Customer Service: What Happened to Serving the Customer?

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Raising the expectation – why the culture of a company should be focused on serving the customer

​I used to hear the adage, “The customer is always right,” but it seems now that whenever I’m standing in line at a retail establishment or holding in a phone queue, the phrase has become, “The customer is a necessary evil.” What happened to the focus of serving and making the customer happy? Having a customer is a privilege for any company, and serving that customer should be the company’s mission and purpose. At Monscierge, our goal is to meet our customers’ needs before they even know they have them, to always pleasantly surprise our customers with exceptional support and to serve them.  This, we believe, should be the minimum standard for a company who has customers of any kind – but then, go one step further.  With every customer contact we have the honor of experiencing, we want to not only meet their needs, please them and make them glad they’re our customer – we want to find one extra way to be of service.  We’re not here to make sure they just have no complaints; we’re here to serve. How have your customers felt served? How do you let them know they’re appreciated and that you’re grateful for them? When you speak to a customer on the phone, do they get the impression that you’re glad they called, or do they wind up feeling like their call was an interruption and a nuisance to your work?  Each customer should feel like they are your only customer, or your favorite customer; they should get the impression from talking to you that you are excited that they called and offered you an opportunity to serve them once again. Your voice and demeanor should reflect, “I’m so happy you’ve contacted me – now I have another chance to serve you.” We can all think of the place we love to eat or the store we love to shop at the most; is it 100% because of their product or their price? Chances are, the service has a lot to do with why you return over and over to an establishment and keep giving them business. According to Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report, even in a negative economy, customer experience is a high priority for consumers, with 60% often or always paying more for a better experience. If everyone offered the same product, at the same price, what would your business offer that sets you apart and makes everyone want to come to you?  It would be service; it would be the fact that you make your customers feel welcome and appreciated. At Monscierge, we strive to be the leaders in service – yes, we offer a really amazing product that we whole-heartedly believe in, but what we offer long after our products are installed is support, service and gratitude to our customers for allowing us to be a part of their daily environment.  Do your customers feel the same?