Does everyone, including the front line, the support staff, the sales force and all your managers, deliver outstanding service every single day? Slogans on the wall or mission statements on your website don’t cut it unless they are put into practice.
In a recent Bain & Company survey, 80% of companies believe they deliver a superior customer experience, but only 8 percent of their customers agree. Bottom line: Do you meet your customers’ expectations?
A Quick Quiz:
Rate your business or organization by answering each statement with a:
1 = No, not really 2 = Occasionally 3 = Yes, definitely
1. We make sure everyone, from the top floor to the shop floor, knows who our customers are, what they expect and how to meet those expectations.
2. We emphasize with our new hires the importance of everyone being responsible for serving both internal and external customers.
3. We identify processes and procedures that hinder the customer’s experience with our services and products.
4. We train all our managers on how to lead their teams to make service quality the #1 priority.
5. We continually train our front line and support staff to sharpen their customer care skills.
6. We have a rewards program that recognizes everyone for providing outstanding service, not just customer service people
7. We use surveys, focus groups and other feedback programs to measure, monitor and manage customer satisfaction.
8. We are flexible enough and have processes in place to implement changes based on customer and employee suggestions.
9. Our information technology system(s) supports our front line, field and support personnel in delivering fast and efficient service.
10. We realize that the smallest things can have the biggest impact on our customers’ perception of our organization.
Your Score:
21-30: Take a bow. But don’t rest on your laurels. Continue to monitor your operations to make sure they are customer friendly. Make sure everyone continues to do things that will delight the customer.
11-20: Keep up the good work. You are certainly on the road for bringing your customers to the heart of your operations. Now it’s time to push forward. Pick one or two areas you rated a (2) – occasionally -and move them up to a (3) - yes, definitely.
1-10: Don’t despair. There are many things you can do to begin working on making service quality a higher priority. Start browsing these posts: Are You Easy or Difficult to Do Business With? and Customers Have Long Memories. Then determine what you need to do to be more customer or client focused.
Smart Moves Tip:
No matter whether you manufacture, grow, distribute, sell or treat, you are ‘in the business to serve your customers or clients well. You can’t fake customer focus. Nor can the motivational slogans or programs make it happen. What can is a resounding yes to this question: Is the entire organization, including the front line, the support staff, the sales force and all the managers focused on delivering superior service every single day? Nothing else counts!
Are You Ready to Make That Happen?
The Customer Experience is a unique reality check program that connects you with your customers AND your people to build the 4 R’s of business success – better reputation, retention, referrals and revenue. Let’s talk!
Tags: business advice, business management training, customer experience, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, Marcia Zidle
