[Customer Service] Customer Service That WOWs 'Em

Marketing expert Leo Burnett once said, “When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”
That’s the tact taken by pest management professional Phillip Cooper when it comes to customer service. Cooper is president of Cooper Pest Solutions, based in Lawrenceville, N.J. He also literally wrote the book on customer service, having penned “What + How = WOW — A methodology for customer service,” published in 2003. (To learn more about this book visit whatplushow.com.)

Cooper points out that while some believe good customer service is simply a matter of common sense, it’s actually a lot of work. “I think good customer service takes a lot of practice, a lot of care and it is a process,” he said, “and if you don’t look at it as a process, you are never going to achieve it.”

Cooper explained his WOW philosophy: What you communicate, plus how you communicate it, equals WOW customer service.

But what is WOW customer service? In his book, Cooper provides his own definition: “WOW is achieved when the experience makes such an excellent impression with the receiving party that it is shared with family and friends. When striving for WOW, the byproduct is an incredible experience, which impresses everyone with whom we come in contact.”

At Cooper’s company, this drive for the WOW moment, when customers are literally blown away by good service, begins with the company’s mission statement: “To WOW our clients, WOW our teammates, WOW our community, WOW our service partners and WOW the bottom line.”

“‘WOW’ moments are what we strive for,” said Cooper. He admits that it may not always be possible to deliver WOW moments with every customer interaction, but, having this target still leads to outstanding service, time after time.

“What I want is for people to say, ‘Your customer service is always great,’” he says. Furthermore, Cooper says he wants to be viewed not only as the best pest control provider, but as the best service provider customers have working for them.

CHECKS AND BALANCES. To help his employees — i.e., teammates — achieve WOW customer service, Cooper developed a system comprising 27 items that teammates use to rate themselves. The items fall into three major categories: 1) product knowledge; 2) how to communicate; and 3) overall objectives.

While all 27 are important, Cooper says, skill in asking questions and listening are most difficult to master. And, he notes, “There are some in there that single-handedly can ruin a conversation,” for instance, when the tone of a person’s voice comes off as more arrogant than accommodating.

Teammates are expected to record a conversation every week or two and grade it on those 27 items, looking for improvement opportunities. Then, peers are asked to view the results and offer their opinions. And it’s not just customer service representatives who are asked to do this. “Everyone participates and it’s not just our call center,” Cooper said. “Everyone in our organization is viewed as part of customer service, whether they’re an accountant or a technician, or running our IT group, everyone is dealing with clients, both internal and external.”

While the grades from these checklists aren’t actually charted, Cooper says the main idea is to foster and reinforce self-improvement. “I’m more worried about them working hard to be better customer service reps,” he said.

What Cooper does measure is something he calls the company’s WOW ratio: how many compliments the company receives compared to the number of complaints. Currently that stands at 10 to 1, Cooper notes.

EVERYONE’S INVOLVED. Just as important as the WOW philosophy, Cooper says, is the company’s culture. “Without having the culture, you don’t have anything,” Cooper says. “At my organization, everyone knows there is no choice but to strive for WOW.”

One company Cooper admires and emulates when it comes to culture is Starbucks Corporation. He believes it’s the culture and customer service at Starbucks, not necessarily the coffee, that differentiates it from other coffeehouses. “We look at Starbucks all the time at our organization,” says Cooper. “It’s a great model to look at.”

Teammates at Cooper have plenty of customer service training too. Besides initial and ongoing coaching in this area, all employees are expected to read Cooper’s book, and to practice the skills discussed therein. There also is plenty of recognition given to deserving employees. Bonuses are distributed regularly to those teams that meet their goals. And at the company’s monthly staff meetings, WOW moments — both notable customer and team member compliments — are shared with the staff. Those responsible receive $5 each.

“It’s not the $5 that matters,” Cooper said, “it’s the recognition.” Cooper says he gives away close to $200 at each meeting. “It’s like a pep rally,” Cooper said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

THE PAYOFF. Customers also are informed about the company’s mission, early and often. It’s printed on the back of each work order, along with Phillip Cooper’s phone number and e-mail address. “We wear it on our sleeve,” says Cooper. “It’s everywhere, so if you work for Cooper you don’t have a choice but to do it.” 

The author is a frequent contributor to PCT magazine.

Comments from Wowed Cooper Customers

Here’s a sampling of customer feedback received by Cooper Pest Solutions:

“...from my first point of contact through my actual service I received superior customer service...I was very impressed and I am not an easy person to impress.”

“I never thought I would have a WOW experience with a pest control company! After dealing with yellow jackets invading my den area for five days, I was at my wit’s end, but Cooper was able to accomplish what nationally known companies were not able to do in a very short amount of time.”

“I write today to shout the accolades of your staff...I cannot tell you how satisfied my husband and I are with your company and your choice in technicians.”

Cooper Named SBA New Jersey Family-Owned Business of the Year

How are the WOW concepts paying dividends for Cooper Pest Solutions? The company has received several awards, including most recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2007 New Jersey Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year Award.

The Cooper family was selected for the award based on criteria that include: growth in number of employees; increase in sales; demonstrating potential for long-term business success and economic growth; and contributions to aid and support community projects and charities. The firm was nominated for their award by Kim Dennison of the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In making the presentation at Cooper Pest Solutions headquarters, SBA New Jersey District Director James A. Kocsi said, “This award honors a family-owned and operated business which has been passed on from one generation to another and has been operational for at least 15 years. It is refreshing to see a second generation of small business owners who value what their father has passed on to them. Clearly Phil and Rick Cooper have demonstrated a love for the business and have taken it to new heights. They are also prepared to pass the business on to a third generation when the time comes.”

Culture Shift at Cooper

Phillip Cooper’s WOW philosophy came to fruition in 1997, after he had conducted some surveys at his company, Cooper Pest Solutions. The surveys indicated that the firm was providing above-average customer service, but Cooper wasn’t so sure. “I thought it was kind of intriguing that everyone thought we were doing a great job when I thought we were doing just an OK job,” he recalled.

Determined to find out more, Cooper read everything he could find on good customer service, but still didn’t uncover any tangible way to achieve it, “nothing you could sink your teeth into,” he says. “I needed a system that people could practice.”

From there, Cooper developed the idea to promote WOW customer service. He felt no other word better suited what he sought. “I think ‘WOW’ really sums up what we were trying to achieve,” Cooper said. “I just think it describes an amazing, incredible experience, and I wanted it to be simple and WOW exemplifies everything that you would want in that word.” Besides the WOW concept, Cooper also formulated a list of all the customer service principles he felt were crucial to a business, a list that ultimately became Cooper’s “What + How Grading Sheet.” “It’s nothing that hasn’t been discussed for years,” he said, “it just wasn’t put into some kind of format that you could take and practice.”

When Cooper introduced the What + How grading concepts to his staff, he recalls, it was painful. “Some people got it and some thought I was off my rocker,” he said. It took about two years but soon the concepts began to take hold. Then in 2000, Cooper came up with the company’s new mission statement, also based on WOW. The concept came full circle in 2003, when the company moved into its newly designed building addition, which features a centrally located “WOW” room. “That was when I was really able to make my mark with it,” he said.