What is a simple question that delivers exceptional service and generates profitable revenue? It’s the one question that every field service technician should ask.  So, why isn’t every field service technician asking it?

In our workshops, we discuss the value that field service professionals provide by bringing opportunities to our customers’ attention that can help them operate their facilities/processes more effectively.  One way to uncover these opportunities is to ask this question, “Is there anything else that I can help you with today?”

Strangely, only 10% to 20% are asking this question

When I ask how many in attendance ask that question, I am amazed that typically only 10% or 20% put up their hands.  And I am further amazed at how enthusiastic those who do ask the question are about the value that they are creating by asking it.  To drive the point home of how valuable this question is for the customer, I simply ask those who do use the question a few questions.  The discussion usually goes like this:

Jim: Tell me, when you ask the question, how does the customer respond?  Do they tell you that it is none of your business?

Tech: [Chuckle] Of course not.  Actually, they appreciate the question.  I often get one of three responses:

1. Can’t think of anything.
2. Thanks for reminding me.  We have been having …
3. You guys don’t happen to do [some service need], do you?

Jim: Do you think your customers appreciate the fact that you ask that question?

Tech: Sure do. It reminds them of something that they intended to speak to me about.  Sometimes we get opportunities to provide services that they didn’t previously buy from us because they didn’t know we did it.  It also provides clues to potential underlying problems that we can help with.

Jim: Can you think of any reason why you should not ask the question?

Tech: No.  It’s a great question.  It’s good for the customer and it’s good for us.

Why don’t more service managers ensure their field service teams asks?

If this question is of such value and is appreciated by customers, why don’t more of us as service managers ensure that everyone on our field service team ask it?  One reason I suppose, is the one given to me by some of the attendees.  They tell me that they don’t ask the question because they will not have time to respond to the customer’s request if it does arise.  They have other customers to attend to and don’t have a lot of “spare time” to address additional issues.  Although I can see their point, does it have to be a reason not to ask?  And, if we don’t ask the question, who will the customer turn to to get any outstanding issues resolved?

Make asking the question a part of your service technician’s routine

My suggestion is to make the question part of the service discussion at the end (or the beginning) of each service call, and then teach the technicians how to address the three typical customer responses (see above).  We can clarify with our field teams what our expectations are for “having a quick look” and what they can say to delay any follow up without giving the impression of putting the customer off.  If time is really an issue, we can provide clear steps the field team can take to get another team member to deal with the issue.

This questions provides great customer service and may help your bottom line

By asking if there is anything else that we can do for the customer today, we provide an excellent service to the customer by reminding them of issues they wanted to talk to us about, uncovering larger issues that may be underlying the customer’s response and informing the customer of other things we do as a service organization.  No doubt we have some on our team that provide this level of service for our customers.  Why not all?

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. You can connect with me via telephone or email or leave a comment right here on the site. And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim Baston

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”

– Eugene Ionesco

The post The One Question Every Field Service Technician Should Ask appeared first on jimbaston.com.

1. Do our technicians bring you ideas that will help you operate more effectively?
2. Do you feel that you are better off for having known us?

The first question, “Do our technicians bring you ideas that will help you operate more effectively?”, goes to the heart of Proactive Service® – engaging our technicians in proactive business development. The idea is to ensure our technicians recognize that service is more than simply fixing things. Service also includes ensuring that our technicians use their experience and expertise to look for opportunities to help their customers and take the initiative to discuss their ideas with them. The response to this question will give you insight into what is really happening in the field.

The second question, “Do you feel that you are better off for having known us?”, (see my Blog of March 12, 2014) gives us insight into whether our efforts are valued by our customers. A customer that recognizes that they are better off for having you as their service contractor will be a delighted customer. A delighted customer will remain a customer, they will tell others and they will be willing to pay more for the additional value they are receiving.

A variant of the second question is also an excellent question to ask your technicians – “Are our customers better off for having known you?”. That question puts the technician’s role in perspective and helps them analyze their own actions to evaluate how well they are serving the needs of their customers.

Next time we will look at a scoring key for these questions to help you evaluate how well you are doing now, and enable you to track your progress over time.

I’d love your feedback! And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

Ken Blanchard

The post How is Your Business Really Doing? Ask these 2 Questions appeared first on jimbaston.com.

My daughter, Julia, had arranged for a new smart phone to replace her aging iPhone that had a small mechanical problem.  Her plan had a replacement option for such situations.  Although she was happy with her iPhone, the clerk at the store suggested that she try an android.  She took the advice and within 12 hours it was a shattered mess on the floor.  Turns out that she dropped the new phone and it fell apart.  The phone was inoperable.

The next morning, desperate without contact with the outside world, she went to the local store to get the problem resolved.  Her point was that the phone, although not “bullet proof”, should be able to withstand “normal” wear and tear such as the occasional dropping on the floor.  Her plan, she argued, should cover the breakage since she had a replacement option in case of a mechanical or electronic failure.  The clerk at the store did not agree.  He advised her that she could buy a new phone (several hundred dollars) and the store would give her a $100 credit or she could have the old one repaired (estimated at between $200 and $300).  When Julia objected, the clerk simply told her that was all he could do.

That evening, she explained the situation to me and asked for my help and we agreed to go to the store together the next day.  We walked into the store and up to the mobile phone counter, Julia carrying the box with the remains of her cell phone.  We asked for the manager.  A young man came out smiling and asked how he could help.  Here is how he handled the situation.

Connect with the customer.  As Julia explained the situation, the smile soon left his face and was replaced with what certainly looked like genuine concern.  He maintained eye contact with her as she went through the details.  He asked some questions.  He picked up and examined the phone.  His attention was clearly on Julia and her problem.

Acknowledge their emotional state.  As Julia explained, his comments, voice tone and body language communicated that he understood.  After listening carefully he shook his head and said something to the effect that he could see how upsetting such an issue would be.

Legitimize their feelings.  At this point he empathized with Julia.  He continued, “Gee, you must be going nuts without a phone.  I have a hard time going without mine for an hour, let alone a day or two.  We have got to get this sorted out.”

Manage the situation.  This is the critical point in this situation.  The manager had used an approach to draw out some of the emotion from the situation, but was he prepared to do anything?  Here is what he did.

The manager explained that the replacement of the phone was not a store issue but a manufacturer’s one.  He had to abide by the manufacturers rules and dropping a phone is not an acceptable reason for replacement.  He advised that, no matter how “reasonable” the specific circumstances might be, the phone companies were uncompromising.  There was nothing he could do about that.  (Here we go, I thought, nice guy but no help).  “But we do have a couple of options available – ones we can control.”  Notice that he politely stood his ground and set some boundaries for discussion.  We could have pushed back here but the logical way forward was to listen to the options.

One option, he said, was to have the unit repaired.  There would be a cost but the store would be willing to pick up much of it.  The other option was to explore other phone plans that might provide her with an equivalent phone at little cost.

All in all, it took about 30 minutes to explore the options and the manager never left our side for the entire time.  In the end, he identified a plan that Julia could switch to which was actually less expensive than her current “pay as you go” plan and it came with a free iPhone 5.  There was no access fee.  The catch was that it was a 2-year contract.  We reasoned that Julia would have a cell phone anyway, so signing a 2-year contract was no big deal.  He also provided Julia with a protective case for the phone (about $90 retail), to protect it from “future falls”.  She also got to keep the damaged phone, which can be repaired and sold.

The solution was not ideal, but it was good enough for us and we walked out of the store feeling that we had been treated fairly.  Although the manager may not have recognized that he used a technique called CALM which we teach in our Proactive Service© workshops for handling potentially explosive situations, he certainly used it to great effect.

How about your staff?  Are they prepared to handle emotional customers and situations to achieve a positive result?

I’d love your feedback! And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim

“Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.”
Robert Green Ingersoll

The post Dealing With Emotional Customers to a Positive Result appeared first on jimbaston.com.

During our Proactive Service® workshops, we ask technicians if they have ever proposed an idea to a customer where the customer has never gotten back to them and where they do not know what the customer has decided to do.  Almost everyone’s hand goes up.  We then ask, “Why do you think that is the case?”  Responses range from, “They decided not to do it” to “They got someone else to do it.”  Occasionally someone will say something like, “Maybe they forgot about it” and if they don’t, then we suggest it.  We then relate the story that I told in my last blog about the technician that passed on a lead from the field that was never followed up by the salesperson.  In that situation, the recommended action was to prevent a failure and a few months later, the failure indeed occurred.  Of course, the customer was angry and the technician was put in an uncomfortable position because of inaction on the part of the salesperson, but the problem would have been avoided altogether if the technician just took a moment to inquire with the customer whether they had given any more thought to the matter.

Usually there are one or two techs in the room who share with the rest of the class that they make it a point to follow up.  When they volunteer this, I ask them “What does the customer say when you remind them of something important that they may have forgotten about?”.  “They thank me” is the usual reply.

If we truly want to deliver a more valuable (and valued) level of service, we must do more than simply bring opportunities to the customer.  We must inquire about them when the customer has not taken action to ensure that the customer does not lose sight of those important recommendations and save them grief and aggravation down the road.

I’d love your feedback! And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

– Thomas A. Edison

The post Step 5 of a Proactive Service® Culture – Follow Up on Opportunities appeared first on jimbaston.com.

Recall that the name RATER is an acronym with each letter representing the first letter of one of the five key dimensions of service quality.  They are:

R eliability: Our ability to provide what is promised, dependably and accurately

A ssurance: Our knowledge and courtesy, and our ability to convey trust and confidence

T angibles:  Our physical facilities and equipment, and our appearance

E mpathy: The degree of caring and individual attention we provide to customers

R esponsiveness: Our willingness to help customers and provide prompt service

Empathy, in the RATER model, is defined as the degree of caring and individual attention that we provide our customers.  I assume that, if you are reading this, you truly care about your customers and about their needs and goals.  However, despite our good intentions, our customers may not feel that we do.  We may feel one way, but be doing things that suggest something else.

Empathy is another case where perception truly is reality.  Our customers will pick up clues about how much we care by the simple interactions that take place between them and our company.  Every interaction needs to consistently reinforce our empathy for the customer.

As you ponder this dimension of the RATER model, here are some questions to consider:

• How does your staff answer the phone?
  • Do they sound like they are happy to receive the call or do they sound more like they have just been interrupted?
  • Do they put people on hold and forget them?
  • Do they pass customers off to others without ensuring that the call has gone through?
  • How well does your field staff consider the needs of the customer?  For example:
    • Do they park in the “visitors” spaces without first establishing that this is acceptable?
    • Are they polite to everyone?
    • Do they respect the customer’s property?
    • Do they:
      • Clean up after themselves?
      • Cover desks and office equipment with plastic if they are disturbing the ceiling tiles?
      • Check in and check out?
      • Ask if there is anything else that needs doing?
      • Etc.
• Do they explain the work that has been done?
• Do they treat the customer’s property with evident respect?
• Do they take the time to understand the customer’s needs and goals so that they can make recommendations to help them achieve them?
• How does your staff deal with questions or issues that are outside of their responsibility?
  • Do they say it is “not my job”?
  • Do they try to find a solution and “stay” with the customer until they do?

Various studies have indicated that the reason most customers give for leaving a business and going their competitor is because they experienced indifferent customer service – in excess of 65% of the time.  I find it hard to believe that most companies truly don’t care about their customers, but I do believe it is true that most companies don’t communicate that they do by their actions.

How about you? How is your company doing with respect to empathy for your client base?  I’d love your feedback! And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Next time, we will wrap up by considering the second R of RATER – Responsiveness.

Jim

“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

– Zig Ziglar

The post Transform the Service Experience through Empathy appeared first on jimbaston.com.