Justellus Blog

Customer Service Representative – What Do You Think Of When You Hear That Title?

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Categories: Customer loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, customer service, Observations

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How would you define a “Customer Service Representative?”

The definition Answers.com gives is: an employee responsible for maintaining goodwill between a business organization and its customers by answering questions, solving problems, and providing advice or assistance in utilizing the goods or services of the organization.

Customer service representative cartoon

This customer service cartoon created by Tedd Goff cartoons.

That sounds about right. But what do you actually think of when you hear the term Customer Service Representative?

In many, the title conjures up images of grumpy people, dawdling in a call center somewhere in the middle of nowhere making minimum wage. Fair or unfair, this seems to be the overwhelming consensus. Why? Because everybody has had a few bad experiences with a call center at some point. You need help – you’re reaching out to someone – and if they have a glaring indifference to your problem, a bad attitude, or are ill-equipped to handle it, then you will remember it. People always remember when they’re left with a feeling of helplessness. It’s almost like being victimized.

Those tend to stick out more than the great ones. But let’s forget them for a moment and take a minute here to recognize the great customer service representatives out there. I already blogged about my terrific customer service experience with Macy’s on a Black & Decker blender. I also had a five star experience with Men’s Wearhouse recently.

What makes a customer service representative great?

About.com has a fantastic article on the subject in its Marketing section titled The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service.

According to About.com, The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service are:

  1. Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers’ want.
  2. Be a good listener. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying.
  3. Identify and anticipate needs. Customers don’t buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems.
  4. Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity.
  5. Help customers understand your systems. Your organization may have the world’s best systems for getting things done, but if customers don’t understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry.
  6. Appreciate the power of “Yes”. Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it.
  7. Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It’s easy and customers like it.
  8. Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition.
  9. Get regular feedback. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve.
  10. Treat employees well. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation.

Any others you would add?

A Lesson in Customer Service with Popcorn

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Categories: Brand Feedback, Customer loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, customer service, Social Media

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Guest post from a fan of Justellus who asked to remain anonymous.

Recently I purchased a Whirley Pop Popper and popcorn at Bed Bath and Beyond after having been at a friend’s house who had one.

Whirley Pop Popcorn

If you ordered one box and got two, honesty might not be the best policy says our guest blogger.

The popcorn was great and my kids loved it, so when I saw it, I bought it.   A few weeks ago, I placed my first order directly from Whirley Pop.  I ordered a 5 Pack of Real Theater Popcorn and a 5 Pack of Less Salt/Less Oil and paid via PayPal.  My package arrived shortly thereafter.  Oddly enough, the next day another package arrived and included the same items.

Being an honest person, I contacted Whirley Pop to let them know that they had mistakenly sent me two shipments and that I had only been charged once on my PayPal account.  The woman I spoke to on the phone first placed me on hold and then asked if she could look into everything and call me back.  When she called back, she told me that since I had only been charged once that I could either pay for the additional shipment or return it.  I chose to return it.  I waited a few days and finally received the return shipping label via email.  Between printing the label, ordering FedEx pick-up and packaging everything up (had to go by clear shipping tape to affix the shipping label per the instructions), I spent a decent amount of time on something that was their mistake, not mine.  I placed one order and they  filled it twice.

 

As a first time customer, it would have made sense for them to thank me for my honesty for contacting them and then admit that a mistake had been made and that I should go ahead and keep the popcorn.  It probably cost them almost the same amount to have me ship it back via FedEx ($15ish??) than the product itself actually cost ($25 is what I paid).  Instead, I was inconvenienced by the mistake and have spent far too much time on this.  And yes, I spent a bit more time writing this post too.

 

I am disappointed by Whirley Pop’s decision and will think twice about ordering from their company again.  When something like this happens, all companies should rethink the actual process of making a customer return a small shipment that was due to your own mistake. Then, think about value of  the customer’s networks.  Lastly, think about the fact that if you bought popcorn, would you be pleased to find out it was shipped all over the country before it arrived on your stove?

 

Wouldn’t any brand rather have fans positively talking about their company?  Is the few dollars worth losing a potential long-term customer?

 

3 Service Tips for the Food Service Industry

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Categories: Brand Feedback, Customer Satisfaction, customer service, Observations, Perspective

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Are you responsible for serving food to customers at a restaurant, perhaps a bakery, or grocery store?

Have you ever thought about what your customers are thinking while in line, or walking the aisles of your store, or waiting to sit at a table?  Have you ever thought about what they might be sharing with their networks when something catches their attention?  You should…

Service Tips No Trash Barrels

Trash barrels are not serving tables.

The world today is extremely paranoid about germs.  We carry around hand sanitizer, wipes, and wash our hands more by the age of 30 than our parents did their whole lives.   There are many web sites and showing us how to properly wash our hands.   As a result, businesses must think about their old ways of getting ready for the next customer, the following day, or the morning rush.

Below are 3 things to avoid if you are in food service industry:

1)  Trash barrels are not advertised as service trays for a reason

Our customers and I are absolutely shocked at how many companies in food service use the unsanitary rolling trash barrel.  In today’s age, we all carry cameras and whether the trash barrel is clean and was purchased because it rolled nicely, it sends a terrible message to customers that you should avoid at all costs. And, like in this picture taken at a supermarket where the employee just stocked the muffins rack, it is just wrong.  Do you think the tray being used here will get washed or go back on a counter or rack to be used again?

2)  Avoid stacking your chairs on your tables when you clean

Customers eat sitting at tables. Their rear ends sit on chairs.  Flip a chair onto a table and the customers are essentially sitting on the table.  Better yet, if you stack the chair on the table to wash the floor, the feet of the chairs, which in many cases have spent years and years on the floor, are now on the table where families eat.  Kids eat food with their hands.  We put our utensils on the tables when we use our napkins.  We often put out our phones there.  We don’t put those items on the floor. Don’t put the floor where we put those items.

3)  The cloth used to wipe the table should not be used to wipe food items 

No one wants to buy an ice coffee and see the counter help use the cloth used to clean up all the spills or tables wiping down the side of your drink.  It is bad enough that some restaurants do not seem to clean them and then come and clean your table.

Do you notice these things too?  Any other tips you would add?

When Doing Good Goes Unnecessarily Bad

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Categories: Brand Feedback, Customer loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, Observations

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Donations to Great CausesThe most enjoyable and rewarding thing for us to do is make payments from our budget.  I am serious.

On Justellus donation days as we call them, we make donations to each of the 5 great charities our members and we believe in.  We spend 15 minutes of time giving back and doing good.  It always feels great after.  And, in talking with some of the charities since we launched, they really appreciate it too.

When you run a start up, your time is precious.  All entrepreneurs use technology, tools, and systems, to be as efficient as possible in what limited time we have.  When the systems don’t work right, valuable time is lost.

This morning, I got up at 6:30 and was in the process of making donations to these charities when it happened.   My credit card was somehow flagged and I got error messages.  So, I called the phone number Citizens Bank has on its web site and there was no answer.   Next, I did what any one of us would do and hit the live chat widget on the side of the screen and that did not work.  No one is staffing the live chat until Monday.  So, I finally tracked down a number where I could speak with someone.

I sat on hold and listened to the “satisfaction, loyalty, and trust” message.  When I got connected with a real person, she told me that Visa had flagged our account for the sites that I was using.  Really, I asked – My Stuff Bags, the Alzheimers Association, the American Cancer Society – the same sites that we make donations too each and every month?  She said she does not make those decisions.  Visa does it “to protect its customers”.  And that it would take about 15 minutes to fix.

If Visa or Citizens Bank thinks that its customers are that naïve that we believe it is done to protect us, it is almost insulting.  It is done to protect them – it has nothing to do with us.   We can debate fraudulent charges, right?   Isn’t that the VISA Zero Liability policy?

This post is a bit of rant, yes.  However, it actually ties into the reason we exist – not to fuel rants, but to help fans get the most out of their relationships with the providers they use.   I use Citizens Bank and have always selected VISA as my card of choice.  I want to remain a fan and see them do better.  It is too difficult for me to switch.  I have a vested interest.   Today though, I wasted a lot of my time trying to proactively resolve what they deem to be a bit fishy instead of them having to back their policy if something actually happened.  It is downright brilliant marketing spin, but it certainly does not back the message that “your customer satisfaction, loyalty, and trust is a priority”.

If it really was, I could have enjoyed my 15 minutes this morning instead of turning it into a frustrating and unnecessary hour and a half.   Who has an extra hour and a half to waste these days?

Love to hear your thoughts or if you have experienced anything similar lately.

Could the US Government Use Some Honey in Their Branding?

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Categories: Communication, Market Research, Observations, Perspective

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Ever heard the saying “you get more with honey then you do with vinegar?” It is a saying that was quite prevalent when I was a kid (thanks Grandma!). There is a lot of truth in it! When you smile, people gravitate towards you. When you ask questions of others instead of talking about yourself, people simply like you. Please and thank you? Yep- those work!

So what is your take on this image?

US Census

Yikes! You are going to take away my citizen right to vote if I don’t fill this out?

Taste like vinegar? You bet! Starting off any interaction with a threat is most likely not going to receive the response you are looking for. Perhaps it is time for the US Government to take a lesson from some of successful engaging brands like Zappos, JetBlue and Dell?

This post is more of a musing on my part, but you get the point? You will get what you give in life, whether you are a person or brand. In the end of the day, you are interacting with humans and humans react negatively to up front threats. The Government needs to be less of a bully and more of a friend. Just the 2 cents of someone that is not very inclined to fill out a city census! What say you?