Shelle Rose Charvet’s new book (November 2009), The Customer is Bothering Me, is all about navigating the communication challenges of customer service. The book’s principal tool is the LAB Profile, an easy-to-use questionnaire developed and tested by Roger Bailey in the 1990’s. With this tool, customer service reps can: • Identify what motivates people just by asking a few questions and listening to key elements of the conversation. • Communicate with words and phrases (Influencing Language) that match each customer’s thinking processes and decision-making style. • Inspire the customer to think differently and or take action. • Create positive customer relationships.
The Customer is Bothering Me is the long-awaited follow-on to Rose Charvet’s highly successful Words that Change Minds. With the latter, you can learn to interpret the LAB Profile, and apply the conversational guidelines in a number of business situations, such as teambuilding. With the former, you can apply the same principles to assuaging the ire of upset customers.
Rose Charvet first contrasts typical customer service philosophies, and how these philosophies influence the customer experience. She then examines customer rage, from the customer’s point of view, and discusses “The Great Customer Attitude Shift” of the last decade. Additionally, readers get a good look at the problems faced by understaffed and overworked customer service employees. Want to find our how companies reward bad customer service? Read chapter 4.
This book tells corporate managers how to revamp their customer service philosophies at every operational level. The author provides specific tactics for every step of the customer service transaction, from greeting the customer, determining the customer’s need, offering knowledge and solutions, to nurturing the relationship.