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Newsletter Squibs For Service Enhancement
Does your organization publish a regular newsletter? Do you have other communications that would benefit from short thoughts on service improvement? The squibs below have appeared in past issues of the University Human Resources internal newsletter Service Matters. Feel free to use them for your department.
The monthly Service Matters also includes longer articles on a wide variety of service-related
subjects. If you are interested in receiving a past issues, please contact the Professional Development Program.
An elephant never forgets…
Clients remember too. They will tell 9 to 12 people immediately about good service and remember it for about 18 months. They will tell about 20 people immediately about poor service and remember it for more than 20 years!
What’s cooking?
The “recipe” for service excellence includes these ingredients: work competence, good work processes, supportive work environment, and communication competence. Create a feast for your clients by making sure your own skills are the best they can be and by taking initiative to solve problems that get in the way of good service.
Make each client feel special
“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Carl W. Buechner. Think about the places you frequent the most. How do they create the feeling that you are special which makes you go back? That’s the feeling of being important and individual you want to create for your clients.
Don’t prejudge your client
Oh no, not again! You hear his voice, and you know who it is. He’s always belligerent and argumentative.You prepare for the worst because you’re sure it’s going to happen. Guess what? If you expect the worst, you’ll find it. Try to turn the situation around. Pretend (it’s NOT easy) you don’t know this person and have never had negative dealings with him. Use your best service smile, gestures, and tactics to truly try to serve your difficult client and you may actually defuse him.
Coworkers are clients too
Time after time in client service training we hear the same lament. While people may remember to greet students, parents, alumni, and other employees outside their departments with a smile and a cheery “good morning,” some of them forget to extend the same courtesy to their coworkers. A pleasant look and a friendly acknowledgement are a great way to start everyone’s day.
Look for new ways to constantly upgrade the level of service you provide
In an organization such as ours, with strong systems already in place, providing good and consistent service is relatively easy. Let’s start thinking about how we can make our clients say “Wow!” Be creative and focus on What Other Ways can I solve the problem, help the client, resolve the situation, get results?
Take personal responsibility to improve service
We tend to blame others when things go awry and complain about things that should be changed. Instead of complaining that clients don’t read instructions, consider how to improve getting them information. Rather than blame someone for misplacing a file, develop a system to better track records. Focus on the power you have to take charge and make your life and work better.
Never rest on your laurels
“Good, better, best; never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.” Anonymous
Take charge of your daily attitude
There are days we “get up on the wrong side of the bed”. Here’s a trick to turn your attitude toward the positive. Write a list of ten things for which you are thankful. As each item gets added to the list, you’ll start to see things differently. Then, think of two people you know whose lives are not as filled with blessings. By the time you’re done, you’ll feel much better and more upbeat.
Ready, get set, go
Prepare yourself mentally before you make telephone calls. Focus your thoughts and visualize a positive interaction. Say the client’s name aloud and try to picture him or her as an individual. If your frame of mind is confident and positive, you will naturally come across as upbeat, competent, and professional.
Focus your written communications to clients
Make the best impression and save time for yourself and your client. Before jotting down the first word of any written communication, try to come up with a headline in your mind. This will focus your thoughts on the main ideas of your message and help to quickly get the reader’s interest and attention.
Write right for your reader
Make your correspondence with clients clear, concise, and easy to read. Focus on one main message to ensure clarity. Stay away from sounding too professional and overly formal. Both make your writing seem cold and impersonal. Write as you speak. Use short paragraphs, short sentences, and common vocabulary to make your messages seem conversational and friendly. Test the tone and naturalness of your writing by reading out loud.
KISS – Keep it short and simple
Think about your regular mail and email. How much attention do you pay to things that come across your desk? Most of us skim read and decide in just seconds whether to be bothered with a particular message. Keep this in mind when writing to your clients. Make your message short and simple. Put the most important information first. Use headings and white space to catch the reader’s attention.
Give coworkers recognition for a job well done
Supervisors aren’t always around when people do things right, and often get feedback from clients only when things go wrong. We are in a position to observe our teammates. Verbal recognition of their positive efforts—“Wow! You handled that one without losing your cool!” —can be a powerful lift.
Change the scenery for stress relief
“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day you lounged around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.” While this observation by English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is absolutely true, consider that doing “everything” also causes stress. Especially after a challenging call or encounter, and every hour or so, take a 30 second scenery break—like looking at the photo of a loved one—to recharge.
Sometimes a little pressure is helpful
Acupressure is a proven way to relieve eyestrain that saps your energy. Close your eyes then lightly press the two spots where your eyebrows and nose meet for 30 seconds. This move stimulates the nerves and muscles that run around your eyes.
Relieve eye strain
Long hours at a computer can be hard on the eyes, causing a sense of tiredness. Recharge your energy and relax your eyes and your mind with a simple exercise: Focus on the tip of your index finger, held at arm’s length, then move your finger slowly toward your nose until the image becomes blurry. Next, relax your eyes and stop trying to focus. Repeat this three times.
Haste makes waste
Take the time necessary to solve your client’s problem the first time around. Whether by phone, email, or face-to-face, give the person your full attention to discover what he/she really wants. Get all the information you need to provide a solution. Then be sure the client has everything he/she needs to be satisfied.
Prioritize your work for increased accomplishment
Italian economist Wilfredo Pareto developed the 80/20 rule, which in essence states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your work. For example, 80% of the information you need is in 20% of your files; 80% of the complaints you will get come from 20% of your clients. If we identify what the most important 20% is of each job, we will be able to generate the maximum accomplishment.
National Customer Service Week (October)
We can celebrate National Customer/Client Service Week again this year. During this special week let’s try to boost morale, motivation, and teamwork within our units; remember to thank other departments for their support of us; and let our clients know about our department’s ongoing commitment to client satisfaction.
Thanksgiving is not just a holiday (November)
This month we celebrate a holiday that recognizes strong collaboration between two very disparate groups of people—our Native Americans and the early settlers. It’s also an appropriate time to say thanks to those who collaborate with us daily as we assist our clients. Take a moment to recognize those who help you inside and outside of your departmental “family”.
