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INDIFFERENCE IS THE ENEMY
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Think about your most memorable internal and external service experiences. I’ll bet they can be categorized in two ways... great and down-right awful. Those that rate the awful title are usually expressed in a very personal way like --- “They didn’t listen to me” or “They didn’t care about me or my problem.”
Now you might expect that such experiences also include an obnoxious, rude, clueless service provider. Not necessarily! Oftentimes it is an indifferent service provider who doesn’t respond with empathy and/or a sense of urgency. You know the type, they politely ignore you and explain why they can’t assist you. The word “politely” might seem misplaced here, but my point is that it doesn’t take an obnoxious service provider to produce costly results.
Example: During a recent trip I was shopping for souvenirs for my grandchildren. The person behind the register kept me waiting while he completed paperwork. He did say (without looking up from his papers), “Be with you in a second.” I glanced at my watch, which I have a tendency to do when waiting on service providers (after all, I teach customer service skills!). Seventy-five seconds later (it seemed like 5 - 7 minutes) I quietly sat the items down and walked out of the store. He never even looked up. |
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CUSTOMERS COME FIRST
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The example from above seems rather minor, but I was really aggravated because I had to go to another shop and start the selection process all over. And unlike most women, I’m missing the shopping gene—I hate to shop! But I’d rather double my shopping efforts than spend my money where I’ve been ignored. What that store needs is a “customers come first” policy.
This is a very simple, yet powerful concept that you should consider for your organization. It will result in every customer getting the most immediate service possible. Don’t limit this effort to face-to-face interactions. It should apply to telephone, email, and any other communications with both internal and external customers.
And remember... the best way to create passionate, dedicated responses to customer service initiatives like “customers come first” is to model the desired behaviors. That means the leadership team should pitch in occasionally to be sure customers are taken care of quickly and completely. It also means that you should be responding to your internal customers (including your employees) to show them that you think they are important. |
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“Everything starts with the customer.”
-Jr. Gerstner
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