Customer Service Isn't the Point
Photo Credit: Anna Earl
Customer service matters because people matter.
However, I’m not that crazy about the phrase “customer service” or even “guest service.” The phrase itself implies a transaction. Customer service is what happens when you order coffee from your favorite café. Customer service occurs when you pay for clothing at the mall. Customer service is the transaction that gets your Amazon order to your door step in less than 24 hours. If customer service is boiled down to a mere transaction, then our efforts to improve that service will be limited to technique and tactics. Mere logistics.
Vocabulary matters. Words communicate what we intend…or not. And I think “customer service” limits us.
I prefer the phrase customer experience or guest experience.
Customer service is a transaction.
Customer/Guest Experience suggests a relationship.
Customer service is improved through technique.
Customer/Guest Experience is improved through attitude.
Customer service seeks satisfaction.
Customer/Guest experience seeks loyalty.
Customer service gets the job done.
Customer/Guest experience is the job.
When we focus on creating an extraordinary customer experience, everything suddenly matters. In a physical storefront, local business, church or non-profit the experience begins with web presence. Many people will have at least cruised through your website before interacting with you personally. When your customer or guest decides to personally check out your product or service, the complete exterior of the location matters. Both the website and the physical structure are part of the experience.
You know how this works. Look at your own experiences.
You’ve chosen to not stop at a restaurant based on the condition of the building. You didn’t choose that gas station for a quick restroom break based on the clutter and lack of care in the parking lot. With a web visit and a simple drive-by, we’ve already begun to form an opinion about this organization.
Then the rest of our experience follows. Signage on the windows and doors, cleanliness of the glass, the initial “feel” entering the building - all are part of our experience. Once in the store, non-profit office or church we are tuned into how we’re greeted and how quickly. We’re paying attention to the intuitive (or not) nature of the room or building layout, the aesthetics, climate control, lighting - all involuntarily. At this point we’ve not yet experienced what is too often defined as customer service - the transaction: our request for help, a question we need answered, a product or service we’d like to purchase. We are deep into the experience before any of this. This is not a mere transaction. And if it feels like one, we know we’ve had a lousy customer or guest experience.
The same is true for a call center of any kind: a customer service line, a help desk, a sales representative. The experience begins before the identified need is met (or denied). How long did the phone ring before being answered? How many times did we roll our eyes at the recorded message: “Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and we’ll be with you momentarily.” After this message has been repeated four times we believe our call isn’t important and this business or non-profit has no understanding of the word: “moment.” When the call finally goes through, what is the greeting? How personal is it? What’s the tone of voice? Do we feel like we are the first caller of the day - even at 3 in the afternoon - or are we convinced the service representative is sick of “one more call?”
If you maintain a website, clean a building, answer a phone, respond to an email, serve a remote or live guest in any way - you are the customer experience. And the customer / guest experience matters because people matter.
Whether you own a business or are employed by one; lead a church or you volunteer; oversee a non-profit or assist — you are communicating what you believe to be true about people.
Do you believe every person has intrinsic value?
Do you believe you affirm their value in the way you create and deliver their experience?
Do you believe you matter and your influence makes or breaks the experience your guest or customer encounters with you?
Think about your guests’ or customers’ experience:
Where is the experience unintentional in your organization?
What are the opportunities to move from transactions to experiences?
In what ways can your skills, expertise, personality and influence create an experience that values the people you serve?
