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In episode 59 of “The JoyPowered™ Workspace Podcast,” JoDee and Susan discuss creating a great customer experience with Amy Woodall of Sandler Training. Topics include misconceptions about customer care, dealing with difficult people or situations, and creating trust. A listener asks how to choose the best HR technology.

Sandler Training’s Amy Woodall stopped by to chat about how she helps companies learn to close the gap between sales and service. What people need to understand, says Amy, is that the “Customer Service Department” is a myth! Every part of an organization is vital to the end customer experience. Customer care includes both how we communicate internally and externally, as internal communication can often lead to proactivity externally, identifying and solving problems before the customer has anticipated it themselves. Amy relates an experience she recently had at a hotel in Orlando where the service staff was anticipated a potential pain point in her experience and solved the problem before it became an issue.

An important part of the customer experience is what Amy calls extreme ownership. Each party is always 50% of the problem or solution, so owning your segment is very important. Amy drives the point home by offering an alternative to a pet-peeve of JoDee’s; instead of customer service reps saying “thank you for your patience,” or other assumptive phrases, a comment like “I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting,” can mollify a frustrated customer while owning the customer service rep’s 50%.

Finally, Amy recommends several books that for further learning on customer care and drives home the point that, while negative feedback can be hard to accept, in reality it’s a gift! A person, while unhappy with their experience, is offering you suggestions based on first hand experience with your business, which is a perfect opportunity to change things for the better. It’s important to make sure that we don’t let our egos get in the way of opportunities for improvement.

In the listener question segment, Shelley from Illinois asks how JoDee and Susan choose the best HR technology. So many programs are designed to do one task, but JoDee cautions against looking for a one-stop solution. Looking individually at what problems you need to solve will often lead you to the best programs for each issue, and it won’t necessarily be more expensive than a jack of all trades solution. Susan adds that for smaller teams, this might be a good time to reach out to a consultant to help. In the news, the JoyPowered™ team discusses a bulletin from the EEOC about respecting applicants’ religious beliefs supersedes company appearance policies, even when the position is public facing.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Purple Ink
• Susan Tinder White Consulting
• JoyPowered™: Intentionally Creating an Inspired Workspace by JoDee Curtis
• The JoyPowered™ Family by JoDee Curtis and Denise McGonigal
• The JoyPowered™ Team by Erin Brothers, JoDee Curtis, Peggy Hogan, Denise McGonigal, Laura North, Susan Tinder White, and Liz Zirkelbach
• “How Big Businesses Can Care at Scale” by David Tan
• A Complaint is a Gift: Using Customer Feedback as a Strategic Tool by Janelle Barlow
• Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles
• The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary by Mark Sanborn
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results by Cy Wakeman
• Sandler Training
• HR Indiana Conference
• JoyPowered™ Podcast Episode 27 – HR Technology
• “EEOC: Applicants’ Religious Beliefs Must Be Considered” by Roy Maurer