Opening & identification

1. Answer before the third ring.

2. Before answering, discontinue any other conversation or activity such as eating, chewing gum, typing, which can be heard by the calling party.

3. Identify your organization, department and name upon answering.

Hold

1. Ask caller if you may put them on hold.

2. If possible, check back with caller every 30-45 seconds.

· “Would you like to continue holding?”

· “May I call you back when I have this information?”

3. Do not leave caller on hold for more than one minute unless he/she requests it.

4. Use the hold button when leaving the line so that the caller does not accidentally hear conversations being held nearby.

Transfer

1. Identify for caller to whom you are transferring and at what extension (keep your caller informed).

2. Announce to the “transferee” your name, the caller and the nature of the call.

3. If possible, stay on the line with the caller until you’re sure they are talking with the right person.

Taking Phone Messages 

     When taking a phone message always include the following information:

· Caller's name and organization name if applicable

· Time and date of call

· What the call is regarding

· If the caller wants a return phone call, and if so, obtain a phone number that is best to return the call

Voice Mail

1. Remember: callers generally prefer to speak to you personally.

2. Use phone mail as a back-up answering method only.

3. Record your personal message. Avoid using generic messages. Watch your tone and pace.

Don’t

1. Don’t use the speaker phone feature!

2. Don’t allow background noise, if possible.

3. Don’t use slang. Professional phrases include: “ One moment please,” “Yes,” “All right,” “She’s not available now,” “Good-bye.” Phrases not to use: “Hang on,” “Okey-Doke”, “Uh, dunno where he is,” “Yeah,” “Bye.”

Moments of Truth

People form a perception about your organization with every call. Courtesy and professionalism reap positive benefits for everyone. If, for example, a caller has reached the wrong department, be courteous. Sometimes they have been transferred all over the organization. If possible, attempt to find out where they should call or to whom they should speak. They will appreciate it.

· Berry , Leonard L. Discovering the Soul of Service. (1999) Free Press. ISBN 0-684-84511-3.

· Blanchard, Ken; Ballard, Jim and Finch, Fred. Customer Mania! (2004) Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-7028-2.

· Carbone, Lewis. Clued In. (2004) Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-101550-8.

· Carlzon, Jan. Moments of Truth. (1987) Ballinger Publishing. ISBN 0-06-091580-3.

· Collins, Jim and Porras, Jerry. Built to Last. (2002) Harper Business Essentials. ISBN 0-06-051640-2.

· Dee, David. Dazzle Me! (1997) Dartnell Corp. ISBN 0-85013-274-6.

· Disney Institute. Be Our Guest. (2003) Disney Editions. ISBN 0-7868-5394-8.

· Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. (1997) Bantam. ISBN 0-553-37506-7.

· Goleman, Daniel. Working with Emotional Intelligence. (2000) Bantam. ISBN 0-553-37858-9.

· Kamin, Maxine. Customer Service Training. (2002) ASTD. ISBN 1-56286-330-4.

· LeBoeuf, Michael. How to Win Customers and keep Them for Life. (1987) Berkley. ISBN 0-425-11468-6.

· Lord, Robert G et al. (eds.). Emotions in the Workplace. (2002) Pfeiffer. ISBN 0-7879-5736-4.

· Peters, Thomas and Waterman, Robert. In Search of Excellence. (1982) Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-38507-7.

· Porter, Michael E. Competitive Advantage. (1985) Free Press. ISBN 0-684-84146-0.

· Schmitt, Bernd. Customer Experience Management. (2003) Wiley. ISBN 0-471-23774-4.

· Snow, Dennis and Yanovitch, Teri. Unleashing Excellence. (2003) DC Press. ISBN 1-932021-06-X.

· Spector, Robert and McCarthy, Patrick D. The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence. (2005) Wiley. ISBN 0-471-70286-2.

· Zemke, Ron and Albrecht Karl. Service America. (1985) Irwin Professional. ISBN 0-87094-659-5.

It is not easy to embrace discontent. Organizations, driven to maintain stability—the raison d’être of “organization”—erect psychological barriers against discontent. Understandably, people in organizations resist disturbance. Established interests are, well, established. Discontent places people outside the comfort zone, which makes discontent a Pandora ’s Box—do not open under any circumstances!

The instance a team member is discontent and begins to question the status quo there is a disturbance. It's uncomfortable.  It  is a perspective changer! Yet, heart-felt, appropriate discontent inspires a person to take initiative. Without being pushed by exterior forces (often in spite of exterior constraints), this initiative produces something quite extraordinary: creativity. Creativity sprouts from initiative planted in the soil of discontent.

By the 1980’s Corning Glass had cornered the U.S. market for catalytic converters in cars. Catching them by surprise, a Japanese company produced a product that worked better at a lower price. Auto manufacturers put Corning on notice. It disturbed Corning, to say the least. They were forced to initiate a massive effort to beat the Japanese company. They succeeded. Corning’s forced discontent created a company-wide initiative that resulted in a creative solution: a superior product at a lower price.

But why didn’t the people at Corning develop this wonderful new product earlier? Contentment. They were content in their ostensibly lucrative position. Like many contented monoliths [here insert any one of many well-known companies who have slipped in recent years], Corning employees did not possess a creative discontent fostering the initiative to create their new product—until they tottered on the precipice of financial disaster. New ideas, new perspectives were buried beneath the contentment of (profitable) routine.

Two questions for teams of service providers:  Is there benefit to striking the spark of discontent?  What's the price of not doing so?

• Satisfied customers who return;
• Employees whose positive behavior is reinforced exchange by exchange—thus feeling better about their jobs;
• Coordination among departments to manage your customers’ experience better than the competition.

But, how do service professionals summon genuine, confident and consistent delivery of excellent customer service time after time? I believe it grows out of a personal and professional core from which an individual operates during each customer interaction. This core includes:

• What a professional service provider says to his or herself over and over;

• His or her mindset;

• Whether he or she knows how to demonstrate genuine concern behaviorally on the phone, in person or in written media;

• Readiness to hold up when they are the target;

• The picture he or she holds of him- or herself as a professional; as well as the picture they have of their organization.

There is no way around being a genuine, balanced professional. Jay Leno, Bill Cosby or John Stewart probably have off days. But do you see it in their professional performance? Night after night their consistency has made them hallmarks in their professions.  They have understood how to cultivate and maintain a postive personal and professional core.

• Self-confidence – positive self-esteem, notable ability
• Initiative – being proactive, self-motivated
• Assertiveness – expressing opinion without being rude
• Coping Skill – with stress and unruly customers or peers
• Adaptability/Flexibility – the ability to handle change
• Oral Communication Skill as a Rapport-builder – connecting with others
• Problem Solving Ability – diagnose causes of problems, formulate alternative solutions
• Listening Skill – actively listen to comprehend and establish rapport
• Self-control – the ability to keep your head when all about you is out of control

A personal and professional maturity is required to serve customers well. That's why we've built these competencies into our customer service process and tested their effectiveness over the years.  But, there will still be the ocassional person who doesn't have the DNA to do it.  Being alert to this fact allows service managers to do what's best for the company and an unsuitable person:  help them find a better career match outside the service organization.

1. Customers view customer contact persons as “the company” and as representatives of what the company means to them personally.
2. It is important to realize that everyone in an organization has customers: external (“paying”) customers and internal (work group and inter-work group) “customers.”
3. Customers want to know two things: (1) Do you do what you say you will? (2) How do you handle problems?
4. Organizations choose, consciously or unconsciously, to be financially driven and/or customer-driven. Organizations that work from a short-term, financially driven philosophy are not as effective in service situations.
5. Front line persons make most of an organization’s customer service decisions on a daily basis. When top management understands their key role and allows them to inform the organization about customer needs, everyone benefits.
6. The status of front line customer contact people can move from being the least educated, trained and paid to a position of value and respect.
7. Customer contact personnel, not managers, control the quality of the service product.
8. When management believes in the importance of good service and actively supports it, service improves.
9. Measuring customer service results leads to greater focus on the importance of individual efforts.
10. Customers perceive service to be “good” when positive individual interactions occur—crucial encounters that can be considered “moments of truth.”
11. When “customer first” behavior is rewarded it is repeated.
12. Customer service skill training is most effective when it is wall-to-wall.
13. Corporate culture either supports or impedes the customer service process.
14. “Customer first” attitudes along with results communicated continually to all employees in simple terms create a climate for quality customer service.
15. When corporate goals, policies and procedures reflect a “customer first” mind set, an organization fosters a rewarding service-focused climate.

Working with and within organizations for over 20 years, my focus has been to help them achieve their mission through Organizational & Human Development by bringing out the best in the organization, its people and processes. It's an interest that goes beyond theory, having run two companies and two non-profits, having been Director of Project Management for a software development company, having served on a senior management team of a national technology/finance company, held senior level responsibilities in a Fortune 500 company, in addition to supporting dozens of companies in reaching their goals. Some experiences in recent years include:

Organizational Development

• Strategic organizational development from assessment and diagnosis through implementation and evaluation for multi-site corporations and in turn-around initiatives.
• Organization-wide role clarification for and development of key corporate personnel.
• Team effectiveness and conflict interventions.
• Overseeing cross-unit coordination and alignment initiatives.
• Consulting with executives to integrate human systems and culture with organizational needs.
• Directing strategic planning and change management processes.
• Development and delivery of process improvement workshops.
• Corporate-wide, large scale strategic revenue & cost breakthrough initiatives.

Learning & Human Development

• Development and delivery of management and project management programs addressing personal professional development, organizational dynamics, effective management techniques, employee coaching & feedback skills.
• Customer relations training for large populations of personnel, supervisors and team leaders; training internal trainers to continue the programs and learning going forward.
• Company-wide executive and leadership development series (e.g., intensive 10-day in-class programs with additional projects for participants; 2-year program with monthly sessions).
• Coaching valued senior and mid-level executives: (1) those with future potential; and (2) those with professional issues threatening their continued leadership credibility.
• Team working sessions for large and small work units.
• Management learning as a fulcrum for strategic alignment of company operations with revenue goals.
• Conflict resolution and mediation services.
• Workshops designed to grow outstanding individual contributors.

In 2006 I’ve been privileged to work within organizations as diverse as Northwestern Mutual and Kimberly Clark, several of our National Defense Labs, (Lawrence Livermore and Sandia), The College Board, Ariba, Applied Biosystems, Man Financial, Qwest, a high-end home builder, a school district, and a number of smaller and mid-sized businesses.

A primary goal of this blog is to share my experiences with you and invite you to share experiences with others through this forum. Primary areas of interest are:

• Customer service training and best practices
• Management development and coaching
• Growing outstanding individual contributors
• Change management and transitions without faltering
• High performance teams
• Organizational development tools and approaches