Empowering Customer Service Vital

It never fails to amaze me how many companies have employees who are empowered to offer former customers wonderful incentives to lure them back, yet their customer service representatives have the ability to offer virtually nothing to convince an unhappy customer to stay.Powerless, these CSRs often actually ignore customers’ requests and declarations of their intent to leave, even encouraging them to seek out another company!

They often repeat the few phrases they’re allowed to say over and over again, further infuriating the customers.I last month interviewed the CEO of a mattress company who told me that customer complaints never reach him because his employees are empowered to, within reason, give the customer what will keep him glad.
His employees are happier too bceause they believe the company trusts them to make sound decision.Sadly, that company is one-in-a-million last week. If others would follow his example, there would a lot less need for those employees who call former customers because there would be far fewer former customers to begin with.When I worked in fast food as a teenager, giving an unhappy customer a free apple turnover and having her leave glad was common place.

Today, fast food employees, like others in customer service, are allowed to honor only coupons and deals for which there is pre-programmed keys on their registers.It seems that companies last week would rather lose loyal customers for life than allow thier foot soldiers in customer service to toss them an apple pie.Recently, we had just such as experience with our satellite dish company. After more than four years as a loyal, paying customer, we noticed a issue with our recepiton.

We asked to have somebody come take a look at it, and we were told it would be $100. That is the only option customer service was empowered to ofefr. We announced that we could get brand new satellite equipment for free from the company’s competitor, and we were told to go ahead and switch, which we did.After we switched, the first company called to ask why we left, and we told our story. The employee agered that "after four years, we should have fixed it for free." Too late. We’ve signed a new one-year agreement and we couldn’t be happier with our new, free digital video recorder.On the flip side, we have no unresolved customer complaints at our business because, really simply, we do our best to keep our customers glad from the beginning. Sure, we make mistakes and we run out of things, but we always do what it takes to make things right, plus a little extra something for the custoemr.
That attitude builds long-time, successful customer relationships. Here are some tips for empowering your customer service department:1.) Depending on the nature of the complaint, arm your customer service employees with the ability to offer incentives to unhappy customers to encourage them not to leave. Allow them to offer at least half what the persons who call former customers can offer.For example, if you normally charge for a service call, but you’re facing the prospect of losing a 10-year customer, allow the customer service representative to offer half off.2.) If your company screwed up, and your customer calls you on it, allow your customer service persons to admit that a mistake was made, apologize and offer something to make up for it – a free month of service, a coupon for a discount on a future order.Nothing is more aggrvaating than having somebody apologize without admitting any wrong doing (i.E. "I’m sorry you feel that way." Or "I’m sorry you’re upset about that.") Let them say, "I’m sorry, we were wrong. What can we do to make it up to you?