by Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor
Ask most audiences what trait or characteristic they’d like to see in their employees and you’ll notice OWNERSHIP floats to the top.
Yes, attitude is up there too, and a few others they’d like to see, but without fail OWNERSHIP wins.
If we asked 10 people, “What does ownership mean to you?” we might get 10 different answers. And they’d all be right.
So we’ve taken the word OWNERSHIP and labeled a thought to each letter. Enjoy!
Operate as though it’s your business. Take responsibility. There’s no, “It’s not my job” in ownership. There’s only, “I will help you.”
Walk in the customer’s shoes. That’s the best way to be sure you understand what’s going on and to help. Pretend it’s you calling in and needing the assistance. What if this happened to you?
Never say “NO.” That’s right, even when you’re not able to help or even when the situation is hopeless (and let’s hope it never gets to that). The word NO is offensive, abrupt, unfriendly, overused and tired. There are a dozen positive alternatives we can use to let the customer down gently. To offer a few: “I wish we could” or “Let me double check on that” or “I’m going to take some time and see if we can work this out.” Bottom line, offering NO at the top of your conversation is useless.
Empowerment is strength. Having employees empowered to assist by themselves is a strong motivation to do well. The worst they can do is make one mistake. Normally easily corrected and then move forward. Empower your folks!
Resolution. Sticking with the issue until it is resolved. No matter how many phone calls, how many times we re-check something; it’s not over till it’s fixed. Resolved! The mentality needs to be: “Your issues are our issues.”
Sending confirmation of the resolution. This is so important. If something gets fixed or resolved and the customer isn’t made aware of it, they can still be upset. The other day we were to have been issued a credit from an airline. We never heard from them. After a third call from my husband to the airline, we were told, “Oh, that credit was on your bill a few months ago.” But no one bothered to let us know it was coming or that it had been done. Send confirmation or call! Then close the issue.
Happiness is key. Happy people love to help. That’s a fact. And your customers love to be helped by happy people. That’s another fact. They can even make the bitter better. (Say that three times!) Walk into your job HAPPY!
Integrity. This is non-negotiable. Having integrity is a huge part of ownership. Do what is right ALL the time. And remember, having the right to do it doesn’t always ‘make it right.’ Integrity!
Personal commitment. Each and every person helping a customer needs to make their own personal commitment that they will take ownership. No more, “It’s not my job.” No more, “I wasn’t here when it happened.” No more, “I don’t know anything about it.”
Give your team the tools to master these communication concepts:
- 4 steps to handle & defuse angry, upset and irate customers
- Recognize & capture cross-selling opportunities
- How to compose an effective customer service email
- Business communication for phone, email, face-to-face & chat
- How the power of attitude helps resolve challenging situations
- Essential office etiquette & workplace manners strategies
- Effectively managing differences between the generations
- Replacing Five Forbidden Phrases® w/ Positive Alternatives
- Best practices for email subject lines and address fields
- Handling ethical dilemmas the moment they appear
- The six cardinal rules of customer retention and loyalty
- The importance of delivering Business Friendly℠ service
- How to respect & communicate effectively with co-workers
- Contrasts between passive, average & proactive service
- 6 ways to improve listening skills and deliver better service
- The personal philosophies of six service superstars
- How service after the sale builds customers for life
- When to use open-ended, closed-ended, probing & echo questions
- Deploying the Power of You during interviews & appraisals
- Why bringing an ‘observable level of enthusiasm’ is so important
- The distinction between features and benefits
- To be truly sensitive and empathetic to customer needs
- Management skills to better lead, coach and mentor others
- How to conduct more effective & engaging meetings
- Avoiding weak, wimpy words in business communication
- The relationship between internal & external customer service
- plus hundreds more skills, strategies & techniques!