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Service Articles
Complaint Letters: How
to respond in 7 steps by Robert Warlow
Ask many small business owners what goes into
providing great customer service and you have answers
such as, being polite, serving promptly, keeping your
promises etc. But in this hi-tech age, we tend to forget
that the humble letter has just as an important role in
ensuring good customer service. Yet how many times have
you received a ‘letter of apology’ which makes you
even more dissatisfied? The message it conveys, the
language used – all designed to wind you up!
With some careful thought, a well-crafted letter can
provide comfort to a complaining customer and enhance
your reputation as a customer-focused business. In this
article I am going to share some tips on how to write a
great letter.
What are you writing for?
To write a great letter you have to be in the right
frame of mind. Are you writing to handle a complaint,
answer a query or to thank them for placing an order?
Framing the letter in the right context means you will
use the appropriate language and the tone will be right.
Try writing a thank you letter as if you are responding
to a complaint – the message is totally different.
Before putting pen to paper, think for a minute and
decide what your aim or goal is.
State your purpose
Start off by summarising why you are writing. Open your
letter by saying that you are responding to a query, or
to resolve a problem they have had. This set out to the
reader why you are contacting them and puts them in the
right frame of mind to accept your message. An opening
summary will grab their attention.
Include a W.I.I.F.M.
No, this is not some obscure radio station! WIIFM stands
for ‘What’s in it for me?’ To truly engage your
customer and get them on your side, you have to include
a benefit for them. They have to get something out of
your letter so they feel satisfied. What could their
WIIFM be? Their complaint may be resolved; they may get
a discount voucher; a priority service the next time
they use you. If the compliant is a minor one, a simple,
heartfelt apology may be enough!
Study your letter carefully and make sure you have a
WIIFM moment.
Don’t say ‘I’
Wherever possible, avoid littering your letter with
I’s. The reader will find it hard to link with you if
they receive ‘me, me, me’ letters. Review your
letters and wherever possible substitute ‘I’ with
‘you’. Change the focus to the reader. Make them
feel valued.
Write as you speak
I forget the number of times I have received letters,
which read as if they were written in the early
1900’s! Packed full of boring, stiff and outdated
language – too formal. Your writing style should
reflect the way you talk. After all, providing good
customer service is partly down to how you interact or
communicate with your client and letters play an
important role.
So, review your letters and get rid of those phrases you
learnt in school letter-writing lessons!
“Please do this…”
Having written a great letter, you don’t want it to
tail off into nothing. Have a clear action-orientated
close. Make sure your reader knows what you expect him
to do next – “call me so we can discuss this idea in
more depth”, “Fill in the attached form and pop it
in the post”, “send me an order” (a bit strong
perhaps but certainly to the point!).
A resounding call-to-action is a great way to finish a
letter and leaves the customer in no doubt what he has
to do next – another element of good customer service.
Ask someone to check your letter
If you are writing a very important letter or one
containing a complex message, it’s wise to ask someone
to proof read it. This is not just to check your
spelling but also to check readability. Is the structure
of the message you wish to convey clear and
understandable? You’ll be amazed by what someone else
will pick up which you have completely missed!
So, there you have it. Some useful tips on how to write
a superb letter, which will further enforce your image
of providing exceptional customer service.
Article
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
© Robert Warlow Small Business
Success www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz
Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to
helping small business owners be more successful. If you
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1. Be 1. Be assertive - not aggressive or passive. My
definition of assertion is simple: "Say what you
mean, mean what you say, and don't be mean when you say
it." Let this rule guide your conversations with
all customers and you will always be confident, cool,
and in control AND you'll always be professional.
2. Speak more slowly. You'll be amazed at how much more
clearly you can think and how much control and
confidence you experience when you consciously slow down
your rate of speech. Speak slowly and methodically when
your emotional triggers are launched and you'll maintain
poise during difficult conversations.
3. Wait 1-2 seconds before responding. Responding
immediately to difficult or tactical customers could
result in you saying something you'll later regret.
Before you respond, take a deep breath, wait at least 2
seconds, and think about the best response and the best
approach.
4. Take a time-out. When you sense that your buttons
have been pushed, take a break. You can tell the
customer you need to put him on hold while you review a
file, or whatever excuse sounds good at the time. The
point is to get away from the customer for a few seconds
so you can re-group.
5. Use positive self-talk. I'm going to sound like Dr.
Phil on this one, but I'm quite serious. Instead of
saying to yourself, "I don't get paid enough to put
up with this ____." Say something more positive
like "This guy really needs my help." Thinking
more positively helps you respond more positively and
professionally. Negative thoughts lead to negative
words, and it spirals into a very negative situation.
6. Show your power before you use it. Often, a subtle
suggestion of your "power" is far more
effective than the outright use of your power. As a
customer service professional you may have the power to
terminate a phone call. You could say to your customer:
"If you don't stop yelling, I will terminate this
call." But, believe it or not, you are far more
"powerful" if you say, "I want to help
you, but when you yell and cut me off, you make it
difficult for me to work with you." The latter
statement demonstrates your power and your message most
definitely gets across. The former statement uses up all
of your ammunition and won't usually diffuse an irate
customer.
These incredibly simple tips will position you to keep
your cool when customers get hot!
Myra
Golden is an award-winning professional speaker and
principal of Myra Golden Seminars, LLC (www.myragolden.com)
a customer service training firm clients in food and
beverage, banking, healthcare, hospitality, and other
industries. Her client list includes McDonald’s,
Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Michelin
Tires, Pirelli, and Procter & Gamble, among many
others.
In
addition,
Myra
is a published author of Beyond
WOW, producer of more than a dozen customer
service videos, editor of weekly customer service
newsletter, and is a repeated guest speaker at consumer
affairs conferences and annual company meetings
throughout North America
.
Copyright 2006 Craig Binkley
Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that
question, take a moment and think about the last few
times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now
that you have really thought about it, is your answer
any different?
Why is it that when we actually DO receive excellent
customer service that it makes such an impression on us
that we usually choose to go back? Why - because the
occurrences are so few and far between!!!
As a home business owner, it is imperative to my
business that customer service is ALWAYS a top priority.
Remember the saying: “If you don’t take care of your
customer, somebody else will”. I’m sure you have
read or heard it somewhere before.....and how true it
is.
Here are a few ways to improve customer service at your
business:
1) SMILE - Sounds too simple, right? As a customer,
would you prefer to be serviced by a smiling face, or a
scowl that would befit a guard dog?
2) LISTEN - Always be slow to speak and quick to listen.
Let customers express themselves without you trying to
do it for them. Nobody likes being interrupted.
3) DON’T BE TOO PUSHY - Yeah, I know - the bottom line
is sales, right?
There is a fine line between suggesting
products/services and pushing them down a customer’s
throat. If you are too pushy, your customer will
probably walk away and take their business elsewhere.
4) PHONE ETTIQUETTE - Whether you are answering or
initiating a call, always remember who the customer is.
Be polite. Try “Yes sir/ma’am” instead of
“yeah” and “nope”. If you don’t have an answer
for your customer - offer to do some research to find
what they are inquiring about.
5) THANK YOU - ALWAYS thank your customers. Even if you
could not help them or they decided not to purchase from
you. Leave them with a positive impression of your
business before they leave.
6) TRAINING - Train your employees. Don’t let an
untrained employee ruin your track record of excellent
customer service. Train your employees on-the-job for as
long as necessary to teach them good customer service.
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also
to them likewise” Luke 6:31
In conclusion: Customer service may be THE most
important aspect of your business plan. I know of many
people who are willing to pay a little more for a
product or service in order receive excellent customer
care. Price, advertising, and location are all vital to
a business---- but whatever you do, don’t overlook the
all-important “Good Customer Service”.
Article
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Craig Binkley - husband, father
and home business owner. Visit his Work From Home
Directory at www.workfromhomehelper.com
for legitimate work from home opportunities and ideas.
Copyright 2006 Craig Binkley
Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that
question, take a moment and think about the last few
times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now
that you have really thought about it, is your answer
any different?
Why is it that when we actually DO receive excellent
customer service that it makes such an impression on us
that we usually choose to go back? Why - because the
occurrences are so few and far between!!!
As a home business owner, it is imperative to my
business that customer service is ALWAYS a top priority.
Remember the saying: “If you don’t take care of your
customer, somebody else will”. I’m sure you have
read or heard it somewhere before.....and how true it
is.
Here are a few ways to improve customer service at your
business:
1) SMILE - Sounds too simple, right? As a customer,
would you prefer to be serviced by a smiling face, or a
scowl that would befit a guard dog?
2) LISTEN - Always be slow to speak and quick to listen.
Let customers express themselves without you trying to
do it for them. Nobody likes being interrupted.
3) DON’T BE TOO PUSHY - Yeah, I know - the bottom line
is sales, right?
There is a fine line between suggesting
products/services and pushing them down a customer’s
throat. If you are too pushy, your customer will
probably walk away and take their business elsewhere.
4) PHONE ETTIQUETTE - Whether you are answering or
initiating a call, always remember who the customer is.
Be polite. Try “Yes sir/ma’am” instead of
“yeah” and “nope”. If you don’t have an answer
for your customer - offer to do some research to find
what they are inquiring about.
5) THANK YOU - ALWAYS thank your customers. Even if you
could not help them or they decided not to purchase from
you. Leave them with a positive impression of your
business before they leave.
6) TRAINING - Train your employees. Don’t let an
untrained employee ruin your track record of excellent
customer service. Train your employees on-the-job for as
long as necessary to teach them good customer service.
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also
to them likewise” Luke 6:31
In conclusion: Customer service may be THE most
important aspect of your business plan. I know of many
people who are willing to pay a little more for a
product or service in order receive excellent customer
care. Price, advertising, and location are all vital to
a business---- but whatever you do, don’t overlook the
all-important “Good Customer Service”.
Article
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Craig Binkley - husband, father
and home business owner. Visit his Work From Home
Directory at www.workfromhomehelper.com
for legitimate work from home opportunities and ideas.
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