Customer Service Leadership | 3 Steps To Success
It’s happened more times than I can count.
I contact a business or organization to follow up on a matter that hasn’t been completed, and what do I get?
Excuses.
Blaming others and blaming circumstances.
People often use this type of excuse-making because they want to deflect responsibility away from themselves. After all, it’s not their fault, right?
I’m sure everyone has had an experience like this. But, if you are in a position of customer service within your organization (and everyone is), let’s take a look at how you can handle these types of customer interactions and show leadership in customer service.
Customer Confidence Hangs In The Balance
In any business or organization, there are going to be times when you simply “drop the ball” or the customer perceives that you have not lived up to their expectations.
When this happens, your organization is at a crossroads; a defining moment with two possibilities… you can restore or destroy confidence in your company or organization in 15 seconds, simply by how you respond.
If you are looking to destroy your reputation and your customer’s confidence in your organization, then it’s easy… just make excuses.
However, if you want to display customer service leadership, and restore or salvage any fragile confidence your customer might have in you, follow these 3 steps:
Step 1: GET OVER YOURSELF. No one cares about your excuses of why something didn’t get done. Swallow your pride and admit the shortcoming (even if you don’t think it’s your fault). Perception is reality, and if someone thinks it’s your fault, then it’s your fault. Take on an attitude of humility, listen and try to understand your customer’s concern, and begin to focus not on yourself, but on how you can improve the situation for the customer.
Step 2: APOLOGIZE. Not a lazy, “I-don’t-really-mean-it” apology… a real one. And don’t blame anyone else for what’s happening. Like it or not, you are guilty by association.
The reputation of your organization is in question! And, your customer only has as much confidence in you as you have in your co-workers. So, don’t ever run them down to anyone!
Step 3: BECOME THE SOLUTION. Don’t tell your customer you’ll get someone to fix the mess. YOU fix it!
Sure, it may mean you have to speak with the person who really dropped the ball, but the customer is done with that person and now it’s up to you!
Remember, it’s not just your organization’s reputation that is at stake, your personal reputation is on the line as well! From now on, you follow up and make sure that they’re not only satisfied, but thrilled with you and your organization. Anything less is unacceptable to the customer and it should be to you too!
Customer Service Leadership… SUCCESS!
If you’ll follow the 3 simple steps above, there will rarely be a customer you cannot win over. You will have gone from losing a customer to winning over a customer that just might be one for life.
You will have restored confidence in your business or organization and set an example for others because you have displayed customer service leadership! And that, is customer service success achieved!
