How NOT to Answer a Phone Call

By Nancy Friedman

Throughout the years, many of our Telephone Doctor® clients have taken the time to jot us a note letting us know about their good and bad experiences, both in person and on the phone. Judging from the amazing number of entries we received for our book Customer Service Nightmares, I suspect this is their way of venting and releasing frustration. We're always happy to receive your notes and emails. Keep 'em coming, please.

The recent email below gave us some good ammunition for an article. While the industry, as you can see, is in the legal profession, believe me, it happens all the time in every industry. Read on:

Around 1:00 p.m. today I returned opposing counsel's telephone call from this morning. The first person that answered the phone took my name and asked me to hold while he checked to see if she was back from lunch. After a short hold he came back on the line and transferred my call. At that point opposing counsel's assistant answered the phone. She took my name for the second time and put me back on hold. After holding a couple of minutes, opposing counsel's assistant came back on the line and asked if I could call back in twenty minutes! I am sure that her assistant is telling opposing counsel that I am a jerk because I answered, "No, I am calling her back now."

Let's say you're training a group. What usually happens is most of the group understands, learns and benefits from the information you've taught. Unfortunately, not everyone "gets it." What do we do about that small percentage of employees – often good, conscientious people – who may need personalized attention after training? Those are the ones who need coaching.

Unbelievable! Makes me wonder how they handle calls from their clients. It's not important to know the "who" in this story.

It's more important to learn the "why" it happened. And more importantly, how to fix it! That's what this article is about.

It's a well-known fact that first voice you hear when you call a company sets the tone, makes the first impression, and welcomes the caller. It starts the rapport-building factor. Few will argue that point.

While there are several "faux pas" in the above email note we received, which is the MAJOR one? Reread it and see if you don't agree with Telephone Doctor mentality, culture and philosophy. Our answer is at the end of this article.

In the meantime, it sounds as though the opposing counsel’s office can use a dose of our Basic Basic Telephone Skills program. Listed below are a few key points from our popular DVD program Basic Basic Telephone Skills. Know anyone else who might benefit from this list?

We're going to give you the Telephone Doctor® Four Step Model for effective coaching in a call center or business environment.

1. While we didn't get to find out HOW they answer the phone with their initial greeting, we hope they used the Telephone Doctor 3-part greeting. A buffer, the company name and then their name. Remember; "How can I help you" is NOT necessary in initial greetings. You are there to help. That is why you answered the phone.
   
   
2. Learn how to put a caller on hold. "Hold on," CLICK is not effective. Neither is "Hang on a second." Several years ago we ran a survey with USA Today to find out what frustrates the caller the most. YES, BEING PUT ON HOLD was the NUMBER ONE frustration of the American public. That was 12 years ago. Today, it's number 3 with, yup –- you guessed it – the automated attendant being number one!
   
   
3. Monogram the call. If the caller lets you know his/her name; USE IT. Immediately.
   
   
4. Leave a good lasting impression. Seems as the opposing counsel’s office didn't do that. Remember, we'll tell more people about a bad experience than we will a good one. Not sure why. But it's true.
   

What's the biggest Faux Pas? Asking a caller to call back! We never ask anyone to call back. That's like kicking a customer out of the door at the store.

When someone calls us, it's our job to return the call, or have it returned on our behalf. Asking someone to call back is just RUDE. Exception: there are times when the caller will say, "Let her know I called and I'll call back." That's fine if it's the caller's choice. But to ask a caller to please call back; Wow! BIG MISTAKE. That's a real NO NO!

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at www.telephonedoctor.com.

Published in Networking Today, June 2008

15 Customer Service No-Nos

By Nancy Friedman, the Telephone Doctor

When it comes to getting customer service, what’s your definition of rude? What unprofessional behavior irritates you the most when, as a consumer, you are interacting with another company?

Sometimes, customer service that is perceived as rude is not intentional and often is the result of absent-mindedness or carelessness on behalf of an employee. Either way, bad customer service can translate into lower sales and lost business.

Based on our surveys, Telephone Doctor has compiled the 15 biggest sins of customer service employees today. They are listed below, along with Telephone Doctor’s guidelines (in parentheses) on a more effective way to handle the situation.

If your company’s customer service managers and front-line employees are guilty of any of these, it’s time for action. Otherwise, you may have an image problem that could sabotage your effort to produce and market great products.

1. Your employees are having a bad day, and their foul mood carries over in conversations with customers. (Everyone has bad days, but customer service employees need to keep theirs to themselves.)
   
   
2. Your employees hang up on angry customers. (Ironclad rule: Never hang up on a customer.)
   
   
3. Your company doesn’t return phone calls or voice-mail messages, despite listing your phone number on your Web site and/or in ads and directories. (Call customers back as soon as you can, or have calls returned on your behalf.)
   
   
4. Your employees put callers on hold without asking them first, as a courtesy. (Ask customers politely if you can put them on hold; very few will complain or say "No way!")
   
   
5. Your employees put callers on a speakerphone without asking them first if it is okay. (Again: Ask first, as a courtesy.)
   
   
6. Your employees eat, drink, or chew gum while talking with customers on the phone. (A telephone mouthpiece is like a microphone; noises can easily be picked up. Employees need to eat their meals away from the phone. And save that stick of gum for break time.)
   
   
7. You have call waiting on your business lines, and your employees frequently interrupt existing calls to take new calls. (One interruption in a call might be excusable; beyond that, you are crossing the "rude" threshold. Do your best to be prepared with enough staff for peak calling times.)
   
   
8. Your employees refuse or forget to use the words "please," "thank you," or "you’re welcome." (Please use these words generously. Thank you.)
   
   
9. Your employees hold side conversations with friends or each other while talking to customers on the phone, or they make personal calls on cell phones in your call center. (Don’t do either of these.)
   
   
10. Your employees seem incapable of offering more than one-word answers. (One-word answers come across as rude and uncaring.)
    
    
11. Your employees do provide more than one-word answers, but a lot of the words are grounded in company or industry jargon that many customers don’t understand. (If you sell tech products, for example, don’t casually drop in abbreviations such as APIs, ISVs, SMTP or TCP/IP.)
    
    
12. Your employees request that customers call them back when the employees aren’t so busy. (Customers should never be told to call back. Request the customer’s number instead.)
    
    
13. Your employees rush through calls, forcing customers off the phone at the earliest opportunity. (Be a little more discreet. Politely suggest that you’ve got the information you need and you must move on to other calls.)
    
    
14. Your employees obnoxiously bellow, "What’s this in reference to?" effectively humbling customers and belittling their requests. (Screening techniques can be used with a little more warmth and finesse. If a caller has mistakenly come your way, do your best to point him or her in the right direction.)
    
    
15. Your employees freely admit to customers that they hate their jobs. (This simply makes the entire company look bad. And don’t think such a moment of candor or lapse in judgment won’t get back to the boss.)

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at www.telephonedoctor.com.

Published in Networking Today, June 2008

Top Ten Customer Service Mistakes

By Nancy Friedman
Telephone Doctor usually gets asked: "What are the best customer service tips?" Recently, someone asked about the worst customer service mistakes. So, to make it even, we’ve compiled the ten worst customer service mistakes. Take note, and don’t let these happen to you!

1. Not Being Friendly Enough Without exception, not being friendly is the number one customer service mistake. Customers should be treated as welcomed guests when they call or visit your company. As we’ve all experienced, sometimes we’re treated as an annoyance or an interruption. The Telephone Doctor motto: "Be friendly before you know who it is" is one way to eliminate this mistake.

2. Poor Eye Contact Heads that twirl on a spindle when you’re working with a customer is a big mistake. Keep your eyes on the customer. It’s a sure sign the person you’re talking with isn’t holding your interest when you’re glancing all around. And they’ll notice it quickly. Obviously, Telephone Doctor understands making good eye contact on the phone is a bit difficult, albeit impossible. Therefore, when you’re on the phone you need to be completely focused on the call and the customer. Don’t type, unless it pertains to the call, don’t read something else, don’t do anything but listen to the caller.


3. Talking with Co-Workers and Ignoring or Not Acknowledging the Customer This customer service mistake unfortunately happens a lot. Seems as though it’s more important to continue talking with a co-worker than establishing immediate rapport with the customer. Drop the internal conversation as soon as you see the customer. Carrying on a conversation with someone in your office while you’re talking with a customer on the phone is a real no-no!

4. Being Rude No one thinks they’re rude; certainly not on purpose. However, the customer can perceive many things you do as rude. And as they say, "Perception is real."

5. Poor Product Knowledge When working with a customer, if you’re not familiar with the products and services you offer, you’ll be making a big mistake. Take the time to learn about your company. Know what’s going on. If you’re temporary, or are new with the company, it’s not enough to use that as an excuse. Customers don’t care if you’re new, working on a temporary assignment or if it’s not your department. All they want is help and information. Ask to be trained. Ask for more information from your company.

Telling a customer, "I’m new" or "I’m just a temp" only adds fuel to the fire. You can explain that you will find someone to help them as you are "not familiar" with the situation. That at least shows you’re going to help them.

6. Leaving a Customer Without Telling Them Where You’re Going and Why It’s a very good idea to explain to your customer in person or on the phone what you’re going to be doing for them. It helps them a lot, and gives them a lot of patience. If you need to go "in the back" to get something it’s easy to say, "Mr. Jones, the Widget you’re looking for is in the stock room. Let me go get it for you. I’ll be a few moments." The same procedure should apply on the phone. Never tell the caller, "Hold on." Let the caller know where you are going and approximately how long you think you’ll be. This will make working with the customer easier for both you and them.

7. Blaming Others It’s not the person you blame that will look bad…it’s you. Don’t blame (or knock) the company, its policy, or any member of the staff. Customers don’t want to hear about whose fault it is, they just want the situation fixed. Take full responsibility of the situation on hand.

8. Not Double Checking When a customer wants something and it’s not available it’s how you reject them that’s more important than the fact that you are rejecting them. The process of double-checking should become habit forming. It should be a standard operating procedure. It feels so good when you tell someone, "The last time I checked we were out of stock, but let me DOUBLE CHECK for you to be sure." I personally can think of dozens of times when I asked the person to double check after they told me they were out of things, and what do you know...someone had reordered and the person didn’t know about it. It’s a big mistake to not double check.

9. One Word Answers We’re taught in school that three words make a sentence. Don’t answer with one word. Even yes, no, and okay are perceived as rude and uncaring. A Telephone Doctor reminder – use complete sentences for your customer.

10. Head Shaking. When a customer asks you for something, give them a verbal answer. Shaking your head up and down or back and forth is NOT an appropriate answer. They can’t hear your head rattle.

Fixing these customer service mistakes will enhance your ability to work better with customers. Remember, it's the SLD’s (subtle little differences) that make the big difference. Good luck!

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at www.telephonedoctor.com.

6 Steps to Service Recovery

By Nancy Friedman

In this day and age, where customer service is on everyone's mind, it's difficult at times when it all hits the fan.

What do you do when it's no longer just an irate customer? When it's beyond angry? How do you handle the situation? What can you do to SAVE the account? The relationship? The business?

Well, here, direct from the Telephone Doctor LIBRARY is on SERVICE RECOVERY. We have identified 6 Steps of SERVICE RECOVERY to help you and your company SAVE the account, relationship and the business. Good luck!

1. Respond Rapidly - This is not the time to put the call/problem on a back burner. The longer you wait to handle the situation the worse it will become. Remember, delay increases anger.
2. Take Ownership - The customer doesn't care if you're new, if you weren't there the day his problem happened, or if you don't know anything about it. They want you to take ownership of the problem; of the situation. It is your responsibility. Don't shift the blame.
3. Apologize Sincerely - That means no "sorry 'bout that" which is a cliché, not an apology. The customer needs to hear the word APOLOGIZE. And they need to hear that you mean it.
4. Solve the Problem - It's that old 80-20 rule; 80% of the time, the problem will be easy to solve. It's the next step that is the real problem.
5. Manage the Feelings - This is the HEART of service recovery - the feelings. They've been hurt. Intentionally, or unintentionally. It doesn't matter. What matters is they feel maligned and we need to spend time on those feelings. We'll probably spend more time on the feelings than we did on the problem. But it's a KEY step in service recovery.
6. Verify Satisfaction - In so many cases, if handled properly, all is well. We hope. Well, how do we know? Simple. We ask! Yes, it's that simple. We ask, "Have I done a good job for you Mr. Smith?" or "Mrs. Jones, has everything been handled to your satisfaction?" We need to let the customer know we value their business. We also may need to do or give something 'extra' if we can, to help the situation along. We need to do something the customer is totally not expecting. Something that will say they're appreciated. Each industry has their own appreciation threshold. It doesn't necessarily need to be expensive. It just needs 'to be.'

Service recovery is special. You see, good customer service is expected. That's nothing new or special. You're supposed to give good customer service. What's the big deal? But when stuff 'hits the fan" and that one customer is beyond IRATE - that's when SERIVCE RECOVERY kicks into gear. Good luck!

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at www.telephonedoctor.com.

The Company Welcome Mat... How to Keep Customers Knocking on Your Door

By Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor

"What is the biggest and most costly customer service mistake in business today?" Our answer is simple: "We’re just not friendly enough."

Customers should be treated as welcome guests when they call an organization. Instead, they’re often treated like an interruption or, even worse, an annoyance. More than 90 percent of all customer service includes a telephone call even though customer service mistakes happen anytime and in many ways.

These customer service tips will help you start or benchmark your own customer service training program. Bring your staff together at a time when everyone can attend and talk about any frustrating customer events. Discuss the outcomes and how they could have been. The meeting can be a short 15 minutes and it doesn’t need to be daily—but it does need to be done. Not having a customer service training program in place can cost every organization customers. Poor customer service creates a negative image for the entire organization, no matter how wonderful the products or services are that you offer.

Here are 3 of the biggest service mistakes that are most likely to anger customers into lifelong resentment toward an organization:

Mistake 1: Not Smiling.

Solution: Smile. It sounds insanely simplistic, doesn’t it? Since the telephone is the most commonly used mode of communication, we need to understand why a smile works. Customers can hear a smile. We recommend keeping a mirror by your desk, so when you pick up the receiver, you can tell if you’re smiling.

Smile even when you don’t feel like smiling. The caller doesn’t care if you feel like smiling or not. At Telephone Doctor, smiling before you pick up the phone is a condition of employment; not smiling is grounds for termination. Yes, I have exercised that option. With customer service as our top priority, we simply don’t tolerate not smiling before you pick up the phone. Frankly, I’d rather have the caller think your office is closed than to have you answer the phone in a negative mood.

Mistake 2: Not acknowledging a caller's request or problem.

Solution: Rapid response. We have a so-called "mental stamp" at Telephone Doctor that reads "RR," which means, "This request or piece of information needs an immediate and rapid response." Requests and problems need to be handled quickly. Delaying a request can cause more problems than the original request may seem.

Another good habit to get into is to ask the customer for a timeline. Our surveys found that when a customer is asked when he or she would like to receive the needed information, 80 percent did not automatically respond, "I need it now," as you might expect. This, eliminated needing to "get that to you right away." Often, callers won’t need something until tomorrow or next week. Asking for a timetable is good customer service.

Confirm a date or time. "As soon as possible" is not a time.

Mistake 3: Immediate rejection of a request.

Solution: Be a "double-checker." It’s so easy to tell people, "We don’t have it." or "Sorry, it’s past the deadline." or "We ran out of that report." Instead, try a soft rejection: "The last time I checked it wasn’t available but, let me double-check on that for you." It’s a wonderful way to defuse any disappointment about you not having what they called for in the first place. This simple statement immediately defuses some of the tension of not being able to fulfill a request completely. Double-checking allows us time to find a way to get what the person wanted after all.

You now have three simple techniques to kick-start or benchmark your customer service training program. To make these techniques happen, the entire staff needs to embrace the customer service program or it won’t work. Be firm. The organization’s entire image is at stake since it is unlikely to get a second chance.

Make the time to do this. What or who is more important than those customers? You’ll be surprised at how much fun it is to hear a customer say, "Thanks, you’ve been super."

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Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at http://www.telephonedoctor.com/.

Published in Networking Today, June 2007

Seven Keys to Having a Positive Mental Attitude or... Everyone Doesn’t Like Broccoli

By Nancy Friedman

There’s an old joke about a little girl who always had such a great attitude. She was always so happy and upbeat. Her brother was just the opposite. One holiday, just to aggravate her and test her, her mean brother gave her a box filled with horse manure. He was tired of his sister always having such a positive attitude. He thought surely this would “fix” her. Christmas day, when she opened the box and saw the manure she exclaimed, "Whoopee...where’s the pony?"

Why do some people have such a great attitude and others a negative one? Well, we wondered the same thing; and through our research, we found seven “keys” that those with a positive mental attitude all share. See how you rate.

KEY #1: Choose your attitude in advance: When you wake up, you have a choice. You can be in a good mood or a bad mood. You also choose your attitude. You can wake up and mutter to yourself "this is gonna be a cruddy day" or you can tell yourself "this is gonna be a great day!" That immediate choice is the start of a great attitude. You’ve already decided it’s going to be a good one.

KEY #2: Visualize success: What this means is picture yourself having a successful day. Runners in the Boston Marathon picture themselves crossing the finish line – maybe not in first place, but still finishing the 26-mile race. Self-visualization is a key factor in having a positive mental attitude. Will it work 100% of the time? I wish it would. However, by visualizing your success, you’ll be able to have a better handle on what does happen. And a better chance of making it happen.

Key #3: Demonstrate humor, energy, and enthusiasm: We call these three items the MAGIC ingredients. Because without each one, creating a positive mental attitude will be very difficult. First, HUMOR. There is normally humor in every situation. Finding it is the KEY. Sometimes you’ll need to stretch and dig a little deeper to find the humor in a situation. But once you do, you’ll feel so much better. The ENERGY we talk about is important because without some “energy” in your attitude, you’ll be dragging along behind everyone. Energy is closely related to the third ingredient...and that is ENTHUSIASM. My father used to tell me "Nancy, enthusiasm is contagious; let’s start an epidemic."

KEY #4: Resist negative influences: It’s a fact. When we have a negative experience with a company, we’ll tell more people about it than if we have a good experience with the same company. And many times, when you hear that someplace wasn’t very good, you’ll believe the person who told you and choose not to do business with that company. However, you may only be hearing half the story. Check things out for yourself. Especially if the negativity involves a person you work with or know. I bet we’ve all heard negative things about someone we didn’t know and then when we had the opportunity to meet them ourselves, we find that they’re not as bad as someone had alluded to. In fact they might be nice. But you need to be the judge. Take negativity out of your life. Steer clear of those who drag you down and say negative things all the time. Being around other positive people is a good start.

KEY #5: Be a WHATEVER-IT-TAKES person: This "KEY" means be a problem solver. Life is going to put obstacles in front of all of us. How we go around those obstacles is the KEY factor. There’s normally a good answer to every problem put in front of us. Dale Carnegie said it best. Ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that can happen here?" And move up from that.

KEY #6: Embrace change...expect it and accept it: Some people are very good at handling change...and some resist it a lot. We had a fun saying at our house – I can still hear my father saying it: "Nancy, the next time you change your mind...get a good one." The major KEY to handling CHANGE is to accept it. Deal with it. In most cases there’s little we can do to stop it.

Key #7: Be grateful for what you have: I’m not sure this KEY needs to be explained. So many people have so much. And yet those same people are often the ones that constantly complain. Why wait for some life altering experience to be grateful for all you have? Be grateful, NOW...before something bad happens and makes you aware.

We know there are more KEYS to having a Positive Mental Attitude, but these are the first seven. Get these down “pat” and you’ll find the rest falls into place.

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the website at www.telephonedoctor.com. Published in Networking Today, June 2005.

"Have a Nice Day"

By Nancy Friedman

How many times a day do you think that phrase is said to someone? Or just how many times has that phrase been said to you in one day? I’m often asked if "Have a nice day" can be said too many times?

The answer: Yes, I guess it could if you’re saying it to the same person over and over. That might get annoying.

However, for the average person, hearing a genuine "Have a nice day" can be a good thing to hear – "genuine" being the key word.

Example: The other day I was in a video store (as always, we don’t name names) and rented several videos. The person, who was waiting on me, did so in complete silence. Complete silence that is, until she handed me my change. Know what she did? She told the cash register to "Have a nice day." That’s right. She spoke directly to the cash register and told "it" to have a nice day. Yeah, I thought she was pretty strange, too.

And not long before that, I had a young man at another store (yes, I do shop a lot!) tell the floor to have a nice day.

And again, more recently when I was at a fast food chain – the lady who handed me the meal looked off in space – and told someone out there to "Have a nice day."

Now, some can profess that they were doing the right thing. Almost. Sure the words were there, but the meaning and sincerity sure wasn’t. If you’re telling the cash register and floor to have a nice day, you’re really not doing any good. Try looking in the customer’s eyes and say it. It’ll mean so much more. And oh, by the way, "Have a nice day" doesn’t even count, unless you’re smiling.

And then there’s the phone call that ends with the same phrase. And because it’s impossible to say that phrase while looking into the caller’s eyes directly, it needs to be said with more conviction. And yes, that good, old smile still needs to be there, too.

And don’t forget, there are so many other ways to end a conversation besides "Have a nice day." Here are just a few. (And I’m betting you can think of a batch of your own.)

• "Thanks for calling."
• "I enjoyed talking with you."
• "Good to hear from you."
• "Enjoy your day."
• "Have a beautiful day."

As I said, you probably can add to those. Remember, there are lots of synonyms for GOOD. You don’t need to be stuck on that one word.

People like to do business with people who are nice and more importantly friendly. It’s that simple. And the way you can be extra nice is to look people in the eye when you’re talking with them. SMILE, and make it meaningful. On the phone, give the caller your full attention. Even though you’ve heard the problem or the question 800 times, that one person is most probably going through it for the first time.

Enjoy much health and happiness in the New Year. And MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the website at www.telephonedoctor.com. Published in Networking Today, February 2005.