Are your clients disappointed with your service? This means it’s time to examine your communication. Being extremely clear about what you offer makes a radical difference to the experience of your clients, your patients or your citizens.

A service concept describes exactly what you offer and what you need from your client so that he can enjoy or benefit from your services.

We frustrate clients when we aren’t clear about what they can expect

In the following example, there is no lack of friendliness or action. Yet the citizen is still dissatisfied with the service. And the process has wasted valuable taxpayers’ money.

Imagine a typical family outing to the water park. After a bit of fun in the water, you discover your iPhone is no longer with the rest of your belongings. You head to the police post; after all, it’s what they’re there for. ‘No,’ they say. ‘We haven’t found anything. Sorry.’ Bother.

You arrive home and fire up the ‘Find My iPhone’ app. What a great tool! You see the exact location of your iPhone marked on the map. It’s in an apartment building less than a kilometre from your home. You inform the police. The response: ‘Before we can do anything, you’ll have to come down to the station to make an official statement. Sorry.’ Bother. Again.

Once you’re there, your ‘case’ is closed: the police are not allowed to search an entire apartment building for your iPhone. This is understandable.

But what was the point of all that running around and standing in the queue? Why did you have to waste both your own time and a police officer’s? Just for the sake of an administrative declaration? And how did it benefit you or the police? Was contacting them even worthwhile?

The next day, you receive a message from the ‘Find My iPhone’ app: your iPhone is now in the park. Time for action. You call the police again. With your heart thumping and eyes glued to the computer screen, you give the exceptionally friendly police officer the exact location. ‘We will send a team and call you as soon as we are there.’ A little later, the police officer calls you back and tells you the team is on site. You provide the current location of your iPhone: ‘500 metres further along the road at the library.’ The police officer calls back just moments later: ‘My team is there.’ While you’re on the line, you see the iPhone moving on the screen: into a tram, out of the tram, across the street … You once more give the new address. And then, in the middle of all this action: ‘Sorry, but we simply can’t keep on doing things this way. There are other tasks we have to attend to. Unfortunately, we can’t keep chasing after thieves for an iPhone. I hope you can understand this.’

What?! Why did we just go to all that effort? What service does the police actually offer in the event of a theft?

A good service concept leads to satisfaction and efficiency

Being customer-friendly and taking action is important, but it’s not enough. For your services to be genuinely customer-friendly, you need a clear service concept: what can the client, patient or citizen expect from you? And what is not possible? What does a client need to do to make the most of your services?

Would you like to have satisfied clients? You’ll have to make a few choices: where do you want to excel? What practices do you want to leave behind? And why?

In this example, the service concept for the police would have answered the question: when do the police intervene in the event of theft (e.g. as from what value?) and when don’t they? What does the citizen need to do? Etc.

A structured service concept, communicated clearly, leads to satisfied clients, gives the employees direction and results in efficiency. This way, a half-intervention with no result makes room for a satisfied citizen and a worthwhile use of taxpayers’ money.

Écrit par Stéphanie ‘t Felt Customer Strategy Expert @ Onestone

Communication. It’s the instrument organisations rely on for change. But it doesn’t seem to be enough. Because employees are still struggling to understand and failing to adapt to the new way of working. And that’s where the problem lies.

Big efforts. Minor improvements.

There’s something you should know about services that are groaning under the weight of a huge workload: they are usually struggling with dissatisfied clients too. If it’s no longer possible to cope with the pressure; changes must be made. Now!

So, the organisation puts a project team together, calls on consultants and sets ambitious goals for improvement. The team dives into the analysis phase and surfaces at the end of the creative phase with conclusions and recommendations. Management greenlights the quick wins and budget-friendly initiatives.

The communication machine starts up: eye-catching posters, spectacular PowerPoint presentations and updated processes circulate via presentations and campaigns, company newsletters, intranet, team meetings, etc. So far, so good.

And when the communication round is over, it’s down to the employees. They need to go out and put it all into practice. Every employee goes through a carefully planned training programme. And they’re given the new work instructions.

What does a change programme like this actually deliver in the end? Well, usually, no more than a few incremental improvements. Ones the client will have difficulty recognising.

Less than a year later, the organisation will confirm that it’s once more struggling with excessive work pressure, demotivated employees and clients who have abandoned any thoughts of loyalty. Despite all that effort!

Visible result, together with motivated employees

Are you striving for ‘major improvement’? Well, that requires ‘major changes’.

Make the most of the expertise of your employees on the work floor. They know where the gaps in the current work methods are better than anyone else.

Work with them to form a team of motivated employees. Give them the chance to shape the new way they will be working. And to test it in the practical world. Do this and the change is already underway. Step by step, they’ll make the new way of working their own.

Let them experience how it feels to use this new way of working to score with clients. By doing so, you’ll create a desire for change. And slowly, you’ll notice an undeniable improvement in your efficiency. Your clients are sure to notice it too.

Notre condition humaine empêche de surprendre les clients fâchés.

Le service client est peuplé de sadiques misanthropes qui se livrent à tous leurs fantasmes : c’est ce qui vous vient à l’esprit si vous analysiez l’attitude d’un grand nombre de clients qui appellent. Vous croyiez que les gros mots s’apprennent à l’école secondaire ? Et bien détrompez-vous ! Venez passer une journée au service clientèle pour en faire l’expérience. Les clients en colère ont tendance à oublier qu’il y a un autre être humain, à l’autre bout du fil.

Il faut avoir la témérité dans ce genre d’environnement pour exiger des employés de servir les clients ‘avec le sourire’. Faire face à un client colérique fait resurgir notre instinct primitif : ‘lutter ou fuir’. Pour se protéger on se met en position de défense : on s’apprête à bondir ou à clôturer l’appel au plus vite.

Lorsqu’on a à faire à un client en colère, il est presque impossible de ne pas le prendre personnellement. C’est exactement pourquoi la plupart des services de support à la clientèle manquent de surprendre le client avec un service client mémorable. Et c’est précisément pour cette même raison qu’ici se trouve une opportunité unique pour faire la différence !

Comment donc ?

Chaque plainte est une opportunité pour ‘marquer’ !

Les conditions pour ‘briller’ ne sont pas des moindres: de l’expertise, de l’exercice et surtout: une dévotion particulière. Il faut apprendre à réprimer ses instincts et même carrément aller à leur encontre.

Dicter aux employés du service client comment faire ? Cela ne vous emmènera pas bien loin. Il faut les coacher de manière intensive et les accompagner dans une toute nouvelle manière de travailler et de penser. La condition sine qua non pour ‘briller’ en service client ? C’est de voir chaque plainte comme une opportunité pour ‘marquer’ !

Surmonter ses instincts : adresser le problème ét la frustration.

Le principe fondamental à retenir ? C’est qu’une plainte comporte toujours deux composantes : lesfaits et le vécu. L’ennui c’est qu’on a tendance à attribuer toute notre attention aux faits. Et à négliger nonchalamment le vécu de ces mêmes faits. Alors que pour ‘marquer’ ? Il faut faire exactement l’inverse.

Apporter une bonne solution est important. Et faire en sorte que le client se sente reconnu l’est tout autant. Le client ne sera recevable pour votre solution, que lorsque vous aurez réussi à lui donner cette sensation de reconnaissance.

Renverser une situation fâcheuse. Un exemple concret.

Comparons les scénarios suivants :

Le client : « Enfin ! Ça fait 20 minutes que vous me mettez en attente et que je dois endurer ce satané morceau de Mozart en répétition infinie. C’est insupportable ! Je n’ai pas d’internet depuis toute la matinée, alors que j’ai des e-mails importants à envoyer d’urgence ! »

Scenario 1:

L’employé: « Je vois, il y a un problème avec votre connexion. Pourriez-vous débrancher le routeur un instant svp ? Le temps d’effectuer une vérification en ligne. »

Scenario 2:

L’employé : « 20 minutes !  Il y a de quoi s’impatienter en effet, moi aussi cela me rendrait hors de moi ! Comptez sur moi. Je vais faire le maximum pour résoudre votre problème le plus rapidement possible. Avez-vous déjà essayé des choses pour résoudre le problème vous-même ? »

Vous percevez la différence ? Reconnaissez la frustration du client. N’essayez pas d’ignorer ou de minimiser la colère du client. Bien au contraire.  Confirmez-lui que c’est parfaitement normal d’être mécontent lorsque les choses vont mal. Commencez par encourager le client à exprimer son ressenti, à raconter son histoire, avant de passer à la solution.

Un client en colère ne sera jamais un client facile à aborder. Mais si l’employé parvient à voir un client fâché comme une opportunité pour ‘marquer’ ? Pour surprendre !  Il réussira à renverser la situation.  A obtenir un client ravi !  Voilà la clef pour un service client implacable !