From a viral video to a positive review, a customer’s motivation to share their experience with your product or service usually comes down to remarkability. By remarkable we mean something that is worth commenting on and sharing with others.
Sharing can be in the form of ratings, reviews, comments, posts, and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth. For small businesses, what your company offers must be remarkable.
The largest opportunity to make a guest’s experience notable lies within the domain of customer interaction.
How do you instill a culture in your small business that motivates your staff to deliver consistently remarkable customer service, that will result in increased customer loyalty and revenues?
Here are six steps to delivering consistently on your customer promise and improving your business.
Customer Service Starts and Ends at the Top
Customer service begins and ends with YOU, the owner. Nothing else really matters. #smallbusiness #customerservice Share on XAll other efforts are pointless, unless the owners truly believe in the value of delivering remarkable customer service.
Do you believe your customers are looking to take advantage of you? Or do you realize that the vast majority of them are honest and will reward you with their loyalty if you treat them right?
Are your employee policies all about control and avoiding theft? Or is your staff truly empowered to take care of the customer?
The “Employee of the Month” plaque on the wall is meaningless if the owners and management of the company don’t truly believe in delivering remarkable customer service. The investment from the top includes believing in and instilling a persistent culture of superior service.
Culture
The interaction between customer and company has become increasingly transparent, thanks in part to technology. Culture is everything in today’s business environment. Customers can smell insincerity from a mile away. Part of a brand’s culture must be built from the values and core beliefs of the company’s owners. Your company must foster an environment where a passion for remarkable customer service can thrive.
Furthermore, culture is a living, breathing organism that needs to be supported and nurtured. It evolves over time, but the core tenets should never waiver.
Systems
Systems are the ways in which a company’s culture is carried out consistently and repeatedly. Without the infrastructure of systems (including software, manuals, forms, training, and checklists), remarkable customer service deteriorates quickly. Therefore systems are the key to executing consistently in every aspect of your business.
As it relates to customer service, your employee training and development systems are critical. Above all, well trained employees that have access to the protocols and procedures which foster good client relationships are a key to the success of any business.
Employees
Your culture and systems mean nothing without the right team of highly motivated people to execute them. When it comes to your company’s team of workers, it’s important to take the time and focus on finding people that will make a good fit.
Always remember to hire slowly, and fire quickly. If a member of the staff is not a good fit, it is critical to sever ties quickly. Remember, just because an employee is not suited for a particular position it doesn’t make them a bad person or poor worker. It’s just likely not a good fit. Furthermore, when hiring customer-facing employees, personality and character are often more important than skills or experience.
Listen and Measure
How do you know if you are delivering consistently remarkable customer experiences? Above all, you and your management team must listen and measure to objectively assess your progress and execution. Your customers will tell you what they think about your product and service, but you have to listen and be receptive to their feedback. Also, You must measure, and reward or correct, how your staff is executing. Doing so keeps your focus on customer service top-of-mind throughout your entire organization.
From online reviews to mystery shoppers, the trick is to make sure to listen and take into account what your customers are saying. Also, try listening for broad themes that permeate from a variety of sources.
Execute Consistently
Consistency is the true test of your commitment to delivering remarkable customer experiences. Are you dedicated to delivering remarkable service for the life of your business, or is it just a phase?
An individual customer does not really care that you have executed flawlessly on the previous thousand customers because it’s their transaction and interaction that matters most. Furthermore, a high opinion from one customer can cancel out by a bad opinion from another. And people are more likely to share a poor experience than a positive one. This is a reality which is greatly amplified by the relative anonymity and ease of the internet to share with others and encourage everyone to become a critic.
Delivering consistently, with each customer and every interaction, is the most difficult thing to achieve, and above all, it should be your ultimate goal.
Being remarkable is often what sets us apart from the competition. Our products and services must be of high quality, but it’s the experiences our customers enjoy when they interact with us that they value and share the most.
Henry Lopez has over 34 years of diverse business experience, including successful careers in the information technology industry, sales, sales training and business ownership. He is currently involved in several businesses, and is the Co-Host of The How of Business Podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. [full bio]