Customer Service Survival Kit

It’s a deep, dark jungle out there. How do you navigate today’s unpredictable business environment, avoiding perilous paths and dangerous detours to deliver the memorable experiences your customers demand? Here’s a customer service survival kit for 2014 and beyond.

Start by Following the Leaders

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel—or even become a pioneer in best practices in customer service. Luckily, the Internet allows you access to a wealth of information on what companies are doing successfully so that you can emulate those actions that fit your business.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson said it well."When we started Virgin Atlantic 30 years ago we had one 747 and we were competing with airlines that had an average of 300 planes each. Every single one of those airlines has gone bankrupt because they didn’t have customer service. They had might, but they didn’t have customer service. Customer service is everything in the end."

You can follow Richard Branson on Twitter (@richardbranson). He’s known there as the "tie-loathing adventurer and thrill seeker, who believes in turning ideas into reality…otherwise known as Dr. Yes at @virgin!" Or you can choose other customer service professionals to follow. Here’s a start from a list of hundredswho regularly blog and tweet about best practices:

• @Hyken - Shep Hyken, recently named the top social customer service pro on Twitter, is an award-winning, bestselling customer service expert. Tap into his knowledge via his blog and tweets.
• @Annettefranz – This blogger shares her 20 years of experience, and is an especially valuable resource for startups.
• @KateNasser – Check out #PeopleSkills to get some great advice to share with your staff.

Also, for some more great ideas, consider joining customer service groups on LinkedIn, for example:

• Call Center IQ
• Best Practices in Customer Service
• Social Customer Service Best Practices
• Impact Customer Experience

A simple Internet search will reveal even more resources from business features to blogs, and more. Put together your own list of inspiring case studies, quotes and best practices. Then share them with your customer service team. Nothing inspires like a success story. The goal is to be exceptional.

Looking Ahead: According to the Aberdeen Group,70% of businesses are anticipated to use social media as part of their customer service programs by mid-2014.

Add a Touch of Magic

Going the extra mile is what will make you exceptional. So it’s time to add a little magic to the customer service formula by encouraging your reps to make an extra effort to show customers they care. Look for the great examples of your team’s customer service, or others’, and share them. They’re not hard to find if you look.

• Southwest Airlines anticipated that an unexpected flight delay would inconvenience a majority of passengers on one flight, so a customer service rep met passengers as they disembarked, long after the scheduled time, with rebooked tickets that had them out on the next available flight. Yes, the passengers could have done this themselves, but by anticipating their needs, Southwest diffused potentially unhappy responses.
• Longtime Morton’s customer Peter Shankman ‘tweeted’ a special requestwhile traveling. "Hey @Mortons – can you meet me at Newark Airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)" To his surprise, a tuxedoed waiter drove 23 miles to greet him with a full meal. That created a whirlwind of attention, and not only on Twitter.
• Trader Joe’s normally does not deliver. But they did at the request of a worried daughter whose 89-year-old father was snowbound in his Pennsylvania home. The store even compiled a list of items that met his low sodium diet. Delivery was free!

Discussing case studies and brainstorming how you can go ‘above and beyond’ for your customers can help empower employees to do so.

Looking Ahead: By 2015, the percentage of marketing budgets allocated to retaining customers and increasing loyalty through customer service will more than double. ~Gartner Predicts 2012: CRM Customer Service and Support Staggers into the Posthuman Age

Prepare for the Worst

When you’re dealing with an upset customer, there are bound to be challenges. In their minds, something went wrong and they’re looking to you to resolve it. They may even blame you for it.

CNN Moneyreports that defective merchandise, failed deliveries, problems with rebates, coupons and gift cards were among the top retail complaints of 2013. These are potential issues that can surface at your business, too.

The best way to prepare for a ‘worst case’ scenario is to plan for it. Make sure that you have a response for the most common failure scenarios, and if it’s a quick one, even better. 1-800-Flowers.com resolves its complains in about nine minutes and Kohl’s Corp. in about 15. But the average response timeamong the top 100 retailers is 11 hours and 15 minutes, according to Internet Retailer. You can imagine this lengthy delay would just add fuel to the fire for an irate customer.

When dealing with ‘worst case’ scenarios, try the divide-and-conquer approach. Isolate the problem into each of its simplest components. Then solve them one-by-one to the customer’s satisfaction. Active listening, empathizing and conversing gracefully are all good tactics to help calm an upset customer. Remember to tell your employees not to take it personally, and also give them time to take a timeout to recharge from the stressful encounter. Include a follow-up to the customer that measures whether or not the encounter was successful, and to entice them back to your business.

According to KISSmetrics, 71 percent of consumers have ended their relationship with a company due to poor customer service, and in general it costs seven times more to acquire a new customer than to retain a loyal one.

Looking Ahead: The customer of 2020will be more informed and in charge of the experience they receive. They will expect companies to know their individual needs and personalize the experience. Immediate resolution will not be fast enough as customers will expect companies to proactively address their current and future needs. ~ Customers 2020 Report

Back to the Basics

Yes, it’s basic, but still needs to be a reminder: invest in the technology that allows you seamless communications with your customers, from high speed Internet to reliable chat programs. Then make sure your reps have an easy way to take notes on all interactions, so customers don’t have to repeat their stories as they ascend the service chain. Also give your reps the opportunity to signal distress, with a process where they can refer callers to your experienced "heavy hitters" if they are having difficulty resolving the situation within a certain designated time. Finally, allow breaks and make healthy snacks and drinks available to keep energy high.

Looking Ahead: The personal cloud will replace the PCas the center of our digital lives sooner than you might think: 2014. ~ Gartner Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing 2012

The Take Away

Remember that it’s not ‘you vs. the customer’ but rather you leading the customer to a smooth resolution, much as a safari guide might lead an expedition through the jungle. The Customer Service Survival Kit is your roadmap; use it to clear a path to success. Follow the leaders, pay attention to what you can incorporate in your own business, and deliver ‘magical’ anticipatory customer service. Train for the worst case, make sure your response times are good, and have the basics in place. Importantly, focus on one customer, and one situation, at a time. It might be a jungle out there, but with your customer service survival kit, you can equip your team to deliver the memorable experiences that will keep your customers loyal to your business for years to come.