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Date: Sun, 7 May 2000

Bill Werst, Editor

Common Sense Managing TIPS Vision: To establish Growth Associates as your primary source of practical proven information on how to build and maintain a solid organization capable of supporting outstanding customer service, customer satisfaction, and continuous quality improvement.

Part of our vision implementation is to use the Common Sense Managing book, TIPS newsletter, and www. growthassociates.org web site information to build rapport and trust with you so that you consider GA first when you need training and consulting services.

Welcome to all the people who subscribed this week. Because of Bob Burton publishing one of my articles on his Helpdesk Online site [http://www.helpdesk-online.com] it's been a very busy week.

Enjoy,
Bill Werst, Editor

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Table of contents:

Are You Putting Mints On Your Customer's Pillows? -- Tip of the Week directly from Common Sense Managing book
The "Perfect" Service Technician
Oops!
Web Upgrade

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Are You Putting Mints On Your Customer's Pillows? 253 words

Seamless customer satisfaction companies consistently under-promise and over-deliver. They are always putting a mint on your pillow. The hotel promised a clean room with fresh towels and working appliances. The mint on the pillow means someone checked a second time to be sure that the promise is being kept. Then they over-delivered by turning down your bed and leaving the mint.

The primary reason for failure is the inability to set and meet their customer's expectations. Tell them what you will deliver, then deliver more.
Norb Janiszewski, VP Operations, MAZAK


What actions are you taking to insure that your organization and its people are under-promising and over-delivering?

NOTE: One client had a service is 3-5 day sign posted in their showroom. They changed it immediately when they realized what quoting 3 to 5 day service really means. Tell 'em 5 days and deliver in 4 and you're a hero. Tell them 3 days and deliver in 4 and you're a bum. Same service. Same commitment to quality. Very different result.


Doesn't it put a smile on your face when you return to your hotel room at the end of your busy day and find that they have added a flower, fresh fruit, or a mint on your pillow?

What are you doing to put a mint on your customer's pillows?

What special thing are your customer service, field service, help desk, and staff representatives doing to put that extra little smile on your customer's face?


This Common Sense Managing Tip is from the Customer Satisfaction section of Common Sense Managing: Simple Ideas That Produce Results. The book is immediately available at http://www.growthassociates.org or amazon.com.


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The "Perfect" Service Technician

This week I called for technical assistance on my computer and encountered Bob, the "perfect" technician. He was sharp, very knowledgeable, and Certified. He was ready and willing to answer all customer questions with maximum efficiency. Perfect? Well, almost perfect.

The problem was that I was not seeking a solution and Bob was offering answers in a rapid-fire, I-want-to-get-off-the-phone style He was offended and defensive when, after answering my questions, I asked for three other technicians by name. In an irritated tone he asked "Haven't I answered every one of your questions?!? Haven't my answers been accurate?!?"

My response was "Yes, and the information is useless to me." Since none of the other technicians were available we ended our conversation. I found my solution elsewhere.

Since Bob's employer is a friend, I called back. Andy immediately chided me for giving his new technician a hard time. [I had.] Then we got into the realities of business. If I did not know Andy and his business values, I would not have called back. I would have found another source for my computer solutions - hardware, software, and technical. I would have become just one more customer who silently moves on to your competition.

Should Bob, the perfect technician be fired? Absolutely not! You don't find qualified and certified technicians on the corner holding "will work for food" signs.

Should this technician be disciplined? No. This is not even close to a disciplinary issue unless this is repetitive behavior for which he has received prior training and coaching.

Should Bob be trained? BINGO! Bob has the potential for sainthood once he develops customer communication skills to match and blend with his technical skills. Bob needs training to learn:

Andy needs to measure and track customer satisfaction so that he will know:

As for me, I need to get a life, but that's an another story. . .



Are your people offering your customers service and answers, or are they providing solutions?

Do they even know they are in the "solution" business, not the service business?

Do they know the dollar value of the average customer?

What do they do when they encounter a difficult customer situation? Get angry? Get eaten alive? Or do they handle the situation with professional skill, not get stressed, and feel good that they were able to resolve a very difficult situation?

Do you have an accurate customer satisfaction measuring system? Or are you relying on the two ends of the bell shaped curve [the extremely happy and unhappy] for your customer feedback?

NOTE: If you are relying on customer complaints and praises to determine the level of your organization's customer satisfaction, you are ignoring the other 80% of your customers.

Do you know who your best customer service representatives, field service engineers, help desk people, order fulfillment personnel, etc. really are? Or do you only know which of them are technically qualified to provide "answers".


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Oops!

Thanks to an email from Stan Semuskie asking when his Common Sense Managing book would arrive, I discovered that the order form at http://www.growthassociates.org had a coding problem. It's been fixed.

My apologies to any of you who have ordered [or attempted to] order a book recently. Please reorder if you have not received your copy yet. When you do reorder, type $5 OFF in the autograph box of the order form and I will reduce your price by that amount. This is my way of saying I'm sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused you. This offer is good until May 15.

NOTE: Our order form is unsecured and we have had no problems with it. However, we are in the process of securing it. In the interim, if you are concerned you may:

Complete the order form without including you credit card number and I will call you,
Call me at [541] 386-1117 to place you order,
Order and pay by check if you are using a business address
Order directly through amazon.com

As always, if you order through me you have a 100% complete no-questions-asked-satisfaction-one-year guarantee.


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Web Upgrade

The following is especially good news for people who have recently subscribed to the Common Sense Managing TIPS newsletter. Webmaster, John Carlson, created a TIPS Newsletter archive section under Tips, Articles, and Presentations.

Originally the newsletter contained only one excerpt from my Common Sense Managing book. Consequently it was titled: Common Sense Managing Tip of the Week. Then in January I expanded it into more of newsletter format and renamed it Common Sense Managing TIPS.

The Tip of the Week is always included in the front of the newsletter and then archived. Now the entire TIPS newsletter is archived for your reading pleasure.

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Have a wonderful week,

Bill Werst



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