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Customer Care Corner
4th Article by Director of Customer 1st International Limited (UK).
Stephanie Edwards
Continued from "Who Needs Customers?"
Organisations must not be complacent, but develop a customer focused culture, a ”can-do attitude,“ keeping the customer at the heart of their business.
Develop Customer Service Standards
World class leaders develop 'Customer Service Standards' for both internal and external customers, promoting the 'Promises to Customers'. These standards inform your customers of what to expect from your organisation and it is vital that you consider here what is important to customers. The Institute of Customer Service commissioned a research project led by Professor Bob Johnston of Warwick Business School, and he discovered the gold nuggets that can keep customers happy:
 Deliver the promise.. Do what you say you will do.
Keep transactions personal.. People are individuals, so treat them how you would like to be treated.
Go the extra mile.. Give your customers something extra to keep them loyal.
Handle complaints professionally.. This is paramount, because research tells us that 91% of complainants will stay loyal to an organisation if their complaint is handled professionally. They will also become your most loyal ambassadors and tell others about your brilliant service recovery.
Create your own Customer Service Ambassadors
If customer service standards are to be integrated into the business with any hope of buy-in from staff, then your employees must be involved in the development process. They must be trained and given the appropriate knowledge, skills and competencies to deal with customers professionally. Your customer service people represent your brand and can either delight your customers or destroy your business.
Ensure your Processes are Customer-Centric
Many organisations drive staff and customers to despair by creating complicated and lengthy processes which frustrate staff and customers alike. Ask your staff what can be done to improve the service they give to customers and how processes could be simplified to ensure customer satisfaction.
Review and Measure Performance
Onve you have created your strategy towards service excellence, do not get complacent, review and evaluate your company's performance. This means that specific areas of customer service excellence can be celebrated by the teams responsible. Where pockets of under-performance are highlighted, individuals can be coached and redirected towards the standards of customer service expected by the business.
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