10 Dimensions Of Great Customer Service

By Stuart Cross

Most executives talk about the importance of customer service, but far fewer are able to succinctly describe what they mean. It can easily become an empty cliché rather than a strategy for growth.

Yet customer service can be as important for product businesses as it is for service organizations. I recently worked with a group of manufacturing executives who made the point that customer service has been as important as pricing in helping them retain customers through the recession.

You are likely to turn your customer service proposition into a real competitive advantage when

·It is focused on the few dimensions that your target customers really value.
·You can create a service offering that is truly distinctive.
·You can deliver it consistently to the required standards.

Here are 10 dimensions of great customer service. Which should you be focusing on to drive loyalty, profitability and growth for your business?

1.Convenience and accessibility. Dell doesn’t sell through retail stores, but you can buy custom-made computers online or over the phone 24-hours a day, which are then delivered direct to your door.

2.Environment. As a result of their selective distribution agreements, premium cosmetic and fragrance companies such as Clinique and Estee Lauder only supply retailers that deliver a high-quality retail environment to support their products.

3.Self-help tools and support. Supermarkets provide shoppers with a range of trolleys and baskets, and Nike has developed online support tools for runners to set themselves training goals and track times and distances.

4.Product and service availability. One retailer I spoke with recently believes that improving the availability of key product lines has contributed over three per cent to its sales growth in the past year.

5.Attitude and friendliness. A key aspect of Southwest Airline’s success in the US has been its ability to deliver a friendly service alongside its low fares.

6.Competence and expertise. NetJets (pictured), the fractional aircraft-ownership service, is currently advertising how it spends more on training and safety than the major airlines.

7.Speed and responsiveness. Tesco stole a march on competitors when it introduced its “one in front” policy, where it opens a new till when shoppers, queuing to pay, have more than one other shopper in front of them.

8.Personal(ised) attention. Nordstrom, the US department store, places customer service as its #1 strategic objective. As part of this objective, the store provides all its sales people with access to a “Personal Book”, allowing them to record and refer to individual customer preferences through their till systems.

9.Community. When a balding, middle-aged banker buys a Harley-Davidson, he is buying into a concept of youth and vigour. Harley supports this relationship with its brand by establishing communities of Harley bikers, known as the Harley Owners Group.

10.Links to related suppliers. Apple has created a whole new industry of apps providers for their iPhones. Apple hasn’t sought to provide the applications themselves, but, through its App Store has created the links for application developers and users to do business.

Eight Insights That Make Selling Easier

INSIGHT #1: Salespeople are guilty until proven innocent. While you and I know that selling is the soul of business and a good way to help people, most folk (even in business) tend to look upon the profession with suspicion. The minute you walk into an office, you need to prove that you can add value and that you’re not trying to pull a fast one. Sad but true.

INSIGHT #2: When you’re feeling pressure, you’re doing something wrong. If you’re constantly end the quarter with a flurry of activity, trying desperately to make your numbers, you haven’t managed your time, or you’re not thinking your sales process through. Selling is not an “unnatural act.” It’s supposed to be easy, not a struggle against time and fate.

INSIGHT #3: Never answer an unasked question. It’s all too easy to scuttle a sale by raising issues that haven’t yet entered a prospect’s head. Such behavior usually occurs when the sales professional is so afraid of losing the sale that he begins surfacing (and answering) objections that exist only in his own paranoia. Remember, you can’t read minds, so don’t try.

INSIGHT #4: One opinion does not make a consensus. It’s human nature to take one opinion (usually the last you just heard) and turn it into a final judgment. However, one opinion is meaningless. Just because the last prospect thought your offering was a waste of time, doesn’t mean that the next prospect will feel the same way.

INSIGHT #5: Always protect the customer’s self-esteem. It’s absolutely true that EXACTLY half of all the customer you meet will be of below average intelligence within their demographic. Even so, it’s your job to help them make good decisions and advance their careers. And you have to do this gently, without making them feel foolish.

INSIGHT #7: The purpose of a proposal is to reinforce already-made decisions. While proposals can sometimes help to develop an opportunity, in most cases, the proposal requesting (and writing) process happens after the prospect has already defined the problem and (probably) defined the solution as well.

INSIGHT #8: Remain professionally involved and emotionally detached. This is perhaps the best advice that anyone ever gave a sales professional. Taking things personally is the surest way to make yourself miserable. You can care about the customer, your career and your own firm, but it’s crazy to use any of those as a proof point for your self worth.

Original Post: Geoffrey James
http://blogs.bnet.com/salesmachine/?p=6309&tag=nl.rSINGLE