November 2009 Newsletter
Greetings!
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, this month's newsletter
shares techniques that you can use to make others thankful for
interacting with you. From communicating clearly through voicemail and
email to providing excellent customer service, here are some ways to
stand out from the crowd.
In
This Issue
How to Get Better
Results with Voicemail and Email
In the News: How
Improved Email Can Help You
Lessons from the Library:
Customer Service That Keeps Them Coming Back
How to Get Better
Results with Voicemail and Email
When you think of inspiring action through powerful communications, do
you think of email and voicemail?
You can use those tools to influence and clearly communicate with
others if you use these simple techniques:
-
Identify
Your Intent: Before you call or type, identify the purpose of
your communication. Do you want to inform, request information, inspire
action or achieve a different objective?
-
Express
Your Intention Immediately: Get to the point. Then, only provide
the necessary background information for your recipient to take
action.
- For
Email, your subject line and the first line of your email body
should address your intent. "Please Review," "Feedback Requested,"
making a direct request or using headings that request specific action
are most helpful to your reader.
- For
Voicemail, after you identify yourself (and, if necessary, who
referred you), begin your voicemail with "I'm calling because" or "I'm
calling to" so the listener understands your purpose in the first few
seconds.
-
Use
"You-Focused" Language: Use the word "you" more than "I."
Mention how your request or information is beneficial and you'll
increase your influence. Even routine communications like changes to an
expense report form have clear benefits like getting faster
reimbursement for corporate travel.
-
Name
Next Steps: Explicitly state what, if anything, needs to be
done. Make sure next steps stand out and provide any necessary
information to enable quick action. If you have a long voicemail or
email, reiterate those steps at the end.
-
Streamline
Your Structure: Like good speeches, voicemail and email can also
have a clear opening, body and conclusion. If you review what you need
to say instead of "winging it," you'll be more concise and effective.
-
Format
for Functionality: With email, use bullet points, bold
formatting and headlines to emphasize key information and make it easy
for the reader to follow your points. In voicemail, if you have
multiple points, tell the listener how many points you have then
enumerate them so the listener can follow.
Daily voicemail and email are so
commonplace that it's easy to take them for granted. But if you'll use
these six techniques, you will stand out from the crowd, increase your
effectiveness and make it easy for people to interact with you.
Everyone will appreciate the results.
In the News: How
Can Improved Email Help You?
According to the Inbox Alliance, we
spend approximately 26% of the
workday (2 to 3 hours) handling email. What types of productivity gains
could your organization receive by using email more effectively?
Lessons from the
Library: Customer Service that Keeps Them Coming Back
Can an organization without paying
customers teach you how to interact with your customers better?
Absolutely.
The Richland County Public Library
(RCPL), my local library system, can teach you at least five ways to
keep your clients coming back and make them glad they did:
-
Customize
for the Customer: Make sure that you know your target audience
and that you customize your offering for each buyer persona. RCPL has
an extensive collection covering almost every genre of literature
imaginable and has resources that target the key groups in the
community.
- Offer
Options: Let people interact with you in different ways. This
offers more opportunities for potential customers to find you and more
reasons for existing customers to stay with you. In addition to books
and movies, RCPL offers internet access, free classes for adults,
children's programs, book clubs and much more.
-
Make
it Easy to Use Your Services: RCPL doesn't stop with helpful
employees at its branches. RCPL offers internet chat with librarians,
online access to the catalog, and home access to research and
databases. You can also request (online or by phone) to have books
pulled for you and sent to your local branch. Automated phone and email
notices let you know when you have items to pick up or that need to be
returned.
-
Take
Requests: Empower customers to ask for new services they want.
If RCPL doesn't have an item you need, you can submit a request
and the library will order it for you.
-
Provide
Personal Services: Occasionally suggest additional services or
resources your customers would enjoy. From books and movies to
activities, my local librarians frequently suggest resources for me to
enjoy (and bring me back to the library).
-
Give
a call to action. Every time you speak to an individual or a
group, you have a purpose. End your presentation by asking your
listener to do something. Whether you want them to change a behavior,
adopt a new point of view or buy your product, don't end without giving
a clear call to action.
Take a few minutes to see how you can
utilize these techniques in your organization and you too can have
customer service that keeps them coming back.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Return to the
Resources
Page
