John Tschohl Quotes (11 Quotes)

Service recovery doesn't end when you solve the customer's problem. Give her something of value that excites her. Every company has products or services that have value in the eyes of the customer that don't cost the company a lot of money. Identify five or ten products or services your organization has that you could give away when your organization makes a mistake. Vail Resorts has a system in place that provides free drinks when the ski lift shuts down for a few minutes and free lift tickets when it's down for more than 15 minutes.

Making empowered decisions means taking risks. Many employees fear being reprimanded, or even fired, for making what management might view as a bad decision.

They fear that, if employees are empowered to make decisions, their roles in the organization will be diminished or eliminated.

What we're talking about is improving customer service. Virtually any company can benefit from this.

You can't tie employees' hands with cumbersome policies and procedures and expect them to provide exceptional service. It's also important to let employees know that it is OK to make a mistake in the process of working to win customer satisfaction.

They think customers are liars and cheats and, if given the chance, will rip off the company. To prevent that from happening, they develop ridiculous rules, policies, and procedures.

Too many employees want to blame someone else for mistakes. The customer doesn't care who made the mistake he wants the employee standing in front of him to take care of it. You must own the problem. Apologize on behalf of your organization, and then take whatever steps are necessary to solve the problem.

Recognition is another important element of empowerment. Employees who make empowered decisions should be recognized and rewarded. Celebrate them. Feature them in the company publication. Give them a prime parking spot near the front door for a week. Throw a pizza party. By doing so, you are sending a message to the rest of the workforce that empowerment is important.

It 's solving a customer's problem or complaint and sending him out the door feeling like he has just done business with the greatest company on earth. It's taking an unhappy customer from hell to heaven in 60 seconds or less.

Advertising will get a customer through the door to your business once, but it is service that will keep them coming back. Advertising is aimed at the masses customer service is aimed at the individual. Service recovery creates word-of-mouth advertising that is 100 times cheaper and more powerful than traditional advertising.

Without empowerment, an organization will never be a service leader. Empowerment is the most critical skill an employee can master and a company can drive in order to lureand keepcustomers.