Page 70 - Lighting Magazine December 2018

Be er Than Customer Service (continued)
ALA Conference Report
“When customers are very satis ed with the way their problem was handled – regardless of whether the problem was resolved – slightly more of them are fully engaged (54%) than customers who did not encounter a problem (50%).” — Gallup Business Journals
66 enLIGHTenment magazine | december 2018
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asking about their experience,” she said. Whenever you ask for feedback, Sullins reminded the audience to listen carefully. “If there’s a negative experience, empower your employees to say, ‘Let me make it right for you’ instead of having to leave the customer to nd a manager for approval. In a feedback survey, ask data-rich questions such as, ‘Would you recom- mend us to a friend?’ or ‘Would you hire this person in your business?’”
SEervIce STandard #3 – e
xceed guests’ expectations. When something goes wrong, Biltmore employees practice “Ser- vice Recovery.” There are 5 steps in Service Recovery (easily remembered by the acronym B.L.A.S.T.). “We want our customers to feel like we care about them,” Sullins stated.
For starters, Believe [them]. Listen closely to [the complaint] in order to match the right solution to the problem presented. “You need active and empa- thetic listening skills,” she added. “Taking ownership of the problem is critical. The di erence between a ‘reaction’ and a ‘response’ is a pause.”
Apologize. “The apology ma ers, especially when you feel that it’s not your fault,” Sullins explained. “Say something like, ‘Let me make sure I understand what happened...’ or ‘I’m so sorry that happened, let’s nd a solution. What would you recommend?’” These types of statements di use emotion. “Sometimes the customer just wants the apology so that the same thing doesn’t happen to someone else down the road.”
Solve the problem. “Ask your team what are the top [complaints] that come up and have them brain- storm solutions,” Sullins suggested. “Your employees want black-and-white guidelines for addressing ‘gray’ situations.” One solution Maslin proposed was to de- velop dollar thresholds to empower the front line in solving problems without consulting a manager.
Thank the customer for bringing the ma er to your a ention and “to keep it from happening to someone else.” Maslin remarked, “We emphasize to our associ- ates that we can make a di erence to one person, and that will have an exponential e ect.”
ServIce STandard #4 – S
erve guests and each other with a gracious spirit. “Customers can sense tension between employees and it makes them uncomfortable,” Sul- lins warned.
The “plus one” rule bene ts all employees. “For every opportunity or interaction, there’s one extra thing you can do to make things be er,” she said, suggesting maybe it’s taking the extra time to adjust a piece of furniture, or staying late to help someone, or writing a thank you note to someone who helped you.
“Food is the universal language of appreciation,” she joked. “Your boss is never going to tell you to bring in donuts or wipe down a counter a er you use it, but you do these things to show you care,” Sullins remarked. One manufacturer in the audience noted that he holds an “appreciation lunch” the rst Friday of the month, complete with food trucks. It’s also an opportunity to announce employee birthdays for that month as well as give shout outs for individual appreciation.
Sullins suggested audience members list the ve people most critical to their workplace e ectiveness and success. “Over the next 30 days, invite them out to co ee or lunch,” she said. During that meeting, get to know them be er by asking a few questions such as “Describe a day in your life” or “What challenges are you currently facing?” From there, you can in- quire, “How can I best communicate with you — do you prefer phone calls or email?” Emphasize the team dynamic by asking, “How can I be er support you [in your job]?” and “How can we work together to achieve our goals?” Apply that feedback to your day-to-day interactions with that person to strength- en your relationship.
STervIce STandard #5 – T
hank guests by name for their visit and invite them to return. While it seems like common sense, it’s surprising how o en this last step is forgot- ten when there is a line at the counter or another distraction, but that acknowledgment of apprecia- tion makes all the di erence to that customer. 