Episode 64

What’s Happening to Customer Service? with Host Susan Ney | HR 64

Episode Intro:

Staff and skills shortages aside, truly, what is happening to customer service these days? When benefits such as customer retention, employee retention, troubleshooting and problem-solving, leads to referrals, boosts the brand, increases customer lifetime value, and influences corporate culture are noted as the benefits, seems to me there is enough to make ensuring a really positive customer service experience worth an organization’s while. This certainly hasn’t been my experience recently…


Interested in learning more? Hope you will join me!


About the Host:

Susan has worked with people all her life. As a human resource professional, she has specialized in all aspects of employment, from hiring to retirement. She got her start as a national representative for a large Canadian union. After pursuing an undergrad degree in business administration, Susan transitioned to HR management, where she aspired to bring

both employee and management perspectives to her work. Susan holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training. She retired from her multi-decade career in HR to pursue writing and consulting, and to be able, in her words, to “colour outside the lines.” She promises some fun and lots of learning through this podcast series. 

Susan is also the author of the book Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from

Within available on Amazon – click below

Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from Within: Ney, Susan G: 9781777030162: Books - Amazon.ca


If you wish to contact Susan, she can be reached through any of the following:

Website:          Home - Effecting Change from Within

Email:               susangney@gmail.com

Linked In:         www.linkedin.com/in/susan-ney-197494

Facebook:        www.facebook.com/susan.ney.5/

Phone:            (604) 341-5643


Thanks for listening!

It means so much that you listened to this podcast!  If you know of anyone else who might find this series of interest, please share. If you have questions about this episode, please send me an email at susangney@gmail.com


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Transcript
Susan Ney:

Hi, Susan here. Hey, glad you could join me as we

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reflect on the important topic of customer service. Today on

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the HR Inside Out podcast, I just returned from a truly

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delightful trip to England with my daughter, who isn't my

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daughter. And perhaps it's just that I don't get out enough. But

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I was really quite surprised and disappointed that the

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significant lack of care and attention what we used to call

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customer service that we often received as examples at British

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Airways in London, the weighing of your luggage, the putting the

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baggage tags on the check in are all now completely self service.

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Yes, there are individuals there to help you if you are having

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trouble. But the expectation is that you pay attention to the

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instructions provided and only call them over if you can't

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manage on your own. I'm talking about airlines, Air Canada is

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certainly receiving some very bad press in the news these

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days, are kicking people off the plane when they complained about

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the fact that they were being asked to sit him and recently

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vomited on seats. I know I wouldn't have been happy to sit

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there. And I found that the offering of blankets to cover

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the seats was apparently made after the complaint, quite

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appalling. Another example, my daughter and I, one of whom

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really needed to get to the facilities in our room, entered

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the hotel elevator expecting to quickly arrive at our

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destination. But no, up and down the elevator, we went between

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the ground floor and p3, ground floor and p3, and then up to the

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ninth floor, desperately trying to get the doors open. When we

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finally buzzed the alarm, saying, Hey, we got a problem

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here. We were told, yeah, we were on it, we've got somebody

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coming. When we finally got out, we were very upset. And we're

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simply told we're so sorry for the inconvenience. Now, we

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really felt that they should have roped off that elevator, or

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put a note on there not to use it for the fact that you

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couldn't get out once you bought him a little like being at

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Disneyland him in the elevator. And, you know, so we complaint

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and we wanted to talk to the manager, we really felt that.

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And it's a nice hotel. But their attention to this situation was

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was not appropriate. What we found is that the chill that we

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received from the entire staff for the duration of the time

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that we were there was awful, just awful. Obviously, the fact

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that we wanted to express that they could have done better, was

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not being viewed as a way to improve their service, it was

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just quite frankly an inconvenience to them. Another

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example and I'll get on to more positive in our increasingly

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online world and attempting to book a car service to the

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airport. It appeared that the request had gone through but I

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didn't get a confirmation so I entered it again. And guess what

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I got charged twice. Now I did call the car service and

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explained what had happened. And when I got charged twice the car

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service has been great. They sent me screenshots showing that

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they'd only actually received one payment. I didn't have the

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same success with my bank. I called the credit card number on

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the back of my my visa. And it's of course an automated service.

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It took me many attempts before that automated service finally

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realized I needed to speak to a real live person. The first time

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the call got dropped. The second time the individual I spoke to

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settle you need to speak with disputes group. And since it's

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still a pending charge, there's nothing I can do about it. I

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just kind of expected that she would take it off my shoulders

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and make note follow up and get back to me but instead I was

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provided the telephone number of the disputes group and told to

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make the call myself. You know we just we increasingly bag your

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own groceries we do our own checkout. And the number of

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places in England anyways who don't even accept cash because

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that would actually involve them having to make change. Well, you

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can see where I'm going with this. It wasn't that long ago

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that I was hiring people to teach the skills of excellent

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customer service to staff. And in this era of global

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competition, one would think that that was still really

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important. And I'm aware of staff shortages and the growing

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need to hire individuals who need to learn the skills,

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they're in the process of being taught. But still, is it not

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possible to put a message on an answering machine, or perhaps an

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email response, saying when a call back or a text back can be

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anticipated. And the experience of true empathy when something

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does go wrong, because of course, things go wrong. And

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what happened to the days when raising a matter with somebody

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like taking the time to say, hey, is no longer viewed as an

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opportunity to improve services, it's just viewed as an

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inconvenience. We all know what it feels like when someone takes

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that extra moment to ensure that all as well. My daughter and I

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walked into it church in Penzance. There's a group of

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women sitting around a table, having coffee, and sure Welcome

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to without any pressure to do anything, but enjoy the beauty

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of the building that they were also enjoying. It was one of the

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many highlights of my time away. Their positive energy was

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palpable. We have no idea what we actually express to others

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without saying a word. The way that my daughter and I were

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looked at by that hotel staff, I've already provided as an

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example, completely opposite was the feeling that we received

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when curious, we entered the doors of this ancient church

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wishing to see the gorgeous stained glass windows inside.

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They didn't ask us per donation, they joyfully answered our

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questions. It was obvious that they appreciated our taking the

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time to also honor the legacy and the history that was

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surrounding all of us. So what do you do when you're stressed

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and don't have time to provide the service that you wish to

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provide? You just slow down a little bit. Remember, the same

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pace makes waste? Have you ever not taken the time to do

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something properly and then had to return the job to fix their

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mistakes? I certainly have read a post on LinkedIn that talked

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about no one taking the time anymore to let individuals know

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why they haven't received the position that they applied for.

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I know most people don't realize how many applications are

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received for positions, and that contacting all of those

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applicants really just isn't possible. And that's why we do

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need to rely on technology and things like applicant tracking

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systems, which at least let the applicant know that their

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application has been received and that they will be contacted

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only if they're selected for an interview. I'm always made sure

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that anyone interviewed was called afterwards to let them

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know the outcome of the process. That personal contact. Now I

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know the only one that was ever happy with me was the person

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that got the job, because the others were sorry, but calls.

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But being prepared with the feedback on those sorry about

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calls, often left a better feeling with the individuals.

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And I know there were lots of internal candidates who might

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otherwise have great recruitment decisions, had they not provided

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guidance on the why of the decision. And often they were

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open to it. What might help them for the next time if they wish

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to apply again. It really didn't take that much time. And it

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really did build connection and care into a process that often

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doesn't feel like what about where you work? Are you able to

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provide the service that you wish? Or are you encouraged to

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rush things along? Someone I know has a core value of

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excellence. One of their employer also professes is a

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core value of core corporate value. Yet they're also under

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pressure to take less time with their customers. It doesn't seem

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to matter to their employer that the work they do never has to be

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redone. The quality of what they do leaves a very positive

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impression with their clients. That's a little confusing. What

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are your organization's values? And is there consistency with

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what you and your teams that you work with? are expecting to

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provide is really important questions not only for the

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people that we serve, but also for engagement levels within our

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organizations.

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As an HR professional, I actually felt sorry for the

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hotel staff. We had requested to speak with their manager, we

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raised matters that should have been taken care of. And in these

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days of social media, he could have used the opportunity to

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absolutely trash the place. We did the appropriate thing by

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speaking with the individuals involved. A manager actually got

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called from a meeting to meet with us as we exited the hotel

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when we were leaving, so he had taken our complaint seriously

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and wish to speak with us. When we don't know is the kind of

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manager he is towards his staff, by their demeanor towards us.

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And his assurance so the CCTV camera footage would be reviewed

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with regard to the matter. Perhaps there was fear of

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reprisal, rather than our intent, that the handling of the

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matter could have been done so much better. Improvement, not

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punishment. What do you do or experience when someone takes

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the time to express concerns over the service that they've

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received? Do you see it as an opportunity to potentially

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improve? And yes, I'm very aware of that there are some

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individuals who can never be satisfied no matter what you do.

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I'm not talking about those situations. When you say you're

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going to deliver something, do you follow through? Or like the

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fellow who asked if we minded to be smoked when we are eating our

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lunch and then lit up anyways? Do you not really listen. And

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kudos to my daughter who, as we were leaving, said to him, he

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shouldn't really ask if he wasn't interested in our

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response. That surprised him. And it really takes so little to

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leave a positive impression. The organizations that get this and

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allow that latitude to their staff are the ones that I'll

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return to. And they weren't the ones that I will also encourage

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people to work out. They're the ones that we love to be

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associated with. What was the last time that you were offered

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training and what excellent customer service looks and feels

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like? On a quick internet search, I've seen that there are

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still organizations offering it. And I see articles outlining the

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benefits. As an example Investopedia cites customer

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retention, employee retention, troubleshooting and problem

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solving. Customer Service leads to referrals, boosts the brand

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increases customer lifetime value, and influences corporate

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culture. Now, that seems to me like enough to make it work in

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organizations while you enhance customer service. Investopedia

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suggests consideration of service personalization, speed,

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providing an option for self service, listening, empathy, and

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being proactive. I received service personalization when

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restaurants were attentive to my needs, or gluten free options

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and warned against the possibility of cross

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contamination where that was a concern. I didn't experience

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speed from a bank, who left it to me to follow up. Rather than

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making a note and doing this for me. I did experience speed and

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moving customers along when, for example, British Airways at we

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do self service, or when buses expected me to tap my credit

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card rather than pay for my ride by cash. Although they did

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accept cash payments. I like that there be an option for self

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service and I emphasize the word option. As people oversight

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professionals, as your organizational world start to

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engage more self service options. are you ensuring that

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your staff teams understand how to use the technology or the

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service that you're automating? As an example, do your employees

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even understand her health benefit plans that are going

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into use of more technology and self serve? Did they know how to

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make their personal selections and what those look like? Are

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they aware that they need to actually go in and add their new

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baby to their coverage or delete coverage of a partner in a

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partnership split? Listening and empathy, always important. Have

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heard the customer is always right. Now the customer isn't

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always right. But the customer does need to have their concerns

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heard. I love Stephen Covey's principle in his book The Seven

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Habits of Highly Effective People seek first to understand

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and then to be understood. It does indeed build trust helps

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resolve complex and help us find those Win Win solutions. And

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thank you to the dictionary definition of empathy that

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involves the ability to sense, understand and share the

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feelings and emotions of others from their perspective. It is

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essentially being able to place yourself in someone else's shoes

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and know what they might be feeling in the situation. And it

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is and I continue with the definition of critical human

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skill that can positively impact our relationships, well being an

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ability to connect with others. Think back to a time where you

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have really felt heard, or you felt that the person you were

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speaking to really got you and the situation that you're in. I

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took a tumble. When I was in London, I miss stepping up on a

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curb and ended up sprawling across the sidewalk, immediately

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in front of two construction workers. very embarrassing. Now

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I pulled a muscle in my leg and I scraped my elbow so I wasn't

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actually able to stand up and was bleeding. Their reaction to

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show me that they were there to help to make me feel less

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embarrassed because they said it was just us that saw you. Yes, I

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must have looked ridiculous. These two could have walked

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away. Instead, they put themselves in my shoes I felt

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cared for. They even offered the services of their first day they

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found them 10 Prime to collect myself in their construction

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office. David girl foreman on the job. So remember his name,

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kind, compassionate, perhaps not customer service per se, but a

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true example of empathy and kindness. And you know, if I had

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been looking for a construction company to hire, his actions

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would have pushed my interest in considering him or them the

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company way up the scale. You never know. Stranger things have

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happened in life. And finally, as part of the definition being

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proactive, another quick internet search defined is

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acting in anticipation of future problems or needs or changes.

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What is there about the situation that you can control

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or influence it is about addressing issues before they

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arise. That the hotel cordoned off the elevator, our situation

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would have never arisen. Now, I obviously took more care and

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watching more established given the uneven paving stones and

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unusual curbs after my tumble. And Air Canada should have

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anticipated that the passengers in the moment covered seats

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would not have been happy about it, and been proactive about

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what they could have done ahead of time to deal with the matter.

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Customer service is often about learning from adversity and

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doing things differently as a result. It's important and it is

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all about who we are as individuals and how we present

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ourselves and our organizations to the world. Borrowing from

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Mahatma Ghandi Be the change you want to see in the world. What

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does this mean? It's all about leadership. What might you be

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able to do to influence the service you and your

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organization? Provide? And do any of the experiences that I've

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shared on the podcast resonate with you? I know that there are

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many times that I could have provided better service by being

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more available by listening deeper, or perhaps even offering

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a smile and clarification on what I couldn't couldn't do in

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that moment. Any of those might have made a more positive

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outcome. What about you? Hey, thank you for taking the time to

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join me today. I hope I've left something for you to consider

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and to reflect on and remember parents are believe you can do

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it Susan signing up till next time. Have a great rest of your

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day. Take care everyone you

About the Podcast

Show artwork for HR Inside Out
HR Inside Out
Demystifying HR & People Management

About your host

Profile picture for Susan Ney

Susan Ney

Susan has worked with people all her life. As a human resources professional she has specialized in all aspects of employment, from hiring to retirement. She got her start as a national representative for a large Canadian union. After pursuing an undergrad degree in business administration, Susan transitioned to HR management, where she aspired to bring both employee and management perspectives to her work. She retired from her multi-decade career in HR to pursue writing and consulting, and to be able, in her words, to “colour outside the lines.” She promises some fun and lots of learning in this, her podcast HR Inside Out: Demystifying HR & People Management. Susan also holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training.