HOW TO HANDLE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS EFFECTIVELY.
It is not always easy to deal with an irate client. However, if you know how to handle customer complaints effectively, it will only be to your benefit. If your company is known as the kind of place, where customers are valued and their complaints respected, you will soon develop a good name and customers will come looking for you, instead of the other way around.
A lot of people automatically become defensive when they are confronted with a customer complaint. This will only make the customer mad and give the impression that you or the company you work at are indeed at fault.
Do not avoid dealing with a complaint either. There should no passing the buck (or complaint) with phrases such as: “The person dealing with complaints are busy on the other phone now” or “My departments do not deal with complaints.”
So how do you handle customer complaints effectively?
• First, you listen: –
This person deserve having his say and you are going to stand still, not say a word, don’t look bored or aggressive and just listen. Do not tell customers to be calm either. If they are ranting, let them blow off some steam. You are just going to have to take it.
• Then, you agree: –
Let’s be honest, if you bought a product (let’s say a refrigerator) and it stopped working after two days, you are going to be irritated yourself. Imaging yourself in the customer’s position will help you have sympathy for his complaint. Watch the language though, don’t be condescending or patronizing.
• Now you apologise: –
This is not about your ego; it is about handling customer complaints effectively. An apology will take the irate customer by surprise and calm him down enough so that you can decide together how to handle the problem. You don’t have to admit quilt or agree that you are “the most stupidest person who ever walked the earth” but you can say something along the lines of “I am sorry that we charged your account twice. It was mistake that will be set right immediately.”
• Solve the problem: –
Solve the customer’s complaint as quickly as possible. If possible, do it with the customer standing right there next to you. If you have to phone or ask for permission, do it so immediately. The customer will see that you are serious about taking care of their complaint.
EXPLORING HUMANE, SAFE WAYS IN FIRING WORKERS.
How would you feel if on opening your mail box today at work, you meet an employment termination letter? The feelings would range from shock, outrage, humiliation and betrayal to, even contemplation of suicide, in some cases! Perhaps, you will feel all of the aforementioned or, at least, one of them will take possession of your mind, even if momentarily.
At such a time, one could imagine how an employer would prefer to intimate his employee that he is being asked to go through the internet.
But in this age of wireless and on-the –minute technology, it is not really that hard to envisage.
On the other hand, there have been cases of workers who take their employers to court for unlawful disengagement. These court actions usually force the companies to go through litigations they can ill-afford, in some of the cases. They spend human and material resources that would have been deployed differently and more profitably.
However, according to experts, while firing an employee is never pleasant, there are certainly right and wrong ways to go about it. Get it wrong, and you could cause unnecessary heartache for both of you; or worse end up in court, they say. They also warm that firing should always be the last step in bigger review process.
According to a management consultant and the Chief Executive, Leaders Consult, Ibadan, Mrs. Olufunnke Olugboji, taking these steps before firing an employee is not just about being systematic but also proper. She says that while it is good to let an employee that is not performing go, it will also be proper to expose him or her to every opportunity to make amends.
That, in the words of the Managing Director of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Dr. Dele Makanjuola, ensures that the exercise is done with a human face. Makanjuola, while insisting that every organization owes itself a duty to weed out the dead weights in its system, states that the manner in which it is done does matter and that it has to be done systematically, driven by individual employee performance.
He explains, “It is true that I did not leave my house this morning to come and take anyone’s job from him but if any employee becomes a dead wood in the system, we will not hold on to him. In every workplace, there must be differentiation; there must the high flyers, the average ones, the weak ones and supposedly ‘useless’ ones. There is a Yoruba proverb that says leave my house is not leave the world’
“Therefore, if any employee is in an organization and the management says, ‘sorry, we cannot go with you any longer’, it does not mean that he does not have other competencies that another organization can use. I always tell my managers never to shy away from taking that step but we do it with a human face and I always try to remind them that leaving Vitafoam will not be the end of the world. I think gradually that we are all getting it right.” He adds, “A company like General Electric in the United States has perfected the art of weeding ineffective people out of the system. They have developed this culture that at the end of every year, 10 percent of their employees must go. That is a performance-driven system because even if an employee scores 80 percent during appraisal, it does not mean that he is not going, since that 80 could be among the lowest 10percent. All they are trying to do is to employee quality; they have the best in the world.”
Another way to fire an employee without coming across as monster is to have a pre-termination counseling. According to Olugboji, the counseling aspect is very important, especially as it leaves the employee feeling better about himself and his professional capabilities.
“During the counseling, you explain to the employee the reason he is being asked to go and other opportunities available for him outside your organization. This helps to boost the employee’s morale and also tempers any negative feelings towards the company,” she adds.
It is also good to explore what experts call an exit interview during the firing process.
It is best to, “Explain to the employee that you have some bad news for them. Next explain any documentation of employee counseling sessions, special training provided to the employee in the recent past about these issues.
She adds, “Explain to the employee that no further recourse is available to try to resolve the problem. It is unfair to expect other employees to perform the extra work resulting from this employee’s problems. Of course, if are laying off the employee because of downsizing, you should explain this as well.”
Finally, the experts warn that in order to protect the organization, efforts should be made to change any passwords that gives the employee access to any computer network accounts, financial records or other sensitive materials. This, they say, should be done before the firing.
MASTERING STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY.
Spending time getting to know your customers will help you reap long term benefits in profitability. Learn how to build a customer loyalty strategy.
The winds “they are a changing, my friend”. The current state of the economy, failing financial systems, fluctuating prices and high unemployment have caused many of us to pause and evaluate opportunities to reduce expenses and to optimize our performance.
As our economy continues to fluctuate, controlling expenses and optimizing service levels from partners and vendors are going to become the focus for all of our customers.
We all must be sensitive to these “changing winds” and enhance the experience of our customers each time we interact with them.
We must go back to the basics of serving our customers and take the actions that make a difference. The simple actions-a patient ear, a “please”, a “thank you”’ a quick update on status (even if you do not have update to give – the fact that you are reaching out to let them know you are working on their problem goes a long way) and a smile that can be heard over the phone are all simple things that we can do each and every day to stand apart from our competition.
The art of hospitality can be very profitable, but it does take some practice and effort. To succeed, you must be dedicated to customer service first, always demonstrating that you care about their issues. Although customer may not always be right, we all must agree that is okay for them to be wrong.
Treat everyone with concern and compassion. After all, our business is not about us – it’s about the people we service and that single fact is more critical now as we navigate the winds. Below are some strategies that when applied will evolve your customer service to the next level.
• Know your customer
Customers are not a dime a dozen they come with variety of different characteristics, desires, needs and expectations. It is important to know everything that you can about your customers to ensure you are offering the most value. From basic information, name address, title and area of responsibility to wants, needs and pressures and everything in between, it is important to understand your customer to enhance communication, articulate your proposition and to develop the foundation for trust.
• Develop a customer strategy
Companies spend a lot of time and money developing strategic plans for their business, their technology solutions, operational strategic but rarely develop a customer strategic. Developing a good plan to enhance each client’s individual experience will result in uncovering areas where you excel that may easily translate to another client. By writing a strategy on each client and personalizing that strategy based upon what you know your customers.
You will memorialize a systematic approach and philosophy that will be easily followed by all in your company.
• What your workspace says about you.
If you spend a lot of time at a desk, personalizing the space makes sense – whether it’s private corner office or a shared cubicle. But just as your clothes and body language make an impression on others; your workspace gives co-workers and clients a distinct impression about you. Plants, books, artwork— even your name plaque — transmit clues about your efficiency, your sociability, and your competence, experts say. “Everything in your office sends a message, whether you want it to or not,” says Ms. Lisa Marie Luccioni, an adjunct professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati.
So what might they be thinking when they see your space?
You’d rather be fishing (or skiing, or skydiving, or building birdhouses). Pictures and artifacts from your hobby on every surface.
There’s delicate balance between sharing your interests and giving the impression that you are daydreaming all day about jumping out of planes or skiing, according to Mr. Barbara Pachter, business etiquette expert and the author of “New Rules at Work” she said, “Pictures of your hobby are good conversation starters, but if you have too many of them, it makes people wonder whether you are really daydreaming about fly fishing.”
“Things like an open door, candy, a comfortable guest chair, and photos of people but not pictures of objects—signal an extroverted workspace that people will feel free to linger in, “says Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at University of Texas.
They shouldn’t hang around. Flimsy guest chair, guest covered in files, or no guest chair. Your desk faces away from guests. Minimal or no decoration.
Even if your office has photos or artwork, but they have to be images of things and not people, [people] can make an assumption you’re more introverted and might not want them to linger,” Gosling says.
Evidence that you demand respect may include multiple degrees on the wall, awards on the shelf, pictures of you and important people, magazines featuring articles about you. The plaque on your desk says your full name and title, and lists your advanced degrees.
Name plaques form a strong impression. If it says just your first name, people assume you are friendly and approachable. If it has a formal title, they think you want to be respected for your rank,” Luccioni says.
You have just been hired, you have just been fired, or you’d like to leave soon. Or you’d rather be temping may be evidence in files in boxes, no decorations, no books, no plants, no pictures and no name plaque.
Messy piles of papers on every surface suggest that people should stop doing business with you. Half-eaten donuts atop teetering stacks of blinders. Carpet stains and so on.
Experts agree that a messy office can seriously damage your reputation as a conscientious person. It’s hard to function in messy office, and people assume your office chaos will spill over to their project and their files will be lost in your mess,” Pachter says.
Gosling points to research that shows people read much more than they should into a messy office. “People think that someone with a messy office is less agreeable, which may not be accurate. My guess is, people assume a mess is inconsiderate,” he says.
You don’t take the whole “work thing” too seriously is evidenced in humorous posters, ironic bumper stickers, whimsical images, and toys.
Experts have several suggestions on making sure your workspace matches the image you want to project.
If clients visit you or if you’re in a high-traffic area, you want to make sure people don’t stop in their tracks to gawk at your collection of teddy bears or tiki torches.
Be careful with controversial items. “Consider the cost, reward ratio of putting up something like a political campaign poster, “Luccioni says. You might offend people and get a first meeting off to a bad start.” All experts say anything potential racist, sexist, or homophobic, or otherwise disparaging of a group, is no-no.
Check your employee handbook, or ask HR. your company probably has some guidelines on decorating your work space. They might not even permit any decoration, which makes the issue moot.
Follow industry norms. Some industries demand a strict image of seriousness, while others are more laid back. A poster with a funny or counterculture slogan would be more appropriate in the office of an advertising copywriter than the office a defense attorney.
Consider the physical arrangement. “A desk can act as a barrier and give formality, which is good for reviews but can be intimidating, “Luccioni says. She adds that a small circular table allows everyone to meet on an equal basis. A power difference, if you want that, can be achieved by giving guests smaller, flimsier chairs.
And if you tend to make snap judgments about others’ offices, try to look at the bigger picture, Gosling recommends.
“Any one item can have many different purposes. If someone has a plant, maybe they have a green thumb, maybe they’re into feng shui, or maybe the last plant was left over from the last person in that office. If you see someone with a super neat desk, how do you know whether they swept everything into a drawer before you stopped by?”
PRINCIPLES FOR BECOMING EMPLOYER OF CHOICE
Employers are looking for a new approach to reach their business goals. The ability to attract, optimize, and retain top talent is a vital component to achieving this objective. In her presentation at this year’s World at Work annual conference, Ms. Sandy Asch, author of “Excellence at Work-The Six Keys to Inspire Passion in the Workplace,” addressed how employers could transform and reward employee performance and offered six things employers could do to become an employer of choice.
• Use your word wisely.
It is important to communicate with employees with honesty openness, and respect. Communications should focus on what is possible.
• Be accountable.
Employers should act proactively and be committed to truth telling, focusing on the question rather than offering excuses or explanations.
• Focus. By focusing on independent goals, employers can extract the greatest value from the efforts of employees.
• Mine the gold.
Employees and managers should strive to bring out the best in their employees, and be committed to collaboration and cooperation.
• Strive for balance.
Employees will be vital and energetic at work as a result of a balance life. Employers should therefore give their employees the opportunity to refresh and renew.
• Light up. Perhaps the most difficult of the six principles, employees should not take themselves so seriously. Employers and their employees should seek to bring laughter and joy to the workplace and look for opportunities to make other people’s day. Asch stressed that these principles must be adopted by everyone in the organization from the top down.
HOW TO BE AN ‘A-LIST’ EMPLOYEE
Everyone understands the importance of “marketing” ourselves in our careers-selling our skills, our experience, our education, our accreditation, and our professional values to our current and future employers. What we often forget, however, is the importance of the “qualities” or “attributes” that signal a top performer. In fact, in survey after survey asking managers and leaders what they look for in model employees, attributes are frequently the first mentioned not skills, not education, not certification, but rather personal attributes and qualities that separate top performers from the pack.
Throughout all of these surveys, while many unique features appear, common themes keep coming to the surface. Below you will find the top five qualities that appear again and again. If you can demonstrate these qualities on the job, highlight them come promotion time, and communicate them in an interview, then you will definitely identify yourself as a top performer. Separate yourself from the competition, and advance your career.
• Self-motivated/lifelong learner
Being self motivated refers not only to getting the job done without being told, but more importantly it means taking responsibility for doing whatever is necessary to get job done, and making certain that you have the tools to get the job done. In other words, employers are looking for people with passion for self-improvement; people who will manage their own personal and professional development, learn aggressively, and take the initiative to get the expertise required to add more value to the company. Hiring managers very often look to the education section of a resume to see if candidates have continued learning and growing as part of their career. So, take control of your professional development and growth.
• Interpersonal skills
Most people will agree that good interpersonal skills are important. But what do we really mean by it? Ultimately, it boils down to this: “getting along.”
Getting along with others, whether customers or colleagues, is at the heart of fitting in with the culture of a company, being a valuable part of your team, and being successful. Only in rare cases will a company reward the unpopular, unfriendly “lone wolf” who nevertheless delivers results – it may pay off short term, people just get tired of putting up with it, especially if it affects team performance. So get along with those you work with, and those you work for. “Fitting in and getting along” may not be in your performance targets, but it will pay off big time!
• Think Strategically
Employers want people who can not only focus on their area(s) of expertise, but who can also see where and how it fits in with the big picture strategic thinkers are always looking to find out where the organization needs or wants to go next, and then they position themselves to help the organization get there.
In other words, in addition to doing your assigned job, try to see your organization (or your division or department) as your customer’s needs.
The better you understand your company’s strategy and the more you can contribute to its value, the better job you can do in communicating your value is ideally a matter of positioning your skills, experience, and knowledge in the context of what’s important to the company – if you continue to think strategically and contribute strategically, you will start to stand out as someone who can really make a difference.
• Inquisitive/champion innovation
Top performers are always looking for a better way to do things, and top employers are always looking for these people. You don’t necessarily have to be the person to build the better mousetrap, but if you keep an open mind, question the status quo, and encourage innovation and out-of-the-box thinking from those around you, you may be the one who recognizes the need for the better mousetrap.
So, be inquisitive and ask questions both of yourself and what you see around you. Whether you have the power to influence your organization or just your own desktop, if you can help it stay on the cutting edge, you’ll stand out as a top performer.
• Flexibility/ adaptability to change.
This is not a new concept, but it often remains the difference between those that move ahead and those that stay behind. Business is about change – those who embrace it will thrive, and those who resist it will not. It’s that simple. However, embracing or rejecting change really only differentiates the good performers from the poor performers.
EFFECTIVE WAYS TO MANAGE EMPLOYEES IN A DOWNTURN
Managing in the public sector is never an easy task, but the current economic situation makes it more difficult than ever.
One thing that is very clear is that those who remain employed have it better than people who have already lost their jobs because of the recession. There is a substantial body of research showing that becoming unemployed (when it’s not voluntary) has damaging consequences to psychological health. It is also clear that, on balance, work is beneficial for physical and psychological health.
So what are the key issues for managers during these difficult times? First and foremost, of course, people may be concerned about the security of their employment and may worry about the possible ways in which their job could be forced to change because of underlying economic pressures.
We already know that the key factors that influence people’s mental wellbeing at work can be summarized quite concisely: relationships with others at work (including the boss); work overload; lack of control; unfair pay and benefits; problems with work-life balance; lack of resource or poor communications cover most of the main issues.
A quick look at some of the more recent results (from a sample of more than 20,000 people) produces some interesting insights in the current economic context. The results show that most view their relationship with others at work quite positively. Only nine per cent of people report being troubled by poor relationships with colleagues at work.
One possible area of concern for managers, which may be related to the economic climate, is how people feel about others pulling their weight. In fact, our results show that more than 50 per cent of people report being concerned, to some degree, that they do not receive the support from others (boss/colleagues) that they would like. As the impact of the credit crunch increases and workforce become leaner, people in many workplaces may be expected to do more – per-haps making it harder to be supportive and helpful to colleagues. Nearly 60 per cent of our most recent sample reported some concern that others are not pulling their weight, compared with closer to 50 per cent in the preceding eight months.
The results are from different organizations, so are not necessarily caused by changes over time. Nevertheless, this does suggest that ensuring that the workplace feels likes an equitable place is an area where managers should work particularly hard during the recession.
As well as influencing how people feel about their colleagues, the recession could have an impact across all of the areas that influence people’s wellbeing at work. Maintaining the capacity to manage effectively with limited, and perhaps decreasing, resources – without damaging the psychological wellbeing of their people – could be the biggest challenge faced by managers.
There is a great deal of research showing that managers can have a major impact on the psychological wellbeing of their people. It is perhaps obvious that extreme or abusive management styles could lead to psychological distress. What may be less obvious is that even relatively minor infringements of good management behaviour may also have a significant impact on the mental health of employees.
Even quite minor shortfalls in relation to workplace justice by a manager (reminding an employee of past mistakes, criticizing him/her to others, or failing to listen to problems) can be linked to psychological distress and even to subsequent physical health problems. However, good leadership and management is associated with positive employee outcomes. Factors such as good communications and group maintenance are examples of good management practices that make a difference, but that may come under threat when times are tough.
Although the recession may bring particular challenges for managers, there are many positives involved in trying to sustain employee wellbeing. Challenge itself is psychologically healthy so nurturing the wellbeing of employees will definitely not involve removing, or even reducing, the challenge from their work. Our survey results support this, with 90 per cent of employees agreeing, to some degree, that they would prepared to take on more responsibility, or new tasks not in their job description, if they were asked to do so. In fact, research in organizations shows that when people see changes as challenging they actually lead to improved job satisfaction.
By contrast, changes that are viewed as threatening damage job satisfaction and lead to higher levels of distress and sickness absence. So, perhaps managers may be able to expect more from people during these difficult times if they play their own role effectively. The objective for managers, in this sense, is to ensure that the demands they make on people are seen as challenging rather than threatening; an approach that will yield better results and be good for organization, managers and employees alike.
