Cling to and own these principles if you want to win and succeed.
The customer always comes first
They truly must come first. It may be hard to agree with the statement that “the customer is always right.” Yet, you have to accept that mindset to create and grow a successful business and maintain your gains.
Treat the customer better than you would want to be treated
Unfortunately, when you tell your team or others to do things as they would want, that can lead to a lot of different outcomes. Maybe some of your team members like to be hit or be screamed at, or to get the silent treatment. You might be surprised.
Instead, aim to treat all of your customers far better than you would want to be treated.
You don’t have a business without the customer
You and everyone in your organization must respect and appreciate the fact that without customers, and without satisfied and happy customers, there is no business. There is no company, no stock options, no paychecks or jobs. There won’t even be an employer to sue for being let go.
Investors during fundraising will expect from startups to show on their pitch decks great retention rates of customers and without having a product or service that people want there is nothing that can be done.
The customer is the most important person in your world
It follows that the customer is the most important person in the world for every individual and system in your organization.
It doesn’t matter how much you love your spouse, kids, mom, or puppy. You won’t be able to provide for any of them if you don’t treat your customers exceptionally well first.
This can take great empathy to get right. Fortunately, empathy can be learned too.
Be hyper responsive
The number one thing your organization can do to deliver acceptable customer service is to be hyper responsive.
That means being instantly available at all times. With all of the technology and remote talent available today in different time zones, there is no reason that you can give human help 24/7 via voice, chat, video, social, email, text and more.
If you really can’t do that, then you need exceptional AI and chatbots to help, which are indistinguishable to human service.
Take accountability, always
This is going to require extreme accountability. If there is an issue with product, deliver, service or customer service, you can’t blame the customer. You must take accountability. Own it. Make it right. Tweak as needed to avoid a repeat of that issue.
Be an active listener
You can’t deliver great service if you are doing all of the talking. You must learn to listen. Listen well. Actively listen, absorb and take action on that new information. In fact, sometimes, just listening is what will mean great customer service.
Regularly be a customer of your own business
You can’t possibly know if you are delivering great customer service if you are not going through being a customer and their experience.
Spending time on the front lines and in the customer service department is a great first step, but it isn’t enough. You have to literally put yourself in their shoes and go through the steps to experience it.
Remember that everyone is a customer
Customers are not just paying existing customers. They are also your past customers and prospects. They are your investors, team, vendors, acquirers, your uber driver, and those who your drivers speed by in their brand wrapped company vehicles.
Don’t abuse your customers
One famous company used to have the slogan “don’t be evil.” They did away with that for some reason.
Know that sooner or later you will be found out. No matter how much success you appear to have accumulated up until then, it will all be lost in an instant.
Be careful what you do with their data, and how transparent you are about that.
How To Make These Principles Effective In Your Organization
It is easy to read these principles of great customer service. Without a plan and actionable steps and systems, it is extremely difficult to make the best intentions a reality.
Here are some of the ways you can ensure they are lived out every day:
Lead by example
Your teams will do what they see and hear you do, not what you say.
Put it in your values statements
Make great customer service one of your core company culture values, and keep it visible.
Hire for it
Hire people based on their ability and track record for delivering amazing customer service.
Fire for it
You get the behaviour you reward, and less of what you visible and tangible penalize. Demonstrate that delivering poor customer service is not acceptable in your company.
Bonus for it
Incentivize and motivate your teams to deliver it with financial bonuses. This can also gamify it, and create positive peer pressure to perform in your ranks.
Measure it
What gets measured gets improved. If you aren’t measuring it, then you have no idea how terribly you are doing.
Be Clear On Customer Service Standards
Set clear standards and expectations for everyone as to what counts as great customer service, and not.
NPR Scores & Surveys
Tracking NPR scores and using regular, non-obtrusive and annoying surveys is a great way to keep a handle on your performance.
Empower Your Team To Deliver It
All of the above is completely useless unless you truly empower every single person in your organization to deliver exceptional customer service.