All customer service managers have asked themselves at one time or another how to move from the current state of ho-hum service to providing service that wows customers. Depending on the level of service your company is providing today, this can be a short journey or a long arduous road to recovery. In either case, you have to conduct research to determine customer trends and benchmark your competition. This process helps outline how enhanced service can deliver an excellent return on your investment.
Identify Trends, Measure Results
One trend customers' growing expectation of on-demand service. They do not want to be transferred to someone else when they need assistance. They want the first person they speak with to take responsibility for the issue and provide a solution.
Remember, the customer experience is always in flux. You will constantly have to determine what sets you apart in order to move from reactive to proactive communication and begin providing consistent wow experiences versus the occasional wow.
Whenever a change in customer service is needed, you have to consider how much it will cost versus the benefits you will see. A key question to ask is, “will it reduce costs, provide better service, and increase sales?” If the answer is “yes,” and you decide to move forward, determine how the results will be measured to ensure you are seeing improvement.
Integrate Service
In today’s world, customers receive service through many different channels. Your company needs to make sure that all of these customer touch points flow back to one place, so regardless of who customers speak with, all of their previous interactions with your company can be accessed. This shows customers that your customer service representatives communicate with each other and understand each customer’s needs. Integrate—don’t create islands.
Welcome Customer Feedback as a Profit Generator
Most customers, two percent on average, don’t bother to contact a company, even if they have a complaint. But those that do, who have a good experience during this interaction, will buy again. Customers contact you for a reason. Every contact is an opportunity to act on customer feedback, and every contact is a profit-generating opportunity.
Don’t shy away from talking with your customers and closing the loop. Invite contact so you can excite more customers about your preferred customer programs, special offers, new products, great service, and dynamic website content. Every contact with a customer can deliver PROFIT! Plus, engaged customers' participation in the feedback process helps create new products and services they will order.
Be Customer Centric
Enhanced service really does pay. The math is easy. Service excellence enhances your reputation and, when coupled with customer satisfaction, equals more profit. Developing a customer-centric approach is something that you should work on continuously, because anything less than a very satisfied customer will have a negative impact on that customer’s future purchase intent, not to mention all of the people this customer will tell about a negative experience.
It is all about the customer experience. Obviously, you will not be able to satisfy every customer, as everything changes, including customer expectations. Providing a rewarding experience, however, will be the basis for customers to take their positive experiences and become vocal voices for your company. Perception of quality then moves from product to customer experience.
Customers are becoming more demanding and they value their time, which you must treat as valuable currency. Don’t waste it! Increase your customers’ desire for your products and services by showing that you understand their needs and are focused on what they value.
Evaluate Exemplary Service Elsewhere
Review the companies that provide the best service you have experienced and benchmark the results. Visit their websites and collaborate with an employee to determine what works and what doesn’t on these websites. Rather than evaluate only your industry, branch out to look at companies from various industries.
Create a Customer-Centric Brand
Decide what you want your brand to be and the appropriate characteristics of a branded customer experience. Remember, a random experience is inconsistent and unintentional. A predictable experience is consistent and intentional, but is not differentiated or talked about. A branded experience, however, is consistent, intentional, provides that differentiated “wow” experience, and is very much talked about. The goal is customer loyalty that produces raving fans.
So, make the customer a stronger part of your company, for their benefit and yours. Open up your company by inviting rather than dissuading customer interactions. Earn customer transactions…repeatedly. Also, mobilize the promoters of your products and services, and provide customers with more than just a basic experience.
Taking the customer experience beyond basic entails demonstrating a customer-centric mindset with every customer interaction. Integrate your customer touch points. Surround your products with staged “wow!” experiences. Invite more customer dialogue through each customer’s channel of choice. Employ the right number of people. Invest in the technology that allows you to profit from treating customers as individuals. The result of this dedicated customer focus is a plan of action that will lead to higher profits!
