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     KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
   ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF BUSINESS
             Volume 8, November 2001
    Publisher: © Key Associates, LLC, 2001
           http://www.mkkey.com

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IN THIS ISSUE (the theme is Keeping Customers):

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"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room 
here on earth."
                                                        -Muhammed Ali

"There is only one boss.  The customer.  And he can 
fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on 
down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."
                                         -Sam Walton,  Wal*Mart


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WHAT'S HOT IN LEADERSHIP
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EVERYONE IS A CUSTOMER--EMPLOYEES, 
VENDORS, CLIENTS, GOVERNING BODIES...
ANYONE WHO INTERACTS WITH YOU.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS ARE BEST VIEWED 
AS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIPS.

THE GOAL IN CUSTOMER SERVICE IS LOYALTY 
(REPEAT BUSINESS) NOT SATISFACTION.

WORD-OF-MOUTH ADVERTISING IS THE 
MOST POWERFUL, LEAST EXPENSIVE 
MARKETING TOOL YOU HAVE.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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How to get staff to appreciate the customer's perspective?  
The best way is for them to BE a customer.  Short of that,
a mock experience, a process walk-through, or 
accompanying a customer as an advocate.  Crude
as it sounds, make it clear that the customer 
is their Paycheck.

What to do with the complaining customer?  
Treat the complaint as a gift.  Always respond.  
It is more common for unhappy customers to 
be silent and  take their business elsewhere.  
Thank them  for the feedback.  Use active 
listening and questioning to get to the root cause.  
Ask the customer about his/her acceptable level 
of service.  Then utilize every resource available.
Empower people closest to the customer to make 
it right, rather than create layers of bureaucracy
for the customer to angrily work through.

How do I lead the way to service quality?

 

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EDUCATION 
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http://www.customer-service.com/ - The on-line headquarters 
of the Service Quality Institute. Ideas, tools and products 
to keep your customers, improve the morale of your 
employees and turn your company into a more productive 
organization.  

http://www.customerfocusinc.com/ - Facilitator-led 
customer service training program for customer service 
representatives, including telephone call center, help desk, 
face-to-face, telemarketing, hospitality, technical, 
and internal service professionals.

CRM Films produces and distributes films and videos on 
customer service and sales training, and related topics.
http://www.crmlearning.com/.

http://www.123self-train.com/ offers downloadable, 
self-directed training tools and programs for human 
resources, management, customer service, and team building.

Our firm, Key Associates, offers a one-day on-site
course, "Creating Customer-Mindedness.".
http://www.mkkey.com/Key%20Associates/CreatingCustomerMindedness.htm

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OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES 
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The Customer Service (CS) Group provides newsletters, 
survey materials, and specialized  products and services 
for customer service,  http://www.customerservicegroup.com/.  

http://www.csweek.com./ How-to information, tips and 
inspiration from the hundreds of CS professionals who 
share their celebration successes.

Web-based support tools. Knowledge base, online chat 
and more.        http://www.customfaqs.net 

Online Customer Service solutions, featuring chat, 
collaborative browsing, email management, FAQs and more!
http://www.instantservice.com

For outsourcing a variety of customer support services 
like e-support, order taking, help desk, telemarketing, messaging.
http://www.thecallcenterinc.com

A subject-based, categorized directory structure for 
telesales and customer service resources on the Web. 
Training, consulting, software, etc.
http://www.teleplaza.com

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ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS                              
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Anderson, K. Great Customer Service on the Telephone. 
NYC: Amacon, 1992.

Anderson K. and Zemke, R. Delivering Knock Your Socks 
Off Service. NYC: Amacon, 1992.

Bell, Ship R. Customers as Partners: Building Relationships 
That Last. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 1996.

Bell, Chip and Zemke, R. Managing Knock Your Socks Off 
Service. NYC: Amacon, 1998.

Bolton, R. People Skills. New York: Touchstone, 1979.

Cannie, J.K. with Caplin, D. Keeping Customers For Life. 
NYC: Amacon, 1991.

Connellan, T.K. and Zemke, R. Sustaining Knock Your Socks 
Off Service. NYC: Amacon, 1993.

Desatnik, Robert L. & Detzel, Denis H. Managing to Keep the 
Customer. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993.

Karr, Ron & Don Blohowiak. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Great 
Customer Service. New York: Alpha Books/MacMillon, 1997.

Leebov., Wendy, Scott, Gail & Olsen, Lolma. Achieving Impressive 
Customer Service. Chicago: AHA Press, 1998.

Neuhauser, P.C. Tribal Warfare in Organizations: Turning Tribal 
Conflict into Negotiated Peace. New York: Ballinger Publishing 
Company, 1988.

Newman, John. Stay Cool, Calm, & Collected When the Pressure’s 
On. NYC: Amacon, 1992.

Roesch, Roberta. Smart Talk: The Art of Savvy Business 
Conversations. New York: Amacom, 1989.

Sanders, Betsy. Fabled Service. San Diego: Pfeiffer. 1995.

Skopec, Eric and Laree S. Kiely. Everything’s Negotiable…
When You Know How To Play the Game. New York: AMACOM, 1994.

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MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A LEADER
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It is easy to lose touch with your purpose when 
you are deprived of customer contact.  Many leaders
do rounds or work on the front line, to have direct
customer contact and conversations.  "What delighted
you about our service?"  "What was a disappointment
to you?"  "What do we need to do that we're not doing, 
to make this the ideal place for your business?"  
Imagine what would have to be true about your 
business to create Raving Fans: think this through
with your colleagues.  Use the ideas to craft a vision
of impressive service.

Please recommend this e-zine to anyone who wants to be a better 
leader, coach, facilitator, or simply, to tune up their people skills.

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Please visit our website for a view of products and services,
http://www.mkkey.com.

M. K. Key, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Key Associates, LLC
Nashville, Tennessee
(615) 255-0011, fax (615) 665-1622