Customer Service vs Customer Compliance - Ted Palashis - Leadership in Action- Episode #027

Does your company do business the way your client would like to do business, or do you force the client to comply with the way your company does business? Ted Palashis breaks down the nuances of how you interact and think of your client and what message you send to the client and prospects alike. Prepare to learn about the importance of great training, what to look for when hiring, and which clients to seek out once you can be selective.   Takeaways: Most employees want to provide good service to the customer but when they fail in doing so, it can often be attributed to training. When your employees are empathetic to your customers and their needs, they can’t help but provide them great service. All of the little things your employees do send a message to your client. This could be as simple as the way you train your employees to answer the phones.  When a client calls, don’t tell them that someone’s in a meeting, say you’ll try and catch them, and if you can’t, say they were unavailable and ask what you can do for the client. This is how you become an advocate for the client which makes them feel valued. Always follow up with the client once the deliverable is made. This shows them how well you did, that you care about how well you did, and gets you closer to the situation and the problems of the client which offers valuable information. The real test of customer service is how the customer feels after the interaction. If the customer feels good, the service was good. If the customer feels bad, the service was bad. Customer compliance is when a customer has to comply with the way the company does business. Whereas, customer service is when the company is run based on how the customer wants to do business with the company.  When you can afford to be selective with clients, you want to find more who will be loyal and recommend you rather than the “crazies” that don’t fit. The best way to discern which kind of client a prospect might be is by discussing what they really need.   Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-palashis-5486744/ Company website: https://www.theoverbrookgroup.com/ Blog: https://www.theoverbrookgroup.com/blog   Quote of the Show “It's caring enough about the client, for you to do business the way they would like to do business. I'm saying the old expression, the customer's always right. Maybe yes, maybe no, but the customer is always the customer, and they're always the ones that are paying your rent and that are writing you a check” - Ted Palashis   Book Recommendation The Service Profit Chain by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, Jr., & Leonard A. Schlesinger   Shout Outs: Entrepreneurs’ Organization   Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2t4Ksk4TwmZ6MSfAHXGkJI Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/leadership-in-action Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVhZGVyc2hpcGluYWN0aW9uLmxpdmUvZmVlZC54bWw Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4263fd02-8c9b-495e-bd31-2e5aef21ff6b/leadership-in-action YouTube - https://youtu.be/Ueka5404er8

Does your company do business the way your client would like to do business, or do you force the client to comply with the way your company does business? Ted Palashis breaks down the nuances of how you interact and think of your client and what message you send to the client and prospects alike. Prepare to learn about the importance of great training, what to look for when hiring, and which clients to seek out once you can be selective.

 

Takeaways:

  • Most employees want to provide good service to the customer but when they fail in doing so, it can often be attributed to training. When your employees are empathetic to your customers and their needs, they can’t help but provide them great service.
  • All of the little things your employees do send a message to your client. This could be as simple as the way you train your employees to answer the phones. 
  • When a client calls, don’t tell them that someone’s in a meeting, say you’ll try and catch them, and if you can’t, say they were unavailable and ask what you can do for the client. This is how you become an advocate for the client which makes them feel valued.
  • Always follow up with the client once the deliverable is made. This shows them how well you did, that you care about how well you did, and gets you closer to the situation and the problems of the client which offers valuable information.
  • The real test of customer service is how the customer feels after the interaction. If the customer feels good, the service was good. If the customer feels bad, the service was bad.
  • Customer compliance is when a customer has to comply with the way the company does business. Whereas, customer service is when the company is run based on how the customer wants to do business with the company. 
  • When you can afford to be selective with clients, you want to find more who will be loyal and recommend you rather than the “crazies” that don’t fit. The best way to discern which kind of client a prospect might be is by discussing what they really need.

 

Links: 

 

Quote of the Show

  • “It's caring enough about the client, for you to do business the way they would like to do business. I'm saying the old expression, the customer's always right. Maybe yes, maybe no, but the customer is always the customer, and they're always the ones that are paying your rent and that are writing you a check” - Ted Palashis

 

Book Recommendation

  • The Service Profit Chain by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, Jr., & Leonard A. Schlesinger

 

Shout Outs:

  • Entrepreneurs’ Organization

 

Ways to Tune In:

Creators and Guests

Customer Service vs Customer Compliance - Ted Palashis - Leadership in Action- Episode #027
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