Indifference Makes a Different: Customer Service

by

Kip Kint

We ve worked with them, for them and above them. We ve been frustrated, exasperated and, probably, angry. I m talking about employees who just don t care. I m talking about people who go to work merely to go to work, people who are not invested in your shop s success (or in their own personal success).

These are people who are indifferent.

These are people who just don t give a (fill in the blank).

What Damage Can the Indifferent Employee Cause?

One survey found that 40% of Americans are indifferent about their jobs. That s a startling number. 40% of American workers just don t care.

Another famous survey found that 68% of customers quit doing business with a company because of just one employee s perceived indifference toward them. It may not have even been real indifference, just perceived indifference.

So let me ask you this:

do you have even one employee that could be \’perceived\’ as indifferent?

Your customers remember how they were treated. They tell their friends how they were treated. And, nowadays, they tell all of their Facebook friends, and Twitter followers.

It doesn t matter whether it was a technician that treated them poorly, a salesman or the manager. If a customer was treated poorly that customer will not forget it. Period.

Bottom line:

one indifferent employee

(and it s a fair bet you have one or two if 40% of American workers are indifferent) can permanently damage your image and your business.

Diagnose the Problem

So, maybe you recognize that you have an indifferent employee. Now, you need to figure out why that employee doesn t care. Is it an individual employee problem or a business-wide culture problem?

Individual Employee Problem

If only 5% to 10% of your employees are rude to customers, sound annoyed or busy when they pick up the phone, or just aren t getting the job done; chances are you have an individual employee problem.

So, how do you fix it?

1 Feedback

– Feedback isn t a summary of who the person is and how the person is wrong; nor, is it positive or negative; rather, feedback is facts. That s it. What are the facts? How do they sound on the phone? Are they rude to customers? What is the tone of their voice exuding when they speak to customers?

(Interestingly, many bosses fire someone if they are repeatedly late to work, fewer bosses will fire someone if they repeatedly answer the phone with poor tone and utter rudeness.)

2 Implement a Strategy of Follow-up and Training

We are a sales optimitics company, meaning we provide sales and customer service training that optimizes performance, but we also offer live phone call recording and scoring. Training (ours or anyone else s) is only minimally effective if it s not accompanied by phone recording, phone scoring, and on-going coaching. This demands accountability. The same is true of your indifferent employee.

3 Make them Available To the Industry

If after formal and informal reviews, follow-ups, training and feedback, the employee is still indifferent, provide that employee with an opportunity to see if they will care more about another job. In other words: fire their butt!

Company Culture Problem

This situation is more troublesome. It means there is a systemic problem in your organization. Maybe you aren t very good at hiring people. Maybe your culture doesn t foster learning and growth. Maybe your company doesn t have a focus or a vision. Could your employees repeat your company s mission and vision statement? Do you even have one? Do you even have goals?

When we work with companies that are struggling with indifference, we see one thing in common: these companies usually don t have any sort of continuing education or training program. There is no opportunity for employee growth or learning. And what do you get when you have employees who aren t learning and growing? Yep, you guessed it: indifference.

Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE said the said, An organization s ability to learn is the ultimate competitive advantage.

In other words: learn and prosper.

Businesses that train whether it s customer service training, sales training, phone sales skills training or even technical training win. If your business has a culture of training, a culture of education and a culture of learning, you will see indifference disappear.

Training is the key to overcoming indifference.

Kip Kint is the Director of Training and Development at ContactPoint.

ContactPoint

ContactPoint is the world leader in sales and customer service optimitics. They transform their clients\’ sales and profits.

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