Customer Service Training, Tips, Articles & Videos with Myra Golden
My Keynote at the 2012 Contact Center Association Conference
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For Zappos it’s all about delivering WOW. This presentation delivers powerful insights into the unique ways Zappos approaches screening and hiring, quality monitoring, social customer service, and making emotional connections with customers – all with the single goal of consistently delivering a WOW customer experience.
In this keynote I share the 5 keys Contact Center Managers and frontline employees can adopt and apply to create an engaging and unforgettable customer experience. (Live and Deliver WOW, Customer Experience as the #1 Priority, Make Emotional Connections with Customers, the Speed of Light, Treat Employees Very Well). Plus, discover how Zappos is able to WOW customers with no call scripts and no talk time targets and learn why Zappos pays employees $2,000 to quit. Enjoy!
Want to have Myra speak at your meeting? Learn how at MyraGolden.com
Tags: Contact Center Agent Training, Contact Center Association Conference, customer experience keynote speaker, Customer Loyalty Speaker, Customer Service Keynote Speaker, Myra Golden, Myra Golden Keynote, Myra Golden Zappos Keynote, Zappos Customer Experience
Zappos Clever Marketing at Airports
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I have traveled throughout North America speaking at conferences and conventions about the Zappos Customer Experience. From the perspective of both a consumer and a consultant, I am a fan of Zappos. I’ve spent 3 years studying their culture and I now share my insights with my clients. But do you know how I first heard of Zappos? At the airport. Yes, the airport.
At my local airport, all of the plastic bins in security are adorned with advertising from Zappos. Pretty clever for a shoe company to advertise in those security bins since we all have to take our shoes off in security. I’ve seen Zappos advertising in airports throughout the US and I always smile when I see their name in the bins. Not only is Zappos in front of potential customers, but they add a little humor too. Read the advertising in the above picture.
Think about how you might cleverly position your brand in front of your audience. Think out of the box. How might you engage your audience with humor, an invitation to visit your site via a QR Code, or with a question.
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones and Words Really Can Hurt Me
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Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Whoever said this, lied through their teeth. They lied or they have veins of steel.
Last night my daughter came home from her 6th Grade Social visibly down. She looked beautiful, but something clearly burdened her. When I asked about the social and what went on, she put up a strong front, yet she was transparent. She went upstairs and napped. She never naps. When she awoke, we talked. After much probing, I learned that a 6th grade boy, accompanied by his “boys,” walked up to her and called her an ugly b#@%&. “I was really strong mommy. I managed not to cry the whole time.” That broke my heart. This isn’t the first incident we’ve had with this boy.
As you can imagine, I was livid. But my first priority was to make Lauren feel better. We talked about how people can say ugly, mean things and that what this boy said was not true. I told Lauren that she is absolutely beautiful. I held her, caressed her, prayed for her, and gave her pointers on how to handle mean people. Lauren couldn’t concentrate on anything the entire evening. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t read, couldn’t even sleep. She came downstairs about 11:30pm and just cried in my arms. She told me that she never wanted to ride the bus again. The little boy rides her bus and gets on and off at her stop. My heart broke last night.
This morning I took Lauren to school so she wouldn’t have to ride the bus with the boy. I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable, but I don’t want to teach her to run away from her problems. I know that we need a proactive solution; not avoidance. As she got out of the car, I promised her that Daddy and I would handle the situation. I cleared my business calendar and made my daughter’s issue my only focus. My husband called the boy’s father and they discussed the words spoken and my daughter’s crushed spirit. I spoke with the school counselor. Then I called up a client who is also a friend. Her daughter has been a victim of bullying. My client assured me that my feelings of outrage, heartbreak, helplessness, and fear are normal. She gave me concrete ideas on how to proceed and how to protect my daughter from ugliness at school.
My daughter will get through this. Her Daddy and I will make sure she heals and learns from this. Words really do hurt. Words can shatter people and leave scars. I think words can hurt more than sticks and stones. Parents, please talk to your kids about the impact of their words. Encourage your kids to THINK before they speak.
Your words can really, really hurt someone. Think…before you speak.
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Tags: Anti-Bullying, Bullying at school, Myra Golden, Self-esteem in girls, words hurt
Cupcake Bakery Has a Spirit of Service
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Last night we had my son’s 9th birthday party. He loves Red Velvet cake so I ordered a dozen Red Velvet cupcakes from my cousin. She’s just started a baking business from her home and from what I saw in this transaction of Red Velvet cupcakes, she’s off to a smart start.
My cousin delivered the cupcakes to my home in rush hour traffic to get the cupcakes to us right before the 6pm party. She didn’t even charge a delivery fee. The cupcakes were packaged in a beautiful dusty pink, sturdy box. The packaging WOWed me. Her shirt matched the color of the box and had a large cupcake made out of jewels on the front. She told me she made the shirt herself. My cousin’s packaging was as professional as I have ever seen for a bakery. She was friendly and had a true spirit of service. As my cousin walked out the door, she asked me if I would give her feedback on her cupcakes. I said, “of course.” She said, “Thanks. I really do want your feedback.” I could tell she meant it.
And the cupcakes…Oh my goodness! They were moist, sweet, and a real delight in every bite. One of our guests ate 3 cupcakes!
Making a great impression with first-time customers is important and my cousin, Kimberly, gets this. Take a lesson from my cousin and ensure your packaging is top shelf. Packaging includes everything from your website, physical location, employee wardrobe, product package, and any and everything your customers see. Make sure you present the best possible image. Add to packaging a true spirit of service and you’ll be a smashing success.
The 45 Cent Donut Mishap
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My son is home sick today so I went to a donut shop to get him a little treat. I got to the first window and ordered a dozen glazed donuts and a chocolate milk. When I got to the second window, I was handed a box of glazed donuts and a small box with one chocolate frosted donut. The lady at the first window clearly thought I said “a chocolate donut” instead of “a chocolate milk.” Easy mistake. I probably didn’t articulate well enough.
I explained the error and the employee’s reaction surprised me. “Well, it’s gonna be a different price. You’ll have to wait while I get a manager.” Her expression, tone, and words told me I’d really put her out. About a minute later a manager appeared and asked for my receipt and then he disappeared. Three or so minutes later the employee returned and told me the difference between the chocolate donut and chocolate milk was 45 cents. I had no cash, so I handed her my debit card. She disappeared for another several minutes.
While I waited to have my debit card hit for 45 cents, I noticed there were now 6 cars in line behind me. I’m thinking, is it really worth having me wait nearly 5 minutes for this simple transaction and back the drive-thru line up by at least 6 cars? If I owned this donut shop, I would have wanted my employee to either be empowered with the knowledge to instantly take the additional charge and send the customer on her way OR make the little exchange and just eat the 45 cents. After another 2 or 3 minutes passed, the employee emerged again and said the manager couldn’t figure out how to just charge me the 45 cent difference, so he refunded the chocolate donut and charged me for the milk. Ok, whatever. Again, was the 45 cents worth having me and 6 other customers wait? Did the little mishap at the first window really warrant the aggravated tone, expression and words?
My point. Empower your people to do what’s best for the customer. That may be quickly resolving the situation or making a decision to waive a charge. When you do what’s best for the customer, you’ve done what’s best for the company. Empowerment to immediately take the customer’s debit card to resolve the situation or absorbing a 45 cent charge for an error is better than having 6 customers delayed by 5 minutes. Think about that.
Related posts:
Set Your Ducklings Free (Empower Your People)
Set Your Ducklings Free [EMPOWER Your People]
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Last Saturday my family and I enjoyed a fabulous lunch on the river and after lunch we strolled along the river and watched the ducks, geese, and boats. My mother joyfully motioned for me to look down under a shade tree. I looked and saw a mother duck and 5 ducklings. The ducklings were simply adorable! The mother duck watched carefully, yet not intensely, over her little ones. I was rather surprised to see a couple of the ducklings venture out and swim. They swam several yards away. They were so very tiny and I worried that they might swim too far and maybe get separated from their mother. The mother duck seemed confident that they’d be fine and she was unmoved by the fact that her tiny ducklings swam so far away.
On and on the ducklings swam. Soon, the other ducklings ventured out too and in a different direction. Mother duck stayed put. Her ducklings were fine because ducks were born to swim and they knew how to find their way back to mama. As I watched the ducklings swim to the other side of the river and downstream, I thought about a manager and employees and empowerment.
In order to thrive and to create the most value to companies and customers, employees need the freedom to venture out and “swim.” If you’ve hired the right-fit employees, it is their nature to take care of customers and to use good judgment when making decisions about how to resolve any issues customers encounter. Managers need to confidently let employees go and take care of customers, knowing that they will do right by customers and the company. And if they get into a pinch, employees know how to come and find you.
Zappos has a Confident Mother Duck Mentality. Zappos employees are empowered to do what it takes to fix problems customers encounter. Employees are free to send customers flowers, chocolates, or a product replacement. Mother ducks at Zappos don’t shadow their ducklings. There is no set dollar amount for empowerment. Employees are trusted to do what is right by the customer.
Are your ducklings free to venture out and do what they feel is right by customers? Or do you impose strict rules to keep them caged in? Consider letting your ducklings set sail. Trust that when they do what’s right by the customer, they’ve done what’s right by the company. When you set your ducklings free, you’ll find that customer satisfaction increases, the customer experience improves, and employees’ job autonomy shoots through the roof. Set your ducklings free!
Slides and Videos from my Keynote at Contact Center Association
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In a couple of hours I’ll be on a plane to Orlando. I’m headed off to speak at the Contact Center Association conference to present my Zappos keynote. For the reference of my attendees, I am posting a copy of my slide deck here. Additionally, I’m sharing with my participants 3 videos from inside the Zappos contact center.
Enjoy!
Click here for your copy of the handouts
Holiday Helpers
This video shows the fierce commitment to giving customers the very best experience and the spirit of cooperation of employees that makes the amazing customer experience possible.
What WOW Means to Zappos Employees
I’ll stress to my audience that WOW couldn’t be just a buzz word or flavor of the month, it had to be a real and consistent commitment. This video shows what WOW means to Zappos employees.
Core Value of the Month Award
Zappos takes very good care of its employees. This award “ceremony” is the perfect example of that.
For help with creating the very best customer experience within your organization, check out my customer service keynote speaking and consulting offerings at http://www.MyraGolden.com.
Tags: customer experience keynote, customer experience keynote speaker, customer service keynote, Customer Service Keynote Speaker, Customer Service Training, improve customer experience, Myra Golden, Myra Golden Keynote, Zappos Customer Experience, Zappos keynote
Aubrey at Starbucks Impressed Me This Morning
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I have two kids who keep me busy and there is always something needing my attention with my business. So, I spend a lot of time in fast-food drive-thrus. I know. I can certainly find healthier options, but that’s another blog post. While in a drive-thru for fast food or a coffee shop, my radar is naturally up and I am always thinking about ways drive-thru employees and their companies can improve upon the customer experience.
This morning after dropping my son off at school, I went to Starbucks. I go all of the time and the experience is always really impressive. Here’s how my drive-thru experience went at Starbucks today.
“Good morning. Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get started for you?”
I could just picture the lady smiling as she greeted me.
I ordered a White Chocolate Mocha, nonfat, with whipped cream.
“I have a Venti White Chocolate Mocha, nonfat with whipped cream. Your total is $4.19. Aubrey will see you at the window.”
It’s a nice touch to identify the person by name who will serve the customer at the window. I can’t recall this happening anywhere else I go.
Aubrey was really quite amazing. When I got to the window, she greeted me with a warm smile. She gave me my total, took my debit card and while waiting for my latte, she made small talk. “How’s your morning going so far?” she asked. While we talked, Aubrey faced me squarely, maintained eye contact and smiled genuinely. She was personable and confident. She’s the kind of person I’d love to have working on my team. When my drink was ready, she read the label to confirm that I ordered a White Chocolate Mocha latte. Aubrey ended the experience by telling me to enjoy the rest of my day.
Starbucks has mastered the warm customer experience. Creating a warm experience for your customers makes you memorable, gets customers talking, and it facilitates relationship building with customers. What are 3 things you can do to make your customer experience warmer and friendlier? Right now, identify 3 things you can do…and then take the first step.
This is How I Chose to Wind Down After Today’s Amazing Workshop
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It’s been a tiring couple of days. Our team worked late into the night last night preparing for a big workshop for the Tulsa City-County Health Department. The workshop was a smashing success today and I’m still basking in the blessing of all of the great feedback I received from my awesome client.
Still, I am exhausted. After the workshop, I picked my kids up from school and we went and got ice cream near the lake. Afterwards, I captured this image of our favorite white duck. The trip to the ice creamery with my kids followed by duck watching has balanced me out. I feel good now. 
Fiercely Focus on Someone Today. What You See Might Surprise You.
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After a wonderful dinner at my parents’ house on Easter Sunday, I went for a solo walk in my mother’s garden. When I spotted my mother’s patch of white tulips, I ran to my car and grabbed my camera. The chorus of white tulips was beautiful. But I decided I could get a more dramatic shot by focusing on a single tulip and blurring everything else out. I loved the way the shot turned out. The white tulip, while beginning to wilt, looks stately and royal and it truly stands out. In the patch with the other white tulips, it just blended in. My fierce focus on that one white tulip magnified its beauty and makes it look almost majestic.
When we have the vision and discipline to fiercely focus on a single thing, everything else fades into the background. Fierce focus allows us to see the beauty in a thing and to magnify the best of the thing. It’s funny how it works, but intense focus on a single thing seems to make flaws and imperfections fade away. All our eyes seem to see is beauty and perfection. When I focused on the single white tulip, the weeds and wilting petals of other tulips disappeared. You simply see beauty in the white tulip that I zeroed in on.
Today I challenge you to take someone out of the crowded “patch.” Fiercely focus on that one person. See the beauty, gifts and magnificence of your child, spouse, employee, co-worker or boss. Blur out past conflicts, imperfections and personal differences. You focus by being fully present in the moment, withholding judgment and by believing the very best of the person. Focus solely on the person and I promise you, you will see their beauty in an entirely new and enchanting way.
I work with companies that are serious about delighting and keeping customers. My blog includes thoughts, articles, videos, and even rants about customer service. Thanks for stopping by. :)
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