Customer Service Into Seven Steps example essay topic

I am reviewing the book Super Service, by Jeff and Valerie Gee. I was initially attracted to this book due to the subtitle, "Seven keys to delivering great customer service... Even when you don't feel like it! ... Even when they don't deserve it!" The book promises to bring a new upbeat approach to serving customers on the front line and to make this job more meaningful to those who do. Upon first glance, the book looks overly simplified.

I discovered, however, that it is well written, and makes its points clearly without unnecessarily delving into complicated theories. This book encourages readers to see customer service from a different perspective: you are not performing solely for the customer or the company, but for your own sense of satisfaction. In this way, it functions as a motivational tool for those of us in the business of working directly with customers. The authors offer seven critical ideas for providing outstanding customer service.

Each one builds upon the premise of the previous one, making these lessons sensible and natural to put into practice. The book illustrates each key with case scenarios, checklists, cartoons, and exercises. The result is the creation of an interactive learning experience. Super Service is written in an easy-to-read, conversational style. The authors neither talk down to the reader nor take on the boring tone of an employee manual.

The most striking difference I discovered is the straightforward techniques the authors reveal to help you put their concepts into practice. For example, anyone can tell you that the secret to serving customers well is to: "Have the right attitude,"Listen with an open mind", or "Seek a win-win situation". This book teaches you easy ways to do those very things. How are you supposed to have a good attitude about serving customers? You won't change your attitude simply because someone tells you that you should. Super Service gives you reasons why you should be happy to serve your customers.

Similar to information you might get from other sources, the authors of this book stress what it costs you every time you lose a customer and how difficult it is to get those customers back. However, these authors take the next step by motivating you to enjoy serving your customers. They teach you that serving is about being. ".. a giver instead of a taker. If you think about it, we all serve other people. Even the most influential people in the world have to serve someone... ".

1 Which brings home the point that we all serve somebody and we all get tired of it. However, it's how we serve most of the time that makes for a happy or unhappy life. The Ritz-Carlton drives this point home with their corporate motto, "We are ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen". 2 This is the key to enjoying your job rather than being miserable. If you have to serve the customers anyway, you may as well be good at it. By being good at it, you will likely enjoy it more.

The book sets out to teach us such valuable lessons as these by dividing customer service into seven steps: 1. The Right Attitude 2. Understand the Customer's Needs 3. Communicate Clearly 4.

Reach Agreement 5. Check Understanding 6. Take Action 7. Build on Satisfaction This basically details the components of any customer interaction chronologically.

Upon mastering each step, it is only natural to move on to the next. The book closes with several topics in "Advanced Customer Service Skills". It covers such areas as: How to handle an unhappy customer, Selling skills, Telephone skills, and How to avoid stress and burnout. The first "key" to delivering super service is having the right attitude. The authors contend that having a good attitude and the right frame of mind is not inherent in one's personality, but can be learned.

Rather than listening to your own internal dialogue when interacting with a customer, or wishing they would hurry up so you can get back to more important things, the authors suggest that you stop thinking about you next task or project deadline and focus your thoughts solely on the person you are talking with. "If we " re in the business of customers, if we work with people, if people are in our life, we need to take time to listen - with a positive attitude. We need to empty ourselves of our own immediate concerns and focus our complete attention on serving the customer". 1 Key number two involves understanding the customer's needs. To do this, one needs to be prepared for the customer interaction and be able to listen with an open mind. They suggest keeping a file for customers that would hold information to help remember them and their past problems or concerns.

This would be an especially good idea to incorporate in your pharmacy. Personally, I have trouble remembering details about previous customer interactions. I will often remember a patient's face, but not what we last talked about. Keeping a file would help you to manage their drug therapy. Key three involves communicating clearly with the customer.

The book advises that you be clear; use simple words without and "jargon" (especially important in dealing with pharmacy patients), stick to the point by focusing on the problem, and be honest (it's dangerous to over-promise and under-perform). The authors also recommend explaining bad news in the most positive terms possible. They use the example, "This raincoat keeps the water out, but it's short". This raincoat keeps the water out, and it's short". 1 The second option eliminates the negative connotation to the statement and may not be as offensive to the customer. The fourth key, Reach Agreement, to seek win-win situations and build on the customer's proposal.

This key suggests that you seek harmony and balance with your customers. "Reaching agreement is not a battle of power". 1 By rejecting the urge to compete with the customer, the conflict stops and you are better able to listen empathetically to the customer's needs and wants. In this way you will be able to come to an agreement that better suits both parties' needs and thus strengthens the relationship. Key five, Check Understanding, deals with making sure the customer understands the nature of the service they will be receiving. The book advocates managing the customer's expectations by letting them know what will happen, how long it will take, and how they will benefit by it.

This concept doesn't seem to be used much in pharmacy. Of course, patients are told approximately how long it will take to get their prescription ready, but they are not very aware of the actions that are performed in order to process it. By making the customer more aware of this process (Checking with the doctor, contacting the insurance company, checking for interactions, etc.) they will better understand that you are doing more than dumping pills in little bottles. This understanding will help them realize why there are fluctuations in the amount of time it takes to fill their prescription, and how the steps of this process will benefit their health and well-being. Key six, Take Action, is basically a step to motivate you to deliver what you promise.

They advice that you, "Don't start something you can't finish!" 1 They also advice that thoughts precede actions. The authors suggest that by becoming more aware of your thought and then eliminating the negative ones, you will improve your willingness become more active in your work. Finally, key seven is entitled Build on Satisfaction. In this chapter, they advise that you focus on how interactions were handled when they went well, rather than when there were problems.

From here you can build on these interactions to increase customer satisfaction. The authors also recommend being helpful by keeping the customer informed of new and helpful data. This is especially applicable to pharmacy as I feel it is our duty to keep patients informed of changes in their health care. While the authors look at customer service from the non-typical perspective of front-line employees, I thought there were a few more things that they could incorporate to further improve their system.

For instance, they don't touch upon the idea of exceeding customer expectations. Most systems for providing excellent customer service touch upon this crucial theory. "Fabled service providers are not merely dedicated to providing good service; they are dedicated to exceeding their own standards. Fabled service providers are the original practitioners of continuous improvement". 3 By going above and beyond the customers' expectations lets them know that the company truly cares. But how would this work for pharmacy?

Personally, I have not seen many instances where a pharmacy team member has gone out of their way to delight a customer. In trying to come up with ideas about what would come as an unexpected surprise to customers, I thought about what I would want a pharmacy to do for me. Here are some ideas I came up with: . Add some cough drops to their bag if they " ve come in with a cold... Give a birthday card if you notice it is the customer's birthday...

Demonstrate how to use their medical equipment if they are unfamiliar with it (Peak flow meters, metered dose inhalers, glucometers, etc. )... Try to finish prescriptions quickly for customers who have small children with them... Give a follow-up phone call to see if they " re having any problems with their medication. There are a thousand things we could do, as pharmacists, to give customers an unexpected surprise. More importantly, this will keep them coming back.

These authors, like many others, mention "moments of truth". They define these as. ".. opportunities to satisfy and retain existing customers, to interact with colleagues in a helpful manner, to build teams, and to manage people better". 1 However, I don't think they convey the importance of these interactions with customers. Pharmacists provide an intangible service rather than a product. Like other service providers, it is imperative that customers take away a certain perception of this service since they do not have the knowledge or ability to actually judge the quality of the service. "Customers are hypersensitive to tangible service clues like uniforms, repair trucks, brochures, and hotel lobbies.

Often they can't tell that a service has been performed without some additional evidence... Customers' expectations of service rise and fall markedly because of seemingly minor clues or tip-offs like these". 4 Therefore, if customers were to see dirty lab coats, a messy waiting area, or a smudged countertop, it might lead them to take away a negative perception of the quality of the service they have received. It is important for people in service industries, especially those who deal directly with customers, to be aware of how these minute details affect customers' perceptions of the service and of the company.

I believe this to be an important concept worthy of being taught to employees on the front-line. Another customer service concept that I think the authors would do well to note is that of empowering front-line employees. While it's true that this may be more of a managerial aspect to customer service, I think it would be beneficial of employees to be aware of their ability to keep the customers satisfied. Too often the people who have direct interaction with customers do not know what they are allowed to do in order to fix customers' problems or to compensate for mistakes.

"Fear may be the biggest factor blocking great service. By providing extra-special service, employees may fear overstepping their bounds. To counter this fear, entrepreneurs must empower employees to do what's necessary to achieve their customer service vision". 5 This problem lies not only in management's need to make employees aware of company policies for keeping customers satisfied, but employees also need to make a point of finding out exactly what is permissible.

An additional customer service strategy that is important for employees to understand is that of service recovery. Mistakes are an inevitable part of delivering services to customers. Even more so due to the intangible nature of services. Products have the ability to go through rigorous tests, double-checks, and visual confirmation before being delivered to the customer. In order to determine satisfaction with a service, the customer's feedback must be obtained and evaluated. Service recovery must be employed when it is determined that a customer is unsatisfied.

This is a crucial step for maintaining the customer's business. If you consider the costs of losing a customer, maintaining customer loyalty is, in itself, a money-making practice. For example Club Med found that one lost customer costs the company at least $2,400. Additionally, a study done for the US Office of Consumer Affairs discovered that in households that had service problems with potential costs of over $100, 54% of customers would maintain brand loyalty if the problem was resolved. Only 19% of these customers reported that they would continue doing business with the company if the problem was not resolved to their satisfaction.

6 As a whole, I think Super Service's take on customer service is an extremely useful tool for employees who participate in direct interaction with customers. Overall, I found their ideas easy to implement, and motivational. I also thought the authors would benefit by discussing customer service topics such as: exceeding customers' expectations, "moments of truth", empowering the front line, and service recovery. By combining these principles with their motivational system for great customer service, I believe they could cover virtually every aspect of interacting with customers.