Focusing on Customer Service Consistency -
Part 2
Consistently pleasant customer experiences produce “raving fans” who spread positive “buzz” about our products and services..
In contrast, even a single unhappy experience can sour a customer, who may
then take her business elsewhere. This customer often doesn’t inform us of
the reason — but does tend to rant unhappily to an even wider circle of
friends, according to the American Management Association.
In Part 1 of this
series, we saw how consumers are able to exercise their choices to achieve
the most enjoyable and efficient experiences possible. This article, Part 2,
explores four more techniques that can help ensure top-to-bottom consistency
in creating positive customer experiences.
Reviewing the First Two Ingredients in the Recipe
The recipe for customer satisfaction contains several key ingredients that
pertain to quality, business systems, marketing/sales, customer service, and
good common sense. Two of the basic ingredients we covered in Part 1 were:
It’s far more cost effective to keep existing customers than to find new
ones. Why? Customer retention research shows that once companies have loyal
customers, the cost of keeping them is just one-fifth the cost of attracting
new ones. Therefore, it makes sense to continuously and consistently delight
them.
It’s critical not to over-promise and under-deliver. Either we can
under-promise and over-deliver — or, over-promise and over-deliver — but, at
all costs, we should strive not to under-deliver. Our credibility and
trustworthiness evaporate whenever we make promises we can’t keep.
Next, let’s look at four additional success criteria.
Ingredient #3: Prevent Variation in Service and Product Quality
For services, preventing variation means being unfailingly helpful and
pleasant in all customer interactions. It means that personnel must be able
to satisfy all of the company's advertised claims. And they’ll also need an
understanding of the creative latitude they’ll have to meet customers’
special needs, to offer the greatest possible “quality in perception.” In
these ways, personnel will have the means by which to “wow” customers —
over-delivering by giving even more than customers expect.
For products, preventing variation means ensuring that every article
produced conforms as tightly as possible to the ideal — as close to
perfection as you can make it. Unlike what you may have learned about
quality decades ago, this requires going beyond merely staying within
tolerances, which was the “old school” of quality thinking. The reason is
that weaknesses can arise from being “barely within specs” — possibly enough
to cause system failure. It’s far more likely when several critical values
together are all “barely within specs,” because the effects can accumulate.
Ingredient #4: Ensure Your Customers’ Downstream Success
Ask yourself: Are you most heavily focused on your own immediate gain — your
own business results — or do you express a vested interest in ensuring that
your customers will succeed? If your emphasis is truly on your customers'
success, then how about your customers’ customers’ success, or even that of
your customers’ customers’ customers?
By consistently emphasizing the downstream chain of successes that your
customers and their customers will enjoy, you'll create consistent,
perpetual value for all who use your offerings. (More on this topic here.)
Ingredient #5: Create Theme-Oriented Products and Services
You can design an imaginative suite of coordinated components with theme
names, slogans, mascots, music, literature, accessories, and services. Such
ensembles will spark your customers’ imaginations and entice them to buy one
after another in the desire to complete a set. Many companies have learned
that customers will gladly pay a premium for a group of collectibles while
raving to their family and friends.
An example of an enterprise that has experienced extraordinary results using
this technique is American Girl. This company pairs authentic doll
characters with historically researched novels that tell the life stories
and adventures of the dolls. It also sells coordinated outfits, period
furniture, and accessories — even hair styling services!
American Girl has quietly exploded from a tiny mail-order business into a
$344 million firm using mostly word-of-mouth advertising. It creates
wholesome, educational offerings for which their ever-expanding clientele
gladly pay top dollar.
Ingredient #6: Design a Mesmerizing, Theme-Based Buying Experience
Taking theme ideas even further, you can create a whimsical buying
atmosphere for your customers, either in a physical storefront, online
store, or both. Your staff might wear costumes or use custom scripts to keep
in step with the characters or theme. The novelty and entertainment value
can spark customers’ imaginations, attracting avid buyers in markets such as
toys, technology, hotels, clothing, accessories, and foods.
In the area of foods, Trader Joe's, which has stores primarily on the east
and west coasts of the U.S., has enjoyed remarkable popularity over the last
several decades. Everything Trader Joe’s does revolves around a tropical,
nautical motif.
The theme dictates what staff members wear, the decorations in the stores,
and the unique, exotic, low-cost, private-label foods it sells. Walking into
any store feels like arriving at an island vacation spot. The clang of
ship’s bells punctuates the sounds of Hawaiian shirt-clad staff members
chatting cheerfully with customers. The quality, selection, value, and
whimsical, theme-based atmosphere attract a steadily growing base of “raving
fan” shoppers.
In conclusion, these powerful tips can help you create customer
satisfaction, loyalty, and endless word-of-mouth promotion. To reap the
benefits of the fun and creative ideas, however, don’t overlook the
foundational aspects. This means being sure to over-deliver on what you
promise while maintaining consistency in your product and service quality.
About the Author