Servicing our Customers with Care

Taking care of our customers is the first order of any business.

  A happy customer tells few people, but an unhappy one complains to many.

Agenda

• Mission Statements
• How to interact with our customer
• Open Discussion
• Points to Remember
• Interactive Calling Sessions

Mission Statement:

To build instant customer rapport and handle upset or difficult customers by projecting a genuine caring attitude in order to win customer's loyalty and repeat business.
Each customer service representative should have a “Mission Statement” that reflects the Chase Brand Promise and Chase Values.
Write your Mission Statement below and review it daily:

Listen Up!

• Listen to the customer's emotions and feelings as well as facts—this can help to avoid conflict.  
• Allow your customer to vent —sometimes they just want someone to hear them at Chase (and you are it!).
• Probe for information —ask a fact-finding question to discover the customer's needs, wants, and concerns.   Avoid asking questions that begin with “Why.”   “Why” sounds accusatory.   Be careful how you phrase the question, the questions will have to be asked to get information and to get the facts to solve the problem.   Be objective in asking questions.  
• Take the customer at his/her word —assume the customer's request is a genuine attempt to address the situation and not an attempt to cheat or take advantage of you and Chase.
• Clarify the situation and resolution to avoid misunderstandings—reiterate the customer's needs.   Summarize the problem to make sure that you have all of the facts correct.
• Hear the facts so you can show empathy or show him that you are here to help the customer.   Three things can happen when you fail to listen:
1. You will hear only what you want to hear.
2. You will hear what you expect to hear.
3. You will not recognize the difference between a statement, objection or question.

 

Creative Problem Solving

Listening well creates the proper atmosphere for creative problem solving—pulling something out of the facts in order to solve the problem. If you do not hear what the problem is, you cannot begin to solve the problem.  
Tips for Solving the Problem Creatively:

• Look for multiple ways to solve the problem, do not just focus on finding one solution.   Look for solutions that you did not know were there.
• Think “outside of the box”
• See if the rules can be broken for this situation.   When presented with a problem, don't stick to the norm, look for several right answers.   Look for something that you can do for that customer that makes the situation better for the customer.
• Do not be afraid of failure, taking risks and making mistakes
• Problem solving is essential for career advancement.   Problem solvers move ahead and advance their careers.
• Solving customer's problems will give you a sense of accomplishment and make your job more rewarding.

Mind Your Manners!
Choose the right words and phrases to send the best message.   Always represent Chase in a favorable light
Sound alive and don't mumble or mutter responses.
Acknowledge the customer—you should always respond to the customer's questions.   You do not want you customer to think that you were ignoring them.
Speak with clarity.
Be courteous and respectful—greet callers in a friendly manner.   Use a friendly tone and appropriate rate of speech.
Be prompt—don't keep customers on hold “forever”
Show empathy—Show a genuine interest in the caller and a desire to assist.   Apologize when needed.
Concentrate on what you are saying and avoid poor enunciation, industry jargon and grammatical errors.  
Tell the customer what you can do, not what you cannot do.   Be positive and focus on the action you can take.   Communicate to the customer so that he is working with you instead of working against you to solve the problem.   Ask the customer, “What do you want me to do to solve your problem?”
Be professional!
Your Attitude is Showing !

• Smile—it changes your voice.
• Treat EVERY customer with respect.
• Do NOT talk down to the customer
• Breathe deeply, but not loudly—it helps you relax and takes the stress out of your voice.
• Remember it is not always what you say but how you say it that affects the customer.
• Display teamwork—NEVER blind transfer calls to your partners if the transfer should be a warm one!
• Always speak with confidence and authority—Avoid phrases such as “I think”, “maybe”, “well”, “um…”   The customer will be more inclined to accept your answer if you show confidence in your response.   If you must say, “I do not know,” then you should follow it up with “but if you hold for a moment, I will get the information for you.”   At that point, call the Assist Line or your Supervisor.

Telephone Tyrants (Irate Callers!)
Irate callers are a challenge even to the most experienced customer service provider.   The reward, however, is great when you can calm an angry customer and remedy the situation.   Communication sets the tone for creative problem solving.   You must control yourself to help maximize your problem solving skills.  

• Keep your cool—maintain your composure.   Don't let the irate person, get under your skin.   If necessary, place them on hold and take a moment to clear your head.
• Refer to your mission statement.
• Focus on the customer's issue and don't take the anger personally.
• Be the ambassador for the customer—take action on their behalf and get the issue resolved.
• Control the conversation.
• Take the “initiative” to work smarter to soothe the customer and resolve the issue while you are on the phone.
• Follow proper escalation procedure.

Here are some things that will help the situation:

• Listen carefully with empathy
• Don’t interrupt or argue with the client
• Allow them to ‘blow off’ steam
• Apologize: This is not an admission of guilt. You should be sorry that one of your clients are unhappy
• Get the necessary facts to help them
• Stay calm: Don’t allow yourself to get worked up
• Sort out the problem as quickly as possible