Customer Service News Letter

1) Service – its not rocket science!
2) Who ARE our customers?
3) Who knows best?
4) Make it fun!

1)  Service – its not rocket science!

The frustrating thing for many organisations is that they know that excellent service isn’t rocket science, yet the same organisations often find it difficult to maintain consistently high levels of service for their customers. So why might this be? Perhaps one answer is that the organisation is treating service as an activity that needs the occasional training session, and that having done that, they can “sit back” and expect their levels of service to improve dramatically. The truth is likely to be that truly world-class service is part of the culture of an organisation, not a one off event, and needs constant reminders, REGULAR training sessions and innovation to remain ahead of competitors.

2) Who ARE our customers?

I recently ran a customer service workshop for an organisation which included the opportunity for delegates to make a commitment to “make a difference” to the level of service they delivered as a result of some of the learning they had undertaken during the day. While most delegates were busy identifying some suitable new or remembered initiatives, one delegate came and told me that he did not serve any customers at all so could not make any commitment. Further investigation identified that the delegate DID serve customers – internal customers. The interesting thing was that he did not recognise this, or the importance of providing superb service for his colleagues. Our internal customers are a key part of the jigsaw when we look at an organisation delivering outstanding service.

3) Who knows best?

When it comes to knowing EXACTLY what our customers want from the organisation, the people that probably know best are the people that deal with them directly day after day. They are in a great position to listen to our customer’s requirements, moans and complements. So take full advantage of this fantastic resource and create an environment where your team are actively encouraged to feedback the good, the bad and the ugly to you with regards to the level of service you are providing. Keep it simple and easy for your team to do this, which is likely to result in an ongoing stream of invaluable information.

4) Make it fun!

During a debrief following a recent customer service workshop, a delegate explained that she had not been looking forward to the workshop, however had really enjoyed the session. What had been the “tipping point” for her? She had really been able to engage with the subject as well as her fellow delegates as a result of the participative and fun approach to what is potentially a serious subject. She left the room full of enthusiasm, keen to share her learning with her colleagues back in the workplace, and I guess she will be an ambassador for her organisation providing their customers with superb service. Whether you use internal or external providers to communicate the techniques and benefits of delivering great service, it might be worth ensuring that the session is designed to engage delegates in such a way that they walk away from the session keen to put the learning into practice at the first available opportunity!