For those familiar with my editorials over the past few years, one of the points I have consistently made is that customer service will win out in attracting new customers and retaining old ones.
Obviously I am not the only one preaching this philosophy. But an expert on the topic, consultant and author Shep Hyken, goes as far to say that the current bad economy is forcing businesses to adopt good customer services practices.
Among the examples provided in a recent article:
- A restaurant that never took reservations in the past is now willing to do so because it gets customers in the door.
- A truck driver is now unloading equipment for a business customer rather than waiting for the business' own employees to do so; this step has led to a gain in market share.
- Finally, Southwest Airlines was cited. This company is known more for "no frills" service than good service. Yet, it is experimenting with free in-flight Internet service. And while its competition has gone to charging for checked baggage, Southwest still offers the service for free.
Mr. Hyken says: In short, the economy is forcing 'service creativity,' which is about coming up with new and different ways to create a better customer experience. The first step to service creativity is to hold a meeting with your employees. Brainstorm what you can do to add value to your existing products and service. Ask your customers what you can do to make doing business with you even better. Listen to what your customers want and suggest that you may not already be doing. You may find the competitive edge that will help you weather the economic storm and prosper well into the future."In a different article from Mr. Hyken, he discusses how to get started with a customer service program; the information comes from his book, "The Cult of the Customer."
- The first step is to list out every point of contact the customer has with your company in a typical sales process. Be as comprehensive with the list as possible. These are called touch points. These touch points form a chain of events. Ideally, you would want to include a team, if not all, of employees from different parts of your company to complete this exercise.
- Now study the list and determine where the weak links in the chain might be. Brainstorm on how to strengthen these links or touch points. The customer service experience depends on this.
- Now, make this your own personal case study. Show what works well and what could happen if these touch points are mismanaged.
- Train your employees. Make sure they are aware of these touch points and the opportunities and pitfalls they hold. Customer service is not a department. It is a philosophy that should run through the entire organization.
To learn more about Mr. Hyken and his book, visit
