Not Your Father’s (Or Mother’s) Customer Service
Customer Service is no longer a department; it’s become a marketing tool..
The manager of the repair department at a large
security camera manufacturer opened the next box to work on that day. Within
the box, he found a competitor’s camera returned for repair.
Without hesitation, the employee fixed the camera, enclosed a current
catalog in the box along with a note stating that he repaired the camera for
free, even though it was not of their manufacture. In doing so, he hopes the
customer will think of his company, when they need to buy more cameras. At
some companies, this employee may have risked
some type of disciplinary action, but not at Pelco.
Pelco, a California based manufacturer of security camera systems, has
developed a customer service brand image of their company. They treat their
customers like gold and vice versa. Once a fledgling sheet metal company,
Pelco has become the #1 security camera manufacturer in the US and #2 in the
world. A big part of their success is because of their customer service
strategy. And the employee in question, he received the outstanding customer
service award for that year.
While ordering a sandwich at Panera Bread recently, I had forgotten to
request a substitution of mustard for horseradish. I hate horseradish. I
picked up my sandwich and before I reached my table I had realized my
mistake. I walked back to the sandwich maker and asked for a replacement.
With a smile and without hesitation, the sandwich maker said “Oh, no
problem!” She stopped what she was doing, and made me a new sandwich. If
there was ever a situation befitting of the platitude, it’s not what you do,
but how you do it, this was it!
Customer Service is no longer a department; it’s become a marketing tool. To
some, customer service has become a way of branding one’s company. If your
company views customer service as a department or function, I am sorry to
say that there is not much you alone can do about it, unless you’re the
boss. It’s like listening to music on cassette tapes in today’s digital
world. It just ain’t happening. You need significant time and capital
investments from your management-top management that is. A customer service
strategy requires commitment from the top in order to work. Strategy? Yes, a
strategy that encompasses a consistent message (Brand) throughout the
organization so the customer feels the same way about your company in every
interaction with your brand. When someone calls Pelco, they get a real live
person on the telephone, not a recording. Why? For one, Pelco employs about
10 full time receptionists, but most importantly because customer service
begins with the first contact with the CUSTOMER.
That sounds like a lot of work. You bet! Creating a customer service
strategy and the resulting branding of your customer service is a life’s
work. According to authors Janelle Barlow and Paul Stewart, in their book,
Branded Customer Service, The New Competitive Edge, there are four customer
service strategies; Customer Service as a Cost, Customer Service as a
Necessity, Customer Service as a Competitive Advantage, and Customer Service
as an Essential Living Expression of the Brand.
The point highlighted by Barlow and Stewart in their analysis of these
strategies and more specifically, the last and most developed of the
strategies, is that customer service is seen as a vital aspect of the
organization. Wow! That’s a salesperson’s nirvana. The flip side of that
point makes it sad to think that every organization does NOT see customer
service as vital.
In today’s hypercompetitive global economy, we are all striving for
differentiation. Making customer service a vital focus in your organization
can transform a forgotten department or role into a competitive advantage.
It gives your employees ownership of a goal they can all achieve and all
benefit from its accomplishment. Just ask Pelco and Panera Bread.
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