Customer satisfaction from inside

This group from a finance company had it all correct: they knew customer service or making customer service was important.  Yet their boss called me to train them on this topic.  First i asked them:

1.  What do you think your boss expects from you?

2.  What do you think makes him unhappy/upset?

3.  What do you think makes him happy?

All said

1.  Customer service

2. learning new things

3. Responsibility

or things in the same line. 

But i was not convinced by their low level of energy.  I somehow felt their mantra of customer service was only superficial.  So i wanted to take their understanding and action in this matter to a deeper level. 

I compared customer service to playing music.  it is a passion.  To nuture any passion , one must be passionate.  So how do you do that?

You must find rewards for pursuing that passion.  So what can be the self-satisfaction points when one is passionate about customer service?

1.  getting praise from boss or third party

2. direct praise from customer

3.  gesture/body language/facial expression indicating satisfaction

4.  customers coming looking for you personally

5.  customers refering to other people and they coming and telling you

6.  customers doing what you say: actions speak louder than words

I told the group to bring their actions of customer satisfaction from the stomach up. 

I told them that unless they act from that level , no matter what i teach will just be theoritical. 

I could see the drastic shift in their perception and then they barged in with questions like:

1. customers want all information when i am at the teller.  how to deal with him?

2.  i don’t photocopy a doc of customer telling there is no electricity but next time also he comes and says “there is no electricity today also?”

3.  Customer argues at the teller about why he can’t have a someone elses’ account payee cheque.

this is what i told:

1.  convince the customer by saying the effect of describing in detail at the teller : others have to wait.  Also tell the benefit of asking at customer service desk: better explanation.

2.  Joke: “O really! what a coincidence!”

3.  Try 2 arguments.  If it still doesn’t work , send to supervisor or manager.

After the workshop, they were really excited and were determined not to take customer service at surface level but from deep level, or from deep inside. 

This is the beginning.