When what the customer expects matches what they receive, you are successful.
What is customer service?
Anything you want it to be – and that’s where the problem begins.
If we can’t say what customer service is, we can say what it isn’t. Customer service is not an abstract notion, or just a matter of being nice to people and following common sense – and then hoping that your employees will understand.
Customer service is a definable and concrete part of a product or service and must be described in specific qualitative and quantitative terms. You must state clearly what service you will deliver to your customer and in what amounts, and communicate this policy to your employees, associates, and customers so they understand it without reservation.
As hard as this may be to do, it is the beginning of a consistent policy that can distinguish your business from your competitors. However, it is only the beginning. Implementation is a constant, ongoing process requiring determination, kindness, nurturing and discipline, and yes, a lot of common sense as well.
More than anything else, quality customer service is about integrity. To give the customer value, to deliver what you say you will, to do it consistently with a caring attitude, is what your customer expects. When what the customer expects matches what they receive, you are successful.
As we continue our discussion our ideas are not intended to be a definitive statement on customer service, or to suggest that giving good customer service is a simple process. If it were, we would all be doing it; and obviously, many businesses still find good, consistent customer service elusive.
One thing is certain if you make customer service your passion, you will eventually have to address every aspect of your business – because every aspect of your business relates to your customer.
In the meanwhile, the public is told several times a day that businesses care about them – while the consumer continues to search every day for businesses that do.
As we continue this process, we will address different aspects of making customer service the cornerstone of a successful business.
To be continued….
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