What + How = Wow

Just finished a terrific book on customer service, WHAT + HOW = WOW by Philip Cooper. Cooper, head of Cooper Pest Control in Lawrenceville, NJ, doesn't just write about the subject . . . he applies it to both his daily life and business, continually attempting to elicit the WOW that he so succinctly defines as follows: WOW is achieved when the experience makes such an excellent impression with the receiving party that it is shared with family and friends. When striving for WOW, the by-product is an incredible experience, which impresses everyone with whom we come in contact. What I particularly liked about this book is that it used many real examples, not only from Cooper's business but also from those he has helped in his consulting and others he has actually observed . . . in addition, he does something that not too many guts have the courage to do; i.e., when sometimes a firm doesn't measure up to standards, he mentions its name--including sometimes his own company. As I was reading WOW, I knew that I was really liking it because of the many notes that I was taking down in the margins . . . these were for my future reference, as well as to share with others. Among the many valuable tidbits I gained were the following: * When our staff takes on-line tests there are two objectives, the score and how quickly the score is achieved. The first goal is to get 100 percent on the exam and the second goal is to increase the speed at which you can score the 100 percent. I believe the questions should not be complicated or too tricky. The objective is for our representative to be able to recall the item quickly when speaking with the client. Scoring 100% with speed is the ultimate goal. Typically, the quicker a person can achieve this on the test, translates to improved recall with the client. * The Soft Shell story is an example of how we can hide behind policy and procedure of our company to create a really poor customer service experience. What infuriates me is when company representatives hide behind the policies and procedures of a company in the process of working with clients. Phrases like, "It is our policy" "Our procedure requires us to...," should be eliminated. I am sure that if you search your memory over the last month you probably can find at least one instance where you were the client and heard these phrases. There is nothing more aggravating than to hear these words. I really am not interested in what the company's policies are. I am not interested in what the company cannot do for me; rather I want to know what they can do for me. I am the client, although I do not need to be catered to, I do expect quality service. * Why can't customer service be like talking to a neighbor, that is, a friendly neighbor? I often wonder this after a poor customer service experience. What I am trying to achieve, is simply a nice friendly conversation; it should just flow. Imagine trying to provide excellent customer service while yelling at