Have you ever noticed that when you are angry it becomes very hard to hear what is being said by anyone but yourself. What you are experiencing is a natural phenomenon known as “fight, fight, or freeze.” And when this happens you are experiencing both an emotional and physical reaction. You become hyper alert, blood rushing away from your extremities and your vision and hearing narrow. A part of your brain sometimes called “lizard brain” is taking over. The result is that your thinking is impaired and your body has taken over. It is now operating in a primitive way. Not the best way to be for providing quality customer service.
Next time and angry or dissatisfied customer calls you take a moment and check in with your body. You can have an opportunity to interrupt your automatic autonomic response. Take a few deep breathes, and instead of matching anger you may be hearing, try something new, opening up and focusing your attention on what your customer is saying instead of how they are speaking. If you put your concentration on content of their comments and really hear what is being said, you may be surprised to learn something you don’t already know. This small change, when you pause and listen, can yield a deeper understanding of the needs of your clients. Instead of reacting, you are now able to support them, and be creative or more importantly, let them know they are heard. You may not need to do anything more than listen and acknowledge what has been said.
Many times conflict comes about when people feel they have different or opposing views. By listening to what is being said you may find out you share more than you differ. Listening with the intention of understanding is quite different from the way you listen when you have the the intention of reacting.
The more valued, respected and heard a client feels, the more likely they will stick with you. It is far less costly to keep an existing client than to source a new one. By listening to a client’s concerns and working to resolve their issues, you will find you can turn conflict into cash, repeat business and glowing referrals.
To learn more about how you can help your body and mind stay in balance, visit http://www.healthatyourfingertips.com. I highly recommend you practice the “Daily Clean Your House Flow” to experience good health and a clear mind.
Clear communication fosters good relations. The purpose of a contract between a consultant and client is setting the tone for their working relationship. A contract is more than a legal document. It is a contract of ethics and expectations for all parties. It is an outline of agreements made and intentions. It is like a pre-nuptial agreement for business relationships. A solid contract respects the needs and rights of all parties. It provides protection should any of those involved fail to fulfill their agreements. I like to think of a contract as a map of the essential and important aspects of an engagement. You may have noticed that the similarity in the words used to describe a romantic contract (engagement, nuptials, pre-nuptials, honeymoon, breach of contract, commitment) and a business contract (engagement, agreements, honeymoon, breach of contract, commitment). At the start of your relationship, you may not envision problems that may arise, thinking that what you want and what your clients want are in alignment. That may be true, yet the road to clear communication is not always as transparent as we think it is.
Each of us comes to the table with our own view or perception of the world. We all have unique experiences and therefore goggles that color what we see and hear. This unique map is built upon our perceptions. While we may believe that we have been clear in our attempts to communicate with others, unless we understand the filter or map we bring with us and the map of those we wish to communicate with, our communication can fail. As you can see in the model below, there are layers of messaging, perceptions and intentions.
Fortunately, there is shared space where the sender and receiver have common understanding. It is in this space where a well written contract can exist.
What goes into a clear contract?
The scope of the engagement
- how much
- how long
- metrics
- milestones
The expectations of each party
- The process for making requests for changes to the original scope of work (change orders)
- Rights and responsibilities of the client and the consultant
- Who has authority to make decisions
- How you will communicate
- What it will cost
- What resources are available
- What resources need to be brought in
- How payment will be made
- How to end the contract in the event that circumstances change
- What it looks like when the terms of the contract have not be honored by either party
- What it looks like when all the terms have been honored
Best Business Practices
A contract is a summary of what you and your client have agreed to. It doesn’t have to be long. It needs to state what you both understand and will do you best to honor. I draft my contracts based on conversations with my clients. We work out the details together. It is an excellent opportunity to deepen our relationship and avoid misunderstandings. Skip any of these steps at your own peril. Take time to work out the details collaboratively with your clients before you start a project and you will have a strong foundation for success.
Judy’s 10 commandments of winning customer service
Have you ever wondered why Apple created the Genius Bar? They did their homework. They interviewed customers and asked them where they experienced the best customer service. The overwhelming winner: the treatment experience working with a hotel concierge. Why a concierge? These talented people do what it takes to satisfy their customers. They help you find what you need when you need it, even when the path to success is not easy or a straight line.
I’ve translated the parallels between the hospitality model and that used by Apple into the 10 commandments of winning customer service:
1. we are here to help you have a good experience
2. listen to what your customer has to say, especially when they are upset
3. respond with helpful behavior
4. treat your customer with respect
5. have a fix-it mentality (solutions not excuses)
6. maintain a broad spectrum of knowledge related to the needs of your customer base, beyond the expertise of your own business
7. recommend tools and resources outside of your own brand when appropriate
8. be friendly
9. be available
10. make it easy to work with you, be flexible
How to build customers for life
Become a resource like the Apple Genius Bar. You will find that you have higher customer satisfaction, frequent contact with your customers, repeat business, it is more fun for you as well as your customers to be engaged and to work together on solving problems (which will come up — and how you behave under pressure can make a customer one for life or one who goes out and tells 10 or more people about their bad experience with you).
This post was triggered by an article about why Apple is great in the May issue of Fast Company. You can read more at http://bit.ly/cdLiGy, Whether you are an Apple fanatic or a PC fan, there is much to learn about why the Apple style is a winner and why other industries want to emulate them.
Let me know how I can better serve you.
