Customer service expert Shep Hyken (www.hyken.com) comments on a recent J.D. Power and Associates customer service survey. “The survey confirms what I’ve been preaching for years; that customer service is common sense that, unfortunately, isn’t so common. It is the great companies that consistently deliver a customer service experience that meets, if not exceeds, expectations. And, much of this experience is common sense.”

Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates backs this up in a recent customer satisfaction study of the automotive industry. In an explanation of how and why the leading brands were rated so high by their customers, Mr. Osborn stated:

"There are several practices that the highest-ranked brands consistently perform that help elevate customer service satisfaction levels, including providing prompt service appointments; greeting the customer immediately on arrival; knowing the vehicle's service history; returning vehicles to customers in a clean condition; and offering alternative transportation to customers leaving their cars for service. These courtesies may seem intuitive, but many dealers do not provide them consistently.”

Mr. Osborn says these courtesies may seem intuitive; in other words: common sense! And it appears that while many dealers are doing them, it is inconsistency that brings down their customer satisfaction scores.

Most of us know what good customer service is. It is intuitive: common sense. So, why do some companies have problems delivering customer service?

The simple answer is lack of consistency, and the reason for that is twofold: (1) Not recognizing great service opportunities and (2) little or no training.

So, that is the “Why.” Now it is time to give you the “How To.” Here is the lesson – from the soon-to-be-released book by Shep Hyken titled “The Cult of the Customer.”

The answer, while simple, can be complicated to implement. Here is something to get you started.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Now, make this your own personal case study. Show what works well and what could happen if these Touch Points are mismanaged.

4. 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.

This is just a start. Want a little help? Download a form from “The Cult of the Customer” website that can help you “map” the customer service process. We call it the Touch Points Chain. Go to www.CultOfTheCustomer.com/form-touch-points.

About Shep Hyken

Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is an author and speaker who helps companies build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. He is also the author of “Moments of Magic” and “The Loyal Customer.” For more information about the book, please visit www.CultOfTheCustomer.com or contact Shep Hyken; (314) 692-2200 or shep@hyken.com.

Start an AMAZEMENT REVOLUTION! Shep Hyken’s new book “The Cult of the Customer – How to Create an Amazing Customer Experience That Turns Satisfied Customers into Customer Evangelists” will be released in April 2009.(Published by Wiley, hardback and 256 pages.) Whatever employees experience on the inside of a company is similar to what customers will experience (on the outside). Is your company in “alignment?” Does every employee understand the vision? Do employees love their jobs? This book is filled with lessons, strategies and case studies that will show you how to build a customer service culture that will amaze your customers (and employees) and make them say, “Wow!” Pre-order today and receive a number of special gifts. Go to www.CultOfTheCustomer.com.