Does Customer Service still Matter

The first week in October is Customer Service Week

I first wrote this in 2017 and as I reviewed my words I realized that customer service has not improved, in fact customer service my be dead, or is it?

In any business there are customers and depending on the business model, customers are referred to as guests, clients, patrons, members and even partners...but simply stated they are all customers. They are paying a business for a service, not only the goods that purchase. Customer service is the backbone to success regardless of how good the product offering is, how strong the brand is or even how cheap a business can provide a service.

In the many years I dealt with customers I can say that there have been only a hand full of times that I could not satisfy a customer who was disappointed for one reason or another. Understanding the customers needs is the FIRST responsibility, Job #1 as they say. Too many times we see businesses providing a product or service that nobody wants, but the company will spend an untold amount of money to try and make it successful. All the while head scratching is taking place wondering, why is it not working...but no one asked the customer what they wanted first. So my ten rules or commandments to outstanding customer service are as follow;

Ten Rules / Commandments of Customer Service

1 Be a Good Listener / Adapt

2 Identify and Anticipate Needs

3 Make Customers Feel Important and Appreciated

4 Body Language is Key

5 Understanding is Crucial / Price is Not

6 Appreciate the Power of "Yes"

7 Know how to Apologize / be Empathetic

8 Give More than is Expected / Its the Experience that matters

9 Get Regular Feedback from customers

10 And it all starts with treating employees well

In today's climate, customers are commodities...not people, the attitude of, if I don't like that customer...there will be another coming along soon is prevalent everywhere. That is the attitude we see all to often and which leads to poor customer service, which then leads to customers being dissatisfied and an erosion of traffic, sales and success. I remember a time when loyalty was the most important commodity, loyalty from the business to the customer and from the customer back to the business. If consumer facing businesses are going to survive, they must adapt and place the most emphasis on a well trained and knowledgeable staff with strong customer service skills. How many times have I heard over the years a clerk in a store say, "I wish all these people would just go home". That's exactly the attitude that will erode a customer base. Or even worse, share those poor experiences with their connections, then it becomes a much wider gap creating a poor customer outlook. The old saying, that word of mouth is the best or worst form of promotion and advertisement applies here.

It all goes back and started with #10 on the list...how are employees treated? Many times the newest or least trained employees are the exact people who have the most interaction with your customers...think about that. Its not so much about the pay scale, its about taking ownership...if employees understand how to relate to customers, answer basic questions and seek answers to those questions they cannot answer, the positive impact on customer loyalty goes up exponentially.

In the generation of digital services of every kind we can imagine...companies are able to track every conceivable move we make in the virtual world and then can market their products and services to us 24/7. On the surface it seems like great customer service, but what is lost? A relationship where we are equally invested in each other. Will the digital experience replace what generations of businesses have worked so hard to create? Time will tell, but I believe people still want to experience great service when they feel wanted and appreciated.