A pleasant customer service experience over the phone earlier today prompted me to share this tip as a reminder of the huge rewards that companies get from handling customer complaints effectively.
Having ordered a set of colour glaze mugs online along with four other items, you can imagine my dismay when on opening the package, I discovered that FOUR of the six mugs were broken. Not cracked or the handle badly broken, but smashed into numerous fragments!
Another two fragile items were undamaged, so the inconvenience was most unwelcomed, especially at this time of the year. Online shopping was meant to help me manage time better, not waste it.
On calling customer service and providing details or the order number and damaged item, the agent indicated that she’ll order another set out. She listened, understood the problem, assessed the situation and offered a solution. Within two minutes, she had offered a solution, taken a note for the manager and apologised on behalf of the company she represented. That is what I consider ‘Customer Service Excellence’!
‘Improve Customer Service’ is the first of my seven tips on how to recession proof your business. Here’s why: When businesses treat ‘EVERYONE’ as a valued customer (internal and external). It pays dividends with motivated staff and loyal customers. Loyal customers provide referrals.
What the customer service agent did was to convert a potentially charged situation into a pleasant experience and in the process raised the credibility of the company in my view. Yes, a referral for that company is one I am happy to make.
Best for 2009!
Veronica
www.executive-solutions.co.uk/Events.htm
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Showing posts with label effective communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label effective communication. Show all posts
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Sunday, 27 July 2008
It has been a while, but here's a bonus
Yes, after a hiatus of more than two months since my last post, but what a hectic time it has been.
Developing new training courses, both customised based on clients' needs and for public delivery, forging new links in the education sector and attending to my own continued personal development training. During the break, I was wrote several e-zine articles and ensured the double issue of the Winning by Speaking enewsletter was mailed to clients in housing and architects.
Now, here's your bumper gift! As a bonus for your patience, here are the links to four articles on confidence building and interview skills:
10 Tips for Building a Bridge to Confidence and Success in Life
Better Public Speaking Skills Gets You Heard
Making the Leap - From Nursery to Workplace
Be Confident and Succeed at Interviews - For Job Seeking Moms
After you've read the articles, feel free to send Se your feedback on this blog.
Veronica
Developing new training courses, both customised based on clients' needs and for public delivery, forging new links in the education sector and attending to my own continued personal development training. During the break, I was wrote several e-zine articles and ensured the double issue of the Winning by Speaking enewsletter was mailed to clients in housing and architects.
Now, here's your bumper gift! As a bonus for your patience, here are the links to four articles on confidence building and interview skills:
10 Tips for Building a Bridge to Confidence and Success in Life
Better Public Speaking Skills Gets You Heard
Making the Leap - From Nursery to Workplace
Be Confident and Succeed at Interviews - For Job Seeking Moms
After you've read the articles, feel free to send Se your feedback on this blog.
Veronica
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Great writers are seldom great speakers….. What do you think?
Having spent last Saturday in Bristol attending the AGM of the English Speaking Board (ESB)**, an accreditation body for a range of courses with emphasis on English as a spoken language, I dedicated the return journey to reading previous issues of the ESB newsletter -a semiannual publication.
And, it was there that I stumbled on the statement that formed the title of today’s blog. In reporting about a previous ESB conference, there it was “..writers are seldom great speakers”. Well I was gob smack. I had not thought about this previously. Then, I began thinking about writers I know who are entrepreneurs also. Two immediately came to mind, both very experienced and skilled in their craft. But then I realised that the statement was applicable to them, skilled writers they were but skilled in public speaking they were not, as I recalled their rambling speeches and ones in which the introduction was lengthy and the conclusion not readily evident.
to received feedback from introductions predid not called also that the quote was writers, but
They were unable to organise their speeches and other presentations and to engage with their audiences during delivery. One had in fact related an earlier negative experience of speaking in front of her primary school class having this debilitating effect whenever required to speak. The other although use to and comfortable speaking before various audiences had not made the mental adjustment required to move from the written form to having a conversation with the audience, condensing the content so as to gain the attention and maintain the interest of the audience.
However, even as I recalled those two, I then thought of a third writer who took time out to develop her speaking skills and had sought membership of an organisation devoted to public speaking and effective communication and who had the benefit of evaluations of her presentations and it showed in the quality of her presentations.
So, even as two of the writers I know sought peer and professional help to improve the quality of presentations and another choose ‘to wing it’ as the need for training in speech craft remains unacknowledged.
Although my ‘straw poll reflection’ suggest there is merit in the statement “… writers are seldom great speakers”, my years as a researcher did not allow me to arrive at that conclusion as a three-person sample did not form the basis of a scientific study.
Yes, I hear you say, “one or two swans don’t make a summer”. However, anecdotally, it seem there is merit in the writer’s assertion that “….great writers seldom make great speakers”. What do you think?
Best,
Veronica
** Executive Solutions (Training) Ltd is a member of the English Speaking Board, an accreditation body recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), now replaced by the new regulator Ofqual.
And, it was there that I stumbled on the statement that formed the title of today’s blog. In reporting about a previous ESB conference, there it was “..writers are seldom great speakers”. Well I was gob smack. I had not thought about this previously. Then, I began thinking about writers I know who are entrepreneurs also. Two immediately came to mind, both very experienced and skilled in their craft. But then I realised that the statement was applicable to them, skilled writers they were but skilled in public speaking they were not, as I recalled their rambling speeches and ones in which the introduction was lengthy and the conclusion not readily evident.
to received feedback from introductions predid not called also that the quote was writers, but
They were unable to organise their speeches and other presentations and to engage with their audiences during delivery. One had in fact related an earlier negative experience of speaking in front of her primary school class having this debilitating effect whenever required to speak. The other although use to and comfortable speaking before various audiences had not made the mental adjustment required to move from the written form to having a conversation with the audience, condensing the content so as to gain the attention and maintain the interest of the audience.
However, even as I recalled those two, I then thought of a third writer who took time out to develop her speaking skills and had sought membership of an organisation devoted to public speaking and effective communication and who had the benefit of evaluations of her presentations and it showed in the quality of her presentations.
So, even as two of the writers I know sought peer and professional help to improve the quality of presentations and another choose ‘to wing it’ as the need for training in speech craft remains unacknowledged.
Although my ‘straw poll reflection’ suggest there is merit in the statement “… writers are seldom great speakers”, my years as a researcher did not allow me to arrive at that conclusion as a three-person sample did not form the basis of a scientific study.
Yes, I hear you say, “one or two swans don’t make a summer”. However, anecdotally, it seem there is merit in the writer’s assertion that “….great writers seldom make great speakers”. What do you think?
Best,
Veronica
** Executive Solutions (Training) Ltd is a member of the English Speaking Board, an accreditation body recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), now replaced by the new regulator Ofqual.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Manage your time wisely -it yields dividends!
Many think of time management as necessary for overworked executives and overstretched executives. Fewer, however, consider the importance of time management when making a presentation. How often do you think about the time allocated as soon as you have identified the key messages you want to share in your presentation?
I was reminded of this recently when I witnessed a five-minute presentation evolve into a 15-minute one. What made this quite overrun of time even more apparent was that while the presenter allocated the least time on the programme took the most. The other speakers managed their time wisely and in one case finished ahead of the time allocated.
Some suggestions for managing time wisely:
1. Develop your presentation and subdivide it into time blocks.
2. Be clear about how much time should be taken to present each section.
3. Decide which are the ‘must share points’, i.e., supportive of your key messages. Ensure you make those.
4. Be alert to realising when you are behind your planned time-frame for presenting, adjust the number and/or length of the examples you give or stories you tell during your presentation.
5. Be realistic in your use of visual aids. For example, if using Powerpoint slides, do not include more than one slide every minute unless the graphics are essential in explaining specific points. The slides may then be best viewed as a slide show.
6. Respect the Chair. Wrap up your presentation in the time allocated at best or at least soon after.
7. If sharing a platform, be respectful of other presenters. Do not force others to shorten their contribution because you are inconsiderate and speak long after the time allocated.
8. Ensure you give your close/conclusion. Do this even when you are forced to exclude one or more points from the main part of your presentation.
9. Reduce distractions towards the end of the meeting as people leave the gathering because of another engagement, as your presentation took much longer than scheduled.
10. Err on the side of caution and finish ahead of allocated time –if you must. You may then take questions (if the event allows) or give the Chair an opportunity to make relevant remarks.
Best,
Veronica
If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four sharpening the axe. Lao Tzu
I was reminded of this recently when I witnessed a five-minute presentation evolve into a 15-minute one. What made this quite overrun of time even more apparent was that while the presenter allocated the least time on the programme took the most. The other speakers managed their time wisely and in one case finished ahead of the time allocated.
Some suggestions for managing time wisely:
1. Develop your presentation and subdivide it into time blocks.
2. Be clear about how much time should be taken to present each section.
3. Decide which are the ‘must share points’, i.e., supportive of your key messages. Ensure you make those.
4. Be alert to realising when you are behind your planned time-frame for presenting, adjust the number and/or length of the examples you give or stories you tell during your presentation.
5. Be realistic in your use of visual aids. For example, if using Powerpoint slides, do not include more than one slide every minute unless the graphics are essential in explaining specific points. The slides may then be best viewed as a slide show.
6. Respect the Chair. Wrap up your presentation in the time allocated at best or at least soon after.
7. If sharing a platform, be respectful of other presenters. Do not force others to shorten their contribution because you are inconsiderate and speak long after the time allocated.
8. Ensure you give your close/conclusion. Do this even when you are forced to exclude one or more points from the main part of your presentation.
9. Reduce distractions towards the end of the meeting as people leave the gathering because of another engagement, as your presentation took much longer than scheduled.
10. Err on the side of caution and finish ahead of allocated time –if you must. You may then take questions (if the event allows) or give the Chair an opportunity to make relevant remarks.
Best,
Veronica
If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four sharpening the axe. Lao Tzu
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Another PowerPointless presentation –well, not all of it
A presentation aimed at a room of 25 business owners and managers that filled many slides with 8 to 12 numbered/bulleted points. That means the text was not evident to those beyond the first three rows –provided they had 20:20 or corrected vision.
While the practical sessions helped to make the workshop more meaningful for the participants, a golden opportunity was lost by limiting the extent of the learning outcomes. Promises to send the slides later may seem ideal –but could in fact be just another promise. As one delegate, who had attended an earlier workshop by the same team said in an aside, "well, sending the slides didn't work on the last training workshop, so I doubt they will arrive this time around”.
Maybe the facilitators preferred to achieve a 50% rather than 95% success rate of learning outcomes –actions that delegates take later.
Here are a few suggestions to avoid embarrassment to yourself and irritation to your listeners:
While the practical sessions helped to make the workshop more meaningful for the participants, a golden opportunity was lost by limiting the extent of the learning outcomes. Promises to send the slides later may seem ideal –but could in fact be just another promise. As one delegate, who had attended an earlier workshop by the same team said in an aside, "well, sending the slides didn't work on the last training workshop, so I doubt they will arrive this time around”.
Maybe the facilitators preferred to achieve a 50% rather than 95% success rate of learning outcomes –actions that delegates take later.
Here are a few suggestions to avoid embarrassment to yourself and irritation to your listeners:
- Use visual aids appropriate to your presentation. Choose from photographs, flip-charts, sample materials, PowerPoint slides.
- Despite research showing that an audience cannot read the slides and listen to the speaker saying the same words simultaneously, too many presenters continue to use PowerPoint slides as notes to be read to the audience.
- When used skilfully, PowerPoint slides can take an average presentation up several notches and make it truly memorable. –for the right reason.
- Do not spend the time apologising for not being skilled in using your visual aides. Instead, prepare beforehand how to use the equipment or have a skilled operator do these tasks for you.
- If your visual aids irritate, confuse or bore your audience, you won’t succeed in giving a stunning presentation, gain the attention of your audience or create a desire in then for your message.
Murphy’s Law about if anything can go wrong, it will, often seems applicable to using visual aids in presentations. So, always check and recheck your visual aids before your presentation. Ensure you have an alternative/ backup way of delivering your presentation in the event Murphy’s Law kicks in and the equipment malfunctions.
Beat Murphy at his own game....
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