Effective Customer Service Ten Steps for Technical Professions (NetEffect)

by Goetsch, David L.; Davis, Stanley

• ISBN13: 9780130485298
• ISBN10: 0130485292
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-05
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This unique text treats the subject of customer service from the perspective of engineering, manufacturing, and constructions firms. It provides readers with a ten-step model for quality customer service, and an understanding of how customers define value. The book¿s "customer-is-king philosophy underscores all of its content, and is highlighted by the characteristics that define a customer-driven company and global market.The ten-step model explains in detail how to understand customer service and its importance; set the tone and company-wide expectations; identify what your customers want; benchmark the company¿s processes; compare actual performance against benchmarks, identify root causes; provide customer service training for all employees; turn difficult and dissatisfied customers into loyal life long customers; communicate effectively and often with customers; establish internal customer satisfaction; and establish a customer-oriented culture.For customer-driven businessesespecially engineering, manufacturing, and construction companies.

Author Biography

David L. Goetsch is Provost of the Joint Campus of the University of West Florida and Okaloosa-Walton Community College and Professor of Quality, Management, and Safety. Dr. Goetsch is also President and CEO of the Institute for Continual Improvement.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Ten-Step Model for Effective Customer Service	xi
Understand Effective Customer Service and Its Importance	1	(22)
What Is Effective Customer Service (ECS)?	2	(1)
Exceed Customer Expectations	2	(1)
Maintain Consistency Over the Long Run	3	(1)
The Goal of ECS	3	(3)
What Customer Loyalty Is Not	4	(1)
What Customer Loyalty Is	4	(2)
Characteristics of Companies That Practice ECS	6	(3)
Eager to Solve Customer Problems	6	(1)
Take a Long-Term View of Customer Relationships	7	(1)
Accept Responsibility for Correcting Problems	7	(1)
Provide an Unexpected Benefit to the Customer	7	(1)
Value the Time of Customers	8	(1)
Participate in Ceremonial Activities Organized by Customers	8	(1)
Make Customers FeelWelcome	8	(1)
Stand Behind Their Products and Services	9	(1)
Expect, Model, Monitor, Evaluate, and Reward ECS	9	(1)
The Rationale for ECS	9	(14)
Predictable Behavior of Dissatisfied Customers	11	(1)
Cost of Lost Customers	11	(12)
Set the Tone and Companywide Expectations	23	(30)
The Company's Strategic Plan	24	(3)
The Vision Statement	25	(1)
The Mission Statement	26	(1)
Guiding Principles	26	(1)
Broad Strategic Goals	27	(1)
Job Descriptions of All Employees	27	(1)
Performance-Appraisal Process	28	(2)
Reward and Recognition Systems	30	(7)
Reward Systems	30	(6)
Recognition Systems	36	(1)
Customer-Service Philosophy Statement	37	(3)
Developing Customer-Service Philosophy Statements	38	(2)
Set a Positive Example	40	(13)
Identify What Your Customers Want	53	(44)
The Relationship Among Steps 3,4, and5	54	(1)
Overview of Customer Needs	54	(3)
Policy/System/Process/Procedure Needs	55	(1)
People Needs	56	(1)
Value Needs	57	(1)
Internal Reviews	57	(4)
Warranty Records	58	(1)
Customer-Service Records	59	(1)
Frontline Personnel	60	(1)
Profesional Involvement	61	(1)
Assertive Listening	61	(3)
Visiting Teams	64	(1)
Self-Evaluation	65	(2)
Customer Interviews	67	(7)
Who Should Conduct Interviews?	69	(2)
Preparing for Customer Interviews	71	(3)
Interview Report	74	(1)
Focus Groups	74	(4)
Choosing the Facilitator	75	(3)
Written Feedback	78	(1)
Verbal Feedback	78	(2)
Questionnaires	80	(17)
``Why'' Limitations	81	(1)
Respondent Bias	81	(2)
Validity	83	(2)
Meaningfulness	85	(2)
Reliability	87	(10)
Benchmark the Company's Processes	97	(22)
Overview of Benchmarking	98	(1)
The Relationship Among Steps 3,4, and5	99	(1)
Benchmarking Defined	99	(1)
Rationale for Benchmarking	100	(2)
Benchmarking Process: How to Do It	102	(6)
Step 1: Obtain Management Commitment	102	(1)
Step 2: Baseline Your Own Processes	103	(1)
Step 3: Identify and Document Strong and Weak Processes	103	(1)
Step 4: Select Processes to Be Benchmarked	104	(1)
Step5: Form Benchmarking Teams	104	(1)
Step 6: Research the Best-in-Class Companies	104	(1)
Step 7: Select Candidate Best-in-Class Benchmarking Partners	105	(1)
Step 8: Form Agreements with the Benchmarking Partner	105	(1)
Step 9: Collect Data	105	(1)
Step 10: Analyze the Data and Establish the Gap	106	(1)
Step 11: Plan Action to Close the Gap or Surpass the Benchmark	106	(1)
Step 12: Implement the Change	107	(1)
Step 13: Monitor the Change	107	(1)
Step 14: Update Benchmarks and Continue the Cycle	107	(1)
Obstacles to Effective Benchmarking	108	(2)
Internal Focus	108	(1)
Overly Broad Benchmarking Objective	108	(1)
Unrealistic Timetables	108	(1)
Poor Team Composition	108	(1)
Settling for ``OK-in-Class''	109	(1)
Improper Emphasis	109	(1)
Insensitivity to Partners	109	(1)
Limited Top Management Support	110	(1)
Benchmarking Resources	110	(1)
Acting on the Benchmark Data	111	(8)
Compare Actual Performance Against Benchmarks, Identify Root Causes of Performance Problems, and Make Improvements	119	(40)
The Relationship Among Steps 3,4, and5	120	(1)
Overview of Performance-Enhancement Tools	121	(1)
The Pareto Chart	121	(3)
Cascading Pareto Charts	122	(2)
Cause-and-Effect Diagrams	124	(3)
Check Sheets	127	(4)
Histograms	131	(1)
Scatter Diagrams	132	(2)
Run Charts and Control Charts	134	(3)
Run Charts	134	(2)
Control Charts	136	(1)
Other Helpful Tools	137	(6)
Flowcharts	138	(3)
Surveys	141	(1)
Design of Experiments	142	(1)
Rationale for Continual Improvement	143	(1)
Essential Improvement Activities	143	(1)
Structure for Improvement	144	(1)
Scientific Approach to Improvement	145	(1)
Development of Improvement Plans	146	(1)
Common Improvement Strategies	147	(12)
Describe the Process	147	(1)
Standardize the Process	148	(1)
Eliminate Errors in the Process	148	(1)
Streamline the Process	149	(1)
Reduce Sources of Variation	149	(1)
Bring the Process Under Statistical Control	149	(1)
Improve the Design of the Process	149	(10)
Provide Training for Employees and Customers	159	(24)
Training Defined	160	(1)
The Need for Training	161	(1)
Assessing Training Needs	161	(3)
Writing Training Objectives	164	(1)
Providing Training	165	(3)
Internal Approaches	165	(1)
External Approaches	166	(1)
Partnership Approachea	166	(2)
Evaluating Training	168	(2)
Supervisors, Managers, and Other Professionals as Trainers	170	(3)
Principles of Learning	170	(2)
Four-Step Teaching Approach	172	(1)
ECS Training Topics	173	(1)
Customer Training	173	(10)
Turn Difficult and Dissatisfied Customers into Loyal, Repeat Customers	183	(22)
Rationale for Learning to Deal with Difficult Customers	184	(1)
Why Customers Complain	185	(1)
Product or Service Lacks the Expected Quality	185	(1)
Difficulty Getting Through on the Telephone	185	(1)
Waiting	185	(1)
Rude Treatment	186	(1)
Difficulty Understanding the Language	186	(1)
Listening Problems	186	(1)
Handling Customer Complaints	186	(3)
Do Not Interrupt	186	(1)
Listen Attentively	187	(1)
Paraphrase and Repeat the Complaint	187	(1)
Offer a Brief Apology	188	(1)
Discuss Alternatives	188	(1)
Get Customer Confirmation	188	(1)
Thank the Customer	189	(1)
Understanding What Dissatisfied Customers Really Want	189	(2)
Acknowledgment/Validation	189	(1)
Compensation	190	(1)
Shared Urgency	190	(1)
Convenience	190	(1)
Respect	190	(1)
Handling Angry Customers	191	(2)
Do Not Agree with the Customer or Refer to Your Company as ``They''	191	(1)
Do Not Become Angry Yourself and Respond in Kind	192	(1)
Do Not Turn Your Back on the Customer and Walk Away	192	(1)
Do Not Hang Up on the Customer When on the Telephone	192	(1)
Do Not Say, ``I Don't Have to Listen to This''	193	(1)
Turning Dissatisfied Customers into Loyal, Repeat Customers	193	(12)
Listen to the Complaint	193	(1)
Investigate the Complaint	193	(1)
Act on What You Learn from the Investigation	194	(1)
Report Back to the Customer	195	(1)
Follow Up to Ensure that the Solution Had the Desired Effect	195	(10)
Communicate Effectively and Often with Customers	205	(40)
Defining ``Communication''	206	(2)
Effective Communication	206	(1)
Communication Levels	207	(1)
Understanding Communication as a Process	208	(1)
Recognizing Inhibitors of Communication	208	(2)
Establishing a Climate Conducive to Communication	210	(1)
Communicating by Listening	211	(5)
What Is Listening?	213	(1)
Inhibitor of Effective Listening	213	(1)
Listening Assertively	214	(1)
Improving Listening Skills	215	(1)
Understanding Nonverbal Communication Factors	216	(2)
Body Factors	216	(1)
Voice Factors	217	(1)
Proximity Factors	218	(1)
Communicating Verbally	218	(3)
Asking Questions Effectively	219	(2)
Communicating in Writing	221	(4)
Helpful Rules	221	(2)
Writing Better Reports	223	(2)
Communicating by Telephone	225	(7)
Common Customer Complaints About Telephone Service	225	(1)
Essentials of Telephone Etiquette	226	(4)
Organize Yourself for Better Telephone Service	230	(1)
Taking Telephone Messages for Others	231	(1)
Communicating by Email	232	(1)
Developing Interpersonal Skills	233	(12)
Human Connections in the World of Technology	234	(1)
Promoting Human Connections in a Technological World	234	(11)
Establish Internal Customer Satisfaction	245	(18)
Why Internal Customer Satisfaction Is Important	246	(1)
Do Not Manage Employees---Lead Them	246	(3)
Communicate with Employees	249	(3)
Listen to Employees	252	(1)
Continually Improve Employee Job Satisfaction	252	(2)
Empower Employees	254	(9)
Establish a Customer-Oriented Culture	263	(20)
Plan for an ECS Culture	264	(4)
Vision	264	(1)
Writing the Vision Statement	265	(1)
Mission	266	(1)
Guiding Principles	267	(1)
Broad Strategic Goals	267	(1)
Model ECS Behaviors	268	(1)
Expect ECS Behaviors	268	(3)
Customer-Commitment Statement	269	(2)
Monitor and Evaluate ECS Behaviors	271	(1)
Monitoring ECS Behaviors	271	(1)
Evaluating ECS Behaviors	271	(1)
Reinforce and Reward ECS Behaviors	271	(12)
Nonmonetary Rewards	273	(1)
Recognizing and Reinforcing ECS	274	(9)
Index	283