I try to find training topics that are relevant to what you are currently doing or what you have been doing, or what you can look forward to doing in the future. Our summer months are often our more intense months when it comes to customer service, and usually by this point you are mentally and physically fried, right? Well, I am hoping a few tips, a new idea or two, and a little inspiration in the area of customer service might just help revive some of your spirit! After all, if we did not have park guests, why would we even be here!
We are going to take a look at one aspect of customer service, our phone techniques and skills. Today, not only do our administrative support staff answer our phones, but our field Rangers answer duty phones, and our seasonal staff answer phones in contact stations and visitor centers. Often the first contact a customer has with us these days is via our web page, or via that first phone call for information. The impression we make with this very first contact often sets the tone for their entire visit. Don't we often complain that our Reservation Service doesn't get this right? Well, we as individuals do not have direct control over them, however we do have control over how we present ourselves at our park, or in our offices, or in the field.
Customer Service is about creating the WOW! It is not just meeting the need, but exceeding the need and the want of a customer. It is about building the special factor and yes that can begin on the phone!
Outstanding customer service is often just one small extra step!
The following tips come from Dale Carnegie Quick tips for Outstanding Customer Service with a focus primarily on telephone customer service. www.dalecarnegie.comTelephone Courtesy
- Push your personality through the phone.
- Be conversational
- Use the customer's name.
- Give your full name.
- Listen for understanding
- Ask open-ended questions
- All the person time to think and speak
- Fill the silence when appropriate.
- Be a responsive listener.
- Smile
- Call instead of e-mail
- Take ownership. Don't blame others.
- Stand up when you can.
- Ask permission before using speaker phone or placing someone on hold.
- Speak at the same rate as the other person.
- Pause between ideas for clarity.
- Always thank the caller.
Complaint Resolution Process
Greet - Always greet in a friendly way as though you are happy to hear from them.
Listen - Really listen to people. Give them an opportunity to vent some frustration. Be empathetic.
Questions - Ask questions to clarify the concern.
- Elementary Questions - capture basic facts of the problem
- Elaborative Questions - gather more details
- Evaluative Questions - help to gain understanding of the severity of the issue, in the mind of the customer.
Address the Issue - Do everything in your power to resolve the practical aspects of the complaint.
Test Questions - As questions to test how well you have resolved the emotional and practical sides of the complaint. Be a good listener!
Offer Additional Help - Ask what else you can do for the customer. Allows you to turn the conversation from the complaint and end on a positive note.
Follow Through - Often, complaints cannot be resolved completely at point of first contact. If needed, get back to the customer in a quick and thorough manner.
A couple of additional resources that you might find helpful:
TelephoneDoctor
HelpScout Customer Service Skills
Thinking out of the box! How many of you have ever purchased something from Zappos.com? They like Disney have built a brand around their outstanding customer service, and it came from thinking outside the box. While you are probably saying what does this have to do with government service and specifically the Park Service - we are not a corporation! Look beyond the obvious and find the themes - I bet you will find that they are very applicable to what we do!
This first video just gives you a little background on Zappos and their Culture - you could definitely call them out of the box!
This video gives you some information on their teamwork and basic customer service philosophy.
CEO, Tony Hsieh shares some key customer service points.
I leave you with one parting question - are you providing the iceberg or the island?
Thanks for the reminders and good suggestions.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting a comment - were you able to access all 4 videos on the blog, Jaime?
ReplyDeleteThis looks great, I well need to watch the videos tomorrow, can't get them to load on my phone. But this is a great topic.
ReplyDeleteI was able to access all 4 videos, and now I want to buy more stuff from Zappos! I would like to make a recommendation for a training session on supervising. Even those of us who are not official PSS still supervise seasonal employees. I know there have been some difficult situations I have had to deal with in this arena, and think it may be easier if I had some training on how to be a good supervisor, and how to deal with difficult working situation dynamics. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestion and we are actually looking at one of our spring in-service classes to be a session on Coaching and Mentoring. Feel Free to look for some out-service training opportunities - if you find something you like start the out-service training process.
DeleteI enjoyed all the videos, and I think the cartoon is entirely appropriate for the customer service arena.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that, although some of us provide the front-line customer service to our visitors, all of us in the Park Service must know how to give the customers the best experience possible. Without our customers, we have no reason to be here.
Now a (hopeful) question...when's superhero day in the MPS?
Have a terrific day...
Humm...Superhero day! Who would you be?
DeleteThat's a good question, Robin...I haven't given it much thought...
DeleteCan a cape be part of the official uniform?
A lot of good information. Thanks for the reminders :) Videos were fun, almost made me want to work in the office.
ReplyDeleteJust think we could have that much fun and be in the outdoors too! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI have thought for some time that we need trainers throughout the Park Service providing annual customer service training to our seasonal staff and our classified staff. Much like the annual BBPPT or Sexual Harrassment Awareness training we are required to take each year, we must train our staff in this topic. Sure we all cover it to some degree in our seasonal training, I hope. Customer Service is the primary thing we do, yet it isn't required or standardized. Let's fix that.
ReplyDeleteThe western parks have been including customer service training as part of their annual seasonal training for years (it's STILL best in the west). There is a program that I found out about last year from my daughter, who works for a chain pharmacy company (I can't tell you their name but the initials are CVS) is called the "GOT Heart" program and sums things up nicely. G - Greet people as they come in the office or even as you see them in the park. Doing so opens the door for them to respond and breaks the ice, so they feel more comfortable in talking with you. O - offer assistance, ask them how you can assist them whether it's simply by answering a question or providing help in picking out an item you sell in your camp store. This further helps to establish a connection with them and shows you genuinely care about them being there. T - Thank them when you are finished, let them know you appreciate them coming to your park and that you want them to come back. So easy to remember and to use. I use this approach every day even when I am walking through the day use area and see people there. I get a lot of people to open up and ofer suggestions for things they would like to see or improvements to the park they recommend. I encourage you to do the same, you'll be surprised at the response you will get. from people.
DeleteI like it! Thanks for sharing Al.
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