Customer Relations The Missing Link in Technical Education Presented By: Steve Coscia, President Coscia Communications Inc. Phone: 610-853-9836 E-Mail: steve@coscia.com Website: www.coscia.com Taught at more than 100 Colleges NEW 3rd Edition Academy Of Building Industries, AZ ACCA - National Capital Chapter, MD ACCA - Western PA Chapter, PA Allegheny College Maryland, MD Arizona Vocational Training, AZ Arrowhead Inc., WY Blue Ridge Community College, NC Bowling Green Tech College, KY Brownson Technical School, CA Career Ctr Northern Nevada, NV Central Piedmont Comm. College, NC Chippewa Valley Technical College, WI College of Albemarle, NC College of Allegheny County, PA College of Lake County, IL College of Southern Maryland, MD College of Southern Nevada, NV Corinthian Colleges, Inc., CA C-TEC, OH CustomVac, MB Cypress College, CA East Central College, MO El Camino College, CA Elgin Community College, IL Environmental Technical Inst., IL Fortis College, UT GBG Inc., PA Global Institute of Technology, IL Granite State Trade School, NH Greenville Technical College, SC Hawkeye Community College, IA HVAC Business & Technical Institute, WA Institute of Technology, CA Institute of Technology, CA Intellitec Colleges, CO Ivy Tech Community College, IN J.M. Tawes Technical Center, MD UA JATC Local 103 - Casper Area, WY UA JATC Local 353, IL UA JATC Local 597 - Chicago, IL UA JATC Local No 10, MN UA JATC Local No 11, MN UA JATC Local 32, Seattle, WA UA JATC Pipefitters Local 142, TX UA JATC Pipefitters Local 211, TX Getting serious with students at North Virginia Community College. With instructor Scott Derr at Ivy Tech Community College. UA JATC Local 290, Tualatin, OR UA JATC Pipefitters Local 344, OK UA JATC Pipefitters Local 455, MN Jefferson College, MO Jefferson Technical College, KY Johnson Controls, NV Kankakee Community College, IL Kennedy King College, IL Laramie County Comm. College, WY Laramie County Community College, WY Lincoln College of Technology, MD Lorain County JVS, OH Maine Energy Marketers, ME Martin Community College, NC Mechanical Trades Institute, GA Midlands Technical College, SC Midwest Technical Institute, IL Mitchell Tech, SD Mott Community College, MI Nance International, TX North Montco Tech Career Center, PA North VA Community College, VA Northwest Louisiana Tech College, LA Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, OH Peralta Community College, CA Piedmont Technical College, SC Pikes Peak Comm College, CO Pipefitting Training Center, WA Piping Industry Training Center, OH Pittsburgh Technical Institute, PA Prime Group, AZ Redstone College, CO Remington College, Memphis, TN Richmond Technical Center, VA Sacramento Sheet Metal Workers, CA So. Shore Regional School, MA Southeast community college, NE Surry Community College, NC Technical College of Lowcountry, SC Triangle Tech, PA UDR, Inc., TX Universal Appliance Repairs, NY Washtenaw Community College, MI Wichita Technical Institute, KS YTI Career Institute, PA After a soft skills class at Peralta Community College. Customer Relations www.coscia.com Page 3 Call 610-853-9836 Customer Relations www.coscia.com Tenacity - Life is Not Fair Dealing with __________ is what enables a person to grow both ______________ and professionally. The visceral, gut-level _________ ache one gets when they are rejected can be the _____ to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. My Notes… Call 610-853-9836 Page 4 Customer Relations www.coscia.com Soft Skill Hierarchy My Notes… Page 5 Call 610-853-9836 Customer Relations www.coscia.com 70% 54% 60% 1970 s Retention Rate NG I N TE RY S I L TOd 1980s S I H an 50% 40% 19% 30% 20% 9% 10% 0% Didn't Complain Complained But Not Resolved Customer Categories My Notes… Call 610-853-9836 Page 6 Complained and Resolve d Customer Relations www.coscia.com The Congruency Sequence What a Customer sees from their Window Matters! Page 7 Call 610-853-9836 Customer Relations www.coscia.com How to Minimize STRESS! Call 610-853-9836 Page 8 Customer Relations www.coscia.com Attitude and a Company’s Image ________ _________ _________ How ___ see our ________ How ___________ see your ___________ The Split Second Response My Notes… Page 9 Call 610-853-9836 Customer Relations www.coscia.com Kinesthetic Learning Get them to do something Call 610-853-9836 Page 10 Customer Relations www.coscia.com When Technicians Talk Too Much Editorializing Behaviors Maximize these... Minimize these... 1. Humility antonym 1. Conceit 2. Empathy antonym 2. Self-Interest 3. Discretion antonym 3. Showiness My Notes… Page 11 Call 610-853-9836 Customer Relations www.coscia.com PowerPoint Slides Chapter 1 Customer Service Realities Instructor’s Guide Practical HVAC Service ideas HVAC Customer Service by Steve Coscia, Coscia Communications Inc. 2 3 Fix the Thermostat, Not the Customer The Split Second Response Teamwork & Remaining Calm Some technicians view their diagnostic ability as primary and soft skills as secondary. Technical expertise accompanied by courtesy, empathy and professionalism is a winning formula for success. Customer service can be a differentiator among contracting trades. Some customers perceive technicians as a commodity in which all contractors are thought to be the same. Commoditization occurs when your product or service is indistinguishable from the competition (perception, not reality). Commoditization results in thin margins, price-only focus and diminished customer loyalty and customer retention. Hey John, are you smiling? Bad customer behavior is a symptom, not a problem (root cause) You can’t fix a customer Focus on fixing a problem’s root cause, not the customer’s behavior When you fix the root cause, then a customer’s behavior will improve One or two seconds can make all the difference. What now, Sherry? Building rapport with others starts here. Saying what you CAN do is more constructive than saying what you CAN’T do. 4 5 6 Attitude, Aptitude and the Dreaded Morning Call These Calls Will Happen A positive attitude improves a person’s aptitude (ability) A negative attitude diminishes a person’s aptitude A dreaded morning call can ruin a whole day if your attitude suffers Practice the split second response to avert a bad attitude 7 8 Keep the Truck Clean Example: Do you need a supply register (damper) or a return grille (no damper)? Qualify similar sounding consonants over the phone The Customer is Always Right Qualify an order for a vent or grille What a customer sees from their window is their first impression! An “S” sounds like an “F” An “M” sounds like an “N” To qualify, remember four W words: A professional must be prepared for anything! 9 Qualify the Details My house is cold, my kids are freezing and I am furious! Who, What, Where and When – these result in complete information 10 11 Investing a few minutes tidying up the truck’s dashboard makes a more positive first improession. 12 Greetings In Person Attitude and Your Company’s Image Thank you for wearing shoe covers in my home! Owner Mgmt Opening and Closing Phone Calls • Smile and make eye contact Proper Greeting Opening Phone Calls • Practice good personal hygiene • Wear clean, company-issue attire • Bring shoe covers and wear them • Say “Thank You” Service Dept. • Have a pen and flashlight handy • Keep the truck neat and orderly How we see our company How customers see your company 14 Attitude is Everything! Call 610-853-9836 Practice mutual closure Follow up if necessary 15 Chapter 2 The Truth in HVAC Service It’s better to disappoint a customer with the truth than to satisfy a customer with a lie. Tactical HVAC Service ideas 16 Move to a quiet environment prior to answering a cell phone. Greet and identify yourself Closing Phone Calls 13 Both verbal and non-verbal professionalism 17 18 Page 12 Customer Relations www.coscia.com PowerPoint Slides The Service Placebo - Don’t Do It Using “I” or “It” Instead of “You” A placebo is neutral remedy prescribed for psychological effect A placebo has no potency A placebo doesn’t fix the root cause Customer service must be both potent and effective Follow up to differentiate your company’s service 19 The word “you” can imply blame and exacerbate a situation Don’t Rush Customers Off the Phone Be patient Listen actively Incorrect: We can’t send a tech today due to the bad whether. Convey empathy Correct: We can arrive this afternoon. Thank you for being so patient 21 Incorrect: Sorry, we can’t get there this morning. 22 Use words that shed a positive light on a service situation Example: Incorrect: I am sorry you had to wait so long. Imperatives (command) Rephrase your responses so that you appear more cooperative Example: Correct: Correct: Say what you CAN do rather than what you CAN’T do IT wasn’t designed to operate that way. YOU broke it! 20 Accentuating the Positive An IMPERATIVE is a command which makes a person sound inflexible. Example: Do you have any flexibility in your schedule? The weather may result in re-scheduling. 23 Let customers vent, if they need to Say “I understand.” or “I see.” Say “I know how you feel.” Qualify the details Use the four W words: Who, What, Where and When 24 Some Customers Talk Too Much Words vs. Tone of Voice (over the phone) Will this customer ever stop talking? Tone of Voice = 80% Words = 20% 25 26 27 Stay Focused & Listen Less Information is More The Three F Empathy Method Definition of Empathy: “I know how you feel.” Don’t editorialize by sharing too much information. Example: The Three F Method – Feel, Felt & Found 1. I know how you feel. have felt the same way. 3. And they found that investing in a preventive maintenance contract saved money in the long term. 2. Others We’ve seen lots of defects in this type of compressor. (the above phrase diminishes the value of the brand, the installation and the maintenance) 28 29 What Does Terrific HVAC Service Cost? 30 Chapter 3 Voice Mail Etiquette Voice mail is an input/output device The more quality you put in, the more quality you get out or the more garbage you put in, the more garbage you get out (GIGO). Customers won’t call you back if they can’t understand your voice mail message Speak slowly, be concise and say your phone number twice Three F Method COURTESY R E SMILE ATTITUDE E 31 Virtual HVAC Service ideas 32 E-Mail Etiquette Voice Mail Paradigm Put Quality In 33 Spell check 100% of outgoing e-mails (convey a professional image) Refrain from sending angry emails – remember that e-mails can be forwarded to others Invite Quality In Contact Steve Coscia with any questions about this lesson: Steve Coscia, President Coscia Communications inc. Phone: 610-853-9836 E-mail: steve@coscia.com (minimize company liability) Get Quality Out 34 Get Quality Out If you are not sure about how your e-mail will be perceived then don’t send it (seek advice) 35 36 Page 13 Call 610-853-9836 Customer Relations www.coscia.com Scripting Examples Pronoun Substitution Correct words will enable you to communicate more professionally. The following examples of incorrect and correct phrases help to contain adverse situations. Using correct phrases will help you avoid obstacles by not creating them in the first place. Notice that many of the correct phrases substitute the word “I” for “YOU”. • I’m confused. (not, “You’re confusing me.” • With whom am I speaking? (not, “What’s your name?” • It will not operate under those conditions. (not, “You broke it.”) Minimizing Conflict Over the Phone When a situation become tense, it’s best to minimize potential conflict with phrases that contain, rather than exacerbate. Contain means to keep things within fixed limits and exacerbate means to make things worse. • I’m sorry, I didn’t hear your last sentence. • I may be wrong, but I think it works a little differently. • I want to help, but first I’ll need to... Accentuating the Positive Focus on the positive potential of a situation not the negative possibilities. Dwelling on the negative reinforces the down side of a situation. Direct the customer’s attention towards the positive potential for an optimistic future. Substitute either event, or situation for the word problem. Saying the word problem repeatedly only reinforces the fact that something is wrong. • Thank you for being so patient. • This situation is a little different and we can help. • Please remember to.... Conveying Empathy Let callers know that you care about helping them. Your concern and empathy must be audible over the phone. The words will comprise about 20% of your message and the tone of voice is the remaining 80%. Empathy simply means that you understand how the other person feels. • Oh, your situation sounds awful. Let’s see how fast we can get someone out there to fix that. • I wouldn’t like it either - if my house was uncomfortable - I’ll need to gather some information and then I will present options on how we can fix that.. • While I understand that you have an engineering degree, our certified technicians’ work is warranted by the manufacturer, our trucks are fully stocked and we have a reputation for delivering the quality service that our customers have come to expect. May we send a technician today? Call 610-853-9836 Page 14 More Classroom Resources Contractor Soft Skills DVD $97.00 Customer Service Jeopardy (PowerPoint File) $297.00 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steve Coscia 610.853.9836 steve@coscia.com. Coscia’s Customer Service Handbook Surpasses Sales Expectations Draws Accolades from Educators and Businesses Philadelphia, Pa. - Now in its newly published 3rd edition, the Customer Service Handbook, by contractor customer service expert, Steve Coscia, continues to surpass sales records, and garner consistent five-star reviews from readers on amazon.com. Coscia's 96-page Customer Service Handbook, which has shipped more than 8,000 units, has become a valuable “must have” reference guide among colleges, contractors and distributors because readers relate to the book's anecdotes and learn from the insightful diagrams and flowcharts. Coscia also wrote a companion Instructor’s Guide for college instructors, which simplifies lesson planning and soft skill instruction. "Coscia's book helped to put my company back on track," says James L. Pompetti, owner of Pompetti Heating and Air Conditioning. “It is essential reading for anyone in our business.” Coscia is one of the most passionate and widely published and quoted authorities on customer service. An international speaker, Coscia has traveled overseas to assist client in world-class service achievement. Regarded by many as one of the best contractor customer service experts worldwide, Coscia is an avid researcher of customer service trends. He conducted one of the industry's first studies of stress in the customer service environment, which revealed the causes of stress along with the most common manifestations of post-stress behavior among customer service professionals. For more information, visit coscia.com or contact Coscia at 610.853.9836 or steve@coscia.com. ###