I was speaking to a doctor recently about customer service and I said, as I always do to anyone in the medical industry, that many times doctors provide the worst customer experience. The doctor took exception and replied, “I have asked at least a hundred people would they prefer a doctor who diagnoses the symptom and cures the problem but maybe doesn’t spend time chatting or would they like a very polite, outgoing, engaging doctor who cannot resolve their medical problem? And every single person said they would like the competent doctor over the friendly noncompetent doctor.”
To which I replied, “Why can’t it be both?”
The recession has been a very positive thing. As a result of the economic downturn, customer service (as a tangible, financial asset on the balance sheet) has finally gotten the recognition it deserves. A one-point improvement in a company’s satisfaction scores can result in as much as a 7 percent increase in cash flow.
As a result, we no longer have to accept a knowledgeable attorney who never returns calls or a dry cleaner who does great work, yet the counterperson has a bad attitude. Why bother with a receptionist who determines how soon you get your appointment based on the mood of the day or an award-winning hairdresser who makes you feel like you are on an assembly line?
While the gap has widened between the haves and the have-nots with regard to companies investing in delivering a better customer experience than before, there are more companies getting worse and the “average” is disappearing.
I always say I am glad I have a qualified CPA who knows how to utilize the accounting laws and saved me $25,000 last year. However, I am pretty sure there are a number of excellent accounting firms with well-trained, up-to-date CPAs who know the same changes in the accounting world. So whether it is financial brilliance, medical, legal or whatever, the following statement applies. (Add your own technical expertise to this sentence.)
“_______________ brilliance is a commodity.”
John R. DiJulius III, known as the authority on world-class customer experiences, is the best-selling author of “Secret Service: Hidden Systems that Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service” and “What’s the Secret? To providing a World-Class Customer Experience” (April 2008). He is also president of The DiJulius Group, a firm specializing in giving companies a superior competitive advantage by helping them differentiate on delivering an experience and making price irrelevant. Reach him at
