One workshop participant asked this question about grading customer service excellence: “I’m designing a performance measurement system for our in-house technology team and have run into a disagreement with my boss. “He would grade a support technician as ‘A’ if the Service Level Agreement (SLA) norms have been met, and ‘A+’ for any additional enthusiasm
This bizarre report about the need to improve customer experience arrived from a perturbed customer in Asia: “I wanted to play golf at a prestigious course in town, so I went to the Pro-Shop to book a time. “The attendant at the counter said she could not take my booking in person as she was
A large bank came to me for the first time seeking a big improvement in its retail counter service. They asked me for “customer service training” but also complained about the shallow impact of classroom training efforts from other providers. I was hesitant. When there is a need to improve customer satisfaction, classroom training is
Many companies treat customer service as a necessary evil, an afterthought, only needed if mistakes and problems arise. This viewpoint is best reflected in the antiquated mindset: “No news is good news!” When it comes to customers, that’s bad news! When you hear nothing – good, bad or otherwise – you will never know what
As an organizational goal, “customer satisfaction” is obsolete. Customers expect satisfaction, and many businesses deliver it. Satisfying customers is not enough to ensure you get their praise and future business. Taking steps to improve customer loyalty, however, can prove much more beneficial to a company. Motorola is one of the original benchmark companies for “Total
Taking the time to find out if you’re doing things right in your customers’ eyes is important. Customer satisfaction is essential for success. Taking the time to measure customer loyalty is also important. Building a business to survive the long haul demands not only satisfaction, but also loyalty. When you measure customer loyalty, you can
When you respond to a customer complaint, what do you hope will happen next? In many cases, the answer is “nothing.” But when you reply and the result is silence, have you genuinely resolved the issue? Is your customer truly satisfied? Or have they simply gone quiet, and maybe gone away? Did you use good
How can a company produce zero-defect products, boast dramatic cycle-time reductions, be certified for consistent, reliable performance…and still lose valuable customers? Doesn’t the systematic effort to reduce waste, improve yields and streamline processes lead to better service, higher profits and serve to improve customer loyalty? The answer is “not necessarily.” Here’s why: Quality Assurance (QA)
Taking measures to improve customer experience don’t always have to be obvious to the customer. Sometimes there is a need to improve internal functioning to benefit a company and its employees. A great example of a need to improve customer experience by tweaking internal structures comes from one of my own clients. The Corporate Events
We recently escaped to a fancy resort for a weekend of relaxation, anticipating excellent customer service skills from the staff. In the lobby we were welcomed by a staff member with a clipboard. He asked if we wanted our breakfast delivered to our room in the morning, or if we planned to eat at the
