How much consideration do you give to the customer service your employees provide to the people you work with? Have you defined what customer service means in your company?
Are all employees who interact with customers aware of that definition? Are they all qualified to meet the customer service expectations? More importantly, do they have the authority to meet the customers’ expectations?
I thought about these questions after having a conversation with a client. He recently learned that a customer had a disappointing experience with a former employee. From the customer’s perspective, the employee had been rude, did not listen, and did not do what was promised. My client thanked the customer for contacting him, accepted the customer’s explanation, and immediately asked what he could do to rectify the situation. The customer offered a few suggestions, all of which were acceptable to the client. The outcome – he was able to retain the customer’s business. Clearly, this could have gone in a different direction.
Customer service is one segment of the experience your company creates for its customers. Here are three components you can consider for your company:
#1. Define the experience you will deliver to your customers
- How do you want customers to feel when they interact with your company
- A clear timeframe in which all customer requests are answered
- An understanding of what a satisfied customer looks like
#2. Align your systems, processes, and activities around your ideal customer
- Identify your ideal customer – who they are, where they are, and what they value
- Look at your company from the customer’s perspective
- Continuously monitor customer feedback
#3. Allocate the necessary resources
- Make it easy for your customers to interact with your company
- Establish employee customer service expectations
- Provide commensurate authority to meet the expectations
I believe every employee is in the customer service business, whether they know it or not. Train everyone to follow your definition of customer service and ensure everyone knows how to find the answers your customers are looking for.
If you’re ready to enhance your customer service experience, while making sure your employees know how to best be of service, I can help. Fill out the consult form below, and we’ll get to work on improving the way customer service runs within your business.
