Frontline Perspectives

We all know that customer service is important. Answering questions, resolving complaints, providing suggestions. Almost all companies today will say that they have “good” customer service. But the companies that move from good to great customer service, and deliver great consistently, are the ones that win repeat business.

I just finished reading “The Cult of the Customer: Create an Amazing Customer Experience that turns Satisfied Customers into Customer Evangelists,” by Shep Hyken. Initially I thought this book might be just the “remember to treat your customers nicely” reminder. And in several places it was not only predictable but repetitious (everyone in marketing has heard the story about Nordstrom’s taking back a customer’s tires -even though they don’t sell tires).

However, Hyken pushes you further by focusing on the premise that too many companies have a great product, nice people, and talk a great story (just read their mission statements). But the reality is that most don’t walk the talk. They just don’t deliver on their brand promise, and if they do, they don’t do it consistently. He contends this is the single most important thing a company should do…LIVE your brand.

I wholeheartedly agree. Hire people at every level of your company that understand that the customer is the one that really signs their paycheck. And that keeping the customer happy is what keeps the company in business.. Don’t just talk about how your customers are important to you….make them central to all you do.

It sounds easy, but the reality is that most companies don’t do this. I have to agree – I personally have many stories of my own experiences as a customer that reinforce the fact that many companies don’t get this yet. When I do encounter great service, I tend to initially think that it was an isolated case. When it happens a second, or third time, I start to believe that the company is really different (and exceptional).

Hyken’s book says that the drive to be exceptional in a sea of mediocre, comes first from the top of a company. Management must live the brand. They also need to hire and train ALL employees to see that every touch point with a customer matters – and that it can and will determine whether a customer keeps coming back. He provides some clear guidelines on what companies can do to reach this level: from hiring right to evaluating your sales cycle for changes.

This book was an easy read, and I found myself thinking that often the simplest concepts are the ones that we overlook, or take for granted. People buy from people they like….and most firms need a great deal of work in creating the company that can deliver on that experience consistently.