Great customer service is not rocket science. Customer service is not a department. It is a simple philosophy that should be practiced by everyone in an organization, regardless of position and/or title, and can be broken down into four basic parts. While volumes of books have been written on great service, these four points could be considered the starting point: the basics. By understanding these very simple concepts, you will be well on your way to creating more magical moments for your customers.

1. Common Sense: This means making the obvious. It’s a little more than treating your customers the way you’d like to be treated. But, it’s not much more. It’s simply treating your customers the way they want to be treated. Understand that what you would expect might be different from what your customer might expect. For example, a bellhop might work at a very expensive hotel. You will probably never stay in a hotel like the one you work at. He would never demand the same level of service and attention that hotel guests demand, but he still understands what they want and want and delivers.

2. Flexibility: Rules and policies are nothing more than guidelines. Don’t let “company policy” get in the way of making a customer happy. However, eventually there is a point where you have to take a position. Despite what you may have heard, the customer is not always right. But, they are always the customer. So, if they’re wrong, let them be wrong with dignity. Do what you can, within reason, to make sure your customer is always happy. I remember the CEO of a major company who got all of his people together and told them, “Do whatever it takes to make the customer happy.” Well, they did, and they nearly bankrupted the company. Along with empowering people to be flexible goes training. If properly trained, the employee can offer what the customer perceives as a “whatever it takes” attitude, and the employees won’t bankrupt the company.

3. Problem solving: There are two types of problems to solve: business and non-business. Business issues include dealing with complaints and meeting customer needs. These customers come to you to satisfy a complaint or to help them with a problem, and you need to be there to help them. Then there are the non-business issues that have nothing to do with what you and your business do on a day-to-day basis. An example of a non-business related issue might be a person getting a flat tire across the street from our workplace. They come to us for help. How do we react? Do we tell them that there is a pay phone at the end of the street or do we help them by picking up the phone and calling a tow truck? Solving non-commercial problems is a potential way to build good public relations. And, you never know, but this person could become your next client.

4. Recovery – This is probably one of the most important points. I don’t care how good you are. You can have a long term satisfied customer for years to come. As soon as something bad happens, you have to recover. It is that recovery that will be that client’s final judgment on how good you really are. Remember, studies have shown that it is much less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to get a new one. Do what you can to not only recover from a problem, but also to give the customer renewed confidence to continue doing business with you again. Sometimes this means going beyond simply fixing a problem. Sometimes you have to get the client back in. For example, a restaurant that had a problem with a guest’s food might not only remake dinner, but also offer a complimentary appetizer the next time the guest returns. The restaurant not only resolved the complaint, but also provided an incentive for the customer to return.

There you have four basic components of a good customer service strategy. These simple yet powerful tools are the key to customer service success and will create many MAGIC MOMENTS!

Copyright ©2003 by Shep Hyken, CSP and Shepard Presentations, LLC