For several weeks, starting last October, I offer each one of the Rule of Three QUI Takeaways to revolutionize CX. Why only three? Because nobody can remember Number Four. Who is the first President of the United States? Surely, George Washington. Who is Number Four? Who is the first person to walk on the moon? Neil Armstrong, of course. Who is Number Four? (By the way, the answers to who is Number Four are James Madison and Alan Bean.)
With the Rule of Three in mind, here is the second QUI TAKEAWAY: Customer service versus customer CARE.
Doctors and nurses don’t serve their ailing patients. They care. So shouldn’t customer service be customer care?
At the same time, customer service experts have advocated that the the people in customer service are the frontlines. Really? We may logically say that customer service representatives are the frontlines because they are front and center with customers. But customers emotionally feel they are doing battle with the customer service frontlines. So, no more saying that customer service representatives are the frontlines.
Business leaders are happy because their customer service people serve to satisfy their customers. But that’s not good enough. Satisfied customers feel that their experience is good, not better, just average. Nobody raves about average. And satisfied customers will not return as soon as they find an experience that is better or a price that is less expensive.
We have to do better than serve to sell to our customers. And we need to do better than to serve to satisfy our customers. Don’t treat customers as they expect to be treated. And don’t treat customers as YOU expect to be treated. Instead, treat your customers a little better than they expect to be treated. Serve to delight and WOW them. Serve to CARE for your customers.
- COMMUNICATE with every customer with a smile, eye contact, and polite interaction. Inform each customer transparently and interactively of the product’s or service’s function, liabilities, and advantages to them.
- ACKNOWLEDGE each customer’s presence and value to you and your business.
- RESPOND promptly and empathetically to each customer’s questions, concerns, and complaints.
- ENRICH the experiences and, ultimately, the lives of every customer.
And be Magnificently Boring to CARE! Consistently CARE for your customers so repetitively that you feel it is boring, but to every customer, at that moment, you are Magnificent! Customers have an emotional connection with you. The more emotional the connections, the more memorable the experiences, and the more loyal the customers are. Loyal customers will return repeatedly, spend more money, and rave about you to others on social media. Consistency builds trust. Trust builds relationships. Relationships build loyalty. Loyalty builds your business. CARE Magnificently!
Serving customers because you HAVE TO is your job. But giving GREAT customer CARE because you WANT TO is your passion. Customer CARE is having the liberty to determine one’s own actions, in this case, not to satisfy them, but to actualize their happiness. Service is satisfying your customers because you have to please them. Instead, make your customers happy because you want to please them. Emotionally bond with customers when you are interacting with them. Don’t take care of your customers because you have to. CARE for your customers because you want to.
Do more than satisfy your customers. Personalize your interaction to emotionally bond them to you. Then make them happy. Good customer service is having a smile on your face. GREAT customer CARE is having a smile on your customers’ faces.
When it comes to customers and customer CARE, don’t just be good. Be GREAT out there!
Next week: The third QUI TAKEAWAY: Customer service training versus customer CARE education.
#customerservice #customerexperience #customerloyalty #custserv #custexp #cx
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