tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243000446846423788.post4412033925882911466..comments2023-09-23T06:18:21.220-04:00Comments on Richard Pachter: Customer Service books reviewedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243000446846423788.post-44644235226228795512008-08-06T20:52:00.000-04:002008-08-06T20:52:00.000-04:00All employees do have a customer service function,...All employees do have a customer service function, even if they do not deal directly with the people who buy their company's products or services. Co-workers who rely on their work are their customers.<BR/><BR/>While in a perfect world it would be nice for all employees to be able to deal directly with customers, if an employee does not possess sufficient product/policy/etc. knowledge, and does not have excellent customer service skills, they can do harm than good in some situations (for example an employee saying, "I agree the company should do that for you" in a situation where what the customer wants is against company policy).<BR/><BR/>It takes a well run company, one that values employee training and development to be in a position where it can feel comfortable empowering all its employees to handle customer issues. Customer service is a science and needs to be performed correctly to help add to the profitability of the business.<BR/><BR/>Making matters worse is that some companies have no handle on how to effectively train employees to ensure proper customer service is being delivered. How many times have you heard a statement from supposedly trained customer service rep like, "Your problem <I>should</I> be resolved". The word should has no business being in that sentence. That word can lead to an unpleasant interaction between the customer and employee (what do you mean should be resolved, it better be resolved) which can lead to customer dissatisfaction, bad word of mouth, and no repeat business. The sentence needs to be, "Your problem is resolved."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243000446846423788.post-9177026369355366902008-08-05T16:42:00.000-04:002008-08-05T16:42:00.000-04:00Thanks, Jay!I'm from the school of thought (and ac...Thanks, Jay!<BR/><BR/>I'm from the school of thought (and action) that says EVERYONE is responsible for customer service.<BR/><BR/>When all employees are empowered to address customers' concerns, the whole business benefits, imho, except for those who don't want to participate, and can't be bothered because it's "not their job."raphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13603930950971861594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243000446846423788.post-15936997914733313102008-08-04T13:54:00.000-04:002008-08-04T13:54:00.000-04:00I am a former Service Director with Citibank, and ...I am a former Service Director with Citibank, and currently work for the Palm Beach County Resource Center, an economic development not for profit corporation that helps small businesses and agree that customer service is vital to the success of any business. At Citibank I generated a customer service profitability model for the bankcard division that quantified the additional revenue earned from providing excellent service. I also just wrote a book, <A HREF="http://www.outskirtspress.com/Goldberg" REL="nofollow">How to Get, Keep and Be Well Paid in a Job</A> (ISBN: 9781432725297) that is available at online bookstores stores and covers the topic of customer service (along with many other work readiness topics). The book is a great customer service (plus) training tool for employees. It covers why customer service is important, and how to perform customer service effectively. The book even covers specific customer service skills such as choosing the right words, personal signals, recognizing customer comments as questions, statements or objections, and much more.<BR/><BR/>Superb customer service is vital, but employees need to know how to deliver it effectively. Check out my book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com