Be honest, have you asked yourself recently that if you provide world-class customer service, does your company receive the same bang for the buck that it once did?
Even though we might feel ashamed of asking it, the question itself is more relevant today than ever. The answer, however, is deceptively simple.
If you view the resources needed to produce extraordinary customer service as a cost rather than as your “secret sauce,” then start slashing. If, however, your training, logistics, and customer and product support is your raison d’être, then anything more than right-sizing might be a long-term mistake.
Not surprisingly, many of the associates from the 30 honored companies for the 2009 World Class Customer Service Awards with whom I spoke seemed to agree with this.
After listening to the 80 employees from the 30 organizations articulate why their people, processes or products were world class, I was struck by what was not brought up: not one company mentioned the tough economy.
Additionally, no one opined about how cutting expenses was somehow going to provide some kind of benefit to his or her customers.
Instead, all the honorees discussed in detail how they were transforming their core strengths of customer service into a sustainable competitive advantage. This is why they are winners. So the real question is: Why can’t we all be?
In his seminal work, “Good to Great,” Jim Collins stated that a company’s attempt to become good diminished their chances of ever becoming great. The WCCS honorees understand this idea.
Most of them did not view great customer service as a process. Rather, they treated it as a leap of faith. They recognized that companies that are primarily concerned with becoming good spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about creative ways of cutting costs, slashing people and shedding unprofitable divisions. Companies that are destined for greatness may discuss budgets and investment strategies but become passionate about the prospect of reaching a new customer service milestone.
This occurs because great minds, in fact, do not think alike. Great business minds obsess over new and different ways to delight their current and future customers.
As title sponsor for this prestigious award, I congratulate all 30 honorees on their creative ways of extolling the virtues of customer service. These companies reassured me that the only thing I can count on to be recession-proof is great customer service.
Dan Pyle is managing partner of Metro Lexus, title sponsor of the World Class Customer Service Awards. Reach Metro Lexus at (216) 916-6000 or [email protected].
