|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||||
|
It’s true. Great service is nothing to write home about! In working with a broad range of clients in varied industries, I always ask them the same question as part of my learning curve about their company: “What exactly is your dramatic difference?” Only a tiny handful can look me straight in the eye and convincingly articulate the one thing that they believe exactly sets them apart. Most, on the other hand, say the same thing. First the unsure shrug of the shoulders, then the confused twist of the mouth and then the barely audible grumble: “Great service” –as though they were programmed to say so because the marketing department had written it somewhere, or it was scrolled on the wall in their lobby as part of their company values. After all, everyone wins by providing great customer service, right? Wrong. Here’s the truth about great service: Everyone expects it. No one is impressed by it. (Read those two sentences again.) Great service is an old and predictable strategy that is as unremarkable white paint. Companies cannot compete and win by providing great service. It’s more than that. Much more. Today’s best companies compete not on service, but on experience. The experience with which a customer leaves your company is the single greatest indicator of whether or not he or she will be back. The customer’s experience is comprised of absolutely every detail of their interaction with you and your company. That’s right—you are an experience in the customer’s mind. You are the brand! More often than not you (or your people) are what will make the dramatic difference in customer’s mind. Your ability, for example, to connect not only technically, but emotionally as well. To plug in to the customer’s needs and provide real, relevant and remarkable value—these are the ingredients of a remarkable experience. Think of the most remarkable experiences you’ve ever had with an organization. Chances are a person comes to mind. Perhaps your matter was unresolved to your satisfaction, yet still the experience was still remarkably positive simply because the person you were working with cared and you knew she did everything possible to meet your needs. Here’s another truth about the customer experience: A great experience does not presume that the customer is always right. Indeed the customer is not always right. Your organization’s dramatic difference is the one thing that cannot be replicated by your competition. More often than not, this powerful difference lies within your people and the internal culture they create. By making high morale a high priority, you can leverage your difference to create an unbeatable customer experience. So what is your company’s dramatic difference?
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
 |
