Even the five best customer service ideas may not need to be
used every day. Baron says it's only three or so times a year
that an employee stops billing a client for customer service
reasons. The number of times he turns down a client for
service-related reasons is about the same, he says.
And don't expect to see instant or constant customer service
improvements when you do apply them. "Take the long view, have
a game plan and make choices," says Berry. "This calls
for prioritizing, sequencing and planning. Pick your spots so you
get the most leverage and the most return for the investment you
make."
High-impact moves you can make include Berry's
recommendation of requiring each employee to submit an idea once a
month for improving customer service. "Make it part of their
job description and part of their job evaluation as well," he
says.
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Wiersema advises entrepreneurs to spend an hour each week
listening in on customer service phone calls. "You're
going to get an earful," he warns. "But you'll gain
an appreciation for [recurring] problems."
Perhaps your first move, Berry says, should be to institute a
formal measurement system to calculate the true costs of mediocre
service. "If business owners take the time to properly measure
the revenue lost to customers who left due to poor service and the
extra costs involved in reperforming a service that wasn't
performed properly the first time, the number they come up with
will be so large, it will never again be an issue as to whether
service quality is important in their company," promises
Berry. "It's instant religion."
Whatever it takes to institute that religion, it's worth it.
That's because these five customer service ideas are more than
business tools. They're the stuff of corporate legends--yours.
You know all the other stories of great customer service. Now go
out and createyour own.
Contact Sources
Artist Frame Service, (773) 248-7713
Lenel Systems International, (716) 248-9720, http://www.lenel.com
Sonic Innovations, (801) 288-0993, http://www.sonici.com
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