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Are You Resting on Your Laurels?

Does your reputation for good service keep you from listening to what the customer needs and is asking for today? After all, reputations are based on past behaviors. Sitting on your laurels, rather than rising to today’s quickly moving customer challenges, can dull your competitive edge, and fast. Want to create a sharper edge and KEEP the customers happy? Trying delivering more CARE than service. Customer CARE is Proactive. It’s based on building authentic and mutually beneficial relationships.

I walked into my new bank today, the one that's so well known for its good service. I happened to be driving past it and dropped in to ask some questions about online banking and meet the manager to let her know about some opportunities they missed in their early dealings with me.

When I first opened my account, I asked some questions the young man couldn’t answer and he was going to call me back (and didn’t). Okay, that happens. But when I finally tracked down my free checks, they were printed wrong. Hmmm. Then I find out that my online banking was not set up, as I thought it was. I’ll take care of this myself. The “800” number people were quick, efficient and friendly. Okay, so that should do it. They said it would take two days. And then left it up to me to check to see if it had been done.

So here I was driving past the bank and decided it would be nice to introduce myself to the manager and just chat with her about the number of places in my experience with them that could have been enhanced by a welcome call or an “I’m sorry” call directly from the manager. The two of us could have bonded over a good laugh about all the things that didn’t go right on my account so far, and she would have had the opportunity to assure me that in the future everything would be handled with a bit more attention.

The manager wasn’t there and after the ultra friendly staff welcomed me, I sat down with the assistant manager. I gave her my card, told her what I do for a living, and told her I’d like to tell her about some opportunities they missed with me, that might be helpful in the future with other new clients, especially business owners.

I’m sorry to say the assistant manager, as cordial as she was, didn’t “get” what I was trying to do. When I told her that a welcome call to a new business account holder would have been a nice touch, she went on and on about a thank you note that was sent after every new account was opened. She even showed me one to see if I might have visual recall after I told her I couldn’t remember seeing one.

She immediately began to tell me about their service reputation – and I agreed that's what got me in the door initially. I think what she didn’t get was now that she got me there, it was time to listen specifically to what I was suggesting and let go of her notions of what service was going to look like for me. When I realized that my words were not going to be heard in the spirit of which I was offering them, I got to the business of asking my questions and dropped the idea of discussing missed opportunities. She agreed to have the manager call me when she returned.

The experience left me with an aching question that I want to share with you.

Want to create a sharper edge and KEEP the customers happy? Trying delivering more CARE than service. Customer CARE is Proactive. It’s based on building authentic and mutually beneficial relationships. Friendly is a part of it – but not ALL of it.

Customer CARE is always looking for a need to fill. Ask “How can I listen deeply to my customer and find their real and unarticulated needs?”

It’s always oriented toward solution. It’s an opportunity to show customers how good you really are, not how good you think you are.

It’s always asking for feedback. Ask “What could we do to make it easier, better, more comprehensive, more user friendly?”

It’s always looking for ways to improve. Remember what I always say, “If you are not getting better – you cease being good.”

It’s always committed to excellence. It’s “exceeding the need.”

It’s always, always all ways searching for ways to provide more VALUE to your customer, your employee and your community.

So here’s to notching your good customer service up to Exquisite Customer CARE!

JoAnna

P.S. If you’re looking for help and support to do that you owe it to yourself to check out our Customer Care Coach^® weekly customer care leadership program. It’s a sure way to continue getting better and better over time! http://customercarecoach.com.

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach® a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of books such as "Winning at Customer Retention - 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal, and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION."

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.