Customer service

Tips and Recommendations from Guru Mike Nixon

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mikenixon
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Customer service

#1

Post by mikenixon »

Because of my passion for this industry, I often find myself thinking about management when I deal with a business's front desk. As I'm interacting with the person, I am open to nuances and clues as to how the individual was trained, telling indicators of the ethic of the people above him or her. You can detect this easily. Good management shows. And really good management really shows. Some may think otherwise, but the ethic of the owner of the business is demonstrated in the attitude and actions of front-line staff. Unmistakably. I have fun with this. Restaurants, rental outfits, whtever, it's always on the forefront of my mind. And, sadly, I am often disappointed (don't get me started about the U.S. Post Office!), though pleasantly surprised sometimes also.

When I trained dealer managers and principals years ago I used to stare into the nearest one's face and say to them all, "The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers." This got their attention. I went on, "It's nonsense to think otherwise. They may *want* to treat them better, and that means you hired right. But in the end they won't. It's human nature. We give what we get. If you are inconsistent, unfair, or immoral in the presence and hearing of your people, guess what? They will be the same to your customers, to a significant degree. It might as well be in their DNA." Some of my students were startled by this, some indifferent. But it was eye-opening for many and just a hint of what was in store for them in the coming days of the course.

Herb Kelleher, the late, controversial, famous maverick founder and CEO of Southwest Airlines, was a kind of prophet for treating employees right. He constantly preached, "Your people come first, and if you treat them right, they'll treat the customers right", and, "The essential difference in service is not machines or things. The essential difference is minds, hearts, spirits, and souls.” Herb, rest in peace. I wish there were more like you.
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05c50
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Re: Customer service

#2

Post by 05c50 »

100 per cent agree. I worked for some of the worst and some of the best owners and it was quite obvious which was which just by interacting with their employees. When an employee sees the boss going the extra mile to satisfy a customer the employee will do their part to see that it happens. When the employee "handles" it correctly, it makes the bosses job much easier.

......Paul
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Re: Customer service

#3

Post by pidjones »

It goes on up to the big boys. In 2000, I started with a small company of ~150 in Service Tech Support group. The company was great to work for, and the "team" was the entire company all the way to the CEO. We kicked our competitor's (a couple major multi-nationals) cans in satisfaction surveys and took over many of their service contracts. Then '05 we were bought out by on of those big boys, and many customers were not happy because they had switched from that company to ours. I had moved to training by then, and heard from customer engineers how things had changed. We lost some of our best talent. The big compant made moneybecause of the patents and installed base we had developed. Management quadrupled and I couldn't pick the last three division president's pictures from a lineup. Our part of the company, building $1.25 million-dollar machines, ceased production in 2017 with around 250 machines built and sold. Production of our major seller - a $1 to 2 million medical device was moved to a big Northern city. 43 employees were offered transfer, all declined. I retired end of September 2017 and saved another employee's job doing so. Instead of Christmas parties and summer picnics, it went to a Holiday Breakfast - coffee and pasties that were supposed to be served by the executives, but instead served by HR while the executives huddled to keep the others from approaching the. Oh, and the executives began taking "retreats" at resorts. The old company had ALL service employees at meetings on Islamorada - all paid and bring the family. You can imagine how service attitude and quality changed.
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mikenixon
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Re: Customer service

#4

Post by mikenixon »

Some say this is what is happening to Boeing. I don't know, but a compelling case seems able to be made...
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Re: Customer service

#5

Post by 77Gowing »

From the other side of the counter.
I used to work in retail customer service. So I have a heart for those that service the public. I go out of my way as a patron to say hello and if possible use a persons name on their name tag. This applies to counter personnel and all wait staff I encounter.
My grandkids make fun of my affable nature. They all at one time or another ask, "Why do you always talk to people you don't even know? That's weird." I explain that 1. They are people and not our slaves and they like a friendly customer. 2. For the opportunity. The than ask "what opportunity?" And I tell then that "you don't know what you don't know." The clerk may volunteer that there is a big sale going on for the type if wares that I have in my cart, or even suggest an item that I may have forgotten...who knows. If I had not broken the ice I likely would have not learned a thing. I've also been offered many employment opportunities by demonstrating I have more of a personality than a dead fish. I'm always asked if I want a job regularly. The stores I go to have clerks that know me on sight and in some cases by name.
The save applies to a Doctor's office visit. I often prepare for my visit with a bit of research on my issues to provide intelligent comments and questions regarding what ails me. The physician is way more responsive to me then. I get much more face time and several of my physicians have become great friends.

Opportunity indeed!
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5speed
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Re: Customer service

#6

Post by 5speed »

Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough, so they don't want to.
Richard Branson.
I spent 18 years in retail / wholesale sales before getting sent to prison..
I worked for big box stores, Chrysler and small mom and pop stores.
I've seen great customer service and support and i've seen the worst.
I don't have a university degree but it's always been my belief that if you treat your customers like they are the most important folks to you..you can't help but succeed.
My favourite job in sales was working in automotive parts depts. My favourite part of that job was helping someone find a unicorn horn.
One of my favourite experiences was when I worked in the parts dept at a Canadian Tire.
Had a local guy show up with a chrome mag wheel for his beetle. He told me he bought them in California while on vacation and looked for center caps for them starting where he bought the mag wheels and couldn't find any after stopping at numerous speed shops,parts stores across the US. :shock:
We had a set of 4 center caps we had ordered in for a customer months ago that he never came and picked up. On a whim I got one, tried it and it fit like a glove. The owner of the wheels couldn't believe it.
Had another customer show up with the inner cup and dust shield for a wheel cylinder. When I asked him what it was from he wouldn't tell me. Said every store he had been to when he told them what it was for he was told "ya..we don't have any, can't get them,etc,etc."
I said..well humor me..so he said they are for a 49 ford.
It was a slow morning so..I took him out to the aisle out back where our wheel cylinders were and said "start looking". lol
We went thru almost every wheel cylinder box and found the right size internal cup and dust shield. I looked the product # up and gave him the year, make and model of the vehicles they fit for future reference and he left with 4 wheel cylinder kits to fix 2 wheel cylinders.
1 more story..this one is funny in the reaction of the store manager.
We had a school for hearing impaired students in town and one of them owned a lada. He was completely deaf so used a pen and paper to communicate. His penmanship was equivalent to a Dr and on one of his visits for the life of me I couldn't figure out what he wanted. We were using fiche machines back then to look up parts.
So I dug out the card for his car, put it in the machine, got him to come around behind the counter, pointed to the index and he pointed to the list where the part he needed would be. I moved the card to that section, showed him how to navigate the card around and let him go at it.
This became our routine when he showed up. He would wait until it was his turn then come behind the counter and look his part up.
Well one day while he was doing that the general manager walked by, looked at him, kept going, then stopped,turned around and looked at him, then me.
I smiled cause I knew what was coming. He called me aside, nodded towards my customer and asked "uh..did I hire him?" :lol:
I explained what was going on, he said "oh..awesome"..don't let him wait on anyone" and walked away. He was one of the best bosses I ever worked for which is why I did what I did..because I knew he would be okay with it.
My current employer (federal gov't) is by far the worst employer I have ever worked for for many many reasons. total lack of respect for their employee's being at the top of that list. my agency has continuously scored at the bottom of the list of federal public service employers in regards to the "best place to work"..
I am very glad my career is coming to an end..prematurely but necessary for my health.
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mikenixon
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Re: Customer service

#7

Post by mikenixon »

"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to."
Richard Branson.

Love that! And great life examples, too!
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5speed
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Re: Customer service

#8

Post by 5speed »

mikenixon wrote:"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to."
Richard Branson.

Love that! And great life examples, too!
Tks Mike. Most enjoyable job I've had..
Here is another funny one...and a test.
Anyone know what a "battleship gasket" is? :mrgreen:
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mikenixon
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Re: Customer service

#9

Post by mikenixon »

5speed wrote:
mikenixon wrote:"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to."
Richard Branson.

Love that! And great life examples, too!
Tks Mike. Most enjoyable job I've had..
Here is another funny one...and a test.
Anyone know what a "battleship gasket" is? :mrgreen:
Not me. What is it?
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5speed
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Re: Customer service

#10

Post by 5speed »

mikenixon wrote:
5speed wrote:
mikenixon wrote:"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to."
Richard Branson.

Love that! And great life examples, too!
Tks Mike. Most enjoyable job I've had..
Here is another funny one...and a test.
Anyone know what a "battleship gasket" is? :mrgreen:
Not me. What is it?
well..after a rather animated conversation with the elderly man that asked for it..the intake manifold gasket for a 1982 chev malibu with a 305.. "you know, that thing on the motor that looks like a battleship.." :mrgreen:
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mikenixon
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Re: Customer service

#11

Post by mikenixon »

Ah. His frame of reference... :)
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5speed
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Re: Customer service

#12

Post by 5speed »

mikenixon wrote:Ah. His frame of reference... :)
never did ask if he was a Navy Veteran. lol
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