Customer service is a term that is used frequently, but many times without really considering what it could be. Some people seem to understand intrinsically. Some companies do a great job with it. In my mind, customer service boils down to creating a great experience for every customer or client.
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to see both sides of the coin. I traveled down to a tiny town in the central valley of California. My hotel reservations weren’t right when I got there – only reserved for one night instead of the whole weekend and for a much too small room. Although the hotel was completely booked, the desk clerk did everything he possibly could to make it right for me. He even passed on the information to the next shift to ensure everything was taken care of. The staff was absolutely wonderful. I really can’t say enough about them. If you ever need a place to stay that far outshines the star rating given to them by the travel industry, go to Holiday Inn Express.
On the flip side, a business I went to while I was there was quite different. It was almost as though I was a complete imposition on the staff, an entire group of people with the personality of Basil Fawlty, of Fawlty Towers, the beleaguered character portrayed by John Cleese in the 1970s BBC television series. He made no bones about how interrupted he felt by his guests and customers. How Fawlty’s guests felt when dealing with him is exactly how I felt with this business, like I wasn’t wanted and was definitely bothering them.
Fawlty serving guests
How do you create a great experience for your customers or clients? Personally, I find the easiest way is to follow the Golden Rule – treat others as you want to be treated.
Really a straightforward approach, but sometimes difficult to do. It can be hard to check your attitude at the door when you’re having a bad day. Think about how you like to be talked to, what things you like to have done for you when you are working with someone. Try to create that same experience for everyone you help or do work for. I can’t think of too many people who like to have someone be condescending or curt with them. Or anyone who likes it when the person they are talking with won’t look at them or seems to be consumed by their smart phone, Blackberry, tablet or laptop. Really I can’t think of a soul who doesn’t feel somewhat slighted when they are in a conversation and the other person answers their phone or is texting someone else continuously. Some people still consider it just good manners, but so many people seem to have missed the memo.
The other thing to keep in mind when treating other people the way you would want to be treated is to think about a similar situation you have been in on the opposite side and how you would have liked it to have gone. Say you were returning an item that didn’t work out for whatever reason. Was the clerk abrupt and rude about the return or were they helpful and non-argumentative? For returning items, I can’t think of a better example of terrific customer service than Costco. The few times I have needed to take something back there, it has been a seamless experience. Walk up to the customer service desk and explain that I want to return an item. The employee will ask a few questions to determine whether the item needs to be returned to the manufacturer or not and if I want to exchange it or have a refund. Easy as that.
If you own a company or store, you might also consider the blueprint of the best customer service examples around are the companies that are known for treating their employees very well. Two that come to the top of my mind are Costco and Starbucks. While managers at individual stores may not follow corporate policy exactly as it is written, by and large, the companies try to do the right thing by their people. If you treat your employees well – fair pay, benefits and courtesy – they will treat your customers well. It is virtually impossible to create a great customer experience if your employees’ experience is not great.
Many argue that paying a fair wage and having great benefits will kill the company’s bottom line. You hear it in the news every day. Companies like Papa Johns, McDonalds, UPS, Boeing, Walmart and many others cutting hours and benefits to supposedly improve their bottom lines.
Costco especially has proved that to be a fallacy. Their people are paid some of the best wages in the retail business and their benefits are second to none, yet their revenues and profits continue to grow even in the recession. Aside from their buyers’ savvy in negotiating great deals that allows Costco to bring great prices to their customers, their “Secret Sauce” is the way they treat their employees. By treating their employees well, turnover is reduced, which in turn reduces the cost of recruiting, hiring and training new people. Treating their employees well also increases customer satisfaction because the employees know the company, know the stores, know the merchandise and can therefore recommend items without hesitation, and are happy with the company, which they then impart to the customer by how they treat the customer and their attitude while at work.
So really, the bottom line on creating a great experience for your customers and clients is all about how you treat people. How you treat your employees spills over to the customer. If you treat everyone you meet the same way you would want to be treated (unless of course you are a masochist and then as long as that is your clientele, you’re still on solid footing), you will create great customer experiences.
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