Follow Through with your Follow Up

What's better than having a problem fixed? When the solution is delivered with a smile and sweet little bow - theoretically, of course. Following up with a customer is a personal touch that builds trust, loyalty, and frankly, a newfound hope in a society that is virtually sustained by “do not reply” emails and automated texts.

Commit to follow up with the customer, and don't forget to follow through! A call that takes less than 10 minutes is a gift that keeps giving in kudos to you and a happy - potentially lifelong - customer.

“I’ll contact you personally once everything is back up and running.”

“Please feel free to contact me directly if you need help in the future. It’s been a pleasure serving you.”

How do you go above and beyond with your customers? Share your stories with us at ann@wardcertified.com.

"No problem, I love waiting!” ...said no customer ever.

When a customer is upset, their emotions may make it difficult to grasp all the details to understand and assist them fully

What’s even better? Statements that produce an immediate solution - however small.

When you say:

“I understand what occurred…”

They think:

“Awesome, he’s done this before. This will be over soon.”

When you say:

“Here’s what I can do right now…”

They think:

“Yes, results!”

When you say:

“Our teams are working on the issue now, and it should be fixed by the end of the day.”

They think:

“Excellent, I won’t be distracted by this at dinner.”

Keep things on track & define your deadline through explicit conversations with customers.

"Did I lock the door this morning?"

You know how when you're stressed about something, you can’t stop thinking about it? Remember that feeling to relate or empathize with a customer who has a complaint, concern, or inconvenience that’s upsetting them. Help them rest a little easier:

• Reassure them and give them a status, so they know what to expect.

• Give the customer some relief that their situation will be resolved ASAP.

• Be as detailed as possible, so the customer isn't left confused or pining away with worry.

Here's a nice little package of a statement for you:

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I’ve sent it to the appropriate department to resolve immediately. I’ll update you by the end of the week.”

We want to hear from you! Has empathy changed your customer interactions?

When the details are as clear as mud

When a customer is upset, their emotions may make it difficult to grasp all of the details to understand and assist them fully.

Once you’ve let them vent and expressed empathy for their situation, repeat and clarify what you’ve heard. It’ll get everyone in agreement and on the same page - not to mention give your customer some time to simmer and clear their head.

“I can see how this has been stressful for you. I want to resolve this as quickly as possible, and I want to make sure I understand what happened. Here’s what I’m hearing...Did I capture that correctly?”

How do you follow up?

Can you hear me now?

To truly put yourself in the shoes of your customer, you gotta start listening. The real kind. Not “listening” to respond or zoning out completely, because “these calls are all the same, right?” Wrong.

When you show you’re actively listening, you:

• Give your customer an open invitation to be honest.

  • How can I help make your day better?

• Get a better understanding of your customer's question or concern.

  • Can you tell me what happened?

• Give the customer the confidence that you care about their issue and will get things done.

  • I’d like to hear more about your experience, so I can know how best to assist you.

Need some more ideas about how to express empathy with your customers? We’ve got a class for that! Learn more at wardcertified.com.

Scripts are guides, not straitjackets.

Customer service scripts ensure consistency and quality among large groups of reps. But when you don’t inject a little bit of personal flavor, you may come off as insincere, bored, or indifferent - and your customers can smell that from a mile away.

Here are some easy ways to make your scripts seem more human and less forced:

• Use contractions to sound more conversational and less formal. Do-not-recite-your-script-like-a-robot.

• Use natural inflections in your voice to create a more friendly and dynamic tone, and avoid the monotony of reading your script word-for-word.

• Does the language sound like something only the Queen of England would say? Without losing the meatier content or intention of the script, look for places to put language into your own words to sound more authentic.

Need suggestions on how to add a little charisma to your customer interactions? Contact us at ann@wardcertified.com!

Say oui to more “I”

When a close friend comes to you with a problem or concern, have you ever responded, “Thank you, we’ll take that under consideration”?

Unless you’re a robot, probably not. It probably sounded more like: “I understand what you’re saying; how I can help make this better?”

When you use “we” statements, rather than active “I” statements, it can seem like you're passing the buck or throwing a customer’s concerns in the wastebasket.

When you say: “Our team will review this shortly.”

Your customer thinks: Yea, sure. Whatever, buddy.

But when you say: “I’ll review this with our team and contact you by the end of the week.”

Your customer thinks: Yes! This rep is going places because they get things done. 

How can you make your responses more active this week?