an x-ray machine just on the inside of the main entrance glass doors. Walking on auto pilot, I didn’t realise it was there until faced by several masked gentlemen who requested to know where I was going. For a very short moment, I honestly thought I had auto-piloted myself into the wrong building. Infact it was the right building, just that a highly sensitive company had moved into the same office block hence the x-ray machine for their visitors. With a sigh of relief, I took the lift to where I was going and exited on the appropriate floor. Going through the doors I was greeted by a dark reception, the absence of a happy, smiling receptionist, no smell of coffee being brewed and no fresh flowers. There were boxes stacked up on the floor that were clearly visible to visitors. Strange, is this company moving office or closing down, I thought to myself?

    While waiting, through further observation, it seemed that the place hadn’t been dusted for some time, the TV was not on and the newspaper on the table was dated 8th  December 2021. Is that the last time anyone was here? After what seemed an age of sitting in the dark, the person I was meeting appeared. He didn’t seem to notice the absence of light, absence of the receptionist or the absent usual pleasant smell of fresh coffee. I guess we were both lucky that the heating was on!

    Our meeting proceeded with my almost immediate question – “Are you moving office?” The quizzical response said it all “Why do you ask?” With the invitation I shared my observations. He explained that most people were not back yet to working in the office, but that planning was underway to make the transition for those that want to return. Our meeting continued and afterwards as it was close to the end of the working day, we left together.

    Why do I raise this as a point of interest and importance?

    As this company is one of my clients, I felt it would be remiss of me not to highlight the impression of the lack of “warmth” when entering the reception and how it impacted my perception, and what effect that might have on any future relations, especially if I was a client. Probably in all fairness it started with the x-ray machine heightening my awareness from that point on.

    All the factors described when combined gave me the impression that the company is either closing down or moving office. If I had been a potential client, I might have decided then and there that this company is not stable and therefore would not engage with the services on offer. Worst case scenario that I would actually leave before arrival of the person I am meeting with.

    Most of us are still experiencing nervousness about meeting others and for many, going back to the office is a big step. Consequently, the main focus appears to be on the workforce where and how they would like to work, contracts that support the chosen approach and in doing this keeping the morale high to ensure good continuous service to clients, maintain productivity and ensure consistent flow of revenue.

    According to the conversation with my client this was exactly what was happening in their company and because of this focus, the thought that clients might come to the office had not entered into the discussion, therefore planning to meet and greet appropriately. Sounds strange, but easy to make this mistake, when your trusted receptionist does not want to come back to working in the office combined with the fact that most of us have not seen a client or colleague in person for approximately two years!

    This reminds me of pre-opening processes for the many hotels I was privileged to plan and conduct pre-opening training to support the overall complex process of building, fitting out, stocking and opening a new or newly renovated hotel. Remembering all the things that are taken for granted and that are easily overlooked if no one has it in their sights or Peter thinks that Paul is responsible and Paul thinks that Sara will take care of it when in the end, no one does.

    Perhaps broader internal communication amongst colleagues and external communication with customers is needed at this time? This would be further supported by a simple checklist of actions (at the risk of sounding old!) to ensure the image you want to present not only to external, but internal customers with nominated responsible persons, is agreed.

    Reducing anxiety and creating that feeling of being welcome is as important for team members at this time as it is for customers and clients. Taking a few moments to switch the lights on, start the coffee machine, strategically place some fresh flowers and being there to greet returning colleagues and customers goes a long way to creating a pleasant, calm atmosphere and lasting positive impression.

     

     

  • How compatible is your company motto with decisions that affect customer loyalty?

    Continuing the airline theme by taking a look at our own national airline in terms of the company motto and how poor decisions within the organisation affect customer loyalty.  As seen on the Ba.com website:

    “At British Airways our promise of ‘To Fly. To Serve’ embodies who we are and what we do. We want to ensure our promise extends beyond our everyday operation and that our commitment is one that lasts. To do that we have one overarching goal: Responsible Flying.”

    Taking this “promise” of “We fly to serve”, further, I have been flying one route for the last 20 years with BA at least 5-6 times per year, not to mention other flights to other destinations. I believe I have been a fairly loyal customer and I am qualified to comment on how this motto of “Fly to Serve” has changed in service delivery on this particular route, and how that has affected my loyalty.

    Today, on this flight, which is approximately 3.5 hours there have been several changes, all of which have occurred in the last 12-18 months:

    • From being served a hot meal, offered hot and cold drinks there is now no food, no drink or snack unless you want to buy it from the M&S menu.
    • The ticket price has gone up considerably and for the last two flights on this same route, I took another airline. All be it not a direct flight, but the price was more than 50% less!  And I got a meal on one and a sandwich on the other together with a hot or cold drink of my choice.
    • Interest of the cabin crew has decreased considerably.  The last flight I was on the crew served the M&S food to those who wanted it and then sat at the back of the plane and talked loudly to each other for the rest of the flight.  I don’t want to hear what stewardesses do in their spare time with their children, husbands and dogs, or any other thing they want to discuss!
    • If I fly hand luggage only, I either have to pay extra to choose my seat when checking in 24-hours before or sit where my seat is allocated, hence having to listen to the cabin crew discussion!

    Further reflecting on “Fly to Serve”, I am encouraged to earn Avios points thus the more I earn, the more loyalty I am giving to the airline.  Fair enough, and a winner for both parties.   Using my earned points was, I believe, to be a reward to be able to use them on a future flight.  As this is a loyalty programme, why then am I penalized for being loyal?  I recently redeemed some of my Avios points for a long weekend in a European city.  Being only a long weekend, I don’t require much luggage, and therefore flying hand luggage is reasonable.  As usual I check in on line 24-hours before to do just that – check in and print my boarding pass making the whole experience easier for BA and myself as I self-organise for the flight.  To my surprise, using my points, I am again penalised as my option to choose my own seat, unless paying more has been removed.  Thus having to sit in the seat allocated.

    How does an organisation with the motto “We fly to serve” make such decisions that lead to giving with the right hand, which helps earn the airline revenue and loyalty, and then taking it away with the left?  Clearly these two policies are in conflict.  Where are the managers who are supposed to ensure a company provides consistent messages to its customers?  Messages that give the impression that customers are valued and we do care which is reasonable with such a company motto?

    What is the affect of these decisions?    As I have free will and the possibility to choose who I fly with, it is clear that most of us would prefer to fly with an airline that actually values its customers and serves them in the fullest sense of the word.  Where the experience on board is safe, friendly and efficient and the rules for one passenger in the same class are the same as for all passengers, whether travelling hand luggage or with hold baggage.   Most importantly, I am welcomed and rewarded for my loyalty.

    It is a shame that the motto is no longer delivering its promise due to poor managerial decision-making, but I guess we can be thankful that at least the “flying” part is still being delivered!

  • Is Your Customer Service Roadworthy? Fixing the ‘System’ That Leaves Drivers Stranded

    Imagine you're driving to an early morning networking event. You're navigating a familiar stretch of road, only to find it partially flooded. Your wheels are cautiously floating in the water until a massive clunk vibrates through your vehicle. A pothole strikes your front tyre. Fifteen minutes later, the tyre pressure light flashes on the dash—it’s the exact tyre that hit the hole.

    Your journey turns into a test of your insurance provider's customer service. Four calls later, you’re emotionally drained, late for your meeting, and grappling with a system that feels anything but helpful.

    Here’s what went wrong—and what any service-focused company should fix.

    1. Stress and the Human Touch Matter

    When you're stranded roadside, you're not just inconvenienced—you’re anxious and vulnerable. A chatbot or digital form may be efficient, but it cannot soothe emotions. Empathy from a trained person does. Empower your customer-facing team to accelerate the conversation, not deflect it. Listening and reassurance under stress aren’t just niceties—they build trust.

    2. Inclusivity Isn’t Optional

    What if your stranded customer is elderly, dyslexic, or managing a crying child? Digital-first policies may exclude and exacerbate stress—no one wants to complete a fiddly form in that scenario. Customer support systems must be designed for all customers, not just the digitally savvy.

    3. Digital Claims Must Be Trustworthy

    I was told booking online would speed up recovery—but had to be pushed repeatedly. How can you enforce digital-first when your system doesn't work reliably? If you're encouraging online use, it must deliver—or risk destroying trust. Transparency and reliability are everything.

    4. One Task Shouldn’t Mean Four Harrowing Calls

    My experience required four calls and an hour of stress to accomplish what should’ve been simple. That’s not efficiency—it’s friction. Test your processes under real-world conditions. Use approaches like “Appreciative Inquiry” to identify pain points by engaging both customers and frontline staff.

    5. Systems vs. Human Connection

    These issues disproportionately expose two core truths:

    • Your service system must be built for diverse customers under pressure.
    • At times, customers need human connection over automation.

    Your team should know when to streamline via digital tools—and when a human voice is the shortest path to relief.

    6. Empower Your Team—and Your Business Wins

    Training, empathy, and autonomy aren’t just inside baseball—they’re strategic levers. According to Forrester, customer-obsessed companies enjoy:

    • 28% faster revenue growth
    • 33% higher profit growth
    • 43% better customer retention
    • Digital Commerce 360
    • Kate Smiley-Rodgers

    Embedding customer obsession into operations is not a buzzword—it’s a powerhouse growth engine. .Forrester https://www.forrester.com/bold/customer-obsession/ Kate Smiley-Rodgers https://www.krosecreative.com/blog/the-b2b-flight-to-customer-obsession-is-taking-o

    Final Thoughts

    Being stranded on the side of the road shouldn’t expose flaws in your customer service DNA. A system should adapt to your customer—not force them into frustration.

    Empathy, flexibility, and empowerment aren’t just ideals—they’re the backbone of loyalty and business momentum. As a result of this experience, I'm unlikely to renew with this insurer—and I’ve already shared my frustration with friends.

    Call to Action: This isn’t about slapping a chatbot on your website. It's about embedding empathy into every system, every channel, every interaction. Fix the process. Train the people. Empower your frontline—and watch commitment, trust, and profit follow.

  • Building Loyal Customers from Dissatisfied Customers

    One of the biggest areas that I address with my customers through training and development of personnel is building and maintaining customer rapport and loyalty, whether that be from the very first contact with the customer or at any other stage in the customer journey, including when the customer is not happy with your services.

    Assuming that everyone is in agreement with maintaining customers and building loyalty, rather than looking for new customers to replace them, what needs to take place when a customer complains? Here are two scenarios:

    Scenario 1

    Customer: “Good afternoon, Mr X, I am calling about the recent holiday my wife and I went on which was organized and reserved through Sun Travel.”

    Agent: “Good afternoon Mr X, how may I help you?”

    Customer: “We have returned from our holiday and can only say that it was a complete and utter disaster from start to finish.  The flight out was delayed, not your fault, but still not a good start!  The hotel was overbooked so we were re-booked into a hotel down the road, at best was 2*.  Our tour guide spoke little English and appeared to only be interested in going home.  From here it does not get any better!”

    Agent: “Oh why didn’t you tell us before coming back and we would have sorted this out?  Now there is very little that we can do! I will put you through to my manager.”

    Scenario 2

    Customer: “Good afternoon, Mr X, I am calling about the recent holiday my wife and I went on which was organized and reserved through Sun Travel.”

    Agent: “Good afternoon Mr X, how may I help you?”

    Customer: “We have returned from our holiday and can only say that it was a complete and utter disaster from start to finish.  The flight out was delayed, not your fault, but still not a good start!  The hotel was overbooked so we were re-booked into a hotel down the road, at best was 2*.  Our tour guide spoke little English and appeared to only be interested in going home.  From here it does not get any better!”

    Agent: “Mr X, this is extremely disturbing to hear.  I am so sorry for everything you have been through, and to be quite honest, very surprised!  Certainly we would have liked the opportunity to solve these issues whilst you were still on holiday, however that is not possible now as I understand you have already returned?

    What I am going to do is firstly call the hotel to find out what happened and then to discuss this with my manager to find a solution, which sadly will not be as good as if you were still on location in Spain.  Mr X, please give me until tomorrow morning latest to come back to you?

    What are the main differences between these scenarios?

    Level of listening – in scenario 1, we see selective listening which means we are listening for what we want to hear.  In scenario 2 – empathetic listening, which shows the relevant concern, interest and empathy to the customer.

    Empathetic listening gives the customer the understanding that you firstly have heard, secondly that you care and thirdly that you want to solve the issue and that you care about your customers.  Selective listening means you only want to hear the information that you can use to support your own argument and in this case almost blames the customer for not informing Sun Travel whilst still on holiday.

    Authority level – In the first scenario the agent is very quick to hand over the problem to the manager and abdicate any responsibility.  In the second scenario we see that the agent is confident, assertive and keen to sort out the situation, and has decided to discuss everything further with his/her manager once all information has been gathered. The situation was not simply escalated to the manager, showing an understanding of how to solve customer problems as well as some authority for the decision.  These two points help to put the customer at ease, giving time to do this thoroughly.

    Giving out authority to handle customer complaints confidently and competently is vital to building customer loyalty, giving the customer a feeling that they are in the right hands and will be looked after. To give out authority means training team members on what is expected of them when a customer complains and what is their jurisdiction in terms of financial compensation they can give before having to escalate the decision to the next level.

  • 5 Ways to Create a Great Customer Experience

    Great customer service and a great customer experience is the foundation to any business.  It does not matter whether you are in the frontline serving customers or not.  Any member of a team is always either serving the customer directly or serving someone who is serving the customer.  The Ritz-Carlton company motto perfectly sums this up “We are ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen.”  In other words, there is no difference between the real guest coming from outside and buying products and services and an internal guest – a fellow team member.  Offering a level of service that wow’s the customer has to come from every corner and every level of the company.  It is like an orchestra, everyone has to play their part, in time, to the correct standard to present a well-orchestrated piece of music that creates maximum enjoyment for each and every audience member.  When the orchestra is playing well customers want more of the same and will bring friends along with them, thus organically growing your business.

    It is normal and natural that customers will be annoyed when a product or service does not meet their expectations. However, the way it is handled will either build loyalty to the brand and company, or completely destroy that relationship, losing that customer and potentially several more depending on who they tell.  In today’s world in most situations the customer has a choice, if they do not get what they are seeking in the holistic sense with you, they will go elsewhere.

    5 ways to create a great customer experienceCustomers who love your company, not because necessarily the product is the very best, but because your personnel know the customer and make them feel individual and welcome in each and every interaction, irrelevant of who serves them.  Customers who receive this level of service will always be loyal, giving you whatever business they can within their remit.  Not only that, if something slips in the product, when the service is consistently exceptional, and the mistake addressed in the same manner, they will in most cases overlook the product issues and give a second chance to allow you to get it right. This is the foundation to a strong and loyal customer base.

    Just as important, personnel who enjoy working with customers get so much more with each interaction, which increases their level of job satisfaction ultimately leading to an inspired happy and joyful workforce who want to be at work and who in turn share this joy with everyone else in their lives, including your customers.

    We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor customer experience. Since the onset of Corona virus, sadly these experiences are increasing, individual staff members very often hiding behind the phrase “Because of Covid we cannot do……….” it is incredible what the onset of Covid has enabled companies to get away with?  I have heard the excuses of “I can’t send a rescue truck, (to collect a car that has broken down), because of Covid”, “Because of Covid chicken is off the menu.” In my local supermarket when asking for the customary coffee, the response was “We have not been serving coffee since Covid.” Interesting that I can buy a coffee in Costa, Starbucks, and the many other coffee shops and wagons, but coffee in the supermarket, which by the way, I serve myself by putting a cup under the machine and pressing the button, cannot be supplied because of Covid?  Previously a member of the team would clean the machine, therefore there is no extra manning requirement here!

    Do these companies, honestly think that their customers are so misinformed as to accept these and many other excuses used to hide behind and cover up the real issue of either staff shortages, poor training, lack of leadership or using Covid as an excuse to reduce manning levels?  Surely now, more than ever is the time to make customer service a priority?

    WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN PUT IN PLACE TO GIVE THE CUSTOMER A GREAT EXPERIENCE?

    The following 5 things are for me the foundation to creating a great customer experience over and over for each and every customer that builds a loyal customer base which in turn results in a happier, healthier workforce who share a willingness to do a good job for you, all of which translates into decreased absenteeism and increased profitability:

    BE GENUINE WITH ALL YOUR CUSTOMERS

    Of course, we all want to front our company in a positive and successful light.  However, that does not stop every employee being genuine and showing the unique person that they are and using those qualities to serve customers, intuitively linking with customer feelings and emotions and responding in an appropriate manner.  Having service standards is of course important, but only to the point that they do not create robots. As far as I am aware, no one wants to be served by a robot?  Admit mistakes, accept them, apologise genuinely and find the best solution to correct the situation.

    WORK WITH AND THROUGH YOUR PERSONNEL

    Train all team members about the importance of the customer, both internal and external, and give them the autonomy to be individual and shine in each and every customer interaction, going that extra mile not because they were told to, but because they want to.  Provide the parameters to empower them to take things into their own hands to support their customers.  When they do go that extra mile, support them and give praise and recognition. Share each example as an inspiration and form of encouragement for other team members. 

    My logistics manager, without any direction from me, used to call the customers randomly simply to say “Hello, and ask how they are.”  I had no idea about this until one day one of my customers told me how much they enjoy the calls from Andre.  On enquiring what the calls were about I was informed “Oh, just about saying hello!”  I grew several inches from the pride that I felt at that moment.

    LIVE AND SHARE THE COMPANY VALUES

    Ensure that each and every team member understands how to apply company values in their day-to-day life so that the values live, and there is no disconnect between what the company publishes and what is actually adopted in practice.  Ask employees to share what these values mean for them as well as giving examples of how they might apply them through their work. Encourage them to do just that to make the words come to life and have meaning and consistency for internal and external customers alike. 

     Employees who feel a part of and are able to align their own values with the company are more self-confident, feel connected to the overall team, and more comfortable in taking steps that perhaps before they would not have done without this knowledge.

    FIND YOUR TEAM MEMBERS DOING SOMETHING WELL

    It is human nature to be quick to see the negative, what has not been done, what was done poorly, being late, missing deadlines, shoddy work and so on.  Noticing the small things as well as the large things done well and giving the recognition each and every person in your team deserves, goes a very long way to building a positive, loyal team and strong company culture.  In my book, there is no such thing as a bad employee, only bad management!

    LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND “WALK YOUR TALK”

    Get out there on the front line and be with your personnel. Get feedback from your them on what is working well, what is not and how they think it can be improved.  Where suggestions are reasonable, act on them and make it known to other team members whose idea it was and why it is being implemented. For suggestions not implemented give an explanation so that the person does not think you are simply paying “lip-service” or doing a tick-box exercise in simply asking the question, with no intention of doing anything about the response. Talk to your customers, showing every employee that the customer is important and that you are not afraid to communicate with them and to hear what they have to say, whether good or bad.

    In 30 odd years of working with customers in restaurants, hotels, my own companies and as a trainer of customer service, of course there are many other things that I can add to this list, but starting here will create a very strong foundation.  In the words of Tony Hsieh now retired CEO of Zappos, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.”

     

    NEED HELP WITH YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS? TRY OUR CUSTOMER FOCUSSED COMMUNICATION E-LEARNING COURSE!

  • Are Bots Really The Best Option?

    With the ever-advancing fast pace of technology, more and more customer support functions are being taken over by bots.

    WHAT IS A BOT?

    As defined by www.Techterms.com, “A internet bot, also known as web robot, www robot or simply bot, is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone.” 

    There are many types of bot, the most common being Web Crawlers, Chat Room Bots, and Malicious Bots.

    Bots are becoming ever more popular for small and large businesses alike. While they have some clear benefits, do they really outweigh the negatives?

    Do bots provide the best customer service?DO BOTS PROVIDE THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE?

    Why do we think that a robot can do the job of a person in areas of customer interaction?

    Perhaps I am the dinosaur here?   The impact of using a bot in place of a human has some advantages certainly, but also many glitches, not to mention inabilities.

    A bot cannot answer anything that is non standard.  In my experience there are few customers that want to be classed as “standard”.  Certainly, there are questions that customers ask that are common to many customers and these can easily be handled via search or frequent questions on the same web page.

    However, non-standard questions, which for me seem to be the norm, cannot be addressed by a programmed robot.  In fact, what ends up happening is a deep frustration on the part of the customer who spends a great deal of time chatting with Philip, the bot, who is chatting to lots of other customers at the same time.

    Ultimately, you find ‘Philip’ either gives you an unsatisfactory answer that does not address the question because he does not understand it in the first place, or you stop the chat out of shear frustration due to slowness of response. 

    THE POSSIBLE IMPACTS

    Has anyone stopped to assess the impact of these so-called improved steps on:

    • Customer satisfaction?
    • Loss of customers due to lack of human contact?
    • Whether or not the customer’s issue was addressed?
    • Whether or not the customer’s issue was resolved?

    It seems to me that evaluation of the use of a bot is done from a cost effective position only.  However, I will be glad to stand corrected on this point.

    What drives a company to use bots?WHAT DRIVES A COMPANY TO USE BOTS?

    Bots are becoming ever more popular for small and large businesses alike. While they have some clear benefits, do they really outweigh the negatives?

    Asking the question in another way – Why do company’s wish to avoid or be uncontactable by its customers? There are several answers that I can think of:

    • Companies want to avoid a training cost that is inevitable to ensure excellent customer service.
    • Companies don’t want to invest in hiring and training management who lead the support team.
    • The operators, support team etc. are afraid of customers’ questions because firstly perhaps they do not know the answers to the questions asked and secondly do not know how to get the answers.
    • The companies believe their own product and service to be perfect and therefore there is no reason for customers to contact us.
    • The customer is not a priority or important, therefore why have personnel to provide a service to the customer.

    There are probably many more answers to this question.  However, just looking at these possibilities is both scary and thought provoking at the same time. 

    CUSTOMER SERVICE BUILDS LOYALTY

    Is it just me who wants to talk to a person because I believe in the human ability to solve the issue they are faced with, and if not able to, can at least share some empathy to your dilemma or difficulty?

    Perhaps I need to think differently about customer service and how I work with my customers to train team members – team leads, managers and leaders to inspire and drive excellent service in their teams. This is both enjoyable and essential to building customer loyalty and therefore business sustainability.

    ARE WE LOWERING OUR EXPECTATIONS?

    My expectations of banks, airlines, suppliers, shops and similar businesses, is one of excellence; of genuine interest in the client and customer base. I also expect these businesses to have the ability to communicate effectively, irrelevant of the issue, and have the desire to resolve the issue, provide the answers and ensure that the customer is overall satisfied.

    Are we really expected to accept mediocrity because a bot can only do what a bot is programmed to do? In other words a bot can only deal with issues that fall within the area of bot-expertise.  On either side of this expertise it is necessary to have human skills.

    Bots are becoming ever more popular for small and large businesses alike. While they have some clear benefits, do they really outweigh the negatives?

    Are we lowering our expectations?

    THE BENEFITS OF HUMAN CUSTOMER SERVICE

    In drawing a parallel to the current level of bot-expertise, you can say that humans have the same issue if untrained.  In any event, a human can respond and express empathy, respond at a normal pace of conversation and through human logic and expertise suggest a suitable way forward.  A human customer service expert can also be proud of what they do, how they do it and of the company that they work for.

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.