7 Steps to Developing a "Wow" Customer Service Strategy

Client focus is almost like a buzz phrase these days but if your organization has gotten into a rut of just doing the minimum of what it takes to get the job done, then this article is for you. How often do you leave a business establishment and think, "Wow, that was just incredible customer service!"? Or, how often do you make a call to the customer service hotline and get off the phone thinking, "I feel I've been treated like a king!"? Chances are, not very often. If you're not providing "WOW" customer service, then you're just providing service and that doesn't set you apart from your competition.

One of the best ways to evolve your culture to one with customer service engrained in it is to implement a client-focused strategy that unites your team to achieve the goal. This is a shift that is going to take time; however, if you start with the basics and create a customer-focused infrastructure, you're on your way to setting yourself apart from your competition.

Step 1: Identify your key programs, products, and services. This isn't about getting out your company brochure and saying "this is what we do." What I'm proposing is far more in-depth: Review the output of your work and who receives, uses or benefits from it. What you'll start to build is your value proposition. Anyone can sell hardware but selling the benefits of having that toolbox right there when you need it is a different concept.

Step 2: Identify your clients. If you spend time interfacing with clients regularly you can probably see who your clients are in your mind; but, if you take it a step further to determine who receives your products and services, it changes the picture slightly. What you'll find if you give this some thought is that you have a direct client base and an indirect client base. In my line of business, the HR/payroll/benefits arena, our clients are the HR business partners we deal with at the client site. The HR business partners, however, are only a small fraction of the end users that utilize our products and services. Even though the HR business partners are the individuals we deal with on a daily basis, the indirect users of our products and services (the employees of the client) make up 98% of our client base. The HR business partners are simply a conduit to get the service to their employees. Looking at the client base from this perspective changed how we serviced our clients.

Step 3: Determine your client satisfaction objectives. Moving to a client-focused organization means really making an investment in the customer's overall satisfaction with your product or service. This is the most time-consuming part of the process that can pay back great dividends. First determine why you want to measure client satisfaction. Is it to make improvements in your product or service? Or, is it to enhance the overall customer experience? Then, decide how the information will be used. Once you measure your clients' overall satisfaction, how are you going to use that data? Even more important how will your employees be held accountable for achieving the objectives?

Step 4: Decide how you will obtain customer feedback. Will surveys work? Do you need to make face to face client visits? Would focus groups with incentives be successful? Maybe you need to host a seminar of some type. Surveys seem to be the most popular because if people have something negative to say, they typically don't like their name associated with it. Give people an incentive for filling out a blind survey; or, consider hosting an open house designed for the sole purpose of gathering feedback. Some things to look for when measuring client satisfaction include: (1) Whether your clients' expectations are consistent across and within the different client segments; (2) Whether your client expectations are realistic given the organization's ability to meet these expectations. It will be important to examine your client satisfaction across all client segments over time and document findings. Then, take the time to document how your service standards relate to your client's expectations.

Step 5: Differentiate between what your customers want and what you think they want. This is what I refer to as "Internally Focused Syndrome." As business professionals we often make assumptions about what we think our clients want. This leads to the creation of internally focused objectives that result in client dissatisfaction. Have you ever been to a website where you've logged on only to find acronyms that don't make sense, menu items that are not intuitive and language that only technicians could read? That is a perfect example of a company that is so internally focused that they are not standing in the customer's shoes. Before you review your customer satisfaction data, make a list of what you think your customers want and then document what they really do want according to what they've told you. Identifying and eliminating those gaps are a great first step to rebuilding your customer focus.

Step 6: Create a unique client-facing strategy. Based on research gathered, determine the most effective way for your employees to interface with your customers. If your client base is older and more mature, chances are a client-facing strategy using young, single associates isn't going to hit the mark. Likewise, if your client base is young and dynamic, a dry, even-keel strategy isn't going to be real effective, either. Brainstorm a strategy for how to deliver service to your client base. Then, create specific tasks and time-lines to roll-out a program with realistic goals and dates

Step 7: Determine your measurement strategy. How will you measure the success of your client focused program? How, when and from whom will the information be sought? Will it be formal or informal? Will you make it public or private? Consider the business owner that implemented a client-focused strategy that he was so serious about that he had a large electronic thermometer created. Every time someone left his store, they were asked to rate their client satisfaction based on the service they had received. When the service was given an 'outstanding' rating, you would hear on the loudspeaker, "Yes! Another customer satisfied!"

Providing "WOW" customer service is just the beginning. Stellar customer service leads to customer loyalty and eventually customer retention. Jill Griffin, author of Customer Loyalty: How to Earn it, How to Keep Itcites that an average American company loses 15-20% of its customers each year. She says that if customer retention is increased by a mere 5% that profits can increase by 25-85%. Begin with these simple seven steps and you'll see your customer service go from "wishy-washy" to "WOW."