I love the way this article frames the issue of cross-selling within the context of customer service. The real news is that there are companies out there clueless enough still provide substandard customer service and wonder why their sales are low.

The survey highlights three behaviors that representatives do not execute, but which customers would like them to: speaking clearly and slowly, respecting the customer's right to say no, and providing customers with advice. "It's important that the customer service representatives speak in a clear and understandable manner so the customer can follow them, and also not rushing through the call," Atkinson says. "Service reps often feel pressure to get off the phone quickly, but customers feel like their needs are not being attended to when that happens."

Let's take each issue separately with sarcasm engaged.

Speaking Clearly and Slowly

That right there is enough to stop most call centers in their tracks. When I consulted at Montgomery Ward, I worked on a call center project for them. Their call center fielded the calls related to appliance repair. They had 400% turnover. Four--hundred--percent. That's like each person quitting before their first smoke break. With that kind of turnover, you can only imagine that the person answering the phone was . . . how shall I put it delicately . . . stupid. One of Wards' problems we were trying to solve was they needed training for a new computer system and the average employee there read at a third grade level.

I don't know if you noticed, but Wards is not in business anymore. Their call center didn't break the company, but it was an example of where training ranked in their priority list.

Here's another tip for companies, if speaking clearly is important, don't send your work to India. Need I say more?

Respecting a Customers Right to Say No

My god, if it were only true. I don't think this will sink in since the entire model of a sales office is built on commission and those who don't pull in the sales are let go. Ironically, this study points out that the company does better when customers can pick what they want when they want. I can hear management synaptic explosions trying to figure this out:

Okay, each sales person is responsible for bringing in x amount each month. If not, they are fired. If we tell them to not push the customer, sales will go up for the whole company. Naturally, we know when sales go up, but how can we attribute increased sales to customers saying "no"? So how do we hold the sales rep responsible for individual sales? Hey, do you smell that burning? My head feels hot.

Providing Customers with Advice

Like this would actually happen. You see, management sees "advice" as cross-selling. In reality, advice is directly related to good training, and, trust me, companies do not spend money on training the front line people. Sure, they send their top performers to seminars every once in a while. But training for everybody, including that weird guy near the water fountain who picks his nose? Not gonna happen.

Actually, this whole thing comes down to training. I believe that you get what you put into it. Companies that skimp on training will have a negative impact on sales and customer service. This study doesn't come out and talk about training, but the three key recommendations of the study underscore the importance of having well-trained individuals working with customers.