The Guardian: You

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National Association of Credit Management8840 Columbia 100 ParkwayColumbia, MD 21045-2158Phone [phone]Fax [phone]
The Guardian Youre In Charge-Take Charge
Influencing Your Customers Behavior Breakout
Session September 18, 2007 Edith C. Varley

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FACTOID
The root of all conflict is unmet expectation.
ECV
Nobody cares what you know until they know you
care. Anonymous
The only way to influence another human being is
to find out what they need and show them how to
get it. D. Carnegy
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DATA
If you dont feel the love. there is a good
chance your customers dont either.
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Key Principles to Influencing Your Customers
Behavior

• Human Beings Need to Feel
• Respected, valued, special I am careful not to
  make customers feel embarrassed when they make a
  mistake.
• Heard, understood, cared about I listen closely
  to what customers say. I express an understanding
  of customers feelings.
• Involved in decisions that affect them I ask
  customers ideas even when I already have a good
  solution of my own.

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What Infuriates Customers/You?

• List the top things that you least like to see,
  hear, or be exposed to as a customer

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Key Service Steps Influencing Your Customers
Behavior

• Simple Ideas/Service Steps
• Greet in order to welcome them
• Use their name in order to respect them
• Ask their need in order to serve them
• Thank in order to validate them
• Invite them back in order to build loyalty
• Create a positive memorable experience worth
  repeating again and again

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DIS-Satisfied Customers
Talkers are dissatisfied and they tell you about
it calmly and politely or loudly and angrily. I
apologize for problems and inconveniences, even
when Im not directly responsible. Walkers are
dissatisfied and they dont tell you about it.
Their behavior may provide clues or they might
appear satisfied. I try to determine the source
of the customers dissatisfaction and take
responsibility for making sure the problem is
fixed. DIS is a powerful prefix
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Enhancing Customer Experience

• Hear them out- listen
• Empathize-play it back acknowledge their feelings
  of dissatisfaction
• Apologize-for their inconvenience
• Take responsibility for action-keep your promise
  to them

Taking the HEAT
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Shaping Up to Serve the Customer
Your Experience

• Describe a challenging customer service
  situation you have faced recently.
• How did you handle the situation?
• How might it be handled in the future using Key
  Principles, Service Steps and Taking the Heat?
• What would others in the group suggest?

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Influencing Your Customers Behavior Using
Smart Starts and Your SHAPE 1 Attitude A
positive attitude is critical for telephone
success- strengthens your credibility, heightens
your energy level, spreads to the caller 2
Energy Level Attracts your callers attention
and keeps it 3 Workplace Preparation Maintain
a clutter-free, comfortable and cheerful work
environment. Set yourself up for success with
pens, message pads, internal telephone
directories, office supplies, calendar,
calculator and necessary reference materials
within arms reach. 4 Body Posture Sit up
straight, speak directly into mouthpiece

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Influencing Your Customers Behavior Using
Smart Starts and Your SHAPE 5 The Telephone
Smile Smiling improves the quality of your tone
and increases the likelihood of friendly
conversation 6 Voice Tone Aim to sound upbeat,
clear, direct, natural, and in control of your
emotions (listen to your own voice message) 7
Wholehearted Listening Give caller your full
attention, take notes, ask questions, repeat
important information and focus on problem
solving without human carnage 8 Avoid Slang Use
Easily Understood Language, overworked words,
technical expressions and acronyms

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Internal Customer Service Questionnaire
Date To From What two or three things do you
like best about my service to you? I want to
provide ideal service how would you describe
ideal service? What could I do right away to take
better care of your needs as a customer? In what
ways would this improvement benefit you and your
customers? Note Please return to me with your
comments at your earliest convenience and no
later than two weeks from today.
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Customer Service Action Plan
Using Your SHAPE

• Assess where you are now Principles, Service
  Steps, Taking HEAT
• Create a plan on how you are going to implement
  two customer service outcomes of importance
• Execute the plan for customer service improvement
  and circle back each month using the ACE method
  of feedback

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Recap Influencing Your Customers Behavior
Teacher Do people learn from you? Leader Are
people inspired by you? Consultant Do people
trust you? Exemplar Do you model the way?
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Resource Reading Now, Discover Your Strenghts,
Buckingham, Clifton The Essential Drucker, P.F.
Drucker Soar With Your Strengths, Clifton,
Nelson The Art of Possibility, Zander and
Zander Good to Great, Jim Collins Built to Last,
Collins/Porras First Break All the Rules,
Buckingham/Coffman Getting Past No, William
Ury Execution, Bossidy/Charan Where Have All The
Leaders Gone? Iaccoca Love Is The Killer APP, T.
Sanders Emotional Intelligence, D. Goleman The
Art of War, Sun Tzu Nuts, Herb Kelleher Leadership
and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institue Primal
Leadership, Boyatzis, McKee, Goleman, Winning,
Jack Welch and Suzie Welch Trusted Advisor, D.H.
Maister Psycho-Cybernetics and Self-Fulfillment,
M. Maltz M.D. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,
P.Lencioni The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes,
Posner The Wisdom of Listening, Brady The
Emotionally Intelligent Manager, Salovey, Caruso
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The Varley Group, Inc. outcome-based mission is
to transform human potential into constructive
contribution. The focus is teaching Emotional
Intelligence leadership skills, advising
executives in order to enhance their personal
effectiveness and speaking to inspire individuals
to live up to the fullness of their promise. We
grow our business by word of mouth referral,
letters of value and delivering on our
promise.
Edith C. Varley
636.225.9211