Me and My Customer

because every customer is a VIP… and everyone is a customer!

Welcome to Me-And-My-Customer!

Taking a Break

Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves and our customers is to take a break and go on vacation. No email. No voice mail. No commute. My partner and I recently packed our bags and headed a few hours drive to the ocean.

Here were our vacation commitments:

• We agreed to take computers – but not to do work
• Phones off unless something important comes up (like booking a massage!)
• This would be a healthy vegan retreat – no junk food, no processed food, no simple carbs
• We get up whenever we feel like it and take naps if we want to
• We would be spontaneous rather than excessively planning our daily activities

We had an amazing time!  Every meal was home cooked, healthy and delicious.  Plenty of wonderful, spontaneous walks, drives, and just lounging on the front porch.  We limited our TV viewing in favor of reading books or walking to the park with the dog.  The creative juices were flowing and the quiet time was precious.

Of course the return to reality was a little jarring at first.  But I feel as though I’ve brought a lot of my renewed carefree, relaxed attitude to the office.  After all, life’s too short to run around being stressed out all the time, isn’t it!?

Cheers,
Vick

Lighten Your Diet, Enlighten Your Day!

It might not directly related to customer service, but I just can’t help sharing this! I read Skinny Bitch in one day and I have to say that it made a huge impact. They promote a healthy lifestyle that goes well beyond the junk-food filled vegetarian diet I’ve been attempting to sustain myself with.

By making most of the changes the authors recommend (including getting off of refined sugars, dairy, and junk like hydrogenated oils), I immediately gained energy and increased mental clarity and focus. No joke!

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon if you’re interested:

Enjoy!
Vicki

Handling High Maintenance Clients

Ah, the “high maintenance” client. They call and email constantly. Ask for things that aren’t in their contract. Seem to always require extra support on every aspect of their account. Have frequent crises for which they ask you to drop everything to help. Want you to do all the work, even if it’s something they can do themselves. And to top it off, they are probably your most frugal clients – either getting the sweetest deal or not bothering to stay current on their invoices.

Here are few of my top tips on handling high maintenance clients before you go completely gray (I apologize if this advice finds you too late!).  I’ve used these strategies to turn high maintenance clients into dream accounts:

1. Reduce communication frequency. Open their incessant emails but only reply briefly that you’ll be in meetings all day and will be happy to review their questions with them during their scheduled weekly call.
   • On their behalf, this helps to remove the sense of urgency from everything they request. Trust me, you’ll both be much calmer. Then, when something really is urgent, they will be much better about communicating their needs.
   • Don’t fudge on keeping them to a regular call schedule. It’s one thing to take an extra call now and then, but if they are calling you daily, do not answer their calls – send an email that you got the call and advise when you’ll get back to them.
2. Set proper expectations (remember the CS motto “Under Commit, Over Deliver”?). If they are making frequent special requests, let them know that there may be a fee involved and provide them with a reasonable time when you’ll advise them of the best options.
   • Keep in mind that it’s your fault, not the client’s, if you give them the $80k level of service for a $20k contract! Keep it real.
3. Communicate openly and honestly. Rather than sighing in exasperation whenever this person asks for another full day of work from you, be direct and assertive.  This does require skillful communication – you don’t want to be rude or abrasive.  But if you’re genuine when you express yourself, the words don’t have to be perfect and the client will understand.  No client wants to drive you to the point of quitting your job!
4. Help the client prioritize. If they don’t know how to prioritize their requests and tasks, you could quickly be overwhelmed and lost as to where to put your focus. Determine what’s important for the client and communicate it clearly. Whether you get it 100% right isn’t the goal – but clarifying the clients goals will make them think in terms of priorities, which is going to streamline how you do business together.

The high maintenance client will run you ragged if you fall for their innocent ploys for constant attention.  And they really are innocent.  A few may be downright abusive, but even that is just because they were taught that it’s the only way to get work out of people.

When you set clear boundaries and expectations with these clients, you will begin to develop a new relationship with your contacts that you may find quite rewarding.  You aren’t the only one who benefits – the client will find themselves being more productive and effective in regards to their connection to your company because you have helped to set the tone and best practices for them to follow.  Everything flows more smoothly and everyone is happy!

Let me know your “high maintenance” challenges and what you’ve found works best for you.  Thanks, in advance, for your participation on this site.

Warmly, Vick

Be Green at the Office

Those who know me, know that I’m always looking for ways to be a little more environmentally conscientious – even at the office. You may not have the same dreams I do (to live in a yurt on a fully self-sustaining homestead)… but if you have given “green” at least a little thought, here are a few simple ways to lighten up your environmental footprint on the earth while you’re at work:

• BYOM! That’s right – Bring Your Own Mug and stop using disposal cups (especially with plastic lids). If you have to use a paper cup, rewash and reuse the plastic lid.
• Add a plant to your office space (be sure to get one that works in your office’s environment) – Plants not only dress up your space and make it feel more inviting, but they help to clean the air around you.
• Minimize the use of plastic utensils by bringing silverware to work or rewashing the plastic ones.
• Recycle every bit you can and if it’s not recyclable at the office (like glass), take it to your home’s recycle bin.
• Think before you print – a lot of times we don’t really need to print out an entire document so just print what you absolutely must and go with double-sided printing if possible.
• Drink water instead of soda – not only is it healthier for you, but you’ll be creating less trash by reducing consumption of prepackaged drinks.

That should give you a few quick ideas to get you rolling for now! I don’t have as light a footprint as I’d like, but I strive to make little changes here and there. If you like to ease your way into changes, maybe set just one goal per week. Next week for me: no more prepackaged frozen dinners – I’m going to pack my lunches in reusable containers.

Have a great green day!
Vick

Sustainable Time Management

You’ve got 80 hours worth of work facing you each week, but only so much time (probably 50-70 hours, if you’re like a lot of people I know) and energy to tackle it, right?  I hear it over and over again: ‘There’s not enough time!’  Many business professionals I see look stressed and unhealthy, exhausted, and overwhelmed more often than not.  If you haven’t figured this out yet – this is not a sustainable work approach.

Maybe it can be different?  After all, are you really getting that much more done by working 60 hours than by working 40 (or less) in a week?  I love this quote from Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week:

Believe it or not, it is not only possible to accomplish more by doing less, it is mandatory.

There is something else I want you to ask yourself: is the stress you experience in your current work bringing you more into alignment with the direction of your dreams or further from it?  If your stress is creating frustration, then it’s probably blocking your ability to get more done in less time.  Positive stress is the kind that comes from excitement about the challenges you face; it is a healthy, motivating factor in your life.

• Do you want to change an imbalance in your current work-lifestyle?
• Do you want to stop grinding away for more than 50 hours a week and getting satisfactory results, but with little enjoyment or fulfillment?
• Do you want more time to do what you’re passionate about or to be who you truly want to be?

Now, I’m still nowhere near Timothy Ferriss’ lifestyle, and I’m not qualified (yet) to coach you on how to make millions while only working 4 hours each week…  However, I do have experience in being successful at (nearly) eliminating any work activities during personal time and still getting huge volumes of tasks and projects completed.  It’s still a work-in-progress, but a huge step in the direction of greater fulfillment.  So I want to share a few important actions I took that may help you to gain more work-life balance:

1. Question: What are three things I do every day at work that block my ability to get more done in a shorter period of time? 
   • Action: If you’re answer was brutally honest, you now have 3 distinct actions to take to eliminate obstacles to a more balanced work life! For example, maybe you respond to 10% of emails that didn’t really require your input.  Stop!  Or perhaps you spend 5-10 minutes each hour gossiping or griping or otherwise being a distraction to both your colleagues and your self.  Stop!
2. Question: Are you prioritizing effectively? 
   • Action: As Ferriss reminds us in his book – keep the 80/20 rule in mind.  Determine the 20% of sources that are creating 80% of your headaches at work and re-prioritize your tasks and business approach to effectively eliminate the headaches.  For example, maybe you need to stop jumping through hoops every time your lowest paying client makes special requests, set better boundaries and expectations, or worry less about whether or not others are going to drop the ball.
3. Question: Do you know with absolute certainty that everything will collapse in total disaster just because you had to leave some work undone for the day or the weekend? 
   • Action: Leave work undone for the day and see what happens.  Leave work undone every day for the next two months and see what happens! If you are prioritizing effectively, you’ll realize just how much critical stuff you can still get done and how much unimportant stuff you can stop worrying about after hours.

I’d love to hear your successes, challenges, or other feedback.  Hopefully the Questions and Actions above have giving you some motivation to make the changes you desire.  I’ll write more articles as I continue to explore this new approach to sustainable work.  Have fun experimenting with ways to get more done in less time!

Spiritual Practice in the Workplace

As promised, I wanted to start sharing my thoughts and experiences on integrating spiritual practice into my work. To provide a little clarity, when I say “spiritual practice” I realize this will mean something unique to each of you. For me, it means to practice kindness, patience, presence, and acceptance, regardless of circumstances around me. It is never about insisting or hoping that others will adopt my spiritual beliefs as their own.  We’re all unique and bring a wonderful variety to the office.  However, I think that people do have a true, natural essence but that our conditioned responses and ego-personalities take the lead more often than not, especially at work. So ultimately, a spiritual practice might mean responding to all aspects of life – work included – from your true essence.

We’ve all experienced the stress that comes when customers (whether our internal colleagues or external clients and contacts) place demands on us and our buttons get pushed to the limit. Typically, we employ “winning strategies” – habitual reactions – to deal with the more challenging moments. Unfortunately, those winning strategies and defense mechanisms that helped us to get through life early on often end up being ineffective or unsatisfying later in life.

As I strive to integrate my own form of a spirituality into my daily life, I have a few practices that I use to ground and center my frame of mind, my place of beingness, as I respond to circumstances around me. To move in the direction of what you say you value, you’ve probably already discovered that you need to align your thoughts and actions accordingly. While this can be tricky, it’s definitely possible!

Identify Your Strategies

What habitual strategies do you employ when you are stressed, when your work is called into question, when you make a mistake, when you are asked to do something beyond your current skill or comfort level, or when you have more on your plate than you can humanly manage?

Spotting what you do that is out of sync with who you are increases your awareness. Awareness creates space for change.  If you’re not sure what a strategy might be, here are a few common ones: defensiveness, use of humor or sarcasm, aggressiveness, talking above people’s heads, putting others down, being inaccessible, avoidance, gossiping, inappropriate delegation, and so on.

Have a Daily Intention

Start your day with focus and intention – maybe you want to be a better listener, take things less personally, be more patient, or whatever. Set your intention for the day in some meaningful way. I have the good fortune of taking public transit at the start of my day so I can either meditate or listen to spiritual teachings on the way to work. Whatever you choose to do to set an intention for the day, honor your intention with at least a few moments of silent reflection.

Keep Reminders Handy

Whatever you are striving for as part of your spiritual practice at work, keep little reminders around. For example, I have a small ‘gratitude stone’ on my desk, a Dilbert book that lets me gain some perspective when I’m a little too focused or stressed, and I set a special quote or thought on my Instant Messenger.

These are a few simple ways to further align your actions to your values within the workspace. This is a broad subject, and I will continue to write about various aspects of bringing our spiritual essence into the workspace in future articles. In the meantime, I look forward to your comments and questions.

Thank you,
Vick

Turning Livid Customers into Loyal Customers

Sales reps have often asked for me to step in when their accounts had turned from bad to worse and there appeared to be no hope of salvaging the client relationship, let alone getting any return business. I remember fondly remember one such account – not only did I rebuild the client’s trust and resolve the problems they were having with my company, but I then asked them for a contract renewal worth $1.5 million, which they gladly signed!

There are a lot of things you can do to improve relationships with your customers or help to patch up a problem. In my experience, I’ve found that there are 5 Golden Rules to turn livid, irate customers into loyal ones.

The 5 Golden Rules:

1. Listen to the Customer
2. Be Honest
3. Take Responsibility
4. Develop an Action Plan
5. Follow-through and Follow-up

Now let’s look at each of these ‘rules’ in more detail. As you might already know quite well, these rules are not as straight forward as we’d like them to be! No worries, you just need a few guidelines for each one, and then you’re well on your way to being an expert at turning livid customers into loyal customers.

Rule #1 – Listen to the Customer
You might think this is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, most people are not good listeners. Does your mind ever wander while someone’s talking to you? If you’re not highly interested in what the person is saying, do you sometimes listen to them while thinking that there are better things you could be doing with your time? Do your own stories overshadow what the customer has to share? Are you fixated on what you have to say (as soon as the other person shuts the hell up!)?

Right! We all have those moments. But really, deeply listening takes ongoing practice to unlearn some of those other mind-wandering, conversation-dominating habits. Here are a few things you can do to quickly improve your listening skills:

• Talk less in order to make space for others to talk
• Ask more open ended questions, rather than yes/no questions
• Provide feedback and get clarification that you understand the other person

Again, deep listening is a skill that requires time and ongoing practice. If you want to be a better listener and communicator, consider reading at least two communications books every year to support your efforts. You can check the Resources page of this site, your favorite book supplier, and I have a couple of recommendations below.

Rule #2 – Be Honest
Ah, honesty. Some might say that you’re either honest or you’re not. Unfortunately, it’s just not that black-and-white in the customer service biz.

It’s one thing to reassure your friend that her hair looks fine even though she’s having a bad hair day. Bad hair days will pass and don’t have to stop you from enjoying life. It’s another thing to face your customer when their project is behind schedule, you forgot to make a change they requested, or the product they bought cannot do everything the sales rep told them it could. In these situations, the goal is to:

• Be honest without making your company or another department look like the bad guy
• Be honest without reducing the client’s confidence in you
• Be honest without throwing the sales rep under the bus for misleading the client

Here is where Rule #1 really helps. Closely listen to the customer first. Strive to understand their pain points (which are going to be invaluable when you get to Rule #4, too). You want to give the customer enough truth about their current situation (the cause of it, challenges that might be faced resolving it, and so forth). But here are two critical components to apply when telling the truth to clients:

a) Refrain from spilling all the beans: The customer doesn’t need, or want, to know every little detail about the dysfunctional crap in your company (they’ve got enough of that in their own organization).
b) Always add a positive side: Maybe there was a delay in the delivery of a product, but during that delay one of your company’s departments discovered a bug in the product that they are now going to be able to fix before shipping it. Even though the focus is on the customer’s problems, you want to find some positive news to deliver to them.

Keep in mind that it’s not just between you and your immediate customer contact(s). They have to be accountable to their own managers, too. When you are honest and provide the client with appropriate details about what has gone wrong, they can give their management (or their own customers) a solid status. Being upfront with your contact makes him or her look really good. That’s always a win-win!

Rule #3 – Take Responsibility
This rule is short and sweet, but has a heck of an impact for the customer’s confidence in you and your company. Take responsibility for both the problem itself and for resolving it. It’s okay to let the client know that making things right by them might not be fully within your control, but that you are going to own the task of getting things back on track.

This may be counter to everything you’ve ever believed about getting ahead in business – but customers want someone to be accountable for what happens with their account. Being the customer’s main go-to person, a customer service pro will take responsibility for anything that goes on with their accounts. If a problem is so big that it gets escalated to senior management, continue to take responsibility, along side any of your stand-up execs, who hopefully also understand this rule.

I recall an executive meeting with a Fortune 10 account in which my company’s execs were being called on by the customer’s execs to answer for a huge mistake. During that meeting I could see that my execs weren’t stepping up, so I expressed my ownership of the problem. The customer’s CTO sincerely thanked me for my willingness to take responsibility. Then he turned to my execs and with a growl in his throat made it perfectly clear who in the room were to blame and who should own the process of solving the issue… Managers take heed!

Sure, you probably can’t resolve customer issues all by yourself and you most likely didn’t cause them (but if you did – own it!). However, taking responsibility for the customer’s satisfaction is what customer service is all about. That means owning all of it – the good and the bad. Trust me; the customer will love you for it!

Rule #4 – Develop an Action Plan
Before ending a meeting with your irate customer (who is probably quite calm by this point in the meeting), give them a sense of where you’re headed with an action plan for resolving their issues. You may not have all the details until you’ve talked with some of your other department leads, but you can give the customer a great deal of reassurance by sharing your ideas.

• Be sure to allow your client to suggest a couple of steps that need to be taken.
• Also give them a date when you’ll have the completed action plan outlined for them. Depending on the urgency and complexity, this should not take more than a couple of business days.
• Remember to address the customer’s pain points you uncovered during Rule #1.

Tip: You might want to have two action plans – one that you share with the client and one that is used internally. The internal plan will contain much more detail and include the names of all the various owners in different departments who are going to help fix the problem.

Rule #5 – Follow-through and Follow-up
Any customer service rep striving to be really good at what they do will ALWAYS: a) follow-through on the action plan and b) frequently follow-up with the client until the issue has been resolved. It’s as simple as that.

If the plan needs major changes, communicate those with the customer. Otherwise, keep the ball rolling and keep the client informed of progress. Depending on the situation, whenever you can offer something special to the client to help ease their pain, by all means do so. Maybe you can get them a credit or you can provide an additional service at no extra charge.

Remember, fixing a customer’s problem is a matter of meeting their expectations, no matter how much blood, sweat, and tears it may cost you! In order to really turn them into a loyal customer who would gladly renew their contract with your company you need to exceed their expectations. With these 5 Golden Rules, you should be well on your way to doing exactly that.

Recommended Reading: A Little book of Listening Skills by Mark Brady and Jennifer Austin Leigh and Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg (see the Resources page).

Please join this conversation! Let me know what you think about the article. Do you have any questions? Do you know of additional resources to share? Have you found some other approaches that are equally as powerful for turning angry customers into happy ones? I’d like to hear from you.

Thank you,
Vicki

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