Three hours on the tarmac, middle-seat bound and hungry. Forty-five minutes of transfers and holds while trying to make an insurance claim. A surly customer service representative who follows a script and doesn’t seem to listen or care. We have all heard these stories and experienced poor customer service. Is it possible that this could happen to your customers?
The short answer is, yes, but it does not have to be that way. There are still organizations that understand the value of stellar customer service and how it can be a differentiator within their industry.
Southwest Airlines sets the example among airlines, with founder and industry pioneer Herb Kelleher earning a place as a business-school legend and case study. Zappos has raised the bar for online retailers (what other company signs-off with “XOXO” in their customer emails?). Nordstrom has done the same in bricks-and-mortar retailing. Apple has taken technology from something to be feared to something to embrace with its customer-focused “Genius Bars.” In each case, these companies developed a customer-first culture driven by leaders who understood that happy customers don’t happen by accident. It takes effort and commitment across the company.
Your company can learn and grow from these examples and others. At Learning Dynamics, a Wallingford-based national training and development company, we have noticed that almost every organization with a reputation for customer service excellence has its own Herb Kelleher. Usually, this is someone at the top of the organization who champions service and reinforces its importance with employees.
We have also seen another common theme: strong internal customer service. Progressive companies recognize that the way employees treat and service each other has an impact on the service customers receive. Departments and individuals must work together and care about the quality of their work and how it affects those downstream, both other employees and customers.
This does not happen by accident. Solid internal customer service is a product of ongoing training, attention to process and performance, and a well-considered, flawlessly-executed recognition and rewards program. Many companies have mechanisms to solicit external customer feedback, but few do the same to monitor internal performance. Periodic training and on-the-spot observations with manager feedback help build a strong service culture.
Here are some ideas that can help employees and your company stand out with stellar service.
• Smile and have a positive attitude.
• Use a customer’s name (but don’t overdo it).
• Keep voicemail current (both outgoing messages and responding to inbound calls).
• Respond to email quickly.
• Describe what you can do to help a customer, not what you can’t.
• Apologize for mistakes and take ownership to resolve the problem (service recovery).
• Do something above and beyond what is expected (value-added service).
Of course, doing more than is expected requires some parameters so employees know what they can and can’t do. You might choose a “whatever it takes” approach. Zappos, as an example, doesn’t use scripts for its customer service team. Instead, it teaches them the company philosophy and allows team members the discretion required to delight the customer.
Your company might not be ready for that kind of extreme service culture, but what can you do? Simple things like allowing employees some latitude to flex a return and exchange policy, offer upgrades of products or services, or other options might work. Why not ask your people for ideas?
In the end, all of this attention to service is designed to boost company performance fueled by reputation. Older research says that unhappy customers will tell up to 10 others about their unhappy experience. Satisfied customers will only tell a few. That was before widespread use of social media. How does it work now?
Your customers take to the Internet immediately to share their experiences. After all, isn’t it fun to post stories and get reactions from your Facebook friends? “I got ripped off by Joe’s Tire Depot!” is sure to get a conversation started.
Consumer reviews and social media give everyone the tools to either help or hurt your organization, but it doesn’t change the core issue. To excel in a hypercompetitive marketplace, superior service is a must.
Do not leave the fate of your business to chance. Leaders must lead and make service excellence the expectation. Expectations can only be fulfilled when those same leaders give their teams the resources they need, including training enhanced by goal-setting, timely feedback, and meaningful recognition.
Jim DeMaio is president of Learning Dynamics in Wallingford.
