If you want to improve customer service, then you should seek out some outside inspiration. Go into the marketplace and see how other industries handle interactions with the public.
Recently at a trade show, I had a front row seat to see how big companies handled the same situation. In this episode of our weekly productivity series, you’ll learn from my observations and pick up some actionable takeaways.
What Productivity Questions Does This Video Answer?
- How to improve customer service?
- What is an example of poor customer service?
- How does preparation contribute to good customer service?
- How can customer service principles help my business?
Video Transcript for Improve Customer Service
Does your customer service need some outside inspiration? I like to go outside my industry to see what other people are doing. To see if some of their ideas can be taken to my work. I think it’s a good way to learn from people who are doing things well and sometimes you learn from when people aren’t doing things well.
Recently, I was at a trade show and for the event I was actually going around and getting some interviews at some of the booths. So this was a big trade show, big booths, lots of employees, big budgets were spent at this place.
It was really a tale of two booths for me. I went to one and this one I’m going to say the name. It was Canon. There, I walked in and very shortly after someone said “Hey, can I help you?”
I was able to say that I’d like to interview someone. They said, “No problem. Let me go find this person.” They were able to find the person. She was able to come over. She was able to help me right away, answered my questions, did a great job.
Here you could see, people were trained. They knew what to do. They knew how to respond. They were on the ball. A+
Went to another company later. At this one, they were a lot of people there. I think they were even more employee were there, manning the booth. Yet my inquiry was met with panic.
They didn’t know what to do, the person who needed to help me wasn’t there, they couldn’t tell me when that person would be back, there wasn’t any way they could contact them through the phone or something. It was a big mess and it was a turn off. It’s like, “Hey, I’m trying to give you guys some free coverage.” They just couldn’t get their act together.
Two situations. Same place. You could see how they handled it differently.
In your organization, are people trained to respond when a question could come up? At the Canon booth, they were on the ball. The first person I talked to wasn’t the person who could help me but he was able to direct me to someone who could.
The other place, no one knew the process. So, as I look at things that I do in my business, I’m thinking about am I Canon or that other company?
Am I anticipating needs and problems or am I reacting in panic when they happen. It makes a difference. You can have a great product but if your response to a simple question is panic, you’re going to have problems.
About This Video Series
Ken Okel’s ongoing Employee Productivity video series will make you more effective on the job. Every week, you’ll learn a new, easy to understand, problem solving tip that you can use right away, like how to improve customer service.
Tired of a productivity problem, like why the details matter at work? Let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming episode.
About Ken Okel
As a motivational speaker, Ken Okel works with leaders and organizations to boost productivity, performance, and profits. At conferences, conventions, and company meetings, he engages audiences with new ways to maximize their time at work. To see a sample of his keynote and workshop presentations, visit his video page.
