Best Practice Behaviour For Brilliant Customer Service with Mark McPherson in Alexandria, New South Wales | Education

Best Practice Behaviour For Brilliant Customer Service with Mark McPherson

Locality: Alexandria, New South Wales

Phone: +61 403 914 835

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Education

24.01.2022 When we visit a café or a car dealer, a hardware store, or wherever the things that could help determine how good our experience is, can be put under six main headings. The following is a very brief overview of them. 1. People... Obviously, there are the people with whom we interact. But there are also others those we can see and those behind the scenes. Our experience is affected by: what they say; what they do; what they look like; the effort they make; the quality of their work; how friendly they are; how quick they are and how attentive they are. 2. Environment Both the physical environment and the social environment are important. They include things like: temperature; wind; what the place looks like and its layout; furniture and equipment; music and noise; interactions with staff and other customers; safety; and ease of access and getting around. 3. Policies To run smoothly and give us a great customer experience, places need the right policies, procedures and rules. They need to be useful and relevant, improve efficiency and effectiveness, clearly written, known and understood, and easily followed. 4. Products and services The products and services need to be of the right quality, at the right price and easy to obtain. We need to be able to understand what the product or service is, what’s included and what we get for our money. And when we get the product or service, we need to get what we ordered. 5. Accessories Accessories are things which aren’t directly connected to the product or service. They’re extra things like: reward programs; free internet; parking; call-back systems for when we phone but our call can’t be answered; clean toilets; a nice view; a children’s play area; and a free newspaper. We usually know we’ll get them in advance and in many cases are promoted as a drawcard. 6. Bonuses Bonuses are like Accessories but they usually completely unexpected. Bonuses are things like the bit of extra warm milk I got delivered to my table by a staff member who said: Excuse me sir. The barista thought you might like some extra milk. If you don’t need it, just leave it. And the young man from the cafe who came running out in the rain with an umbrella to help me into a cab. Well that’s my take on the sorts of things that affect our customer experience. But as you probably know, I don’t work in the areas of ‘customer experience’ and ‘customer service’ per se. Rather, I specialise in helping staff of businesses and organisations deal with customers who are poorly behaved and difficult while at the same time, deliver brilliant customer service. So, if you’d like to know more, please reach out by going to the contact page of my website. All the best to you, your family and your friends. There are more blogs on my website. https://www.markmcpherson.com.au/mark-mcpherson/blog/

22.01.2022 Ever Wondered Why Some Staff Deliver Poor Customer Service? Well I reckon there are 6 main reasons and here they are. 1. They don’t know what to do. In fact, in some cases they are unaware you need to do anything in particular.... They know what to do but: 2. Feel it doesn’t really matter. They feel it won’t make any difference or much difference. And it’s not important enough to worry about. Feel it matters but: 3. Are too busy with too many other chores (which are, or are deemed to be, more important). 4. Just worn out. Feeling crushed and don’t want to put in the effort that’s required. 5. Simple don’t care. 6. Are deliberately trying to hurt the business. Well, in this case you’d think they’d be ‘out the door’ pretty soon. My questionnaire are: Do you think I'm on the right track? Do you recognise any behaviours? Worse still, do you recognise anyone you know?

22.01.2022 Yesterday I wrote about The Six Reasons Why Some Staff Deliver Poor Customer Service. And a few hours later I got some very poor customer service from Facebook. In a nutshell: 1) I submit an ad to FB. 2) It's rejected. I'm told it's because the text is more than 20% of the image. 3) FB directs me to the 'calculator' to calculate how much text the ad has.... 4) I use the FB calculator and it tells me my ad has 16% text. 5) I submit a form requesting information from FB and saying according to its own calculator, the ad contains only 16% text. 6) I get an email reply from FB which is simply an automated reply (although it says it's from Marty). It says my ad was rejected because it contained more than 20% text. 7) It appears to me the reply was made without anyone reading the form I submitted (ie We Don't Care.") or someone reading it and saying "We Don't care." See more

21.01.2022 Do your customers trust you? Our customers want to trust us. They want to be confident we can deliver the goods and services we say we can deliver. And the simple reality is this: if they're not confident, they'll go elsewhere. And so they should. Perhaps the most obvious way customers become confident is by having a good experience. Customers develop faith in us when we deliver high quality goods and services in a timely manner and at the right price. They become confident ...we can do the same again. But what if they don't have any experience? What then? Well, one way is through marketing. We have advertisements. We have testimonials. We have examples. We give them valuable information for free. We have case studies. We have guarantees. We have ....... well, you get the picture. We have all sorts of ways of showing them we're on the ball. And showing them they'll be 100% satisfied if they do business with us. And we do things like give them gifts and products with our name and logo on them. And we make sure we're on our best behaviour when we're dealing with them. And no doubt you can think of others. Anyway, here’s one way you might have thought about. I'll call it 'incidental marketing'. It’s all the extra goings-on that tell the customer about you, your business and the service you’re going to deliver. And here’s how it worked the other day when I was a customer of a Real Estate Agent. But wait for it. It didn’t work to their advantage. Oh far from it. It worked against them. Big time. Now please have a good look at the photo. It's a photo of their desk. Yes, that's right. I took it while they were out of the room. Sneaky? Yes. But necessary. This appalling mess had an effect on me. Much of it was no doubt subconscious. Somewhere in the inner workings of my brain a little voice was probably saying: "This person is untidy. Maybe they're untidy in their work too. Maybe they're untidy and a bit sloppy in how they conduct their business. Maybe they're a bit untidy in how they work with their colleagues and staff. Maybe they’re a bit untidy in the way they take care of loose ends. Maybe they can't be relied upon. Maybe ......." But of course, much of it was very much in the forefront of my brain. It was loud and clear. I want this person to keep very neat records. I want this person to have everything filed away properly. I want this person to do things on time and have everything clear and organised. But judging by the state of their desk, can I trust them? Whether we like or not, we judge other people (and other people judge us) by a lot of ‘incidental marketing’. We judge, and get judged, by criteria that can sometimes seem irrelevant. But right or wrong, we’re human and we judge people all the time by inadvertent signals. So my question is this: Do you have your ‘incidental marketing’ up to scratch? Do you? And perhaps more importantly, how do you know? All the very best, Mark McPherson markmcpherson.com.au [email protected]

20.01.2022 If you can't deliver what you've said you can deliver, be quick, really quick, to let people know. Okay. It's just a wild thought. But here goes. If you can't deliver the goods and services you've said you can deliver, be very quick to let your customers and potential customers know. Did someone just ask why? Really? You're really asking me why? Well first, a promise is a promise. So it'd be just basic good manners to tell people if you can't do what you've said you can do o...r will do. Second, if you don't, people who are expecting your goods and services to be available or delivered will be really annoyed. Which means it's bad for your business, your brand and your reputation. Take Westpac for example. This morning its online services were not working. There were plenty of reports about this on social media. Plenty of them. But guess what? There wasn't a mention of it on their website. None. Okay. It was on Twitter. And eventiually on their Fb page. But why not on their actual website - the very place where people are experiencing the problem? So what happens is people get frustrated. They're trying to do business. And many think maybe it's their fault. Maybe it's their computer or maybe it's the fault of their internet provider. Come on Westpac. It was simple to let people know. Now here's our lesson. It's difficult to change your bank, so Westpac won't lose too many customers. But for the rest of us, it's a very different story. For most of us, if we don't let people know what's going on and they get annoyed, they can simply go elsewhere. And be warned. They will! All the very best, Mark McPherson -Join me on linkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/markmcpherson1 -Like a 15 mins chat about Best Practice Behaviour? Then gve me a call on 0403914 835 and we'll set a time. -email: [email protected]

20.01.2022 Be polite. Be friendly. And be pleasant for goodness sake. Seriously, it’s not hard. You don’t have to be the most amazingly friendliest person on the planet. You don’t have to have the most incredible Hollywood smile. ...Continue reading

19.01.2022 Have you ever got poor customer service? No doubt you have at least at some time in your life. But the question is why? Why do some people give poor customer service or in some cases, really lousy customer service? ... Well, here’s my take on it. I think it’s because of any of the following. I’m happy to have your comments and ideas. 1. They don’t know what to do. a. They think they do but they don’t. b. They know they don’t know. (Perhaps they lied when applying for the job or when asked after they were employed.) 2. They know what to do but they’re unable to do it. They: a. Don’t have or unable to access the right equipment, software, etc. The necessary equipment is broken. b. Have been told to do the minimum or not to bother. c. Are extremely busy. They’re understaffed and overworked. d. Are not physically able. They’re injured or unwell. 3. They know what to do and they could do it. But they are: a. Not ‘on the ball’. They don’t get what the customer is talking about. They’re not alert and not aware of what’s going on. b. Not interested and don’t care. Perhaps it’s the way they are or perhaps it’s in some sort of retaliation for feeling hard done by, being unfairly treated, etc. c. Simply and deliberately sabotaging the business. 4. And of course, in some cases, combinations of some of the above. I’m sure your experiences have been different to mine so I’m happy to have your comments and ideas.

19.01.2022 What's in name? Have a look at the photo and read on. I have no reason to believe this place isn't terrific. I have no reason to believe this place doesn't do a great job. I have no reason to believe this place doesn't have friendly, competent and hardworking staff. That's not the issue. ... The issue is the name. It stopped me in my tracks. It may well have a strong local identity and be a bit of a landmark. It may well attract heaps of business. But there was just something about that name that made me feel a little unsettled. Have you ever seen a business name that made you feel that way? My point is this. Names of businesses are important. Logos are important. Colours are important. And they're important because we're dealing with human beings and they can react to these things in all sorts of ways. So, how much thought have you put into the name of your business? And if you found out it just wasn't all that good, how willing would you be to change it? PS Uki is a lovely town near Mount Warning in the Tweed Valley of far northern New South Wales. And it has great food.

18.01.2022 when will Jetstar (yes, I'm travelling Jetstar) realise their present system of checking in baggage (in which the staff yells out 'next', waves their arm and hopes they catch the eye and ear of the first person in the queue) is inefficient and pretty annoying. And more importantly, when will Jetstar fix it?... First, it'd be good customer service to fix it. Second, I'm pretty sure it'd make the staff happier. Third, I have no doubt it'd be good for business. Your thoughts are welcome.

18.01.2022 Sometimes a shop display isn't just pleasant to look at. Sometimes it does a lot more. Sometimes a display instils confidence and engages you. And encourages you to go in to see what else's on offer - and maybe to buy.

16.01.2022 Don’t be lazy! I see it happen time and time again. I really don’t know what the problem is. I’m away from home in another city. I’m here for work and I’m sitting in the outdoor area of a café having breakfast. It’s perhaps not as healthy as I should be having but I reckon I deserve it.... It’s a place I’ve been to many times before. It’s next door to where I stay, the food is fine, the prices are good, they don’t have loud music like a few other places do and I like reading my paper there. Anyway, a man and a woman it down near me. They wait. And they wait. It’s not busy. And I can see two staff inside standing behind the counter one male and one female. Well they’re not actually staff. They’re more than that; they’re the owners. They have to know there are two people waiting to be served. It’s not possible to have missed them. The man and the woman don’t even have menus. Eventually, they leave their keys on the table to claim their spot, and go inside to get some service. Unbelievable. The owners are not bad people. I’ve had many a friendly conversation with them. But are they lazy? Are they shy? Don’t they care if people buy their food or not? Don’t they know what to do? But one thing’s for sure. I’ve seen it happen time and time again in this cafe. I’ve seen plenty of people wait and then give up and leave. And what’s the customer experience of the people who leave? It’s poor. Are they likely to return? No. Are they likely to encourage other people to go there or tell them to stay away? Stay away. So, why do I go there if it’s so bad? Well, as I said: it’s next door to where I stay, I like their food, the prices are good and I really like reading my paper in their outdoor area. But I’m well aware the service is lousy and it puts people off. The moral? The moral applies to pretty much every type of business, organisation and agency, not just cafes. It’s: -Be quick to welcome people or at least get them settled and feel like they’re on their way to being looked after; -Be friendly; and -Be attentive and do the follow up. x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x I've previously written about "The 6 essential ingredients for delivering a brilliant customer experience" both here and on on my website at https://www.markmcpherson.com.au/blog-the-6-essentials-for/ The six essential ingredients are: People; Environment; Polices; Products and services; Accessories; and Bonuses. This post was about the Essential Ingredient: People. x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

14.01.2022 My post to Westpac's Facebook page today at 4pm. My father is 92. He's in incredibly poor health. He has 2 accounts with Westpac. He looked at his accounts online last night. To his shock and horror he could only see one account - his '55+ and retired'. His other account 'e-saver) is missing. That's right. It's missing. It's not there. It's not to be seen. There's only one account showing. It has caused him great stress. And me too. ... On his behalf (I am a signatory to his accounts) I went to a branch this morning to ask if there had been some fraud. Had someone stolen it? Thank god the teller was able to find it. So what's going on? What's happened? The teller thought that maybe westpac was no longer showing the 'e-saver' account online. Or there was just a glitch. Just a glitch -? wow. Please Westpac, can you help restore his online account so he can see both accounts?

14.01.2022 I'm not sorry I phoned you westpac but I am annoyed and stressed you haven't provided me with reasonable customer service despite phoning you many times. the problem I came to you with on 2 October has not been fixed and you haven't kept me informed.

14.01.2022 For a long time people have been telling me "the customer is always right." Well you know what? It's not actually true. The customer isn't ALWAYS right. And in this short vide0 - it's only 190 seconds! - I give you my take on it.

12.01.2022 An update: 7 Reasons Why Some Staff Deliver Poor Customer Service. On 30 july I posted a flowchart of the Six Reasons Why Some Staff Deliver Poor Customer Service. Well on Friday 31 july I had reason to add another reason. So I think there are actually seven main reasons not six. Here's my updated flowchart. I hope you enjoy it and can make use of it. ... If any of your staff are delivering poor customer service, I hope this flowchart helps you identify what's wrong. And hence gives you some clues how to fix it. All the very best, Mark McPherson markmcpherson.com.au

09.01.2022 Found this terrific community garden on my bike ride today. I know there's lots of them and I know plenty of people have great gardens but it was a real joy to find.

09.01.2022 Okay. I admit it. It's been a long time since I published a post on this page. In fact, the last post as far as I know was in October 2015. That's right - more than 20 months ago! So first, let me tell why I created this page. I created it in Feb 2014 - over 3 years ago. It was when I realised I was spending more time looking after my parents - who weren't doing well - than I was on my business. And more and more time away from my wonderful partner.... When I took my parents to cafes, clubs and shops and to doctors, dentists, hearing specialists, etc, I watched them interact with lots of people. And i had to interact wth lots of people on their behalf. And I became really interested in ....... or more accurately, I became really fascinated by .... the way people behaved towards them, and towards me, as customers. In short, I became fascinated by the customer service they received. And then, in customer service in general. And hence, I wrote about it - good, bad and anywhere in between. My mother went downhill in early 2015 and was gone in August - a few months shy of her 95th birthday. And my father was gone just before Christmas. But I’ve continued to collect stories and make of observations about my customer service experience- usually with plenty of photos as well. So here goes. I'm going to start posting again. Unlike this post which was way too long, my posts from now on will be nice and short. And i think you'll enjoy them. All the best, Mark McPherson

05.01.2022 How you display the food you have for sale, tells the customer a lot; a real lot. Many shops have a display of the food they have for sale. But why? No doubt different places have different reasons. Perhaps they’re proud of their food and what the customer to see how great it is. Perhaps it’s a space issue. After all, you’ve got put the food somewhere. Perhaps the food changes from day to day, so a display makes it easier than changing the menu. Perhaps it’s the nature of th...e food they sell. Perhaps people wanted know what the food looks like so they can compare what’s on offer. Perhaps .... Well perhaps you’ve got your own reasons why.Anyway, let’s have a look at the photos. They’re of a display in a butcher shop. Now I know plenty of people don’t eat meat. And I also know plenty of people are against the idea of eating meat. But we’re not talking about meat here. We’re talking about the way in which some shops display the food they have for sale. We’re talking about first impressions. We’re talking about ‘inadvertent signals’. And we’re talking about making it easy for the customer to make their selection. The display in this butcher shop caught my eye. It was extensive but I guess this has more to do with available space than with the attitude and skills of the manager and staff. What caught my eye was how well organised, informative and clean it was. So my point is this: if you’re going to have a display, make it a good one. Because if it’s a good one, you’ll get customers buying. But if it’s not a good one, you’ll turn customers off. So which category would you like to be in?

03.01.2022 Is it best to have every event and target covered or to have a clear niche? Well, dare I say "It depends". It depends on the type of service you offer, your targets, etc etc etc. I've heard 'experts' say two very different things. In fact, contradictory things. One is to have a niche. Yes, I can see that. A specialty makes perfect sense. But the other is to make sure you've got all bases covered. So this sign at a hotel seems to say: "No matter what the event, have it here...." They most certainly don't seem to specialise in, for example, staff parties. Should they specialise? Is this list of the events too long? Is it confusing? Is it good marketing or not so good marketing? I really don't know. You be the judge. See more