Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2014 80 S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T TIPS FOR YOUR SERVICE TECHNICIANS E very day, there will be a service technician who guarantee's that they will never return to a customer's home when they question the customer's intelligence. It's easy to do sometimes, and unfortunately many techs don't realize they are damaging their future. This can result from giving what you thought was a helpful and experienced opinion to a customer. There are a couple of snares that can get you if you're not careful. The first one is your personal perception of quality. Mentioning things like, "I hope you didn't pay too much for this," or maybe, "Why would you buy this brand?" can put you directly at odds with the consumer. The second biggest mistake is the 'frequency' subject. When a customer asks you if you see this problem often, and you reply, "Every day", the trap is set and you are in it. Your office CSRs can also make the same mistake if they tell a customer they "get this all the time". Just about every one of us considers ourselves to be smart and savvy shoppers and we will defend our purchase decision and our intelligence to a fault. So, in walks a technician, an expert proven to be held in high esteem in the eyes of many customers, and this "all-knowing appliance Guru" promptly declares your purchase 'stupid'. How would that make you feel? I can't think of anyone who likes to have their shortcomings pointed out to them or get their feelings crushed. When a customer asks, "Have you seen this before?, a safer reply would be, "I see more appliances in a week than most folks see in a lifetime. I have seen similar issues with all brands". Whether you like it or not, you are also a salesperson. You are selling yourself, your company image and your future by keeping that product fixed and in the house. You will not make yourself look any smarter by degrading the appliance you are working on. The simple fact is that the customer is already questioning their choice because the product has stopped working. If you find that you have inadvertently slipped into this trap, try a little disaster control by commenting on how many features of the product you like and how you find that so many other customers like the same features and how many of these models were sold in your trading area. This will help to minimize the impact of your initial disastrous statements and will make the customer feel that they are at least not alone in their decision making. Remember, when you make a comment about a customer's choice of appliances, you are also making a statement about that customers sense of judgment which then almost always leads to the thought being raised as to whether or not they chose the right service company. RO HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF I CALLED YOU STUPID? Why you should invest in NASC 2014 Jim Campbell MCAP, CSM Professional Servicers Association This is a sample of the type of customer service training given at NASC 2014. Attendance at NASC 2014 will educate you and your technicians in the new technical skills presented by the nation's top manufactures and customer service skills presented by industry leaders with proven successful businesses. These new and updated skills will better enable you to keep up with the ever changing technical demands of our industry and high expectations of your customers. You will be amazed at the return on your investment by attending NASC 2014. Quite simply, completing more calls on the first trip, less time spent on customer service issues, because of the training received at NASC 2014, will increase your bottom line in a hurry. Learn more about customer service at the NASC2014 All Service Convention in Nashville March 24, 25, 26 and 27. Go to www.psaworld.com to register.

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