T – Training yourself and your team in effective customer engagement must be a major priority, especially when you and your team has ‘actual’ contact with your customers. What I mean by ‘actual’ is where you have the opportunity to interact with a customer or potential customer in more ways than just online.
The better trained your team is at identifying the type of customer or potential customer they have in front of them, and how to modify their approach to suit different types of people, the greater their success and the greater the customer’s experience. Let’s go deeper!
Does your team have the skills required to identify the type of person they have in front of them during an interaction? There is some fantastic training and tools out there to help you and your team better understand your customers, potential customers, and even each other!
Does your team have the knowledge to deliver an outstanding experience? It will be different in each industry, however if your team is unaware of how to go about the customer (or potential customer) interaction in your business, then you’re leaving too many things to chance. This is not a good business strategy!
When was the last time you went through a session with your team on fundamental customer service? You know, covering topics like:
- What a customer is
- Your attitude
- Effective communication
- Listening skills
- Questioning techniques
- Product knowledge
- Identifying wants and needs
- Establishing and building rapport
- Body language
- Telephone techniques
- Service Standards
- Dealing with difficult customers
- Handling complaints
If it’s been a while or worse still never, you might need to consider spending some time bringing your team up to speed with your expectations and more importantly, the expectations of your customers.
Oh, and one more thing. I am constantly amazed at how I’m treated as a customer or potential customer in so many places. It’s as though I’m a rude interruption to someone’s day, rather than appreciating that I am the reason they have a job! Here’s an example to think about.
I happened to be in the market to purchase a piece of exercise equipment, which had a reasonable price tag associated with it. There were two stores near my home, so I went to the closest one. Upon entering I saw two team members behind a large desk in the centre of the store chatting to each other. First mistake – no acknowledgment that I was there. Second mistake – after a couple of minutes one of them lifted their head and asked (from behind the desk) “Do you need any help?” I responded with the response of “No, just looking.” Now, there was no one else in the store and I was prepared to spend a significant amount of money on a piece of equipment. This store was in the business of selling this stuff which I would suggest doesn’t just fly out of the store without some form of detailed interaction with a potential customer! Mistake three – the team members went back to their discussion. I walked out. They didn’t even notice. Total disregard for the potential customer. A $2500 sale lost! This team’s indifference cost the store owner a reasonable sale for that day. How many more has that store lost in the same way?
To finish the story, I went to the other store literally 5 doors down and it was a completely different experience! As I walked in I was met near the door with a smiling face and polite greeting. A few questions to ascertain why I was there made it very clear that I was in the market to buy something. A good discussion followed which uncovered my needs, giving me various options to consider and then a progressive move towards the best solution for my needs to narrow the choices and make it easier for me to make a decision. I bought the equipment right there and then and have been completely satisfied since. All because the team members took it upon themselves to approach me and make me feel important. I am now a regular customer of the store and the experience is always consistently good!
I’m sure you have experiences similar to the one I’ve just described. What do you need to focus on to ensure that you and your team leave the customer with a sensational experience?
To help you identify where you need to focus your training and attention, next week we’ll look at the O – observing how your team and your customers interact with your business.
Build massive momentum!
