Customer Service With a Payroll Twist - Ascentis€¦ · ©2016 The Payroll Advisor 9 ... ©2016...

©2016 The Payroll Advisor1

Customer Service—With a Payroll Twist

Presented on Wednesday, October 12, 2016

2©2016 The Payroll Advisor

Housekeeping

©2016 The Payroll Advisor

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Credit QuestionsToday’s

topicSpeaker

To earn RCH credit you must


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Stay on the webinar, online for the full 60 minutes

Be watching using your unique URL

Certificates delivered by email, to registered email, by November 11th

Our Focus For Today


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New buzz word for twenty-first century

But what is customer service?

Is it relevant to payroll?

How can a payroll department set up a customer service policy?

Implementing the policy

Applying the policy to daily payroll life

About the Speaker


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Vicki M. Lambert, CPP, is President and

Academic Director of The Payroll

Advisor™, a firm specializing in payroll

education and training. The company’s

website www.thepayrolladvisor.com offers

a subscription payroll news service which

keeps payroll professionals up-to-date on

the latest rules and regulations.

http://www.thepayrolladvisor.com/

Customer Service


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First we need a working definition…

Policy to ensure that customers receive what they need or want in an efficient manner to ensure they return to use product or service on a repeat basis

Customer Service


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Is it relevant to payroll?

Take your product no matter how you treat them

Is relevant to running an efficient and productive department

Save time and hassle in avoiding conflicts

Communication is always the key

Setting Up the Policy


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►Must be in writing

►Address all issues

►Signed off by management

►Staff training

►Customers know the policy



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Should be a formal policy

Need to identify the customers

Employees

Management Vendors

Agencies



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►Address each task that payroll has that interacts with its customers

►The daily life of the department

►Phone, e-mail, websites, web portals, memos, face to face meetings, snail mail and postings

Listen to Your Customers


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When creating the policy use customer complaints to improve areas

Evaluate your current customer service delivery methods

Ask yourself and your customers—

Do you respond timely?

What to Include in the Policy


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What you can and cannot do and when you can or cannot do it

Compliance is an issue—first customer is the company and keeping it in compliance the first rule

Example: Form W-4

Example Policy for Form W-4


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Policy should include:

Where the forms are available

How to accept the form

How to handle an unacceptable form

How the customer should be told the form is unacceptable

How to make the form acceptable is also included

Methods of Communication


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Telephone/Voice Mail

E-mail

Website

Bulletin Boards

Snail Mail

Written company correspondence (such as policies)

Creating or Updating the Policies-Telephone


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Answering the phone

Should pick up within 3 to 4 rings whenever

possible

Greet the caller and announce your name--Example: Payroll, this is Vicki

Announce you are ready to help

Example: how may I help you?

Do you SOUND happy?

Putting Employees on Hold


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Ask permission or announce it first

Do not leave on hold for longer than 1 minute unless accessing information to continue the call--Example: pulling a time card

Thank the employee for holding

If you know you have to take a while offer to call back instead of having employee hold—then call them back!

Transferring Calls


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Avoid transferring calls when you can

Instead do the leg work and get the answer when possible

Avoid using the word “transfer” instead explain why the caller is being routed to someone else

Always ask to transfer—give option for caller to make the call directly

Stay on the line when possible to explain the transfer of the call

Voice Mail


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Establish a policy of responding to voice mails—24 hours no longer and keep it

Update your voice mail message often, even daily

Answer when possible, they know you are there!

Forward when possible to maintain human voice

Creating or Updating Policy-Email


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Set up schedule to handle e-mails

Notifications are a must for each staff member

Save read message to folders to organize and track

Keep a to-do folder for e-mails that are being handled

Same 24-hour rule applies to e-mails—no longer

Use auto-response and keep it up-to-date

E-Mail


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Use language that is visual, auditory or feeling—reader can’t see your face or hear your voice

Avoid cute smiley faces or lexicons in general

Be concise and very clear

Include all back up with the e-mail such as IRS regs

E-Mails


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Grammar still counts and so does spelling

Keep short, use attachments for documents

Include all actions you have taken

Include all actions you need customer to take

Specify timelines if needed

Always reread before sending

Websites


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If you have one they must be up-to-date

If you don’t have one—get one if possible

PDF files of forms, links to IRS or state info

Customer service policy on the website

Bulletin Boards


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On the walls type of communication

Use if you can—paper is still necessary for some employees

Keep it current and neat—it reflects your department

Written Communications


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Staff should use templates to speak with “one voice”

No errors!

Spell check and proof read

Anything that goes to anyone is a form of customer service and reflects on the department

Writing the Policy


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►This takes time

►Not a quick task—could take a year

►Procedures need to be done first or at least at same time so they do not conflict

►Staff can definitely help

►Everything you do needs a customer service policy

Having Management Sign Off


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►Must be done to be effective

►Before it is published or given to staff

►Make sure it is in writing

►Selling points:

►Cost savings

►Compliance

Payroll Calendars And Customer Service


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►Establish a payroll calendar for other departments to know your deadlines

►Helps customer service if you are not held up by others being late and having it reflect on payroll

►Back it up with enforcement

Training Your Staff


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►Should be included from the beginning to help them buy into the new policy

►Assess the staff history or experience in customer service to know where to start

►Everyone is trained—that includes YOU

Get the Word Out


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Example—University of Iowa


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Implementing the Policy


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Make sure everyone know it

Stick to it even in busy times

Year End, quarter end, payroll processing day

Communicate to customer and have this in the policy so it is not a surprise

It should be a part of everyday life in the payroll department

Calming the Irate Customer


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Listen, let them vent within reason

Stay calm yourself but be in the moment

Deal with emotions first then facts

Avoid “trigger phrases” like “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”

Delay the action until cooler heads prevail if necessary

Calming the Irate Customer


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Once calm—move to problem solving

Focus on the employee needs

But irate doesn’t mean gets what they want like a spoiled child

Back to your company policy or customer service policy that applied to situation

Learn to Listen…Problem Solved?


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Listen with both ears and with your mind as well—old saying from my grandmother!

We are all visual people as well—write it down—draw a map—flowchart it

Whatever it takes for you to understand the question or problem

Then right back at them-same rules apply

Don’t use CS101 sayings! It just annoys

Track Your Progress


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Screen voice mails/call centers periodically

Screen e-mails periodically

Ask for it in writing

Ask around-payroll by walking around

Larger companies do surveys or get feed back from mangers of other departments

Find out what’s good as well as bad

Track your progress and make improvements as needed

Failures Will Occur


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►You are human—enough said

►Learn from them and go on

►Follow up when mistakes are made, don’t make a bigger one or compound the first one

►JFK once said: It only becomes a mistake if you don’t fix it.

If You Failed…


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Take responsibility and apologize

Solve the problem quickly

Add a little extra to sweeten the pot if you can

But if You’re Right andThey’re Wrong…


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Deal with the emotions first

But establish the facts early

Try to find an alternative solution if possible

Treat employee fairly and with respect

General Tips


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►Never blame the computer for any errors

►Never be madder than the customer

►It is okay to end the encounter

Payroll is human and equal—no you do not have to take abuse because you are in payroll

General Tips


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Never lie!

You can only do what you can do

Impossible is impossible

The law is the law

General Tips


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Customer service hours

For call centers

For office

For employee service centers

Separate counter, phone or e-mail

Security still important

Are There Any Questions?


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How Can Ascentis Help Me?

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Reduce your phone calls and emails with Employee Self Service. The ESS portal can answer of employee questions pro-actively

• Can I get a copy of my last check or W2?

• What happens to my take home pay if I change my withholding allowances or increase my retirement contribution?

• Which benefit plans am I eligible for?

• How much time off do I have available?

• Can I add another direct deposit to my savings account?

• Where can I find the company handbook?

To earn RCH credit you must


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Stay on the webinar, online for the full 60 minutes

Be watching using your unique URL

Certificates delivered by email, to registered email, by November 11th

On-Demand Webinars

Watch from anywhere, at anytime, at no cost to you!

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Contact Us

[email protected]

www.ascentis.com

800.229.2713

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