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Tools for Professionalism in Customer Service

Jan 31

Posted by Irene Watson in business | No Comments

Interview with Steve Coscia discussing professionalism in the HVAC and other service industries:

Today we have Steve Coscia, author of “HVAC Customer Service Handbook”, speaking with us. Steve’s book gives service professional the strategies and techniques required to deliver world-class customer service. Hello Steve.

Irene: What inspired you to write “HVAC Customer Service Handbook”?

Steve: After performing a few HVAC customer service speeches and writing several customer service articles for HVAC trade magazines I observed how little information there was for the front-line HVAC Rep so I wrote the book. Thus far the book has been very well received by the HVAC trade press.

Irene: Tell us about your personal experiences you have had that led you to share your knowledge with others.

Steve: I simply taught my HVAC clients to implement the same customer service strategies that I used successfully for twenty years. My background was in customer service management. Regardless of the industry, when the service infrastructure is stable then world-class service delivery is attainable. I selected HVAC because I kept attracting more HVAC contractors and distributors as clients.

Irene: Although this book is written primarily for the HVAC industry, I would assume it could apply to all industries. What other industries do you believe would benefit from using this book as a teaching tool?

Steve: Due to the trade anecdotes in the book, I believe that electricians, plumbers, general contractors, roofers, landscapers, etc. would benefit from the book. The anecdotes depict scenarios in which most customers are homeowners and the service provider is usually a tradesperson.

Irene: Why do you believe that customer service representatives, in this case in the HVAC industry, are stressed out?

Steve: Customer service reps in almost every industry are stressed out – it’s the nature of the work. HVAC reps handle volatile situations such as when a customer’s heating system breaks down on a zero degree day at 1:00 in the morning. That situation is stressful for the HVAC rep and these events arise every day. Due to the volatile nature of these events, a stable problem solving infrastructure must prevail – if not the event will exacerbate.

Irene: Do you believe that problem solving must start at top management before it filters down to the service reps? If so, how is this possible?

Steve: Yes because management must lead by example. Management’s role is also to invest enough time and resources in building a stable information sharing infrastructure which is the best way to avert problems.

Irene: There are stereotype images of customer service representatives in many of the service industries, for example, plumbing and electrical. Why do you believe this occurs?

Steve: Some of this may be due to bias. I suppose that blue-collar workers may not always convey a very polished image – but when HVAC reps are needed to fix a broken pipe or to warm up a home then blue collar skills become vital and appreciated.

Irene: How do you believe the bias of the customer could change before they are needed?

Steve: New experiences change the way a person thinks. If a customer encounters numerous HVAC reps who behave with courtesy and professionalism then that customer’s beliefs will eventually change. It takes time – but it’s never too late to start.

Irene: Your book details tools for HVAC customer service representatives. Would you share with the readers several of the key changes that the representatives need to make as a whole.

Steve: The key change that I advise readers to make includes using a stable, problem solving system I entitle CONTAIN, QUALIFY and CORRECT. The book includes a sequential flowchart of how this process works. This approach includes the assumption that customers usually call because something is wrong, therefore containment is necessary so things do not get worse. The problem must then be qualified using active listening skills and then corrected using a stable in-house system.

Irene: You mentioned earlier that the blue-collar workers may not have a polished image. With that could come a bias on their part of not accepting your problem solving system because they don’t believe there is a problem. How do you propose they take your book seriously?

Steve: There’s always room for improvement. Any open minded person will easily perceive the value in my book after reading the first anecdote. I wrote the book, based on actual case studies so that readers will easily see themselves in the anecdotes.

Irene: Do you believe the masses are ready to accept the changes you propose in your book?

Steve: Yes. I have been sharing my methodology for years. It’s proven and it works.

Irene: Is there anything else you would like the readers to know about you or your book?

Steve: Based on the testimonials I have received thus far, HVAC contractors who have read my book are making more money, retaining more customers and experiencing less stress. Interested HVAC professionals should go to http://www.telestress.com and buy the book today. My book urges HVAC reps to be courageous and go beyond the status quo and differentiate themselves for the competition.

Irene Watson is the managing editor of Reader Views, a book review service. http://www.readerviews.com

Author: Irene Watson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Catering Business Start Up – Simple Marketing & Growth Strategies

Jan 22

Posted by Munyaradzi Chinongoza in business startup | No Comments

Most people get sucked into the catering business because they need to make some extra money. Others may have been working in catering and quickly fall in love with the business and ultimately become very passionate about it.

Alright, so let us talk a little about how you can get started with your own catering business. Hopefully the first thing you will do before anything else is, write a solid business plan and this will cover most of the issues that you need to take care of. Once you have your business plan and got it reviewed you can now start worrying about how you can started. Try to concentrate your efforts on how to get your name out there and in the process gain yourself some much needed business.

Word of mouth is very important as far as this business is concerned. This is really the easiest way to build your business. Of course you can always go out and do some advertising but your main focus should really be on word of mouth. Knowing your target market is vital. This will help you figure out where to go to interact with your target market as well as how you are going to be able track them.

It is important that every event that you cater is done superbly to ensure that those clients go on to tell others who maybe in need of a caterer. Starting small is always a great idea it allows you to work your way up and also be able to perfect your product along the way.

One thing you should keep in your mind at all times is that catering is not just about food. In addition to the food there is also service and you need to be able to provide both of those well. There are many ways you can perfect your business. For example you can work for other caterers, work in restaurants, do things for friends and even in some cases volunteer to pretend cater event as if you were the actual caterer. That way you can easily get some valuable feedback.

This is a great business. It is very rewarding and a lot of hard work at the same time. If you do all the work up front, once you get started and get your feet moving, you will just start rolling and have a profitable business.

Next, discover more FREE catering business start up strategies at our blog. You can find resources, tips and strategies you can start using today: http://how-to-start-a-catering-business.blogspot.com/

Author: Munyaradzi Chinongoza
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Negotiation Skills — The Salami Technique

Jan 16

Posted by Tony Atherton in business | No Comments

Some negotiators just love to play tactical games. In this article we will look at one their favourite negotiation tactics – the Salami technique – and think about how to rebuff it.

Salami sausages are big things (often spicy) that are eaten a slice at a time. They would be indigestible if taken in a single large piece. This aspect has led negotiators to use the name for a negotiation technique that tries to do just that: to win concessions in small doses (slices) when the other party would probably reject them if they were put on the table all at once. The technique is often used against a party that is mainly concerned with damage limitation.

Consider a tough union negotiating with management. Management would really just like to keep the status quo (damage limitation) but the union negotiators would like a whole host of goodies to take back for their members. These could include a pay rise, more holidays, flexible working hours, private health membership, better pension arrangements, improved canteen, increased allowances and so on. It is not difficult for the union to make a case for each of these and they can probably add to the list.

If the union negotiators use the salami tactic they will present just one of their demands for discussion and push hard to reach agreement. Let’s say they focus on a 6% pay rise and after a long discussion and some haggling they agree on 4%. Deal done, except there is more to come. That’s just the first slice of the salami and there is a whole sausage in the cupboard.

The next slice might be the holiday arrangements. The current 23 days is from a bygone age. ‘Other employers’ have agreed to 25 days plus public holidays. Let’s say they eventually reach agreement at 24 days this year and 25 days next year. Good! The managers might by now be congratulating themselves on their rusty negotiation skills and their damage limitation but the union representatives have been busy polishing their negotiation skills.

‘We would now like to discuss something that is very dear to the hearts of our members, the need for flexible working hours.’ The slicing of the salami sausage continues: private health, pension, canteen, allowances, and so on. By the end of the negotiations, when the management team add it all up they are staggered at what they have conceded, slice by slice. None of the individual items seemed all that great at the time but – add them all together and the cumulative effect is astonishing.

What went wrong?

The management negotiators were beguiled by one of the standard tactics used by skilled negotiators. Of course, presented like this, the salami technique looks so obvious that you might think that no management team could be so stupid as to be caught by it. However, just as a simple magic trick can seem incredible when performed by a skilled magician, so even simple negotiation skills like the salami technique can produce amazing results when used by skilled and experienced negotiators.

The salami is not restricted to management-union negotiations. Any negotiator who has a list of things on which they want to gain agreement can use it. Try it when you next buy a car. Are you buying just one item, the car? Or are you gaining agreement on several things: buying the car, filling the petrol tank, replacing worn tyres if it’s a used car, a free service next year, alloy wheels… and whatever else you can think of. Will they lose the sale over a tank of petrol or one new tyre?

So, what do you do if you are on the receiving end and the other party tries to salami you?

Of course, your first line of defence is to recognise what they are doing and your second is to put a stop to it. You will need to be assertive about this but the response is quite straightforward. The salami tactic works because the person being sliced does not recognise what is happening. Once you do, you can fight it.

How? Simply refuse agreement on any one slice until you have everything out on the table. ‘Is there anything else you want to discuss as part of these negotiations?’ Do not discuss details until you have formally agreed that everything is out in the open. Then put forward a proposal on a collective agreement — bundle the lot together.

The discussion can now begin in earnest and you can use your negotiation skills. You might trade one slice of salami off against another by offering some flexibility on, say, item one provided that they drop, say, items two and three. Continue like that until you are happy with the deal, then close.

Good luck! And watch out for that spicy sausage!

Author: Tony Atherton
© Tony Atherton 2005)

About the author: Tony Atherton is a freelance trainer and writer based in England. He has had four books published and about 90 of his articles have appeared in various magazines and journals. After an earlier career in industry he now runs in-company training courses in business writing, report writing (including technical reports) and taking minutes, as well as negotiation skills and time management. Over 6000 delegates have attended his courses. For details of his negotiation skills courses please see http://tony-atherton.co.uk/negskills.htm. For general details please see http://tony-atherton.co.uk.

Author: Tony Atherton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Creating, Recognizing & Measuring Value

Jan 6

Posted by George Torok in business, mindset | No Comments

Price is what you pay – value is what you get.
Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Securities

Deliver value that your customers recognize, appreciate and reward. If you want your customers to value what you offer – you must demonstrate that you value them.

Value implies trust so start by building trust. Always under-promise and over-deliver. Be known for keeping your promise and then some. Be honest. Never promise what you cannot deliver.

Don’t confuse value with cost. A product’s value is almost never equal to its cost. For example, your product might cost you $2 and you sell it for $10. The value to you is $10. The value to the customer will usually be more than the selling price. If it was only worth $10 to the customer then they have no motivation to buy. But if the value to them is greater than the selling price, they are motivated to trade their money for something of greater value. It may be worth $25 to the customer. Then they will gladly give up $10 of their money for the product. The more that value exceeds the cost of the purchase, the more the customer will want to buy from you. Always offer value that is greater than the price they pay. Your challenge is to ensure the customer sees much more value than their cost.

The Value Formula
How can value be so different from cost? Examine the following formula, then discover where you can concentrate your efforts to enhance value.

Total value = real value + perceived value

Let’s take it apart to understand it. Real value comprises the tangibles. It is relatively easy to measure. Real value can be expressed in this manner:

Real value = function/cost

Function is what the product or service does in mechanical or analytical terms. Imagine you are buying a new car. If you are shopping for the best real value, you would get the most function efficient ground transportation for the lowest cost. You could measure the car’s function factor by comparing it with the cost of your practical alternatives; public transit, car pooling, taxi, bicycle, limousine, various car models. You might wish to consider the costs of these alternatives in terms of time and inconvenience. What does your new car give you that these other modes of transportation don’t?

Having determined the new car’s function factor, you can divide it by its cost. Is its function worth more to you than its cost? If so, the new car has real value. At the end of your analysis you would buy the cheapest car. Not necessarily. Remember that what you are willing to pay for your car is based on the total value to you, which is a factor of both real and perceived value. So, sometimes without realizing it, you assign value to less quantifiable benefits and buy something that you like. Liking is not part of real value, it is part of a product’s perceived value.

Perceived Value = belief x emotion

Compared with real value, perceived value is more difficult to measure directly. Yet it can have greater impact on total value. Perceived value is the product of belief times emotion. It is influenced by intangibles such as image, credibility, beauty and feelings – all the benefits you should emphasize in your marketing efforts. Emphasizing your perceived value is the surest way to differentiate yourself from the competition – and gain you more profit. Perceived value is what makes a brand name more valuable than a no-name. Nike is one example of a company that built a fortune on perceived value. As individuals we think differently, perceive differently, and place different values on things. Beware of that. Use it to your advantage. When your prospect wants to negotiate price, remember to build up your product’s perceived value.

How can you enhance the value of what you sell? If you are only looking at the cost of paper and ink then you are forcing yourself to compete in the commodity game. Instead find ways to emphasize the value of your relationship, the creative, – the intangibles.
Always deliver real value too but compete on the perceived value.

George Torok is co-author of the national bestseller, “Secrets of Power Marketing”, the first guide to personal marketing for the non-marketer. He delivers training programs and inspirational speeches to corporations and associations. To arrange for your speech or training program call 905-335-1997. To receive your free copy of the special guide, “50 Power Marketing Ideas” and subscribe to monthly marketing tips visit http://www.PowerMarketing.ca

Author: George Torok
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Corporate Team Building Techniques

Jan 5

Posted by Ali Kidd in Leadership | No Comments

Corporate Team Building generally refers to the selection and motivation of teams for fulfillment of organizational goals. Our society is increasingly becoming a multi-cultural one and you are required to work with different groups of people and expected to get along with them as a team. This is more in the case of transnational and multi-location conglomerates. Corporate Team Building Techniques are methods to help people adapt to these new requirements. Your corporate team building skills are critical for your effectiveness as a manager. Even if you are not a manager, your understanding of team building makes you an effective member of the corporate team. Corporate Team Building Techniques can make your team accomplish objectives as a team rather than working on their own.

There are certain factors that are critical to Corporate Team Building. You may have a strong fusion of individual contributions. Diversity of skills and personalities are quite effective in Corporate Team Building. When all members of the team contribute to their full strengths, they compensate for each others weaknesses also. Different personalities and skills complement each other. Corporate Team Building Techniques involve good communication between the team members as well as harmony between the members.

Corporate Team Building – Versatile Practical Tools

Putting a group of people together does not automatically equal a team. Corporate Team Building starts with getting the people in the team to know each other. The technique involves in learning to get along with each other, develop interpersonal trust, and communicate well. This helps build team spirit. On a daily basis, members of a corporate team need to develop habits to function as an effective team.

There are a number of ways to Corporate Team Building. Each member of the team could take a course on how to work collaboratively. This is an individualistic approach and may, or may not, help in forming a cohesive unit. One other way could be to employ Corporate Team Building professionals to help train your corporate team in functioning as a cohesive unit. This is a great idea, but may not fit into your budget.

You could find your own techniques for Corporate Team Building. Put your corporate team members into new challenging fun activities that will require contact and communication between them. Organize events where they get together for fun activities, such as fly-fishing, sailing regattas, road rallies, snowboarding, interactive seminars, etc.

These activities go a long way in improving communication and interaction, and help Corporate Team Building.

Author: Ali Kidd
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Mobile device news

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Team Building and Multiple Intelligences

Aug 25

Posted by Alvin Quah in business | No Comments

Team building and multiple intelligences, to many people, have as much similarity as a company dinner and an i.q. test. if you are new to multiple intelligence, the following is a brief explanation:

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences surfaced in 1983 when Dr. Howard Gardner’s renowned book titled, “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences” was published. Within the next 10 years, educators world wide embraced the theory as a basis to identify talents in the children they work with.

Before that, most people perceived people to be intelligent if they score high in an I.Q. test or other psychometric tests, or are good with logical thinking, mathematical, musical and perhaps, linguistic skills. In his book, which has been described to have caused paradigm shifts, Dr. Gardner identified 7 distinct types of intelligence:

1. Linguistic Intelligence

The talent to learn and use languages, it includes the ability to effectively use language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically, using language as a primary means to remember things. Poets, writers and translators are people with high linguistic intelligence.

2. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

The capacity to analyse problems logically, performs mathematical operations, and scientifically investigate issues. Scientists and mathematicians are some examples of people with high logical-mathematical intelligence.

3. Musical Intelligence

Skills in the performing arts, composition, and appreciation of music. It also includes the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. Examples of people with high musical intelligence are: musicians, composers and singers.

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

The use of one’s whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements. Some examples of people with high bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are carpenters, seamstresses and chefs.

5. Spatial Intelligence

The potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas. Designers and architects are people with high spatial intelligence.

6. Interpersonal Intelligence

The capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. People with well developed interpersonal intelligence tend to work effectively with others. Some examples are educators, religious and political leaders and salespeople.

7. Intra-personal

The capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one’s feelings, fears and motivations. People with high intra-personal intelligence have a good idea of what they want to do in life, what they can and cannot do and when to get help. Some examples are high achievers and entrepreneurs.

Brief History of team building

No one can be sure how the term “team building” was formed or when team building first started. The term “team building” is probably the combination of the words “team” and “building”, which means “building a team”. team building could have started as early as the 1930s, when Professor Elton Mayo’s research in The Hawthorne Experiments (1927 to 1932) concluded that the need for recognition, security and sense of belonging has a greater effect on workers’ morale and productivity than other working conditions.

Today, team building can mean different things to different organisations. To some it may simply mean building cohesion among participants, while to others it may mean improving communication and sharing of information between departments.

So How Does Multiple Intelligence Help
team building?

Multiple intelligence has been widely applied to children, particularly in the early detection of talents and gifts in children. So does the theory of multiple intelligence still hold true among adults? Are we able to apply the theory to adults? We began to ask these questions a few years ago when we were helping clients with their team building exercises.

Over the years, we have successfully conducted team building sessions for many corporations, using multiple intelligence in our games, to bring out strengths of different people in different situations, creating an environment to promote mutual respect, understanding and patience with adult participants.

Organisation may define team building in different ways, yet one very basic reason for team building is to get the participants to acknowledge the importance of teamwork and appreciate that people are different.

Dr. Sandy E. Kulkin, founder of Institute for The Motivational Living, Inc, USA (the world’s largest publisher of DISC personality profiling system) once said, “People are different, but they are predictably different”. Dr. Sandy is an expert in human behaviour and he develops courses, trains and certifies professional trainers in behavioural analysis for personal and business settings. He is a firm believer that in order for us to be better able to work with one another, we need to understand why people behave in the way they do and how they look at things differently from us.

Thus in our view, if we can help participants realise that people are different and see these differences as strengths in the other person, we will be able to help them learn to celebrate the differences, thereby creating mutual respect.

Understanding multiple intelligence helps broaden our perspectives of the people around us. In the context of team building, it uncovers the types of intelligence fellow team mates possess, which may never surface within the office setting. This brings about better understanding among the participants.

Exposing participants to multiple intelligence during team building also creates an environment in which participants share their knowledge in the type of intelligence that they possess with their fellow colleagues; it helps participants to be patient with one another as they take turns to learn from one another.

It can also be a humbling experience when we realise that there are other types of intelligence which may not be well developed in us. Introducing multiple intelligence during team building can also help participants become conscious that if we work as a team, we will be well-equipped to tackle different issues and problems as people who are more developed in different areas of intelligence tend to look at different aspects of an issue. These people will also be better at solving different challenges that the team face.

Here are some of Dr. Howard Gardner’s books on Multiple Intelligence:

o The Arts and Human Development (1973)

o Art, Mind, and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity (1982)

o Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence (1983)

o The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach (1991)

o Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice (1993)

o Changing the World: A Framework for the Study of Creativity(1994)

o Intelligence: Multiple Perspectives (1996)

o Intelligence Reframed – Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century (1999)

The article was contributed by Alvin Quah, a certified behavioral analyst(in business consulting perspectives), who is registered with the Institute for The Motivational Living, Inc, USA. He can be contacted through the website: Team Building Singapore

Author: Alvin Quah
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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