February 12, 2006 11:26 PM
Kathryn
John D. Rockefeller said, "The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well." What a strikingly simple concept! The expectation that companies provide customer service is common; how they provide it can make it uncommon. We don't need to create some big, expensive strategy that takes months (if not years) to implement, cost zillions of corporate dollars, and (according to research) will most likely never be completed or fail if it is. We can, however, dissect our routine customer service interactions and brainstorm one or two improvements that would make them uncommon. Once we have taken sufficient time to celebrate the success of these changes, we can brainstorm one or two more.
The first level of service is the minimum that you are required to provide. Make sure you are not missing an essential "table stakes" component of customer service. While customers typically have a difficult time defining this "must have" foundation, they eagerly admit, "I know it when I don't see it." When they are missing, these "common" customer service actions often cause our customers great dissatisfaction.
The second level is uncommon service. Consider how your customer service can become the competitive differentiator for you. Customers continually judge us against our competitors in the routine, every day interactions they have. What can you do uncommonly well within each of these interactions that will set you apart?
Of course the litmus test is the customer. Ask, "What are our customers currently saying we do uncommonly well? In what areas are we still just 'common'?"
