Here in the Philippines, Christmas time equates a mad rush of shopping frenzy. Parking lots overflow into the streets, and so expect terrible traffic jams!

So if you were to test an establishment’s customer service, this is the best time to do it. Is there grace under pressure?

I went to SM Makati last night, and as I expected, the mall was packed, the lines to the cashiers are long. But I have to hand it to SM for the following:

1. Their sales personnel are on the floor ready to help shoppers.
2. The sales people are very friendly; greets shoppers and really go out of their way to help, find, dig up sizes of shoes, clothing, and what have you.
3. Plenty of checkout counters are placed in strategic areas of the department store. I like it that in every counter, there is a box of Christmas wrappers, Christmas paper bags, ribbons, and small greeting cards. It makes things so convenient.
4. Their cashiers ar fast, may your transaction be in cash or credit card!
5. SM has practically everything you need in one place.

From my experience, SM people have really been trained well when it comes serving shoppers. If they sustain this, they’ll be assured of repeat business with happy customers.

Interestingly, I stumbled upon an article, titled Good Customer service is Key to Capturing Holiday Shoppers. According to the article, 60 percent shop more often at certain online sites, and 50 percent shop more often at specific retail stores, because of a good customer experience. You can read about it more here.

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During the past month or so, I have observed quite a number of customer service faux pas. And I could only sigh and say, “this is not the way you treat your customer!”

Thus this blog post is born. I want to list instances where you are not serving your customers. Let’s start.

Choose the options for them

Popular notion has it that if you do everything for your customers, they will feel like a king. And true enough, you often hear customers gushing about not lifting a finger, yet get the best service there is. However, this does not work all the time.

Let’s take the CebuPacific website as an example. When you book for airtickets, all options are ticked—from insurance, baggage fees to the pre-seating. Well, yeah, there is that convenience but it comes with a price, of course. What about the budget travelers who choose Cebu Pacific in the first place because of cheaper rates? The seat selector is quite unwieldy. If you are not that techie and patient to figure out how to de-select the seats, then you will end up paying more. I spent hours to figure out how to “de-seat myself.” The safest way to do it is to know your customers first and find out if what you’re doing for them is what they want you to do for them.

Serve them eagerly

I often experience this in the department stores or specialty shops. I walk in and salespeople start swarming. It’s fine actually, but it distracts me from choosing or even making decision, because somebody is there looking and giving suggestions.

Strictly follow company policy

This phrase “We can’t do anything about it, it’s company policy” really irks me. The policy is there as guide. Unless the customer demand or request brings you business down, you should be able to give considerations to your customer.

A couple years ago, I helped my friend run a concessions stand at a Santa Barbara baseball game. As the game progressed, I noticed that friendly conversations would lead to more hot dogs, peanuts, and chips. Creating a connection with you customers not only builds the reputation of your company, but may be the key ingredient for increasing your client base.

However, building this relationship is more than selling a hot dog and asking for a score update. Many businesses manage their clients with Customer Relations Management Software. These solutions streamline the process of creating a positive buying experience for your customers and may lead to future business.

Choosing a CRM software that caters to your specific needs can be a daunting task. However, the CRM Software Comparison Tool from FindTheBest offers an unbiased opinion when choosing what software is best for you.

Need a CRM software that offers forecasting simulation and mobile access? Simple, just select the functions you need, and your CRM software providers are clearly presented. You can even compare the top providers side by side!

By comparing key features and expert ratings, you’ll be able to make more informed decisions when choosing a CRM software thus allowing you to focus on what really matters: Finding Repeat Customers!

Here’s another hot serving of CustServ roundup. Read and learn about customer service and customer experiences. 

RJ Owen shares on O’Reilly InsideRia Paul Ford’s article on “The Web is a Customer Service Medium.” The article presents a very compelling case that the Web is specifically “for” the purpose of letting people express their opinions. I agree! Anyone who has access to the Internet and social media can air his sentiments and opinions on any matter and in a matter of seconds, his ideas are picked up and shared on the Web. Read more…

On the Financial News of MyBankTracker.com is an article on “The Future of Customer Service Professions.” The article says, Customer Service is the true determinant of any business’s success, but as technology advances it looks like customer service is a dying profession. Read more…

Kate Legget shares with CustomerThink about “Forrester’s 5 Key Capabilities for Customer Service.”  The article has good insights on how to survive in a highly competitive business arena through customer service. Read more…

I understand how JD Longstreet feel in his article, “The Hell of Dealing With Customer Service in America.” Read on…

Hospitality Times gives focus on calculating the ROI for customer service. The article, “HR must change how ROI for customer service is calculated.” It says, HRDs must shift customer service away from measuring customer satisfaction and into much more complex areas, such as how customers perceive the value of their relationship with the company. Read more…

Before Christmas last year, I emailed my friends and asked them to give me their Top 10 Stores in the Philippines in Customer Service. Perhaps, because of the Christmas rush, only a few of my friends replied to that email. It turned out to be the a list of top 10 stores in Metro Manila.

Mari shared her Top 10 Stores in Metro Manila:

1. SM Hypermart – courteous and helpful staff (no tipping rule!)
2. Xend –  Free pick up and they make sure they pick it up THAT day (better late than never!)
3. Central BBQ Boy Grill – happiest staff I’ve ever seen in any restaurant!
4. BPI Express (Cash and Carry) – efficient tellers
5. Watson’s – great social media marketing on Facebook!
6. Oody’s – attentive and helpful wait staff.
7. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf – gives great recommendations when you order.
8. Asian Food Village (Manila Ocean Park) – comes around to ask you how’s your meal.
9. TGIF – it’s the “americanized restaurant customer service”… they take care of you
10. Zara – the customer is always right… jeans that I wanted marked on sale but it wasn’t but they still gave me the sale price.

Lisa replied: My number one right now is Manor Hotel in Baguio. Service is sincere and personal. Very attentive. Communication is seamless. Teamwork is admirable. The food is great. From one person to another – they all know what you ordered, what is pending.

Efren replied: Mercury Drug – fast service from taking orders to delivery, technically capable attendants, efficient  computer systems where a transaction can anytime be deleted, amended, changed in short easy to order, and well almost complete stocks.

Do you have a list, too? Do share it here.

For 2011, we should strive for excellent customer service.

Banks here have very stringent rules. For example, they would ask for 2 even 3 IDs for a customer to open a bank account. I remember one time, my nanny wanted to open a savings account. But she only had one ID–the SSS ID. She had to get a postal ID (another government ID that banks recognize) and wait for three weeks to get it before she could open a savings account.

Perhaps, brought about by experiences of fraudulent transactions in the past but sometimes it can go way overboard.

Mail&Guardian online publishes a study that highlights what customers want from their banks. Some of the findings are:

• Nearly two-thirds of executives (63%) cited “lifetime” customer value as a primary factor they will use to manage customer profitability over the next three years.
• Fifty-three percent of executives acknowledged a decline of trust in banking brands as a key customer response to the financial crisis.
• Most said customer savings had increased (70%) and appetite for credit decreased (53%) in response to the crisis.

Read: Banks will struggle to meet customers’ demands, says survey

Marvin Ellison, the executive vice president of U.S. stores for The Home Depot, took his VP post at a time when Home Depot’s customer service dipped and people had stopped spending.

The challenge to improve Home Depot’s customer service and get people to visit Home Depot and buy was really daunting. But Ellison seems to have helped Home Depot made the turn around.

BusinessWeek checked on Mr. Ellison in May 2009 and learned a lot from him. A few insights follows:

1. The best way to grow is to get more customers who are promoters and fewer who are detractors.
2. Define the associate’s role in taking care of the customer first.
3. The recession gave Home Depot an opportunity to revamp its supply chain, improve merchandising systems, and focus on serving customers better.
4. If you combine a compelling merchandising offer with outstanding customer service, you will get improved transactions.
5. Simplify things for the stores, giving them three primary things to focus on: remaining in stock, store appearance, and customer service.

Read more…

Amanda Sachs, Senior Director, WW Customer and Partner Experience, Microsoft Corporation talked to Maeve McGovern and shared why the need for a constant focus on customers and partners in any strategy.

Key components to building and driving a customer-centric culture in a global economy

• having a broad customer listening systems in place
• measurement systems and planning processes on accountability

Other relevant questions:

How can a mature customer experience strategy deliver significant results and impact a company’s bottom line?

In your opinion are there strategic differences between building satisfaction and building loyalty?

How can companies design and develop a customer loyalty strategy that will hold during an economic downturn?

What have been the recession lessons learned by Microsoft?

Read the full transcript.