Customer Service - Where did it go?

Self-service gas stations, self-service check-outs, kiosks in restaurant, automated phone systems, on-line reservations...do you ever wonder if the customer experience is really considered when companies roll-out a new process?

In a world gone automated and in danger of losing the art of customer service, I notice an interesting paradox in the fast food industry at Chick-fil-A. Instead of pushing customers to a kiosk, they’ve added people to take orders personally in the drive-up line. Instead of having customers wait and pick-up at the counter, they have employees deliver food to customers while seated at their tables. Instead of debating or arguing with customers over errors and delays, they assume that the customer is correct and quickly act to make the situation right (or better than right). The result for me, I prefer the experience there over any other fast food restaurant that I visit; and apparently, I am not alone. In August, Chick-fil-A was officially named America’s favorite fast restaurant, with a record breaking 79% loyalty rate.

There are many valid reasons to change the way we do business: new technology, efficiency, profitability, scarcity of resources, etc.; but overlooking an honest and thorough analysis of the potential effects on the customer experience is self-defeating. We can have the best product on the market in our field, but if it isn’t backed up with a great customer experience, we are wasting our time.

In The Service Culture Handbook, A Step By Step Guide to Getting Your Employees Obsessed with Customer Service, Jeff Toister gives a step by step process on how to create a company that is focused on customer service.

The first step he talks about is creating a corporate culture that focuses on the customer. This can be as formal as writing a Customer Service Vision Statement, as encompassing as a complete handbook on how to handle situations, or as simple as modeling from the top down. But no matter what, you have to define the culture that you want your employees to exude.

The second step is to truly engage your employees with the vision of incredible customer service. It is not enough to draft a statement and then hang it on the wall. Your Mission statement has to be something that is lived out.

The third step is to see what is causing conflict or friction around carrying out great customer service. This can include training your employees, educating them, and empowering them. Employees must be supported with authority, resources, and procedures to get things done. We see this lived out at Chick-Fil-A, that any associate can make a customer order correct when questioned. They do not need to go and seek a manager; they simply can make that decision.

Shep Hyken, in his book Be Amazing or Go Home, states that, “Great customer service starts with focusing on your employees.” If the company’s employees do not experience the same value, promise, and treatment that is promised in the customer service vision statement, then they will be unable to pass that on to the customers. If employees are not treated with respect and dignity, they will never pass that on to customers. Employees have to feel as if

they are appreciated, that they are passionate about what they do, and that it is truly the heart of the leaders of the company to treat others well.

And the last and final step (and pay attention that it wasn’t listed first) is hiring the right employees. This isn't the most important step, but it can make a huge difference in your culture. Back in The Service Culture Handbook, Toister states, “Customer service isn’t a job that is right for everyone. The qualities we expect in a customer service professional, such as friendliness, helpfulness, and empathy, do not come naturally for many people. That is why companies need to be picky about who they hire for customer-facing roles.” (pg 93.)

So how does your customer service rate? Do you communicate your vision for customer service well? Are you easy to work with and for? Are your reliable? Do you show respect to your employees? Is your quality of work good? Are you building personal relationships? What can you begin doing differently today that will enhance the experience of your customers?