There is only one sure fire way to improve your customer service experience. That is to be 100% honest with the answers to this checklist. That means that even if you are sure that something is done 90% of the time, it is still a no. Approach this in that manner and you will take your customer experience to a new level!
| STRATEGY | Yes | No | |
| 1 | Do you answer the phone by the 3nd ring every time? | ||
| 2 | Do you ask for permission to put the caller on hold? | ||
| 3 | Does anyone get left on hold for more than 30 seconds? | ||
| 4 | Do you thank every customer for calling? Visiting? | ||
| 5 | Do you refer to customers by their name? | ||
| 6 | Is thanking your clients for using your business a common practice? | ||
| 7 | Is the everyone on the team 5 minutes early for customer/client meetings? | ||
| 8 | Do your customers either get an answer or have communication of when the answer will be provided? (Or do customers end up following up with your team for the answers?) | ||
| 9 | Are products and services delivered by when it’s promised? | ||
| 10 | Is there a heads-up, and proactive communication given if problems arise? | ||
| 11 | Is there a documented process for mistake and problem resolution? | ||
| 12 | Is your return phone calls/e-mails policy within the same day (within 24 hours)? | ||
| 13 | Do team members take responsibility for helping customers? | ||
| 14 | Do you ask for more information when customers ask for a quote or a price? | ||
| 15 | Is there a documented follow up process for after delivery of a service or a product? | ||
| 16 | Do you have a system to stay in touch with customers regularly? | ||
| 17 | Do you ever surprise your customers with value adds or a gift? | ||
| 18 | Do you keep your customers informed about what is new in your business? | ||
| 19 | Do team members know why the customer is “#1”? | ||
| 20 | Do you thank your internal customers (team members) for what they do for you and your business? | ||
| 21 | Do you have a recognition/reward system implemented for your internal customers (team members)? |
Now you’ve got a clear picture of areas that are working great, and other areas that are not working as well as you’d like them to be. Avoid the urge to take undefined action, or to point fingers at any member of your team including yourself.
So, what’s next?
- Determine who the accountability stops with to work on areas of improvement
- Identify specific parts for improvement within that area
- Create an action plan with a timeline on it
- Set a time in the future to RRR the area (Review, reflect, and respond)
- Repeat as necessary
