There are many scientific studies that show goal setting works. People in life who set themselves personal goals simply achieve more - it is as simple as that !

After all, it is sort of obvious isn’t it ? If you have a well defined plan, you are more likely to focus on the things that will help you get there. As somebody once famously said “people who are going nowhere, usually get there !”

So spend time regularly writing out details or headlines of your goals. Review them frequently. Ideally you want to have some which are short-term, some which are medium-term, and of course you will need long-term goals.

And one of the other great things about goals is that they are completely personal. It’s all about you ! You decide what is important to achieve the things you want. You can find out more about how to do this using a structured approach with our range of goal setting CDs : follow this link http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=23

It will explain why writing it down works, and why we all need goals and focus.

I worked with Steve Ponsonby on a transport and distribution customer service course which took place in Nottingham.  

He gives some good advice on trusting your customer, and how one supplier has turned this to their advantage.   “In my local pub, when people order food at the bar, the landlord will say “don’t pay me now, run a tab and pay me at the end of the evening, and you don’t have to leave any debit / credit card details with me.” This serves two purposes.

1) the diner thinks that he is being trusted and can enjoy his meal

2) the landlord thinks that he may be able to persuade them to have a dessert, so increasing the bill !”  

Good and effective customer service is partly about treating the customer with respect as we cover on the green and red list exercise which is featured in the Fundamentals of Communication CD product http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=20Â

Katrina attended a customer service course with us in Cambridge, and has written to give us the following story. It tells of how a company needs to be responsive. It is important that you follow up by calling customers back quickly, and don’t accuse them of lying.   

We cover the importance of the customer is king on CD 2 in the set on exceptional customer service. http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=8    

Her story is as follows ; “Back in March I needed to fill up my home oil tank and so rang the company and asked for the cost of 700litres. I was told £360. I told them to go ahead & fill it up at which point they took my card details and put through the transaction.  

Two weeks later I was internet banking and I saw they had taken the money from my account for a total of £385!   I rang them and the girl kept saying that they had put in 750L like I asked. I told her to look at her notes as I have never, as yet put in 750 but always 700L. Basically she wasn’t having it and said she’d look into it on Monday and call me back.  

By 1pm on Monday I had heard nothing so I rang up. I spoke to a different person who was much more helpful and friendly. I explained that the invoice they put through the door stated £360 inc vat for 700L which is what I had asked for, but that I had since noticed further down this invoice, the delivery man had stamped it saying 750L. I then asked her what right they have to put oil in my tank that had not been ask for, take unauthorised money from my bank without my say so, and what guarantees have I got that I got that with the extra 50L that the chap hadn’t filled up a can near my oil tank for himself?  I also said that it is basically stealing and they have breached data protection (I was told this by my bank!). I told her that the oil delivery man should pay the £25 as he was not looking what he was doing.  She apologised profusely and said that as a gesture of goodwill for the mistake made, they would leave the extra oil in the tank and refund my £25.  

Had this lady not have been this understanding my bank had told me I could have taken this further through them. The first girl really was convinced I had ask for 750L even though so obviously my invoice said differently and she was not willing to look into it further. If I had not got this refund I would never have used this company again! Thankfully it turned out ok.  

This is a good story and it outlines some principles we should all stick to!�

Geraldine Evans contributed this one for the pot. She attended a 2 day customer service telephone communications skills course with us earlier this year in Leicester.  Her advice is ;  “Always make the customer aware that you are listening by acknowledging them at every opportunity and to re-cap what is to be done - this shows the customer that you are ‘taking on board’ the entire issue.”  

This is one of the 10 Elements of Communication that we cover on telephone techniques training. You can find out more by following this link http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=12

Empathise and think about who you’re calling and why.  When conducting telesales calls to organisations, it is important to understand your demographic, your target market. Find out when they are busy, when things go quiet. These are all things you can build on for the future.   Work hard to get your timings right, and to build a picture of when the best time is to contact them. So for instance if you’re trying to contact a school - the middle of summer is probably not a good time. Also research through use of your questioning skills, what quantities they buy, who they buy from, and what they think of their supplier. You may also want to find out what is important to them when choosing a supplier, and even what would make them change. Be bold - ask some good questions. http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=3      Thanks to Riz for this point. She was on a course earlier this year on telesales training in Leicestershire.

This is a great tip from Laura Carr, a client in Derby. I’m always blown away by stories and personal experiences where the individual in the company goes that little bit further - and does things you never expected. That really is exceptional customer service. So take this tip and think about how you and your company can ensure you exceed customer expectations. This is one of the topics covered on our 3 customer service CDs  http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=9

Meanwhile this is what Laura submitted ;

“Hi Andrew. Once I had problems with my mobile phone - as we all have I am sure! I called the T-Mobile help line and they were trying their best to help me.  I was at work and I did not have some of the information I needed at the time, so the chap checked what time I would get home and said he would call me then.  He gave me a time slot and sure enough he stuck to it.  I received the call on my home number at the time he’d said.   I was very impressed!   The key I think here is that you should always leave the customer with a positive expectation and ensure you stick to it.”

Wise words Laura !

The following tip comes from Amy Roberts who I worked with on a telesales training course earlier this year in Leicester. She wrote ;

“One tip I would suggest - At the end of the conversation repeat back what has been discussed and what both of you need to do - Then follow it up with an email, this reduces confusion and means you both know what is expected of each other.”

This is sound advice as it helps you manage customer expectations. You both need to be clear what will happen next and when. This advice applies equally to telemarketing, telesales and customer service roles. 

There will be a CD launched soon covering the basics of professional telephone behaviour, there are also 3 audio CDs on customer service http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_list.asp?Section=CUSTOMER%20SERVICE%20SKILLS

Matt Hazle submitted this gem “the philosophy I try to keep in mind on how I deal with customers is I try and deal with them how I would want to be dealt with myself, which I seem to remember you saying on the course. I like to deal with people on a human level but convey a certain professionalism at the same time i.e. that their order (or whatever) will be dealt with accurately and efficiently.”   I worked with Matt for 2 days on a telesales course in Leicestershire. 

It is easy to forget that your customers are human when you can’t seem them, but if you really connect with them - it will make your job a whole lot easier, because they will like you more. It’s that simple. This is one of the fundamentals of good telephone techniques and it is good selling advice. So we cover this topic on the first module on training. This is covered by the CD at this link http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=20

The following tip is from Neil Fuller who I met at a telephone techniques training course recently in Manchester.   It covers the need to be aware of the need to treat everyone as an individual. We all believe we are unique and special and will respond better to others who respect this.   The highly significant subject of understanding different customer attitudes is covered in a CD available via the link below.   http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=6   Neil wrote the following after the telesales course “I remembered your name… not like me at all, must be your training !   My tip is based on personal experience is   Not that I have anything against pilots but; I am an individual and I wish to be treated as such, just because my comments are similar to the last person’s comments does not mean I am the same person. Listen to me not the autopilot.   Sady we all do it, I did it today and yesterday… I should never be allowed to fly again! ”   He’s right isn’t he ?

This is an interesting post sent to us by Mandy Dennis who I met on a recent customer service training course in Northamptonshire.   It shows how offering flexiblity in the way you deliver your customer service can pay dividends for your customers. And after all customer service excellence is what it is all about. This is what she wrote ;   “I was trying to arrange travel for my 16+ son on the school bus. I  met the reply ‘there’s no room on the bus and we are not obliged to transport him to school’ However we discussed an alternative : re-routing another bus that picked up pupils less than one mile away from our village which had capacity on it. This not only benefits my son, but also several other pupils in the village and the service provider additionally can get extra income from the paying passengers. The local council considered this and thought it was a good idea. It means an earlier pick up time, but at least he got to school and this alternative customer solution has now been running for three years.   The moral of the story :Don’t take no for an answer, suggest an alternative and be prepared to work with them to achieve the desired outcome.” Thanks to Mandy for this one.   The are a number of customer service training products on offer. There is a tips booklet availabe with a host of top tips. http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=14 These tips are all about what makes customer service excellence.    There is also a set of CDs available that cover all the 10 key areas that mark out the very best customer service providers. Follow the link below http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=17