Bread and butter customer service

Is it the end of bread and butter service? The increasing sophistication of marketing tools and techniques mean that many businesses have upped their game to improve the shopping experience they offer to their customers.
These activities can lead to the creation of extra layers of costs and inefficiencies which are not always fully valued by the customers. As a result they develop a bargain hunting instinct whereby they wait for heavy promotional periods and sales during which they are prepared to buy at what they believe is a fair price. In turn, such behaviour leads retailers to invest in yet more marketing tools to game the system and increase prices so that they can be better discounted later. Complicated and confusing. So wouldn't it be better to adopt a simpler approach, cut out the fuss and make sure that the service delivery to clients is of quality but simple enough so that it does not take too much value away from the product.

Picture courtesy of Peter's Yard with our thanks 

Preparation for customer service

Customer service preparation

Preparation for customer service: for many companies, the next client is only a number, a customer record who happened to place an order for product xyz at a given time during the day.
But it is not at all the same thing when you look at it from the clients' point of view. In many instances, the purchasing decision is an important act in the eyes of the customer who has spend hours if not days and weeks to compare products, to chose the colour, to check if he or she could afford the spend. After such a build up, when the big moment arrives, the client wants everything to be perfect and certainly expects the customer service to run like clockwork throughout the buying process from order till delivery and installation. So please make sure that your customer service teams are ready, it is a big day for your customers

Picture courtesy of Academy Marquees  with our thanks 

Vultures are circling

Customer service circle

Achieving the best customer service levels and maintaining them is not a simple task. There are numerous metrics available, one of them being to measure customer satisfaction.
However, sometimes one finds that only customers who are very satisfied or customers who are very unhappy are prepared to give any form of feedback. But what is happening to the bulk of your customer base? A tell-tale sign might be when your competition starts talking about your company's poor performance. Indeed if your customer service delivery starts to deteriorate they might pick it up early by listening to stories told by new customers or employees who have decided to jump ship. At that stage your competitors' behaviour might become more competitive and, feeling that there is an opportunity, they might start circling around.

Reach out to customers

7 miles bridge - Florida Keys

Do you do enough to reach out to your customers? Even when you have that horrible feeling that you are too far apart to resolve a customer service issue, you have to make an effort and build those bridges to reach out to your customers. The rewards can be long lasting even if the initial investment may seem unreasonable

Offer good customer service to suppliers

Customer service supplier

In order to find a supplier, retain it and obtain a good performance, wouldn't it be appropriate to offer them your best customer service?
In most instances the underlying principle is that the customer is always right but this can cost your company dear. If your supplier fails to deliver the right products or services, your supply chain is broken and your own customers will pay the consequences, thereby affecting your reputation. In those situations, are you sure that you did not have a part to play in it? Was your order complete? Did your read the small print? Were your specs accurate? Did you change your mind? Did you pay in time? All these elements can easily disrupt the service you and your customers ultimately receive. There are many benefits in having loyal suppliers and sharing your success with them so next time you pass an order, make sure you offer them a good service too.


Picture courtesy of PeterStephens Photography and with approval from  http://devoniain.blogspot.com/ with our thanks

Chief Service Officer

Should your c-suite include a Chief Service Officer?

The ongoing financial crisis has put additional pressure on companies which have to work hard to attract new customers. But are you doing enough to retain your existing ones? Isn't it time for your customer service officer to have a sit at the top table  and claim a fair share of the company resources?

To complement this post, we thought it would be useful to include the top 10 items which should feature in the job description of a Chief Service Officer. We will build and refine the list over time but please do not hesitate to leave suggestions in the comment box below. Here are a few items to get us started:

1. Be responsible for the delivery of good customer service to all customers throughout the organisation

2. Define the customer service strategy  

3.Define customer service standards in adequation with the overall direction of the business

4. Establish a set of metrics allowing the company to measure its performance against customer expectations

5. Implement a philosophy of continuous improvement by collecting customer feedback and implementing changes required to improve their experience

6. Raise the role and importance of customer service in the organisation to exploit its potential to become a major revenue generator.

7. Coordinate all customer access channels such as telephone, website, social media, post, email, branches etc

8. Establish a clear value proposition for customers to understand what matters to them and what service can be scaled down

Will this encourage you to recruit a chief service officer?

As a further sign that the emergence of Chief Service Officers may materialise, we have even located a blog dedicated to it - chief service officer blog