This document provides guidelines for businesses to provide exceptional customer service. It emphasizes the importance of meeting and exceeding customer expectations through attentive phone etiquette, responsive email communication, following up on customer requests, and closing interactions positively. Businesses that consistently deliver excellent customer service can spend half as much on marketing while achieving twice the profitability compared to those with poor customer service.

1. Gaining a Competitive Edge
Out-service your competition with
exceptional customer service and
follow through
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2. Exceptional Customer Service
Is your company providing exceptional customer service?
Exceptional Customer Service: Doing ordinary things
extraordinarily well; going beyond what is expected; adding value
and integrity to every interaction, being at your best with every
customer; discovering new ways to delight those you serve;
surprising yourself with how much you can do; treating the customer
like they want to be treated.
Businesses must meet and exceed their customers expectations to
stand out from the competition and grow market share!
Why?
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3. Affects of Customer Service
96% of unhappy customers never let you know that they are unhappy
– 4% of unhappy customers will call
• Just the tip of the iceberg!
– 52% don’t tell anyone, they just go away.
– 44% will tell someone else, but won’t tell you.
13% of these customers tell 20 or more people.
The average person will tell 10 other people.
It is 6-7 times more expensive to gain a new customer than it is to retain an existing one.
Companies who consistently deliver exceptional customer service can often spend half the
money in marketing and have twice the profitability as a company who does not
Source: Bain & Co. study in the Harvard Business Review, Richard S. Gallagher, author: Delivering Legendary Customer Service: Seven Steps to Success and North Dakota State
University
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4. Mystery Shop
How to shop:
2. Determine what information you want to gain
from your competition
4. Find the right person to shop
6. Evaluate the responsiveness of the phone
inquiry, website inquiry and if needed in-person
visit/inquiry
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5. Out Service from the Start
First Impressions are critical:
• Store/office cleanliness
• Professionalism of staff
• Being responsive
• Following up/following through
• Closing the inquiry properly
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6. Phone Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette Rules:
• Answer the phone within 2-3 rings.
• Greet caller, identify your company and department and give the caller your first name.
• Speak directly into the mouthpiece.
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Do not eat or chew gum while on the phone.
• If appropriate, get the customer’s name and use it at least once during the conversation.
• If others around you are on the phone – be quiet! Keep background noise to a minimum.
• Never try to talk to someone who is on the phone with a customer.
• Always push the hold button before placing the handset down and don’t put the handset in the cradle until you
have pushed the hold button.
• Never lay the receiver on the desk without putting the customer on hold.
• If you are normally a loud talker, lower your voice. Soft talkers need to make a point to speak up.
• Always ask for permission to place someone on speaker phone.
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7. Voice Mail Etiquette
Rules for voice mail:
• Do not use your voice mail to screen calls. If possible, always answer the call if you are at your desk.
• Use a professional, sincere greeting on your voice mail. It should contain the following:
1. Your first & last name, position or department and organization.
2. Information about your availability
3. What to do to leave a message
4. What to do if they need immediate assistance (if this is an option)
5. How to bypass the message in the future (if this is an option)
6. Thank them for calling
• Update your voice mail if you are going to be out of the office and when you return. Change your voice
mail to reflect absences.
• Check your messages as often as possible – whenever returning to your desk.
• Always return voice mail messages the same business day if at all possible, but no later than 24 hours
after the all was originally placed.
• When leaving a message, state your full name, date and time of call and a detailed message (without
rambling), including your phone number. Repeat your name and number slowly. Even if you have
given the recipient your number before, leave it again. They may be at a remote location without your
phone number when checking their messages. The more convenient you make it to have someone
call you back, the sooner you can expect a call back.
• Avoid playing phone tag. Tell the caller when you can best be reached.
• If someone has reached you by mistake and left you a message, call them back and tell them the
proper person to call. If you do not know who that is, forward the message on to that department
head. Don’t ignore messages left for you by mistake!
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8. Email Etiquette
Rules for E-mail:
• Know your organization’s email policy.
• Have a closing for your e-mail and use a signature with your first and last name and phone number. You can have an
internal signature and an external signature.
• Return e-mail messages the same business day if at all possible, but no later than 24 hours from the time of the e-mail.
• Read the e-mail thoroughly and answer all questions posed in the e-mail. Try to foresee other questions and answer them.
Don’t respond without answering all questions.
• Hit “reply” to messages you receive. Do not compose a new one.
• Do not use CAPITAL letters in e-mails. This conveys shouting or yelling. Do not use an unfriendly tone. Be polite.
• Some issues are not meant for e-mails (personnel, financials, etc.)
• Do not use work e-mail for personal use.
• When writing e-mails be brief, but do not leave out necessary background information. Re-read what you have written and
edit yourself.
• Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Address the person(s) you are sending the e-mail to; use a greeting.
• Be careful in using the following: High priority, cc, abbreviations and emoticons . These icons are not professional.
• Have a relevant subject line.
• Have a clear request to your e-mail.
• Always acknowledge the receipt of an e-mail even if it doesn’t require a reply.
• Don’t forward jokes, virus hoaxes or chain letters.
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9. Closing the Call
Proper closing:
– Sometimes “asking for the sale” is the logical next step
• “So-in-so, as you are calling around, other questions may come up. I’d like to give you a call
back in a couple of days to simply follow up and clarify any questions you may have.”
– Always ask the customer if there is anything else you can help them with
today.
• “Is there anything else I can assist you with today Mrs. Smith/Jane?”
– Recap any necessary information the caller needs (agreed solution to
problem, appointment confirmation, etc.)
– Always thank the customer for their call.
• “Thanks for calling . . .Don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything else I can do for you in
the future.”
• “Thanks for taking the time to call today and allowing us the opportunity to resolve this issue
for you. . .Have a great day.”
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10. Follow Up
Have a follow up plan (When, Who and How)
• Let the customer know what follow up to expect and who will be doing the follow
up.
• If a person other than yourself is doing the follow up, give the customer your
name and phone number in case it doesn’t happen.
• Keep your promises in regards to follow up.
• Call back when you stated you would, even if you don’t have an answer yet. Let
the customer know you are still working on the situation and ask if you can call
back at another time.
• Keep appointments and be on time.
• If you are going to be late, call as soon as you know you will be late. Give the
customer as much notice as possible.
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11. Conclusion
CONTACT INFO:
Beth Boen
303-981-1541
www.thevoicecst.com
www.creativexchangemarkting.com
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