Customer Relations Flashcards
Explain the nature of positive customer relations.
Customers are the life of any business; any interaction should be positive, courteous, and respectful. Positive customer relations can include showing appreciation, delivering timely service, training employees effectively to interact with clients, and appeasing any concerns brought forward.
Demonstrate a customer service mindset.
A customer service mindset is a way of approaching customer service that puts the customer’s needs first and goes a step further to think above and beyond what can be done to improve the customer experience.
Being warm and welcoming
Engage with customers, and help them with anything (strike up conversations)
develops bonds, retains customers
creates positive brand image for company
Develop rapport with customers
Rapport: a friendly, harmonious relationship
created through a customer service mindset
exhibiting empathy, and being understanding
Rapport creates trust, brings customers back
Reinforce service orientation through communication
Service orientation is when an individual demonstrates a desire to help others and is sensitive to others’ needs and feelings.
In business context : listening to customers and providing them with satisfaction.
3 P’s Professionalism, patience, and a “people-first” attitude.
Displayed through polite communication, following up on needs, and nonverbal encouragement and support.
Respond to customer inquiries
Inquiries - request for information about prices, services, etc by customer
Your message should be clear and concise, focusing on the main points and answering the specific questions or requests of the customer or client. You should also use simple and polite language, avoiding slang, acronyms, and technical terms that may confuse or offend your audience.
If you don’t know, find someone who does.
Adapt communication to the cultural and social differences amongst clients.
client - individual using services of a company
Avoid offending clients representing a minority by lack of sensitivity to their needs & Avoid stereotypes, (oversimplified, distorted belief)
and racist, derogatory language
Different cultural / social beliefs and values based on culture
Determine when it is appropriate to utilize more casual or more professional communication.
Nonverbal communication - haptics (sense of touch), in handshakes proxemics (sense of space) can be adjusted based on differences.
Interpret business policies to customers/clients.
Business policy- general rule that personnel should follow in order to avoid misunderstandings and apply fair and consistent treatment to all situations
1.Paraphrase the key point of the policy for the customer.
2. Quote a short, relevant passage of the policy.
3. Link to the full text of the policy online.
It should be stated firmly, yet politely.
Build and maintain relationships with customers.
Employees should have a positive attitude to keep bringing them back, accomplished through communication.
Customer service mindset, rapport
“Customers are a company’s most under-leveraged asset.”
— Jessica DeVlieger
Customer relationship funnel
Company XYZ: we want a Personal Assistance Relationship
one where customers communicate with a real person to get help regarding products and services.
Handle Difficult Customers
There are a variety of difficult customers including those who are angry, impatient, demanding and indecisive.
(slow/methodical, domineering, suspicious, disagreeable, dishonest)
To handle these, first maintain control over your personal emotions and behavior by staying calm and listening closely to the customer. Acknowledge their concerns, maintain eye contact and demonstrate compassion for the situation. Try to solve the problem or identify someone who can act on the customer’s behalf. Whenever possible, offer choices.
Handle customer complaints
Listen to the customer. …
Show empathy. …
Apologize. …
Ask thorough questions. …
Loop in necessary parties. …
Find a swift solution. …
Follow up. …
Create a record.
Caveat: Complaints can be sincere or hidden (customer dislikes price, complains about quality)
Complaints should be evaluated to determine a course of action, as sometimes the company is not responsible. If so, calmly but firmly explain your findings to the customer.
Identify company’s brand promise
A business’s agreement with customers that it will consistently meet their expectations and deliver on its brand characteristics and values.
A recognizable statement of enduring, consistent, relevant, and distinctive benefits valued by customers.
Product or company can be easily identified, builds loyalty and recognition, what your company stands for
Unique Value & Consistency=Trust=Loyalty=Strong Relationships=Profit
https://logodesign.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/brand-promise-logo.png
Venn - Diagram
Determine ways of reinforcing the company’s image through employee performance.
Create structures and mechanisms (e.g. training) to consistently instill brand values in the organization’s culture; Select employees who represent; Teach service behavior not just productivity and reinforce brand (ie. Roleplay); Demonstrate brand behaviors on par every day; Recognize individuals who do
Discuss the nature of customer relationship management.
Strategies/Technologies/Processes/Policies to manage and analyze customer interactions and feedback to improve sales or marketing methods to meet/exceed the expected standards and increase revenue.
Build and nurture relationships with current and prospective customers,
Customers often choose the business that offers better customer service.
E.g. Gather and track information for business decisions, draw conclusions and predict CLV
E.g. Complaint management- resolve problems, communicate issues to organization
Database marketing- process of creating and maintaining customer lists: face-to-face sales, direct mail responses, phone or email purchases, service requests, website visits, or they can be purchased from a third party.
Satisfaction surveys, often giving a customer a reward while sharing demographic and purchase information with the company.
Explain the role of ethics in customer relationship management.
Ethics - moral principles that conform with society’s accepted notions of what is right or wrong
Forms the basis of CRM and customer interactions.
Be honest with customers, assist them in making the right decision based on their buying behavior. Ethical CRM also respects customer preferences and allows them to opt in / out of marketing campaigns such as emails.
Ethics in Data mining - ensure confidentiality of mined data (talk about tech in CRM first)
Describe the use of technology in customer relationship management.
Technology can be used to communicate with customers to respond to inquiries and complaints through methods such as email.
It can also be used for marketing such as emails.
CRM cannot survive without technology- social media on the rise for 2-way
Data mining - process of using large databases to deduce logical, new information
Basket Analysis
Find out which items customers tend to purchase together. This knowledge can improve stocking, store layout strategies, and promotions.
Predictive Life-Cycle Management
Data mining helps an organization predict each customer’s lifetime value and service each segment properly.
Market Segmentation
Learn which customers are interested in purchasing your products. Design your marketing campaigns and promotions keeping their tastes and preferences in mind. This will increase efficiency and result in the desired ROI since you won’t be targeting customers who are not interested in your product.
