Customer service at its best makes people feel heard and cared for. It goes beyond selling customers goods and services. It’s more about creating great experiences that keep customers coming back again and again. A colleague shared the following story about an exceptional customer service experience with ADT, the home security company.
Real World Story: “I have a friend who is 60 years old. Although he’s finally learned to work his smartphone, technology is not his strong suit. And that was noticeably the case on a recent visit with him. I came knocking on the door of his new home while he was in the middle of having ADT install a home security system. He had signed up for all the bells and whistles: cameras covering every side of his home, a door bell camera, a tablet for inside the home, motion, window and door sensors, including two smartphone apps for monitoring the cameras and turning on and off his alarm system remotely.
“Knowing my friend, I thought to myself, This will be interesting. Fred isn’t the most technologically savvy person I know. And true to form, he couldn’t keep up with Sam the ADT technician when he was explaining how everything worked. My friend became overwhelmed and agitated as Sam explained the many, many features of the new home security system.
“Sam must have been expertly trained in customer service because he was exceptional at it. As soon as he noticed my friend getting agitated, Sam began to use simple language. All the while he was patient and understanding of my friend’s limitations with technology. He explained things slowly, making sure my friend understood. And when he completed his explanations, he handed my friend his business card and said, ‘I am writing down my cell phone number on the back of the card. If you need for me to explain anything again or need any additional help, please don’t hesitate to call me.’ Immediately, I could see that this made my friend feel a whole lot better. Way to go, Sam. I may even call you for ADT service at my home. Thank you for taking care of my friend!”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Show patience. Above all else, showing patience under pressure is one of the greatest strategies in customer service. Unfortunately, it’s a skill not often used to win over customers. Patience is the ability to show empathy toward a person who may be hostile toward us. It is the understanding that an upset customer is not necessarily angry with us, but with a situation that is overwhelming them.
- Speak to be understood. Speaking in simple words and terms helps the communication process, especially in stressful situations. Not everyone will understand the jargon used in many of the industries we work in such as technology, insurance, or occupational medicine, to name a few. And although, for example, technology is prevalent in almost everything we do today, not everyone understands the terms used in the complicated processes that can be achieved on a smartphone.
- Take ownership and responsibility. When a situation with a customer gets tough, it’s easy to simply push them off on an 800 number or to someone else for follow-up service. Exceptional customer service is making ourselves readily available to the customers we serve. Often, that means giving our direct phone number or email address to customers, so they can contact us if and when they need us. And when we’ve already had contact with a customer, then we should take ownership of any problems that may arise from that initial contact and take responsibility for continuing to work with them.
Remember: If I’d said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: customers want to feel heard and seen. They want to feel cared for. And when you show patience, speak to be understood, and take ownership of customer interactions, they will continue to come back to you again and again. And who knows, maybe one day, a loyal customer will sing your praises in a blog post.
What does your organization do to make customers feel heard, safe and cared for?