Sarah Oeltjenbruns, Performance Partner

Customer interactions are layered with defining moments—the opportunities for your employees to go the extra mile with excellent service that sets you and your organization apart, in a positive way. The impact is significant because these are the moments when customers are open to your suggestions for additional products and services.

Your teams have opportunities all day, every day, to look and listen for emerging and unrecognized customer needs. Here are some defining moments and specific tips to help front-line staff and their managers maximize them:

What you say & how you say it
Use positive words and phrasing to focus on what can be done versus what can’t. For example, using words that convey courtesy, caring and confidence with appropriate tone, volume and pace.

Effective questioning skills
Use open/close-ended questions to gather information and confirm. For example, asking questions to really understand what the need is. Remember a best practice is to ask permission before asking questions of the customer.

Making a personal connection
Use conversation starters that help you relate to your customers and makes them feel at ease. This is an important moment for building deeper relationship with customers.

Sending an email
Use the follow-up email to acknowledge the customer’s request on the same business day. Don’t forget the importance of good grammar and proper punctuation. For skill practice, managers should have employees practice correcting poorly written emails, and then review as a team.

Defining moments have an impact on the customer experience. When building customer relationships, you only have a handful of opportunities to impress them. Lead your team with skill practice activities that make every opportunity as a time to shine.

For a free worksheet on editing poorly written emails, and/or to learn more about our Service Excellence program, visit the contact us page on www.cf-pm.com

The new year holds high hopes for your organization’s financial performance, and the role of managers and supervisors has never been more important to achieving this goal. One of the best ways that managers can do this is to keep team meetings on your calendar, regardless of everything else happening in your organization’s orbit.

Returning to your routine Team Touchbases (aka Team Meeting) is impactful to the productivity and efficiency of your team(s). Not only does it provide a designated time and space for thoughtful conversation and organization updates, it also can be a useful learning tool to develop employee’s skills.

Try these coaching and development tips to fully engage your employees and inspire consistent collaboration on your team:

Calendar Blocking. Consistency and punctuality will increase morale and respect on your team.

Preparation. Create an agenda for distribution, if possible. This keeps the meeting on task and employees can prepare in advance for discussion points they would like to comment on.

Committed Focus. Devote your full attention to your staff during these meetings. Put your devices away. Staff view distracted multi-tasking as disrespectful.

Positivity. Try starting a meeting with everyone sharing a positive moment of the week. Or, highlight successes of individuals or the organization to start the meeting on a high note. Always express appreciation at the close to thank everyone for time and participation.

Problem Solve. Team meetings are a great way to problem solve and brainstorm solutions. Actively facilitate discussions that engage all employees equally by asking questions and listening to contributed insights.

Practice Activity. The best way to reinforce a behavior, process, activity, or new product is with interaction. You can assign activity leaders to help engage all team members. Be sure to summarize key takeaways.

Managers and supervisors need specific skills and consistent reinforcement to excel in their role as team leader. 

We love our devices. At this moment, the Internet is connected to over 20 billion devices. It’s a staggering number when compared to a global population around 7 billion. That’s nearly 3 devices for every person on earth. It goes without saying that all of these devices have an impact within the workplace. Where’s the line on device use, misuse? 

The world has been on a fast track to mobility for years. In 2020, mobility of consumerism exploded when the global health crisis forced reactive change. Our mobile devices became lifelines to everything from access to products, connectivity to services, and of course remote employment.

If you are an operations leader in your organization, you are likely feeling overwhelmed by new demands of technology and mobility of work. We offer these tips for prioritizing operational strategies that support employees needs around use and misuse of devices in the workplace:

• Cell Phone Policy. Every employee handbook should provide basic policy on the presence and use of mobile devices in the workplace. Do you clearly direct that devices are out of sight and silent when and where customers are served? Do you clearly identify the distinctions and expectations for corporate-owned versus personal device use?
• Work Device Policy. Beyond phone devices, your employee handbook should also provide policy for use of computer equipment in the workplace—which now may include business location and remote employee locations. Do you have procedures in place regarding installation, maintenance, use and even liability for corporate equipment in remote locations?  

You can support your employees’ adherence to device policy and procedures by creating consistent communication. Many organizations have dramatically reduced infractions of device use by committing to reminders released through broad company communications and/or channeled through managers for discussion during team meetings.

Set a course for success in 2021 by making technology as big of a priority for People Development as you do for Sales Development.

In 2020, Human Resources professionals were asked to manage workloads and priorities they never imagined. As the demands of a world-wide pandemic radically altered the workplace and workforce, HR professionals supported critical system upgrades, annual benefits reviews and more. The role of Human Resources is increasingly imperative to the organization’s success.

Perhaps your organization has relied on HR to do more than its fair share. After all, in most organizations, it is responsible for the following:

• Recruiting and Staffing
• Health and Safety
• Training and Development
• Compensation and Benefits
• Labor and Employee Relations

Certainly, recruitment, staffing, training and employee relations are areas where managers rely heavily on HR to support their individual and workgroup success. But, who helps HR prioritize this support as opposed to its other important responsibilities?

Your leadership team can quickly assess four significant areas that impact your organization’s culture and ultimately, its financial success. Using Center for Practical Management’s Assessment Tool, the organization can identify gaps in its support of critical Human Resource functions and create a groundswell of energy and enthusiasm for key initiatives.

Moreover, you can benchmark your organization against our other clients to see how you compare. The Assessment is free. If you would like to learn more about our training programs and consulting services, please visit our website www.cf-pm.com.

One of the hardest hit departments this year is customer service. Customer service representatives are often working remotely and without the traditional infrastructure of a familiar call center or team environment.

We encourage managers to continue training and development efforts with their teams. One of the best ways to keep development alive is skill activities during remote team calls. Here is an idea to inspire employees to Count Your Way to excellent service.

During your next virtual or live team meeting, challenge each employee to come up with their best five words to say during a customer care call. During subsequent team meetings, change the count. Ask employees to use their creativity to make this word activity count for team development—and fun!

Examples:
10 words to say: “I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.”
9 words to say: “Thank you for your business. Please call/come back again.”
8 words to say: “I’m not sure, but I will find out.”
7 words to say: “What else can I do for you?”
6 words to say: “What is most convenient for you?”
5 words to say: “How may I assist you?”
4 words to say: “How did we do?/How did I do?”
3 words to say: “Glad you’re here/Glad you called.”
2 words to say: “Thank you”
The most important word to say: “Yes”
Every interaction is an opportunity to provide the absolute best customer experience. By serving with excellence, your relationship with the customer is solidified and your cross-selling opportunities increase.

At Center for Practical Management, we offer a Service Excellence Workshop. Our workshops are offered in live classrooms, or virtual formats. Participants will learn knowledge and skills about Professional Communication and the Process and Techniques for Service Excellence. If you would like to learn more about our training programs, please visit our website www.cf-pm.com.

You’ll discover how customizable scorecard-based feedback from customers can help you evaluate and improve services on digital channels. This 12-minute video conversation features client-specific insights from D.G Markwell of Max Credit Union in Montgomery, Alabama.