Companies like to think their clients love their customer service. But customers often disagree.
In a survey conducted by Bain, a consulting firm, 80% of companies believed they provided a superior customer experience. Only 8% of their customers agreed with them.
It doesn't matter what the company thinks. As Walmart founder Sam Walton said, there is only one person that can fire everyone in a company: the customer.
Companies must serve customers right in many ways to deliver a great experience, says consultant Dave Stubberfield. That includes staying true to the brand and keeping employees interested, says Stubberfield, who with Alan Williams wrote "Supercharging the Customer Experience."
Deliver Content With Context To Enhance Customer Service
In today's data-driven world, businesses assume knowledge and information about customers is of paramount important. But context is even more valuable, Stubberfield says.
Start by targeting the areas of your business that matter most to you and your customers, says Christoph Senn, founder and CEO of Valuecreator, a consulting firm. That's a place you can add value.
For example, a company selling health products might also provide content about ways to improve wellness. This could be through guides for exercise, nutrition and other tailored information. It's a way of adding value to the products being sold.
Companies miss out on ways to better connect with customers when they only sell products, says Mehak Gandhi, the head of research and development at Valuecreator. Pushing product sales is a "shortsighted and narrow view" of customer engagement, she said.
Find ways to add content with context to your products. Doing so will generate "10 times the touchpoints to create value with customers," said Senn.
Empower And Appreciate Employees To Enhance Customer Service
Next, don't overlook the value of the link between customers and your employees.
"Remember from a customer perspective, employee behavior often trumps technical competence," Stubberfield said. "Strive for brand identity consistency — every touchpoint, every day, everywhere."
Customer-facing employees can connect with employees better than any computers can. Consider how these employees' compensation packages could reflect the importance of their role as custodians of your organization's brand, Williams says.
And make sure you call out and reward any heroic moves by employees to help customers. "It might be the best return on investment you ever make," Williams said.
Of course, this isn't entirely new thinking. Businessman and author Stephen R. Covey put it like this: "Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers."
Seek Employee Feedback
Relying on employees to manage the customer relationship to this degree requires great trust. You probably ask customers for their feedback. But it's just as important to ask employees for input, too. That can help improve the customer experience, Stubberfield says.
And don't just listen to suggestions, implement the applicable ones. Get employee feedback through engagement surveys and open forums. Also, flat-out ask for suggestions on how to improve how the company treats customers.
Be on the lookout for policies and procedures in your organization that "get in the way" of delivering a great customer experience. Correct them immediately, Stubberfield says.
Also, "constantly remind yourself and all colleagues that without customers, your organization does not exist," Williams said.
Act To Enhance Customer Service
According to Senn's research, most plans to improve the customer experience are still just wish lists. Only about 15% of these plans are formally put into action as they lack some customer input needed to validate them.
What's needed to validate a plan? You need analysis, strategy and action. And it's worthwhile to take these steps. Leaders with validated plans to focus on customer happiness, Senn found, doubled sales in three years.
His research shows only 14% of senior managers adopted a customer-centric perspective. But those who did reported sales and profitability growth twice that of their peers.
Never Lose The Human Touch To Enhance Customer Service
Don't count on tech handling these challenges for you. The latest digital tool might be tempting. But do the research to make sure it adds long-term value for your organization, Williams says.
To determine the complete value of any customer-facing technology, here's a way to think of it, Williams said. "Put yourself in the slippers of your customer when they're sitting at home in their pajamas sipping on a beverage of choice — and ensure your digital experience is designed for their benefit," he said.
