I love sales and more so electronic banking sales. In a fast-changing world, selling e-products is such a great opportunity to be part of the evolution of banking, where digital transformation is the new normal.
Selling is the one ingredient that brings revenue to an organization. But the question to many salespeople or customer-facing people is how do you sell? Cold or warm? How do you get repeat business? How do you ensure that your next deal or big gig is a referral from someone you have done business with before?
In my world I sell by always employing the best customer service principles. Many relationship managers, salespersons, and business executives consider customer service the key to their business success. However, many are those who pay lip service to this. To them it is a cliché, another session to listen to some principles from some service professionals, among others.
I want to share a few thoughts on why as a saleswoman, imbibing excellent customer service has shaped my world as a banker and one that leads the sales of products in this digital transformation-led environment. In a few paragraphs, I will take you through why we need to consider customer experience as a way of life, the key ingredient to empowering our sales efforts.
Why Customer Service Matters in Banking or any Organization
A study by Harvard Business Review (2011) found that 57% of customers base their loyalty on their first interaction with a business. Let’s bring this home. How many of us return to an ice cream joint, a salon or shop where we were not treated well on our first call?
I bet a whopping majority never do. Customers are obsessed with first impressions, especially now that there are tons of alternatives. Thus, the first encounter with a prospect is crucial. This is the first step for a salesperson who wants to live a customer-centric way of life. Get your first encounter right!
Beyond the first encounter are other reasons that make customer service a big deal. Leading by excellent customer service keeps the customers. They will always return to that floor that treated them as kings and queens in their previous encounter. Some one in there is wowing the customer, is ensuring that the organization is the winner at the end of the day. Trust always breeds retention.
And what will you turn these customers into when you do the above? They become your ambassadors. Most of us are swayed by what people say about a shop, a service, a product because of the delight they got.
I remember the experience a friend who bought a vehicle from a particular showroom in Accra shared with us and how it got all of us into looking in the direction of that brand of vehicle. He simply will not let us breathe; the testimony was not about the performance of the car but the encounter with the salespeople at the showroom.
About 5 of us trooped there to sample the experience and all of us bought the same brand of vehicle. Word of mouth sales is that powerful. That is what we need our customers to be, our advocates.
My Key Pillars of Excellent Customer Service
These are sweet ends to a customer-centric journey. How do we achieve these lofty ends that excellent customer service can bring to our organization? What must salespeople and relationship executives do to win with the customers. Here is my take:
Professionalism. The journey begins with always getting to know your products and services. Knowing about your environment and the capabilities of your organization are essential. Customers engage well when they ‘know you know.’ It is somewhat insulting to them when you keep saying I will be right back at every enquiry they make.
Being professional also means being courteous and efficient. Have you wondered why when you visit a particular bank branch and you see one customer service consultant’s cubicle full and others free? I bet that majority of the time, it will be the fact that the person managing that wing is courteous, efficient and knowledgeable. Real professionals win customers.
Responsiveness. When customers need something, they need responses immediately. Customers come to us for real-time solutions. We win when we are responsive and very quick at it. Customers have deadlines to meet in their endeavours – they need to close business deals, complete life-threatening transactions, etc. – and when they hit a snag, they expect their sales and relationship people to be there for them.
They feel special when they get this much needed support. What else will you be doing if you are not able to meet these requests? Even if responses cannot be immediate, how it is communicated is crucial for a repeat visit.
Empathy. This is closely linked to being responsive. When we put ourselves in the shoes of the customer, we can understand their pain better. We must relate to their concerns to serve them better. If a customer is in a queue at a busy grocery shop and his or her card fails, you can imagine the embarrassment or pain they go through. When they reach out to you on this, you know you will be committing job suicide if your response is adamant or “anyhow”. Empathy is key to our success as salespeople.
Consistency. You cannot afford to blow hot sometimes and blow cold another day. Excellent customer service requires consistency in delivery. You must be a performer all the time. Customers must get that excellent service anytime they meet you. You must be missed when you are not around. Being consistent does not happen at will. It requires working at it, keeping the 3 principles outlined earlier and improving at them always. You must consistently be professional, responsive and empathetic.
Going the Extra Mile. Being a performer goes beyond your scope of work or that silo you occupy. Your duty as an excellent customer-oriented salesperson does not end when the sale is closed. It involves checking on the customer at every time to ensure they are enjoying the product or service.
It involves you knowing the customer very well to sell to them other accompaniments that will make the product or service even more enjoyable – what we term “value-added services” in the digital solutions space.
It requires knowing the significant dates of their lives, their milestones achieved and be the one to remind them. Going the extra mile is to be a chief consultant on all matters possible to these customers. That is how you gain their trust.
A few Practical Tips for frontline staff and Back-Office Teams
For a successful excellent customer service journey both front and back-office colleagues need to know their roles and align accordingly. A promise is made to the customer by the front team. However, the back-office team work to make this promise actualised. As such there ought to be signages at all times between the two teams.
For frontline staff, you face the customer and must keep them coming again and again. As such these tips will be helpful:
– Greet customers warmly. Knowing your customer means knowing your customer. This means you know them by name and in some good cases you are on a first-name basis with them depending on the degree of the client relationship. This is always a game changer.
– Be an active listener – Let the customer feel heard. Customers want to talk about their frustrations, their pain points, etc. They need to be heard. An excellent customer service performer listens and understands before proffering solutions. It is rude to interject when they are on the floor. Let them land and then politely begin your magic.
– Stay calm under pressure – Handle complaints with patience. Remember we mentioned being empathetic is a hallmark of an excellent customer service salesperson? Some customers can be unbearable, but it is so because they are worried things are not working for them. No matter the level of aggression or pressure, remember to always remain calm. We have different moods on different occasions, our systems could be failing us and all that. But the customer is king as the cliché goes. You need to remain calm.
– Be knowledgeable. This cannot be emphasized enough. It is a disaster for a frontline person to falter in front of a customer. Understand the organization’s products and services well. Arm and equip yourself with the basics to settle or calm the customer before any referrals are made.
– Follow up. Call back or send an update on pending issues after engagement. Do not wait to be called for follow-ups. Be always that proactive frontliner. Reach out and update on progress to calm nerves and assure of a resolution. Customers appreciate this a lot.
For our back-office teams, you work behind the scenes to actualize the promise made. As such your actions cannot fail the front team or the organization. Practical Tips for Back-Office Staff include the following:
– Work with speed and accuracy. You must ensure transactions are processed efficiently and effectively. No room for errors because it only prolongs the process and leaves the customer agitated.
– You must employ proactive problem-solving tactics. Anticipate issues before they escalate. Bring the front up to speed promptly on issues especially when the turn around time is likely to be breached.
– Internal Customer Service is essential. Backroom staff and front teams must always work together. Back teams must support frontline teams effectively to ensure the customer experience is actualized.
– Communication is the pivot. Always talk among yourselves. The customer does not know the front or back. He or she wants results, and it is our duty to provide that. We therefore must talk among ourselves always. Providing timely updates on service changes will empower the front in their dealings with the customer.
Takeaways
It is a wrap for me on this first episode. Dear salesperson or relationship executive, these tips should help you win and be the bright, excellent customer service star of the team. They have worked for me. Always remember the following:
– Customer service is everyone’s responsibility. – Small gestures make a big impact. – Continuous learning & improvement are essential. – A happy customer = A thriving business. – Call to Action: Commit to one improvement in your daily interactions starting today
Let me end with these quotes:
– “Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.” – Chip Bell (Customer Service Expert)
– Customers may forget what you said but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou (American civil right activist and poet)
See you soon at the next excellent customer service awards event with a smile as you pick up a prize.
