Chapter 13

 Just the FAQs

“Customer Service, how may I help you?”

“Yes, I bought your ABC switch and I can’t figure out where the batteries go in. Can you help me?”

“You know, I heard some other people were having this same problem. Let me find out from my colleagues what the answer is. Do you have about 30 minutes to wait while I get the answer?”

Click!—Dial tone.

It’s a fact that you can substantially reduce your customer service response time if you can collect the data on the questions your customers most commonly ask and make the appropriate answers readily available to your customer service representatives. In fact, it is imperative that you do this in order to deliver outstanding customer service today.

It’s Your Time—How Do You Want to Spend It?

In Chapter 8 we talked about how you are likely to waste more time with a complaint by not asking the right questions up front in order to solve the problem properly. In this chapter, we will take the argument further by adding that if you don’t predict what the most commonly asked questions are going to be, you’re likely going to spend a substantially greater amount of time fielding your customers’ questions. This additional time is a costly resource that you cannot afford to waste in today’s competitive market.

Action Now!

The more time you spend on the phone uncovering customer complaints and providing answers, the more money you’re going to spend on labor dealing with these issues. The more time it takes to field a customer service call, the more bodies you will need to field them in an acceptable time frame. By reducing the time it takes to field each call, you can increase the volume of calls each customer service representative (CSR) can handle effectively.

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 Watch It!
Today’s high tech world carries a double-edged blade for all those who play the technology game. Ever more sophisticated technology allows people to do things faster and faster. People accustomed to saving time through technology expect the time that it takes them to get answers to their problems using that technology to be just as fast.

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Not only will you increase your CSR’s productivity, but you also will ensure that your customers won’t be exposed to long waits for service. There’s nothing more aggravating than waiting for a long period of time on hold, especially when you are in an agitated state. Let’s face it. If you’re having problems with a software application, you’re calling the technical hot line because you’re aggravated. The problem is annoying because it’s frustrating, not to mention a disruption in your schedule. The longer you have to wait to solve the problem and get on your merry way, the more agitated you’re likely to be.

Less Stress

Your CSR’s stress level can rise with the time your customers are forced to wait. The longer the wait, the more agitated the customer is. As the customer’s state of agitation rises, so does his or her level of nastiness in the interaction with the CSR who has the unfortunate luck of dealing with a valued but upset customer at the wrong time.

So the question then becomes where do you want to spend your time? Would you rather spend it on the front-end by trying to predict what the most commonly asked questions are going to be? Or, would you rather spend the time on the back-end by taking longer to field the calls and risk the possible alienation of both your customers and CSRs? Time spent on the front-end is usually time well spent. You wind up spending less time overall and doing a better job overall. (In fact, by wisely using information gathered from your customers and employees, you might eliminate customer calls—angry or otherwise—altogether. See Chapter 15 for more ideas.)

What Are Your FAQs?

Ever since the online services like America Online (AOL) and CompuServe became fashionable, the world at-large has been exposed to a whole new language—computerese. All of a sudden, we’re inundated with weird acronyms like FAQs.

What’s a FAQ? It’s an acronym for a phrase that’s no stranger to customer service organizations. A FAQ is a Frequently Asked Question. What an invention! A Frequently Asked Question.

Every product and service develops a life of its own. As part of the process of life, symptoms of pain peculiar to a particular product or service often arise. These symptoms of pain are the common questions that arise about how to use your company’s specific products and services.

Frequently asked questions arise for a variety of reasons. Let’s take a look at some of these reasons:

• Unclear—It could be that the instructions accompanying your product aren’t clear enough and therefore lead to additional questions on the part of the users. (Or maybe your customer missed the version in their language!)
• Too complicated—The instructions may be clear enough for a certified rocket scientist, but not simple enough for your everyday user.

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   Word to the Wise
  A FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) is a question that’s commonly asked of your CSRs (customer support representatives). They are a result of instructions that are incomplete, too complicated, or unclear. FAQs can easily be handled by identifying them and having answers readily available. FGRs (Frequently Given Responses) are the answers to the FAQs your customers ask.

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• Not enough detail—The instructions may overlook certain steps with the expectation that the customer will know what steps to insert and where to insert them. Or your information may assume that a customer is familiar with a certain procedure or knows how to use a related tool. Customers baffled by the missing information are likely to visit your hot line in a frustrated or angry search for the missing pieces of information.
• Doesn’t cover all the bases—The instructions may be clear and simple enough, but don’t go deep enough in anticipating “what if” scenarios for any number of things that can go wrong with the product or prevent the product from performing at optimal levels.

What Are Your FGRs?

For every FAQ, there is at least one FGR (frequently given response). For some FAQs there may be multiple FGRs.

If a customer calls with a question about why the batteries aren’t working, there may be several reasons for and responses to this problem. It could be the batteries are dead, or they weren’t inserted properly, or they’re the wrong batteries for the product, or the switch wasn’t turned on. The best way to solve a FAQ is to think of all the possibilities that could affect the problem in question and provide solutions for all of them. These become your FGRs. If you don’t do this, then the FAQ won’t be handled swiftly and appropriately by the CSR and more time will be needed to solve it. The value of a FAQ is to predict all potential problems and issues and have the answers at your finger tips.

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 Tales from the Real World
When America Online (AOL) implemented a flat fee of $19.95 per month for unlimited usage, it was overwhelmed by the increase in usage generated by the new pricing scheme. As the time users spent online swelled, so did the calls to its support hot line. In attempting to handle the flood of calls as effectively as possible, AOL urged all users who dialed into its 800 support line to go online if possible to receive service. It stressed that most callers could get answers to their questions online by visiting the service’s FAQ section. It tried to limit the calls handled on the 800 support line to users who could not log on at all.

 

Using an online forum that handles FAQs can be an important way for companies, especially those experiencing growth like AOL, to adequately support their client base without massive infusions of additional support personnel. If AOL had to depend on human interaction and phone support for all the questions its frustrated customers had, it could not long afford to sustain such a massive operation.

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For example, high and low technology companies employ numerous methods to meet impatient customers’ lesseningneeds for fast answers. Such methods include:

• Menu-driven recorded announcements with answers to common questions
• Using automated fax-back systems (covered in more detail in Chapter 25)
• Variable staffing for peak demand periods
• Outsourcing call overflows to contract call centers
• Providing better instruction manuals with products (see Chapter 11)
• Eliminating the need for a customer to call in the first place

Obviously, in an ideal world there would be no need for customer service calls. But if your customers do have to call you, at least make the experience a pleasant one and cut out as much time as possible from when they call to when they get their answers.

Uncovering Your FAQs and FGRs

Now that you understand the concept of FAQs and FGRs, the question becomes how do you uncover your FAQs and FGRs? Here are some ideas you can put to use immediately.

Sampling Top CSRs

Over a catered lunch, or during an end-of-shift snack or desert party, invite your top CSRs into a brainstorming session and create a master list of the questions they’re most frequently asked. For each question asked, identify all of the possible responses that can be linked to the issue being questioned. Then, list all of the answers for all of the possibilities. Depending on the nature of your business, do this at least three or four times a year (or much more frequently) to stay current.

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 Watch It!
If you’re preparing product support FGRs for use in recordings, fax-backs, Web pages, and so on, write the information in simple, easy-to-understand language. We have seen and heard far too many canned support messages that were so technical or so poorly worded that they only caused more confusion and frustration. Test them on people other than your engineering staff!

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Tracking Calls

If you have the technical resources, track all customer service calls and identify the frequently asked questions. If you’re not using computers (you are using computers, right?), manually log all calls and track the issues being discussed. In addition to tracking the questions, also track the answers being given. They are your FGRs.

Tracking Surveys and Complaints

The complaint letters you receive and the information obtained from surveys are another source for identifying your FAQs. FGRs also can come from the letters your customers send relating success stories on what works and the results they have obtained by using your products and services.

Using Your FAQs and FGRs

Uncovering your FAQs and FGRs is only half the battle. The other half and most important part of the battle is putting them to good use. All of your CSRs need to be kept updated on the latest information. They need to be apprised of what the FAQs are and what FGRs are available. And both change over time.

Lotus Domino and Notes, for example, will allow you to conduct real-time updates on your FAQs and FGRs based on the customer information being logged in on a real-time basis. If you’re not using programs like Lotus Domino or Notes, you can provide the updates with paper or electronic memos. But the more old-fashioned methods likely will lack the coordination, ease of access, and instant availability that more sophisticated systems offer your support staff.

The ideal setting is to have some kind of database that allows the CSR to input a key word for an issue and have the screen uncover a menu of related issues and solutions. By having this information readily available in a couple of key strokes, you are drastically reducing the amount of time it will take to answer the question on the phone.

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 Quote, Unquote
Effective communication within a company—up and down the chain of the organization—certainly has a great impact on customer relations. If a firm’s staff is knowledgeable about its products or services, and about its practices and procedures, the firm’s face to its clients will appear to be responsive and knowledgeable. Only when people within a company feel listened to, their questions heard and responded to, and their ideas respected will they believe they have a voice. When this happens, it can only mean a positive attitude all the way around—from top management on to clients and customers.
—Billie Jean Potter, principal, Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.

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Internal FAQs

Just as there are frequently asked questions from your customers, there are frequently asked questions on the minds of your employees. The trick is to uncover the questions to begin with. For various reasons, employees either do not have the chance or aren’t encouraged to ask questions. Some of these reasons are:

• Fear of being considered a trouble maker.
• Belief that no one cares about their questions.
• Management not having the time to ask their employees if they have any questions.
• Fear of looking “stupid” by asking a silly question.

There are probably a few more reasons you can add to this list. The key point is no matter what the reason is, if employees are carrying out their tasks with questions unanswered, there is a high probability that your customers are feeling the effects in the level of service they’re receiving. If employees are lacking information, how can they be expected to provide a high level of service?

Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., a global consulting, engineering, construction, and operations services company focusing on the environment and infrastructure, understands the value of answering their employees’ questions. They demonstrate that through their Employee Suggestion Program (ESP) that was developed by one of their principals, Billie Jean Potter.

Employee Suggestion Program process flow chart as implemented at Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.

CDM’s ESP system, as illustrated, uses the company’s e-mail system. You don’t need an e-mail system to have an Employee Suggestion Program. But since most companies do use e-mail, why not use it for another value-added service? You can modify your system like CDM has to ensure anonymity of the suggestion providers.

All employee suggestions are received at CDM electronically by a team of four staff people. The suggestions are then routed to the appropriate manager at CDM for answers. The answers are then e-mailed to the employee if the person has included his/her name, while a record is filed electronically. Senior managers are kept apprised of all suggestions and answers. If a manager doesn’t respond to the suggestion after a certain period of time, a second request is automatically made.

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 Word to the Wise
An ESP (Employee Suggestion Program) provides a vehicle for all employees to ask any question they have regarding any matter relating to their jobs, the company, and current developments. By keeping its employees fully informed and answering all of their questions, employees are further empowered to provide their customers with great service.

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The beauty of CDM’s Employee Suggestion Program is that all employees benefit from each other’s suggestions. On a monthly basis, employees receive via e-mail a recap of all suggestions and answers. This is one of the most important tools CDM uses to enhance its ability to communicate efficiently within the organization.

Table 13.1 Topics Addressed by CDM Via Its ESP Program

From looking at this table, it’s easy to find at least one example of how each topic can affect customer service.

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 Watch It!
Employee Suggestion Programs like the one used at CDM are useless if the suggestions aren’t taken seriously and acted upon. In fact, you can do more damage by having an ESP Program and not acting on the suggestions than by not having a program at all. Asking for suggestions and not doing anything with them is a clear message to your employees that they and their ideas do not count. Keep this from happening at all costs. Ignoring well-intentioned input from employees is a sure-fire way to miserably fail at customer service.

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Not Touchie-Feelie

Some people might think an ESP is like a big, useless warm fuzzy for employees. Let’s take a look at reality. The reality of the matter is companies like CDM don’t use such programs if they don’t produce benefits that positively affect the bottom line. The following are some of the results that CDM has realized from their Employee Suggestion Program:

• Created openings for dialogue on key issues
• Changed policies
• Implemented suggestions for improvement
• Raised awareness for management and staff
• Changed culture from fear of speaking out to acceptance of diverse opinions, constructive criticism
• Management gaining comfort with feedback

With all of these results being realized from CDM’s ESP Program, it is impossible for them not to realize an increase in customer satisfaction—both internally and externally.

The Collective Mind

As with FAQs from your customers, employee suggestion programs tend to provide answers to the same questions on the minds of several employees. As with customers, not every employee is bold enough or willing to take the time to ask the question. Thanks to the few that do, many employees benefit from the responses to the questions. It’s management’s role to take the initiative and be proactive in seeking out the questions of its employees. If management doesn’t take this initiative, then there’s a good possibility that questions will go unanswered, information will be missing, and your employees won’t be fully equipped to do their jobs well and service your customers appropriately.

Employee feedback systems sometimes work better when they give employees the option to raise questions and issues anonymously. While some managers may fret that an anonymous system may invite mostly complaints and whining, experience shows this not to be the case.

Don set up a system in a company that automatically stripped the sender’s name from e-mails sent to the “New Ideas” mailbox. For the writer to be identified when sending an e-mail to the small task force monitoring the New Ideas box, he or she had to type their name in the body of the message.

Thousands of business-improving suggestions and questions were sent to the New Ideas mailbox. Well under one-percent were of the bellyaching variety. And most of those were carping about legitimate problems. This, in a company going through major restructuring in response to a rapidly changing market.

Don’t be afraid of what employees have to ask or say. Embrace the opportunity.

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 At Your Service
Great customer service doesn’t end with answering your customers’ questions expediently. It should continue further by making the necessary changes to eliminate the questions from arising in the future. The ideal customer service environment is when customers don’t have to call for assistance at all. Think of those commercials with the Maytag repair people sitting at their desks bored and praying that the phone rings. Your goal is to get as close as possible to this situation.

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The Power of FAQs

Just like complaints (see Chapter 12), FAQs are an incredibly valuable indicator of changes you must make to serve your customers better. The concept of FAQs is really to serve your customers more quickly, not build a huge library of questions and answers. The more quickly you eliminate reasons for customers to raise questions, the better.

When customers have the same questions, it indicates problems with the instructions given or understanding of how your product and service works. When you start to see a trend developing with certain questions, you should pass this information on to the people who can make the changes to prevent these questions from coming up in the future.

A good FAQ process should be geared toward achieving the following two results:

1. Identifying the FAQs that need to be addressed and acted upon in the pre-sale and post-sale process in order to eliminate them completely.
2. Predicting the questions your customers are likely to ask—even though you tried to make your system bullet-proof—so you can service them faster by having quick answers ready.