| Many businesses are looking at this year as the year | | | | anything to smile at the customer, and make eye |
| when they finally ramp up their service delivery. They | | | | contact or call them by name. |
| have realized that service is the great differentiator in | | | | Strategically speaking, you must decide how far you |
| business. They understand that the products or | | | | are willing to go to resolve a customer complaint, |
| services they offer are available from a variety of | | | | before the problem occurs. Then, you must decide |
| other sources. They know that if they want | | | | how much leverage you will give your front-line reps to |
| customers to return, and to bring their friends, family, | | | | resolve those issues on their own. If a rep is |
| and colleagues with them, that they have to create a | | | | empowered to resolve an issue on the spot, whether it |
| special customer experience that shines in comparison | | | | is offering a discount or replacing a defective product, |
| to the competition. | | | | or exchanging the wrong product for the right one, or |
| The question is: where do businesses start when | | | | simply apologizing for late delivery by giving something |
| trying to build world-class service? As with any sort of | | | | extra to the customer as a gesture of goodwill, it |
| new initiative, the best place to start is with a full | | | | speaks volumes for your business and how much you |
| assessment of where your business currently stands. | | | | care about your customers. On the other hand, if reps |
| You must have a baseline with which to compare any | | | | have to find a manager to approve everything they |
| improvements you make. | | | | do, it screams of mistrust - of both the customer and |
| An assessment of customer service must be viewed | | | | the employee. |
| from at least three separate angles: The Customer, | | | | Do you have a clear understanding of how much you |
| The Business, and the Service Delivery Team. That is, | | | | will do to please a customer? It is imperative that you |
| you must view your service through the eyes of those | | | | do, because all the front-line service training in the |
| who receive the service, those who pay for the | | | | world will not help if your business is not committed to |
| service, and those who render the service. To focus | | | | the swift and thorough resolution of customer |
| on one of these groups without the other two is akin | | | | complaints. Don't wait for problems to arise to figure |
| to rowing a boat with just one oar; you will find | | | | out what you will do to remedy a customer crisis. Give |
| yourself going nowhere but around in circles. | | | | your reps the opportunity to be problem-solvers by |
| Assessing Customer Service through the Eyes of the | | | | giving them clear guidelines on what they can do to |
| Customer | | | | satisfy customer issues without bringing in a senior |
| Contrary to popular belief, all customers are not looking | | | | staff member to make decisions. |
| to strike a huge payday through some loophole in your | | | | Assessing Customer Service through the Eyes of the |
| service policy. In fact, very few of them are. Most | | | | Service Delivery Team |
| customers simply want the product or service they | | | | Providing memorable customer service is not an |
| seek, delivered to them at a fair price, served to them | | | | instinctive task; a strategy must be designed and |
| with some courtesy, and maybe a smile. They are | | | | planned, and service providers must be trained on its |
| spending their money, or their company's money, and | | | | execution. The best service strategies in the world will |
| they just want to feel good about doing it. They want | | | | not make for happy customers unless those strategies |
| to be assured that they are making the right choice, | | | | are put into practice by the service team. |
| not just regarding the product or service, but in the | | | | Service reps must be trained thoroughly and |
| vendor, as well. | | | | consistently. They must be taught everything from |
| Is your service meeting or exceeding your customers' | | | | proper courtesy and protocol to products and pricing |
| needs? Ask them! Not with a generic "How are We | | | | to problem-solving and trouble-shooting. They must be |
| Doing?" survey, where the customer gets to check off | | | | empowered to resolve issues, and therefore must |
| little boxes next to categories that the business | | | | understand how far the company is willing to go to |
| decides should be important, and where one lucky | | | | satisfy its customers. |
| respondent will win an MP3 player or PDA. Instead, | | | | In-depth product training is imperative, and not training |
| truly ask your customers, human being to human being, | | | | from the developer's view or the marketer's view, but |
| when they call in, or email, or visit you. Or, if you have | | | | from the customer's view. The service team needs to |
| not heard from them in a while, take the initiative to call | | | | understand what the customer does with the |
| them, and ask questions like: | | | | company's product or service, how they use it, how it |
| "How well have we been handling your orders?" | | | | serves their needs, and the role it plays in their lives. |
| "What things we can do better?" | | | | Only then can they be sure to provide the level of |
| "What things are we not doing that you wish we | | | | customer service appropriate for the matter at hand. |
| would?" | | | | It is also necessary to evaluate the tools your service |
| "What things are we doing that you wish we | | | | team has to work with. How many different systems |
| wouldn't?" | | | | are needed to fully address customer needs, orders, |
| Invest the time to engage your customers in dialogue | | | | history, preferences, and pricing? The ease with which |
| on these matters. It's worth it. | | | | your service reps can put their hands on pertinent |
| At the same time, put yourself in your customer's | | | | customer data plays a huge role in the level of service |
| shoes. We all have experience as customers; we all | | | | they deliver. Do your systems talk to each other? Do |
| know what good service looks like from the | | | | they convey and share customer data and information |
| customer's viewpoint. Look at your business as a | | | | with marketing and sales, as well as customer |
| customer: would the service you provide satisfy you? | | | | service? Are all customer-focused departments |
| Be brutally honest - answer with your customer hat on, | | | | getting the same information? Even the smallest gap in |
| not as the service provider. You might be surprised at | | | | customer knowledge can show your company in a |
| what you discover. | | | | negative light. Give your people the right tools for the |
| Assessing Customer Service through the Eyes of the | | | | job. |
| Business | | | | Fine-tuning your company's service delivery is a |
| If providing world-class service was easy and | | | | worthwhile but complex task. In order to fully |
| inexpensive, all businesses would deliver it all of the | | | | appreciate where you want to take your service going |
| time. But it goes much deeper than just remembering | | | | forward, you need to have a good understanding of |
| to smile when speaking with a customer. You must | | | | where it stands currently. Take the time to honestly |
| ask yourself tough questions, like can you afford to | | | | assess your service delivery, from top to bottom, |
| provide the level of service you want to? What level | | | | before reorganizing, or making tweaks to a part of |
| of service can you afford to provide, and is that | | | | your service team. You will make better decisions, and |
| enough to distinguish your business? Are there | | | | you will have valuable benchmarks against which to |
| cost-effective things that your organization can do to | | | | measure your improvements. |
| enhance your service offerings? Hey, it doesn't cost | | | | |