Monday, October 1, 2007

Customer Service Voodoo

Customer Service is the elusive, mysterious intangible that so often separates the mediocre from the good from the truly great. Virtually every facet of our daily lives has some aspect of customer service, yet we rarely encounter customer service that is above average and even less do we have a truly outstanding experience.

From our interaction with the cashiers and baggers at our local grocery store to the customer service agent who answers the phone when we call for help with our satellite TV system to the programmers that make the self service gas pump experience occur, we cannot go a single day without at least a dozen customer service interactions.

What makes some experiences good, many others average and a few really great? Some people believe that customer service is innate and that you either get it or you don’t. Whether that is a true statement or not, the world has already shifted to a service oriented environment – stop and think about it, I challenge you to count your customer service interactions today.

From the 2, 3 or more meals that we eat daily to the shopping (online or in person), there are customer service interactions literally all around us. Some are great, others are just horrible and quite a few are solidly in the never-never land of mediocre.

What exactly is it that makes a great customer service interaction? In nearly all cases, there are a combination of things that work together to make a memorable experience. In some cases, they mesh to form an experience which is quite forgettable - the customer does not encounter any issues and is very pleased, there are no complaints!

Over the next few posts, we'll explore some of the basic tenants that form the core foundation of outstanding customer service. See you next time as we uncover and reveal some of the mystique of customer service, to unravel the Voodoo that many do not understand. That magic which is…Customer Service.

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