Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on September 21, 2009 under General | 
Business Week announced their 2009 Customer Service Champs; the top 25 businesses offering the best customer service experience. This is the third year Business Week has ranked businesses based on the quality of staff, efficiency of service, likeliness to refer and the percentage that will make a return visit.
Leading the pack this year is Amazon.com. No surprise there – their understanding of what the customer wants and making it easy to obtain is a key to their success. Interestingly enough – they didn’t even make the top 25 in the first Customer Service Champs list of 2007.
In the article spotlighting customer service in a tough economy by Jena McGregor, she says that many companies are struggling with their service as they face layoffs which make it more difficult to offer the higher level of service consumers are demanding. However, she says that those on the top of the service charts are finding ways to make cuts other places beside programs and policies that focus on providing great customer service:
…the best performers are actually doing more to safeguard service in this recession. Bruce D. Temkin, principal analyst for customer experience at Forrester Research (FORR), says about half of the 90 large companies he recently surveyed are trying to avoid cuts to their customer service budgets. “There’s some real resilience in spending,” says Temkin.
That’s especially true for many of the winners of our third annual ranking of Customer Service Champs. Top performers are treating their best customers better than ever, even if that means doing less to wow new ones. While cutting back-office expenses, they’re trying to preserve front-line jobs and investing in cheap technology to improve service.
If anything, the tough economy has made starker the difference between companies that put customers first and those that sacrifice loyalty for short-term gain.
Now is the time to stand out from your competition by understanding the customer’s expectations and providing what they need and expect! As you look down the list of this year’s top 25, I think you will find yourself nodding in agreement with the selections. Businesses like The Ritz, Nordstroms, Trader Joe’s, and JetBlue Airways. If they can do it – why can’t we?
Interested in making comparisons?
2007 Champs
2008 Champs
2009 Champs
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on August 17, 2009 under Customer Moments, Training |
I had the pleasure of taking a class “The Anatomy of a TV Script” from Emmy nominated television writer/co-executive producer, Ellen Sandler. Ellen worked on such popular shows as Taxi, Coach and Everybody Loves Raymond.
The two-day class covered a brief overview of the key components of a successful script, using the script entitled No Fat from “Raymond” for which Ellen was nominated for an Emmy. During the class, Ellen had many quotable comments, but the one that really hit me between the eyes is this:
“Simple isn’t easy…it’s just simple.”
Ellen was talking about writing scripts but it also relates to customer service. We point to examples of excellent service and we’ve even offered excellent service ourselves, but why aren’t we consist?
Great customer service is so simple. It’s about building relationships, effective listening skills and matching needs to solutions. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
Yet, why do so few businesses offer great service?
In the words of Ellen: simple isn’t easy.
So how do we make the simple ideas behind great customer service become easy?
- Clearly identify what great service looks like to your customer
- Practice makes perfect
- Reinforce great service when you see it happen – right when it happens
- Encourage and evaluate less than great service right after the customer leaves (what went well, what could you have done differently?)
- Keep the lines of communication open with your customer to stay on top of their changing needs
- Re-evaluate your service components – those things you will ALWAYS do for your customer
So simple isn’t easy but that doesn’t mean that simple is impossible.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on July 20, 2009 under Customer Moments, Resolving Conflict, making a difference |
Remember my friend Paul at Best Buy? I went back and purchased from him – we had a blast. The refrig and stove were due tomorrow.
I say were because a glitch came up in my order. Mostly my fault. I needed a drop in stove but wanted a shove in one (they are less expensive) and it caused communication challenges between the installer, the counter top guy, Best Buy and me.
In the end – I postponed that portion of the order – still getting the new refrig tomorrow - THREE door. Can’t wait. It’s like my kids feel about a new computer game.
ANYWAY – before cancelling the stove order for right now – there were many phone calls this morning and Paul said to me “there goes my great customer service.”
I said – no way. Why isn’t it bad customer service when the customer doesn’t end up with what they set out to get?
COMMUNICATION
Paul stayed on top of the order from the start:
- making phone calls,
- asking questions,
- questioning the answers, and
- keeping me informed along the way
There were reasons beyond Paul’s control that I have postponed the order – nothing to do with his service.
In fact, when a salesperson can help us navigate a challenge – THAT’s when we create a bond that goes on long after my wonderful refrigerator is installed.
My son overheard some of the conversations and when I hung up he said “Is that your friend, Paul?”
No – I told him, that was the sales person at Best Buy.
He said – and you feel comfortable calling him by his name? I said, yes.
I explained that when we first met, Paul started our experience by introducing himself. In fact, yes – I told him. That was my friend Paul on the phone. My NEW friend Paul.
Who am I going to see when I’m ready to order that stove?
You guessed it, Paul. Because even in the challenging times – he was on my side – doing his best work for me.
And THAT is great customer service.
