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62 Amazing Customer Service Tips and Quotes Time tested ideas and suggestions to keep your customers happy and loyal. by Kevin M. Stirtz “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” -Sir Winston Churchill www.AmazingServiceGuy.com

62 Customer Service Tips and Quotes Kevin Stirtz 140523212055 Phpapp01

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62 tips, strategies, ideas and quotes to help you and your team keep customers coming back. From loyalty and marketing expert Kevin Stirtz.

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Page 1: 62 Customer Service Tips and Quotes Kevin Stirtz 140523212055 Phpapp01

62 Amazing Customer Service Tips and Quotes

Time tested ideas and suggestions to keep your customers happy and loyal.

by Kevin M. Stirtz

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by

what we give.” -Sir Winston Churchill

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com

Page 2: 62 Customer Service Tips and Quotes Kevin Stirtz 140523212055 Phpapp01

The New Era of Customer Service

We are in a new era of customer service. In fact, at the risk of sounding cliché, I’d even call it a new paradigm. Because much of what worked in the old days is just not effective any more. Many of the attitudes toward customer service are no longer relevant or useful to people and organizations who want to be successful.

The new paradigm of customer service calls for people and their organizations to work together better than ever before. It is embodied in two concepts. They are the fundamental values behind every action and every decision.

They are: To Serve and To Connect.

As we work with our customers, we need to make sure we are constantly meeting these two standards. We need to serve them and we need to connect with them.

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Care more than others think wise. Risk more than others think safe. Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others

think possible.” -Howard Schultz

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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To Serve

When we serve our customers, we help them get what they want. We put them first. We focus our resources on helping them accomplish what they want to accomplish. And that is why customers come to us in the first place. They seek our help to accomplish something good or to avoid something bad. They are looking for a specific outcome and they want our help making it happen.

But, we need to do this in a way that works for us and our organizations. It needs to be sustainable. We need to be able to not only serve our customers but serve them well – better than anyone else. And we need to be able to make a profit doing so.

If we serve our customers in a way that is not sustainable then we’ll disappear. And we’ll lose the ability to continue serving them. Whatever we do, it has to work for us as well as our customers.

To Connect

When we connect with our customers, we get to know them. We do this by having conversations with them. We talk and listen. And we keep talking and listening because connecting is an ongoing thing. It’s about building relationships with our customers.

The only way we can serve our customers is if we know what they want. To discover this, we have to connect with them. And if we want them to remain our customers, then we have to have a continuing conversation with them.

If we connect with our customers in a way that develops a trusting and ongoing relationship and a persistent and transparent flow of information, then we’ll be able to serve them.

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Customer service is just a day in, day out ongoing, never ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate, type of activity.”

-Leon Gorman

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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The New Paradigm

So the new paradigm of customer service requires that we put away the old tools, the old attitudes and the old rules.

No longer is business about selling, pitching or coercing. No longer should companies try to limit what their customers know or force them to buy what the company wants to sell.

It’s no longer an “us vs. them” world. Business is no longer a battle between customers and their suppliers. Those days are gone.

The purpose of business is to help their customers get what they want in a way that is sustainable. We do that by serving and connecting with our customers.

To help us thrive in this new era of customer service, I have developed a model I call Amazing Service. It helps us organize our thinking and focus our actions so we can work successfully within this new paradigm rather than fighting against it.

What is Amazing Service?

For decades people have been saying we have to deliver great customer service. They’ve used terms like excellent, superior, super, over the top, wow! And just about any other similar adjective you can think of.

The problem is not much has been said about what this higher level of service is. How do you define or describe it? How do you identify it? Even better, how do you know when you’ve reached it?

Good news. I’ve fixed that problem.

I call it Amazing Service. And I’ve defined it for you. So now it’s easy to know when you or your organization are delivering the customer service that you should deliver.

Use these four requirements as your goal:

1. You are giving your customers what they want, plus a little more.

2. In a way that works for you.

3. Better than anyone else.

4. With every customer, every time, no excuses and no exceptions.

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Customers who are merely satisfied remain your customers only as long as everything goes their

way.” -Chip Bell

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Why Does Amazing Service Matter?

Amazing Service can make your company more profitable. Here’s why.

Intuitively we know that when we serve customer better they will (most likely) be more loyal. And, “more loyal” usually means some combination of these three actions:

1. Increased retention

2. Greater share of wallet

3. More referrals

I think we can agree these are good things. And, I think we can presume that if these three things happen to a greater degree in our company, we can expect (all other things being equal) that revenue will rise and expenses will fall, thus producing greater net income.

Long term, if we do a better job giving our customers what they want (in a way that works for us) we should have a healthier, more sustainable organization.

This makes sense to most of us. But many people like to see data and numbers (hard numbers) that support these claims. So, in the interested of serving as many people as I can in this short space, here are some statistics that tell us why Amazing Service is so important to our organizations.

First let’s look at why customer loyalty is so important to revenue and profits.

The Harvard Business Review has this to say about the subject of customer loyalty:

“Profit and growth are stimulated primarily by customer loyalty.” It goes on to say: “Loyalty is a direct result of customer satisfaction.”

In other words, if we focus on increasing customer loyalty, then we should expect better profits and growth in our businesses.

Bain & Company found that a 5% increase in customer loyalty can lead to a profit increase of anywhere from 25% to 95%.

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it, in the way you said you were going to do it.”

-Larry Wingett

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Why Does Amazing Service Matter?...Continued

They also discovered that it costs from 6-10 times more to acquire a new customer as it does to keep and existing one. Keeping your existing customers coming back costs 80-90% less than it does to replace them.

Finally, the Brookeside Group has found that a 1% increase in customer loyalty can help decrease operating costs by as much as 10%.

So, we have three objective organizations specifically stating that increasing customer loyalty can improve revenue and profits.

Now, let’s see how customer service is tied to a company’s performance.

First is a study done by the American Society of Quality Control. They found that 68% of customers who leave a company do so because of how they were treated. This means, that of customers who did not come back, 2 out of 3 left because of bad service. Bad customer service drove them away.

I’ve heard that the average business loses 15% of their customers every year. If that’s true then it’s fair to suggest that a typical company could lose 10% of their revenue base every year due to bad customer service. That’s a 42% revenue loss in a 5 year period.

Next, Arthur Middleton Hughes cites a study that shows customers who received better service increased their purchases by 57% over and above those who received average or typical service.

The study he cites found the average customer for the company studied increased their purchases by $4300 when they received a higher level of service. And, that higher level of service only cost the company $83 per customer.

An $83 investment in customer service brought in $4300 of revenue per customer. That’s a pretty good return on investment.

We have strong data that shows how increasing customer loyalty can lead to better financial performance. And we have data that shows how improving customer service should lead to more customer loyalty.

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve

the customer! ” -Gene Buckley

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service is Good for Business

Do you have any doubt that improving customer service is good for business?

If not then you’ve come to the right place. This book is all about helping you and your organization improve customer service. It contains 31 Amazing Service Tips that can help you improve the quality of service you deliver to your customers.

You’ll also find a customer service quote that relates to the rule on the page it shares.

Together these provide you with 31 lessons or modules you can use to work with your staff, team or co-workers.

Use these in any way you want to improve the service you deliver to your customers. At the end are some suggestions to help you put these to work.

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Providing great customer service is the most natural activity in the world. It’s fun to help others because it feels

good.” -Kevin Stirtz

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #1: You’re here to serve your customers. We all get busy in our jobs. It seems there are always more things to do than any one person could possibly get done. From meetings to special projects to covering for co-workers. The list never ends. It’s a wonder we get anything done at all! This is why we need to remember our priorities. No matter how many things we have on our task list (or piled on our desk) there is always one priority that’s more important than all others. Our customers. No matter what our job is, we need to be doing something that helps our customers get what they want. No matter what our role in the company is, our work needs to play a part in helping our customers accomplish their goals. Jan Carlzon, former president of Scandinavian Airlines said this: “If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.” When we forget this, we risk deploying fewer resources to serve our customers needs. Fewer resources means we’re less likely to do the best job we can for our customers. And it means we’re leaving the door open for competitors who are willing to do what it takes to serve our customers better than we are. There is no room for waste in any company. Any role or activity that does not lead to a happy customer needs to be looked at closely. Is it critical to the company or not? If not, find a way to redeploy those resources. Running a business means helping our customers get what they came to us for. That’s why we’re here.

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You’re Here to Serve Your Customers

“A man without a smiling face must not open a shop. ”

-Chinese Proverb

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #2:

Remember your customer’s name.

Years ago I heard a quote that goes something like: “Nothing is sweeter than the sound of a person’s own name.” I don’t know who first said this but I agree with them. When we hear someone say our name, it brings us closer to that person. It suggests they are a friend. At the very least it says they care enough to know and use our name.

When you use a customer’s name, you break down a lot of barriers that can block communication. You position yourself for a better relationship with your customer. Plus it helps you remember and recognize your customers. It’s easier (and more fun) to acknowledge them when you can use their name.

In fact, as I write this, I am sitting in the waiting area of my auto service place (the only one I use). When I call or stop in they know me. They know my wife. They know my car. And if Bruce, the owner is in, he’ll come out, shake my hand and chat. I never have to tell them who I am. (I feel like Norm at Cheers.)

A big reason I stick with Bruce and his crew is because they make it a point to remember their customers. That makes me feel important. And it all starts with my name.

Earlier today I was chatting with a friend whose family is in the restaurant business. He told me a story of how his grandfather used to show him how to welcome guests to their restaurant. He said it’s like welcoming a guest into your home. And it works because his family’s restaurants have some of the most loyal customers in the business.

This is an easy way to keep your customers coming back and it costs nothing. Make this a standard for your organization. Commit to using your customer’s names whenever possible when you are in direct contact with them (even email). Get everyone in your organization doing this. Then watch what happens. I think you’ll like the results.

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Remember Your Customer’s Name

“Nothing is sweeter than the sound of a person’s own name.”

-Unknown

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #3:

Make your customers smile.

To some people this might seem a little too mushy, too “warm and fuzzy”. After all, isn’t it more important to give our customers what they want? (There is research that says customers will be more loyal if they get what they want rather than just being treated well.) And that’s precisely why this rule is so important. Making our customers smile is not just about treating them well. Of course, that IS important. In fact it’s necessary. Two thirds of customers who leave (and don’t come back) do so because of HOW they were treated.

Making customers smile is easy. Just do this:

Give your customers a positive and memorable experience EVERY TIME.

Do this by giving them what they want, plus a little more (in a way that works for your business, of course) and by treating them well.

A positive experience happens when they get what they want and are treated well. It creates a higher amount of emotional content for their experience, so they will remember AND want to repeat it. Make it memorable by doing something unexpected. Go beyond what they want and expect (in a good way).

When you do this, your customers will smile. Some will smile on the outside (which is nice). Others will only smile on the inside. But you can usually tell they’re happy.

This will keep your customers coming back and they’ll tell many more of their friends how wonderful you are. I guarantee it!

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Make Your Customers Smile

“The easiest and most powerful way to increase customer loyalty is really very simple. Make your customers

happy.” -Kevin Stirtz

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #4: Assure your customers. Customers come to us for one of two reasons. They want our help to accomplish something or to avoid something. They know they outcome they want. They engage our expertise and resources to get there. And when customers choose us, they do so with a certain amount of risk. They risk their time and money. But, most importantly, they risk not getting what they came to us for. When I travel across the country to speak at a conference, I need to rely on the airline I choose to get me there. A lot of people at the conference don’t get what they came for if the airline does not get me there on time. That’s a big problem for me and my client who planned the conference. So, we can help our customers by constantly assuring them. This should start when they first become a customer and continue throughout the relationship. It’s especially important during a problem or service recovery. That’s when you want to go overboard in assuring them everything will be okay. One way to assure customers is to be specific. For example: “Mr. Smith your car will be ready at 4:15 pm today” is much more specific (and believable) than “Mr. Smith, your car will be ready later today”. Details tell them you know what you’re doing and that you have the situation under control. Another way to assure people is to make notes. As you talk with them, take time to write down details of the situation. Even if you’re talking over the phone, ask them to pause for a moment so you can take notes. This tells them you are serious about helping them and you want to get all the information you can. Plus it makes it easier to archive that information so your co-workers can access it if you are gone next time the customer calls back. Make a promise to them. A great way to assure people is to make a promise. Commit to something and give them your word. Then you are honor-bound to get it done. People respect others who make a promise and then keep it. It builds great credibility and loyalty. When you take the time and effort to assure your customers, you’re reminding them they made the right choice. Do this consistently with every customer and you’ll keep them coming back.

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Assure Your Customers

“You don’t earn loyalty in a day. You earn it day

by day.” -Jeff Gitomer

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #5: It’s okay to say no. (But be nice about it and offer an alternative.) Many of us have been taught to avoid the word “no” when dealing with customers. And it’s a good lesson because there are better ways to tell a customer you’re unable to help them in exactly the way they want. Dropping a big fat “no” on them might not create a positive and memorable experience. But some people have taken this lesson the wrong way. They assume it means you should never turn down a customer. They feel it means you should always try to do what a customer asks, even if it’s something your company does not do (or does not do well). That will get you in trouble. A foundation of Amazing Service is to give your customers what they want but do it in a way that works for your business. That means it should be something you are in business to do. Ideally, it should be something your company does better than any other. Trying to do everything every customer (or potential customer) asks of you cause problems. Saying “yes” to every request will sap your resources and drain your profits. You’ll wind up doing things you’re not equipped to do. You’ll spend too much time learning and not enough time earning. Sometimes a “no” can be turned into a yes. Be flexible and creative and see if you can help the customer get what they want in the context of what your business does. Often customers think they know the solution to their problem. But with your expertise they might find other solutions exist too. And if you are unable to help them, it’s okay to tell them so. But don’t clobber them with a “no”. Be nice. Point them in a direction where they might find a solution. Do this by knowing your market and being able to refer customers to others companies that might be able to help them. If you are not able to do the best job for someone, it’s better to refer them to someone who can. You’ll save yourself headaches and you’ll make two new friends in the process. It’s okay so say “no”.

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It’s Okay to Say “No”

“To my customer: I may not have the answer, but I’ll find it. I may not have the time, but I’ll make it.”

-Unknown

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #6: Don’t interrupt your customer when they’re talking to you. We all know listening skills are fundamental to working with and getting along with others. They’re so basic it should be a given that we’re all excellent listeners. But we aren’t, are we? In fact, most of us are lousy listeners. We focus on what we want to say. We react. We defend. We justify. We race ahead of the other person to formulate our response. And we interrupt them. Sometimes we listen but what they say prompts more questions. We want to help but we need more details. Often we’re so eager to help we rush forward before they’ve had a chance to finish. So we interrupt them. Or worse, we disagree with them. Maybe we feel the need to explain or defend. We might even disregard what they’re saying because we don’t respect their opinion or their judgment. No matter what the reason, interrupting someone is rude. Sometimes you have no choice, as in an emergency or urgent situation. But usually we have a choice. And when we choose to interrupt a customer before they’re finished speaking it’s because we’re focused on our needs, not theirs. We’re trying to accomplish something we want. When a customer is speaking it’s not just an opportunity for them to explain something. They might also be venting. Interrupt that and you could make a bad situation much worse. We all think and speak at our own pace. One of the best ways to connect with your customer, and give them a positive experience is to match their pace. If they talk slower then you normally do, then SLOW DOWN. Don’t expect them to speed up to your pace. They won’t. Or if they do they’ll feel uncomfortable and pressured. The opportunity to speak and be heard without being interrupted is a rare gift these days. Most often we have to fight to be heard. It’s a battle. And yet it’s a simple, easy thing to do for someone that pays huge dividends. As humans, we all want to be acknowledged and accepted. We want to be heard. When we are heard, we feel better about ourselves and about the people who gave us that opportunity. You want more loyal customers? Give them the opportunity to talk without being interrupted. They’ll love it and you’ll stand out because nobody does that anymore.

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Don’t Interrupt Your Customer

“People don’t care how much you know, but they know how much you care by the way you

listen.” -Bob Conklin

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #7: Thank your customers for complaining. One of the situations people hate most is dealing with customer complaints. This is too bad because customer complaints offer a goldmine of information to companies, if they deal with them effectively. The first step to making better use of customer complaints is to view them in a positive light. Start by calling them “feedback” rather than complaints. Then make sure your policies and procedures show that customer feedback is valued by the company, not something to sweep under the rug. When handling a customer complaint you need to take it seriously. See the customer as offering feedback, not as criticizing you or your employer. Don’t get defensive! Let the customer know you value their feedback. Take notes and ask questions so you understand what frustrated them. If you don’t understand the problem you’ll never be able to fix it. Never offer excuses or blame for a situation the customer is unhappy with. They don’t care how it happened. They just want it fixed. Of course you should always apologize to a customer who has a complaint or concern. Remember, by apologizing you’re not taking blame for causing the situation. But you are taking responsibility for moving past it to a solution. And that’s what the customer wants. Never offer a discount on future products or services as a way of compensating them. That’s like telling them “I understand you’re not happy with our service (or product). Why don’t you come back for more but at a lower price?” If you want your customers to come back after they’ve had a problem, assure them you’ll fix it. Otherwise you’ve given them no reason to come back. And finally, thank your customers for their feedback. Over 90% of unhappy customers never complain or offer feedback directly. They’ll tell their friends, family, neighbors and the Internet. But they won’t tell you. So when a customer DOES take time to tell you, let them know how much you appreciate their efforts. They are going out of their way to help your company do better. And they want your company to do better because they want to remain a loyal customer. Honor their efforts by listening, by apologizing, by using their feedback to fix the problem and by thanking them.

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Thank your customers for complaining

“Customer complaints are the schoolbooks from which we learn.”

-Lou Gerstner

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #8: To thrill your customers, do something positive and unexpected. We often hear that we need to “thrill” or “wow” our customers. And, intuitively we know this is a good thing because it increases the chances our customers will come back and tell others about us. That begs the question of how to do it. We all have different tastes and preferences. What might “wow” one person could bore another to death. But we’re all people. And we respond similarly to things that we like and that surprise us. We are more likely to remember them. When you do something for a customer (or anyone) that is positive (something they like) and unexpected (they didn’t see it coming) then you carve that event in their memories. Because they like what you did, you create positive emotional content for the experience. And because it’s a surprise, the emotional content level is higher. The more emotional content an event or experience has the more we will remember it. The more fun it was, the more we want to repeat it and share it with others. Here are two examples of people who know how to do this. One is an employee of a car dealer. A customer came in wanting a replacement key chain. The employee she spoke with discovered the dealer was out of stock. Rather than send the customer away empty handed, the employee reached into her purse and gave the customer hers, which was the same kind the customer wanted. The customer was thrilled. It was a small gesture but unexpected and thoughtful. This customer was so thrilled she has repeated the story more than once. The second example is a lady who sells concerts tickets. One day she got a call from a woman who was buying tickets so she and her husband could see a band that was coming to town. The customer explained how this was her husband’s favorite band and he had always wanted to see them in concert. She was buying the tickets for his birthday. When the couple arrived at the concert venue they were given backstage passes to meet the band. In fact, not only did they meet the band, they went out with them after the concert for dinner and drinks. To say these people were thrilled would be a massive understatement. It was a night they would never forget. And it all happened because the lady who entered her ticket order listened and cared. And then she went out of her way to create a positive and memorable experience for someone she had never met. To be good at this you have to be creative. You have to think outside the norms of everyday life. The more you do it the better you’ll get. But most importantly, to do this well and consistently, you have to care about your customers. Then it’s easy. And your customers will love it.

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To thrill your customers, do something positive and unexpected

“There are no traffic jams along the extra

mile. ” -Roger Staubach

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #9: Respect their time. “Tick tock said the clock.” It seems the almighty clock rules our lives. With each generation, our society gets busier and busier. Even though we all have the same amount of time, we use it differently. And we use it the way we want. So, we can get a little testy when we feel someone is wasting our time. It’s even worse when they’re wasting our time to meet their needs. Customers are no different. They come to us to accomplish something. And they want it done on their schedule, not ours. They don’t want to wait any longer than they have to. Can you blame them? How often have you thought, when you’re the customer, “What is wrong with these people?. Why are they moving so slow?”. How many times have you left (or wanted to leave) in frustration because it was taking too long to do something that should have been fast and easy. I have been in a lot of airports. I know how long it should take to check your bags and get your boarding pass. Even with a line of people it shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. But the people working at the airport on St, Thomas in the US Virgin Islands apparently do not understand that. I have never seen such a slow moving morass of chaotic activity in my life. When they said get to the St. Thomas airport early, I didn’t realize they meant several DAYS early. Since we’re all busy and we all know what it’s like to wait in frustration, it should be easy to remember to NOT do this to our customers. And it should be easy to tell when a customer is getting frustrated at how much time something is taking. (I’ll give you a tip. They look at their watches a lot.) Be aware of how much time your customers are waiting and how they are reacting. Make sure you’re doing everything you can reduce or prevent their wait times. A good way to do this is to be your customer if possible. Try to see things from your customer’s point of view. And talk to your customers about this. Ask them if they are getting served in a way that respects their time. If not, find out more details so you can make changes. Customer service is about putting your customers first. And a big part of that means respecting their time.

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Respect Your Customer’s Time

“A rose on time is more valuable than a $1000 gift

that’s too late.” -Jim Rohn

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #10: Never leave them wondering. I call my insurance company with a question. The customer service representative is unable to answer it so she says she’ll need to research the answer and call me back. Within seconds the line goes dead and she’s gone. I’m researching a website for a product. They have pretty pictures and witty, hip-sounding marketing copy. But I can’t find the answers to the questions I have. When I email their customer service, I get an auto-response email that does nothing to answer my questions. I walk into a sporting goods store looking for a pair of walking/jogging shoes. The employee I ask twists his arm back, points toward the rest of the store and mumbles “they’re over there.” We sit down at a local restaurant and scan the menu. The server has taken our drink order and left. I’d really like a soup and salad but I have no idea what soup is available. Every one of these examples is true. And every one shows a customer who is left wondering. When will you call me back? Exactly where are the walking shoes? What soup do you have available? Simple, harmless questions that could easily be answered. Yet the careless and unthinking people who left me wondering seemed to have no clue how badly they were serving me. It was nothing intentional. It was more like they never even considered doing anything more than what they did. When you leave your customers with unanswered questions, you are not doing your job. You are not helping them get what they came for. When you leave customers wondering, you substantially increase the chances they will go to your competition. And they’ll probably tell stories about you (not good stories either). The good news is, it’s easy to prevent this. All it takes is that you try to see things from your customer’s Point of View (POV). Shift your POV from yourself to your customer. If you’re not sure how, ask your customer. Or be your customer. Find ways to experience your company, your products and your service like your customers do. Walk around in their shoes. Once you understand better what your customers want from you, then answering their unasked questions will be easy. It will become automatic. If you never leave them wondering, they’re more likely to come back. And they’ll probably bring friends with them!

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Never Leave Your Customers Wondering

“Communication is everyone’s panacea for everything.”

-Tom Peters

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #11: Be Flexible. In customer service, as with most things there is no one right answer. There is almost always more than one way to accomplish something. But we don’t always admit it. Too often we focus on one way to do something. Maybe it’s the only way we know. Maybe it’s the fastest, cheapest or easiest route to helping our customer. But that doesn’t make it the best. Remember, our goal is to help our customers get what they want, within our ability. So we always need to look for alternatives. We need to be creative. We need to think beyond the first solution that comes to mind when we’re working with our customers. Being flexible means being willing to try a different path. (This is good advice in life as well as business.) Always consider other options as possible ways to help your customer get what they came for. It means offering customers more than one solution. By offering choices we’re making it more likely they’ll get what they want. There are few things worse than being a customer and someone says “that’s the only way you can do it”. Being flexible also means being willing to try new things and go the extra mile for customers. It means being a problem solver rather than an order taker. Customers know the difference. Stay flexible as you provide solutions to your customers. They’ll thank you with their loyalty.

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Help Your Customers by Being Flexible

“Revolve your world around the customer and more customers will revolve around

you.” -Heather Williams

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #12: Be grateful for their business. At some level we’re all grateful for our customers. Because we know without them we would not have a business. And, with busy schedules and hectic lives, it’s easy to forget how important our customers are. It’s even easier to forget to show it. And it’s easy to discount or disregard any one customer. Because most customers, by themselves, are not going to make or break our business. But every customer is a person. And one thing people want most is to be appreciated. We like people to notice us and recognize that we’ve been here before. It’s nice to hear someone say “I know you could take your business elsewhere and I appreciate you sticking with us.” (How often do you hear that? How often do you SAY that?) If you do this for every customer you have, every time they do business with you, your company will stand out from the crowd. People notice little things like being appreciated. And, all else being equal, customers will reward such little things by choosing to do business with your company rather than your competition. So, there are several levels of being grateful for our customers. One is simply appreciating them as people, fulfilling their need to be appreciated. The other is having the right attitude. This means adopting a mindset that says: 1. I understand my customers have made a choice to be here - NOT somewhere else. 2. Without my customers I would not have a job or a paycheck. 3. Therefore I need to show my appreciation to every customer every time I work with them. If every employee in your company recited these three things every day before they started work, would they treat customers differently? How would that affect your business? What if management made this attitude part of the company’s values. How might that change the way people deal with customers, especially during challenging situations? How much could you increase customer loyalty by doing this and what would that mean to your company?

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Be Grateful for Your Customers

“Remember, the deepest principle of human nature is the craving to

be appreciated.” -William James

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #13: Discover what your customers want. I admit, this seems overly simple. To run any successful business it’s a given we need to know what our customers want. But do we always know? My answer is: “No we don’t.” We think we do. We hope we do. Or we never even think about it. We just assume we do. And if we don’t really know, we risk focusing our resources on things our customers don’t care about. That opens the door to more competition and fewer loyal customers. Successful organizations DO know what their customers want. They ask them. And they keep asking them (because things change). You need to have processes and systems in place to continuously connect with your customers. You need to constantly learn why they do business with you rather than your competition. What brings them back to you? And why did they select your company in the first place? Of course, you also need to know what their problems are. What are they trying to accomplish or prevent by coming to you? And how do they want to be treated as they work with you? What experience are they looking for? What would make them happy as they do business with you? Your employees are your best resource for discovering what your customers want. I know a lot of companies use consultants and survey companies to collect this information. But if you want the best results, have your employees do it. They can best communicate with customers because they have the best access. They already have (or should have) relationships with their customers so it should be easy. They’re already in contact with them so it should be convenient. Make it part of their job, part of their routine. Train, motivate and encourage them to have conversations with customers that result in your company knowing more about what your customers want. Help them get better at connecting with customers to learn why they do business with you. Do this and you’ll be on your way to more loyal customers. I guarantee it!

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Discover What Your Customers Want

“Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to

their customers.” -Ross Perot

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #14: Thank your customers. Thanks Merci Danke Masuma Ga ‘ Mahalo Mila Esker Grazie This is one of those customer service “rules” that shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t even have to be a reminder. To thank someone for being a customer should be automatic, not because we’re trained or measured to do so but because we are actually thankful for their business. But, sadly, it ain’t necessarily so. The good news is, this gives the rest of us a huge opportunity. While we can’t change the whole world, we can change our little corner of it. Which means we can make sure we take the time to thank our customers. It means we can help our employees understand why they should be thankful for our customers. It means we can do things to ensure everyone associated with us understands what it’s like to be appreciated. We could talk for days about how to motivate people to be thankful or, at least, to say “thank you”. But I don’t believe people should be taught to be thankful. I don’t believe it matters if employees thank customers because their being measured against it. The act of thanking our customers needs to come from inside. It needs to be genuine. Show your employees how to be thankful. Employees will follow their leaders. They will repeat what their role models do if they respect them, trust them and feel good about them. So, the best way to get your employees to be thankful is to thank them. Show them how important they are by acknowledging what they do. Tell them and show them you appreciate them. If you thank your employees on a regular and frequent basis (and you do it sincerely) they will thank their customers. If you are thankful for them (and you show it) they will be thankful for their customers. They’ll even start to thank each other. (Not every employee will do this but most will. And those who don’t will be telling you something about themselves.) And, by the way, this works in all areas of our lives. Try this with your spouse, your kids, parents, friends, anyone you care about. It works. And it creates better and stronger relationships that are a lot more fun. I guarantee it!

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Thank your customers

“Learn to say thank you

every time.” -Jill Griffin

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #15: Respect your customer’s opinion. Our customers come to us for our knowledge. They want our help in accomplishing something. But some employees take this to mean the customer’s opinion does not matter. They go directly into “arrogant expert mode” and act like the customer has no useful information to contribute. As a customer there are few things that irritate me more than an arrogant, know-it-all sales or service person trying to tell me what to do without first listening to what I have to say. This is one of the fastest ways to drive customers out the door and straight into the welcoming arms of your competition. Customers are more informed than ever before. They know WHAT they want. Our job is to help them figure out HOW to get it. That requires both their knowledge and our expertise. An effective way to do this is by asking the “w” questions: who, what, why, when, where and their cousin, how. Another way is by listening well. Use these tips to help: 1. Focus on them by giving them your complete attention. 2. Pace yourself by listening at the speed they’re talking. 3. Use nonverbal and audible cues to show you’re listening. 4. Be open to their ideas and opinions. 5. Let them vent (if they’re upset). 6. Clarify by asking questions and confirming. 7. Let them finish before you start talking. Use what they tell you as you help them get what they want. Then you’ll be on your way to delivering Amazing Service.

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Respect Your Customer’s Opinion

“Give trust and you’ll get it double in

return.” -Kees Kamies

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #16: Help your customers get the outcomes they want. Our customers come to us for something. They want to prevent something bad from happening. Or they want to make something good happen. Either way they’ve come to us for help. So we need to help them get what they want. But too often we become focused on what we want. We create policies and procedures that help us but do nothing for our customers. It’s easy to get so focused on managing our businesses that we forget what our purpose is. We want to be efficient and profitable so we devise ways to do just that. But we often forget how those changes affect our customers. Or worse, we make the changes without even thinking about our customers. Every action we take, every decision we make and every policy, procedure, rule and guideline needs to be created to help our customers get what they want. The first thing we think about as we decide how to do our jobs and manage our businesses needs to be: “How can we create a great experience and help our customers accomplish their goals?” It’s not always easy. But if we do this every time our customers will notice. And they’ll repay our efforts with their loyalty. From there everything else is easy.

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Help your customers get the outcomes they want.

“If we don’t take care of our customers someone else will.”

-Unknown

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #17: Give them details. A sure-fire way to thrill your customers is to make sure you give them all the details they want. When you do this you’re helping your customers in several ways. First, you’re letting them know you listened, understood and got everything correct. This simple feedback tells your customer you’re a professional who cares enough to get things right. Second, you help your customers plan. By letting them know details you’re removing doubt and uncertainty. They don’t have to wonder when their order will be processed, did it get entered correctly, when will it arrive, etc. People hate to wonder! Third, you’re helping them accomplish what they came to you for. By offering them details before, during and after the sale, you’re helping them make sure they’re getting what they need. Providing details to your customers creates more effective communications. This goes a long way in helping your customers get what they want. And that will keep them coming back.

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Give them details.

“Focus your business on what you do best. Let everyone else worry about

the rest.” -Kevin Stirtz

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #18: Ask open-ended questions. One of the most important ways we serve our customers is to help them get what they want, even if they don’t know exactly what that is. They rely on us for knowledge about our product or service. They come to us for expertise they cannot get anywhere else. A great way to learn what your customers are trying to accomplish is by asking questions that get them talking. These open-ended questions require more than a “yes” or “no” answer so they help you and your customer have a useful conversation. Conversations like this can build relationships because they help promote mutual awareness and trust. By engaging your customers more, you learn what they’re trying to accomplish (or avoid). You also show them you care enough to put forth the extra effort to help them. Open-ended questions are easy to use. Just remember “Mr. H and the 5 W’s”: How, Who, Why, What, When and Where. Questions that start with these words are open-ended and will get your customer talking. Pretend you’re a private investigator trying to solve a mystery. The more you learn, the more you can help your customer. They’ll repay you by coming back more often and bringing their friends with them.

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Ask Open-Ended Questions.

“The first step to success in any business is to ask your customers what they

want.” -Kevin Stirtz

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #19: Always give them something. One of the biggest challenges when serving our customers is when they want (or need) something we can’t do. It’s frustrating for us because we want to help them. It’s frustrating for them because they’re not getting what they want. But we can turn this challenging situation into a positive experience for everyone. We do that by always giving our customers something, even when we can’t do exactly what they ask. This is all about offering options, alternatives and suggestions. And, it’s about asking questions and providing solutions. You probably face the same (or similar) challenging situations on a recurring basis, situations where you can’t do what your customer asks. Make a list of these “no” situations. Talk to your co-workers and combine your list with theirs. Then develop alternatives or suggestions you can offer customers in these situations. Get your co-workers together and brainstorm as many solutions as you can to offer your customers. Also, ask your customers questions. Try to discover if there is another solution that will help them (something you CAN do). Be a problem solver and a solution creator. Your customers will appreciate your efforts and they’ll reward you with their loyalty.

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Always Give Them Something

“If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you

want.” -Zig Ziglar

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #20: Be easy to work with. We have policies and procedures. We have rules and regulations. Usually they exist because of good intentions. But they often become obstacles to our customers. They develop to solve problems we face as we serve our customers but sometimes they become the problem. If we fail to realize when we put obstacles in front of our customers, then we’re failing to serve them well. When our rules and procedures serve our needs and disregard our customers, then we’re failing to put our customers first. Luckily, the solution to this problem is easy. First, get feedback from your customers. Have them tell you how hard or easy it is to be your customer. Second, be your customer. If possible, buy your company’s product or service and experience some of what they do in the process. A third option is to hire mystery shoppers. They will report their experiences as a customer so you can see where you might be creating customer roadblocks without realizing it. Every day think of how you can make your company easy to do business with. Do this and you’ll have customers lined up for miles.

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Be Easy to Work With

“Do right. Do your best. Treat others as you want to be

treated.” -Lou Holtz

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #21: Make a great first impression every time. We’ve all heard it said first impressions are lasting and it’s true. Though we can improve a customer’s perception of us over time, we’re always better positioned if we show them our best stuff right up front. One way to do this is see yourself as others see you. This means get feedback from people who see you work. They might be customers, co-workers or even vendors. Or your company could hire secret shoppers to observe (if you’re in a retail environment). Feedback could also come from taped phone conversations. And, don’t forget emails and websites and other ways your company communicates to customers. Take time to continually evaluate and assess them all so you’re certain they are representing your company in the best way possible. Think about how you perceive people and companies when you first do business with them. In what ways do you judge them? How do you mentally (even subconsciously) evaluate them? What things do you think or say about them? Your customers do the same with you! So, make sure you give your best by being your best with every customer every time, no exceptions. That is the ONLY way you can make a great first impression every time.

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Make a Great First Impression Every Time

“Why wait to be

memorable?” -Anthony Robbins

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #22: Every customer contact is critical. What your customer perceives about your company is what determines whether they will stay with you. And their perception is built one contact at a time. Even one bad experience can taint their perception of your company and how you do things. Every contact a customer has with your company delivers an experience and creates an impression. It could be a phone call, an in person visit or a look at your company website. Contact also comes from third parties. When one customer tell someone else what’s it’s like to do business with your company, that creates an impression about your company. That’s a contact just like any other. To make every contact count your company needs to be consistent. Every action of every person in your company needs to be focused on serving your customers so well they back and they tell others. Do everything you can to make sure every contact with every customer is a great one - do this every time with no exceptions and no excuses!.

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Every Contact is Critical

“Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they'll come back. We have to be great every time or we'll lose

them.” -Kevin Stirtz

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #23: Put yourself in their shoes. Try to see things from your customer’s perspective in as many ways as you can. This should be easy because we’re all customers. Think about when you’re the customer. How do you feel and what do you want from people you buy from? What are the top three things you want from them? Most people want similar things like courtesy, helpful information, solutions (rather than dead-ends), a friendly smile, fair value and quick service. What about when you’re angry or frustrated with a company or person you do business with? Think about the emotions you have in those situations. And consider your motivations too. What drives you in those interactions? What actions do you want from the people you do business with? How do you want them to resolve your complaints? We all wear at least two hats. One is our “service” hat which we wear when we are serving others. Another is our “customer” hat. Keep both of them handy at all times as a reminder to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.

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Put yourself in their shoes

“Ignore customers at your peril.”

-Becky Carroll

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #24: Always follow up and follow through. One of the biggest complaints people have is they never hear back from sales or service employees. And we’ve all experienced it. Someone promises to do something and it never happens. So, as a customer we’re left wondering and waiting. And it takes more of our time because we then have to follow-up ourselves. This should be the easiest part of serving our customers. But, we all know the devil is in the details. Often execution is the hardest part of our jobs. So, find ways to be 100% certain you follow up on every commitment you make. Whether you use a fancy time management system, your company CRM or post-it notes on your computer screen. As easy way to thrill your customer is to simply do what you say you will. Whatever you promise, do it promptly, thoroughly and accurately. Then do a little more. It “wows” them every time!

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Always follow up and follow through

“Never leave your customers

wondering.” -Kevin Stirtz

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #25: See your customer only as someone who needs your help. It’s easy for us to judge people harshly especially if they’re different than we are or if they are upset or angry. When a customer raises their voice or is impatient or otherwise not so pleasant, it’s easy for us to respond in kind. Often we let ourselves get “hooked” into their way of behaving. But no matter how our customer is acting, our success in helping them depends on our actions and our attitude - not theirs. When you’re confronted with a customer you’d like to strangle, remember to: 1. Stop yourself from getting hooked into their emotional state 2. Challenge the value of any behaviors that come from that state and 3. Choose to do things in a professional and remarkable way (Learn more about how to “Stop, Challenge & Choose” at http://www.larrywilson.com) To deliver Amazing Service, remember your customer is there because they want and need YOUR help. And remember how good it feels to help someone in need!

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See your customer as someone who needs your help

“Only a life lived in the service to others is

worth living.” -Albert Einstein

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #26: Offer your customers solutions, not dead-ends. We all know not every customer request is easy or possible to fulfill. But rather than tell them “no” try to find other ways to help them get what they want. Always focus on finding a solution. No matter what they ask for, you can almost always find an alternative, even if it’s sending them somewhere else. To do this… Make a list of all the requests, concerns and complaints you get from customers. And, keep track of how your company has responded to them. If necessary, have team meetings to brainstorm ways to handle difficult or challenging requests. Then make these lists handy for every employee, so they instantly know how to help customers. When you do this, customers will come back more often because they know you you’ll do everything you can to help them. They’ll know (through your actions) that your company is committed to helping them get what they want.

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Offer your customers solutions not dead-ends

“It is in this moment you have the power to be the

solution!” -Ileana Kane

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #27: Don’t multi-task when you’re helping a customer. “I have to multi-task” people will say. “Otherwise I can’t get all my work done.” Another common response: “I can do other things while I listen and still provide good service.” Yeah right. Maybe that’s true. But probably not. Some people are very good at multi-tasking. And I know some people can listen while they are doing something else. But just because you CAN do something does NOT mean you should. The fact is we all can listen better when we focus on listening to the person we are speaking with. The only way we can operate at our best is by focusing on the customer we’re with. If we are trying to do several things at once we risk doing none of them well. Maybe that’s okay if you’re ordering lunch or emptying the trash. But it’s not okay if you’re helping a customer. Because when we’re helping a customer we have to do everything we can to give them our best. We need to be on our “A” game 100% of the time we’re with customers. No exceptions and no excuses. The bad news is, we’re all busy and we often feel if we don’t multi-task we’ll never get everything done. I completely understand. I’ve been there. Still am. One way I deal with this is to focus on priorities. I consider what I need to do to accomplish my goals. Then I focus just on those tasks. This gives me “permission” to offload (or ignore) many things I might otherwise bury myself in. If they are important, they’ll re-surface. The good news is, people will notice. When you focus just on your customer, they will notice. They will see and feel the difference. They will see how attentive you are. You’ll be more likely to connect. Your level of service will be better because you’ll be in a better position to understand and help them get what they want. They’ll also see the difference between how you help them and how your competitors do. And, they’ll repay you with greater loyalty, more referrals and more business.

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Don’t multi-task when helping your customer

“Customers feel validated when you take the time to give them your complete attention.”

-Marilyn Suttle

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #28: Do something extra. One of the easiest and fastest ways to make a customer smile is to do something extra. Because it’s unexpected, it’s a pleasant surprise. It’s something they’ll remember and talk about. When you do something extra, it’s like giving your customer a gift. It’s a wonderful way to show you care about them as a person as well as a customer. One way to do something extra is to just give them a little more than they paid for. For example, at the Perkins in my town, the night manager would often slip a bag of muffins in my hand as I paid the bill. I never asked for them but I was always grateful. Another way to is to do something completely unrelated. A few years ago, we returned a dog-feeding device because the dog we bought it for died. As part of the return process I mentioned this to the company (so they knew it was not a product issue). Several days later we received one of the nicest, most heartfelt sympathy cards from this company. It was completely unexpected and incredibly kind, something my wife and I will not forget. It had nothing to do with the products they sold. They were just being human. They were letting us know they cared about the loss of our pet. There’s another reason to do something extra for your customers: It will make you stand out. Nobody does this anymore. Most of us have to stop and think about the last time we got an “extra” from someone. It’s a lost art. So find ways to make “something extra” a regular part of your customer’s experience. Get your employees involved and brainstorm ideas. Eventually, your “something extra” attitude will become part of your brand. It will attract more customers and keep your customers coming back. I guarantee it!

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Do Something Extra

“When you do a little more, you stand out a lot

more.” -Ron Kaufman

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #29: Apologize if the customer feels you or your company let them down. An apology is a bridge-builder. It can mend a broken relationship faster than anything else. And it shows the customer you are willing to take responsibility for helping them get what they want. Often people are not looking for more than an opportunity to be heard and an apology. When you apologize, you’re not necessarily taking blame for causing the problem. But you are taking responsibility for resolving it. A sincere apology can turn angry customers into loyal customers. And, it’s easy to do!

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Apologize quickly and sincerely

“The road to success is paved with well-handled mistakes.”

-Neiman Marcus

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #30: Give customers your complete attention. Customers consistently tell us they hate dealing with employees who don’t listen or pay attention. It’s a common and yet preventable complaint. When you begin talking with a customer, stop whatever else you are doing and focus on them. Make appropriate eye contact, listen, nod and show them you are paying attention. Some people take notes when listening, to ensure they get everything the customer is saying. Certainly you should ask questions to confirm and clarify that you understand. As you listen to your customer, don’t pre-judge what they’re saying. Keep your mind open so you hear everything. And remember, listening is a full-time job!

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Give customers your complete attention

“Our greatest asset is the customer! Treat each customer as if they are

the only one!” -Laurice Leitao

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Amazing Service Guy’s Customer Service Tip #31: Never let your customer repeat themselves. A common complaint customers have is they have to repeat their story over and over again as they get handed off to different people. Customers understand that often you have to hand them over to other people to help them get what they want. That’s okay, But, as you do this, don’t let the customer repeat themselves. Do it for them. Tell the person you’re handing them to what their situation is. Give them details and specifics. And let your customer know you’re doing this so they know they won’t have to tell their story again. This almost always impresses customers because they don’t expect it. (Very few companies do this consistently.) This is a great way to thrill your customers and it’s easy to do.

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Never let your customer repeat themselves.

“What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other?”

-George Eliot

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Suggestions on using these Amazing Service Tips

•Print and post them in areas where employees will see them (break rooms, meeting rooms, bathrooms, cubicles, refrigerator.)

•Conduct a brown-bag lunch workshop for your team using several of these rules as your content.

•Email the quotes and rules to your team, one per week.

•Assign a rule to a different person each week and have them create a 60 second presentation on why it’s important and how your team could implement it. (Thanks to Dennis Snow for this suggestion.)

•Discuss a different rule each week. Have your team discuss situations where the rule was used (or not) and what the results were.

Reprint Permission

All the content in this publication is protected by copyright.

But, you have my permission to reprint this material for internal use in your organization (not on public-facing websites or other publications. If you use this content, please do these four things:

1. Give me credit. Just indicate somewhere in the printed material (so readers can see it) that I am the author of the material.

2. Include a link to my website: http://AmazingServiceGuy.com

3. Do not change the content. Please reprint it as it is in this ebook (including the copyright).

4. Please let me know. Just an email is all I ask to let me know you’ve reprinted, republished, excerpted, linked or quoted my stuff. As an author I write to help people so I like to know when people are benefiting from my work.

That’s all. Thanks for reading.

Kevin Stirtz

AmazingServiceGuy.com

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62 Customer Service Tips & Quotes

“Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to

customers.”

-Ross Perot

www.AmazingServiceGuy.com Kevin M. Stirtz Copyright 2013