Great Customer Service

Below, we talk about the following aspects of providing Great Customer Service:

• What is Great Customer Service
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• Good and Bad Customer Service Practices

What is Great Customer Service?

“When the service delivered exceeds the customers’ expectations.”

Good Customer Service Practices

Customer service is highly situational, but there are some practices that transcend industry and geography:

• Know your customer and act accordingly.  In some parts of the world, for example, using a customer’s name might be a welcome, personal touch.  In other places, it would be the height of rudeness to be so familiar.  Know your customer, and don’t make global service standards without considering differences.
• Offer money-back guarantees, and make it easy to execute.  A guarantee is a great way to win a customer.  A great way to lose one is to offer a guarantee, and then make it difficult to collect on.
• Talk directly to your customers.  Market research firms have their place, but as the leader of a business, or a department in a business, you need to talk directly to your customers.  Some businesses such as Disney and Kroger require their senior leaders to work on the frontlines a certain number of days per year so they can interface directly with customers.
• Train and retain your staff.  Some people treat customer service jobs as entry-level or unimportant roles.  When you consider that that whoever has the contact with the customer is the face of the company, it may add a level of importance to such a role.  This is true whether providing internal or retail customer service.
• Fix mistakes.  Just about everyone will forgive a mistake.  What is not forgivable is failing to correct that mistake quickly and properly.

Bad Customer Service Practices

• Outsourcing Customer Service.  Only the most routine transactions should be outsourced.  Anything that requires discretion or judgment must be maintained close to the organization where it can be proactively managed.  Any money saved by outsourcing customer service is usually lost several times over when things start to go wrong.  The cost to obtain a new customer is generally recognized at being ten times greater than the cost to maintain a current customer – a consideration often forgotten.
• Not being able to talk to a real person.  A certain amount of customer interface can probably safely be automated.  Anything complicated or sensitive needs to be handled by a real person.  You also need to provide access to a real person quickly, and not send people through 30 minutes of automated voice response.
• Employee turnover.  Businesses need to find a way to hang on to those employees that are good a interfacing with customers.  The cost of employee turnover is particularly high if new or inexperienced employees are driving away customers.
• Over selling.  You need to carefully manage customer expectations regardless of what industry you are in.  The old adage of “under-promise; over-deliver” will serve you well.
• Deliver.  Make sure your business infrastructure is able to deliver on the promises being made to you customers.  Don’t allow your sales people to promise things the business will never be able to execute.

3 Things to Remember About Providing Great Customer Service

1. Know your customers’ expectations and plan to exceed them.
2. All businesses are contact sports – do not build barriers with customers.
3. Train and retain good people.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about providing Great Customer Service (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

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