Customer Service

 Achieving Greatness:
 The 10 Practices of Exceptional Service
by Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE
 
The airline had set a new standard for incompetence: They damaged my
carry-on luggage. How?
 
Flying from Atlanta to Hilton Head, I was forced to "gate check" my
garment bag and flight bag because of the small size of the commuter
aircraft. When I picked them up in Hilton Head, the garment bag's spine
was broken.
 
It took an airline representative 20 minutes to fill out my claim form.
After I had signed the form, she said, "Now if you'll just leave your
garment bag with me, I'll send it to a repair service and have it back
for you in two weeks."
 
This posed a small (and, I thought, obvious) dilemma. I told her that I
really needed the items inside the damaged bag for the rest of my trip.
She offered me a "loaner" garment bag, which wasn't anything close to
the quality or convenience of my own bag.
 
"Doesn't it strike you as odd," I inquired, "that first you damage my
luggage and then you want to further inconvenience me by sending it off
for two weeks to be repaired?"
 
Her response was classic: "Sir, if we paid for all the luggage we damage
at this airline, we'd be out of business!"
 
The Problem 
 
For almost two decades, American businesses have been preoccupied with
customer service. We've been aware of, focused on, and sensitized about
delivering superior service to our customers. However, although many
have preached it, few have actually reached it.
 
In fact, according to a joint study by the University of Michigan and
the American Society of Quality Control, service levels have declined nearly
3% over the past two years. While this number may not seem dramatic to you, 
they are atrocious in light of the time and money American businesses have 
invested in bringing service levels up. Sadly, service has decreased despite 
the resources we've thrown at efforts to improve it.
 
Of course, that's good news for you and me. How is it good news? People
are so accustomed to mediocre service that when they experience
exceptional service-i.e., when they do business with an individual or
company who goes beyond mere talk to actually deliver it-they come back, 
and they tell other people. It is still easy to be exceptional in serving customers.
 
You can read best-selling books, watch hours of videos, listen to
content-packed audio tapes, and attend the latest training sessions on
customer service-but none of the ideas you get, no matter how great they
are, will help your business until they're implemented. In other words,
knowing what to do isn't enough. Execution is everything. 
The difference between mediocre service providers and great service
providers is the difference between good ideas and great implementation.
Great service providers practice the art of exceptional service. Excellent service 
sprouts with good ideas, but it comes to full bloom only with persistent practice. 
 
My research of and work with the very best service providers demonstrates 
that they all do a lot of things right. However, I've found that there are at least
10 practices that they have in common. They are
the following:
 
1. Eliminate Irritants
 
Customer service is as much what you don't do to customers as it is what
you do for them. For example, in most hotels today, it is not uncommon
for a local phone call or an 800-number call to cost from 75 cents to
one dollar. As a frequent hotel guest, I find it irritating to pay $100+
for a room and be charged for local and 800-number calls. When will
hotels learn to quit alienating guests with such surcharges?
 
Obviously, they don't want to lose the revenue these surcharges create.
But it costs them in customer goodwill. It would be better if hotels
determined the revenue amount generated by access surcharges, divided
that amount by the average number of guest stays each year, added that
figure to the basic room rate, and then told guests that local phone
calls and access to 800 and credit-card numbers are free!
 
The scary thing about customer irritants and aggravations is that they
often make perfect sense to the service provider. For example, have you
ever tried to get a small cup of coffee served in a large cup? This
would seem like a reasonable request from someone who doesn't want to be 
scalded when opening the spring-loaded lid on a cup filled to the top,
yet the average fast-food establishment is dumbfounded by that simple
request. Why? Because restaurants often track coffee sales on the basis
of cup size. Give a customer a small, $1.00 cup of coffee in a large,
$1.25 cup and-heaven forbid-you throw the system off by a whole quarter!

A solution to this problem is as simple as keeping a roll of quarters on
hand. If a customer wants a small cup of coffee in a large cup, provide
it. Then just toss a quarter into the cash drawer to make up the
difference. The system is intact, but more importantly, the customer
leaves happy.
 
What are you doing to-or not doing for-customers that makes perfect
sense to you but irritates and alienates them? Conduct a search-and-destroy 
mission to eliminate customer irritants.

 2. Perform As Promised
 
*A vendor tells a client he will send him one of the embroidered
polo shirts that the client admired. It never arrives.
*An account executive promises a prospective customer that she
will call back next Wednesday to discuss a potential order. The call
never comes. 
*A long distance company begs a business owner to consider using
their services. However, he must call and request a quote several times
before the long distance company finally gives him one.
 
Consider your own experience. In the past two weeks, how many
organizations or individuals have told you that they were going to do
something, and then didn't do it? And what have you told others you
would do for them, but haven't done?
 
Follow-through is abysmal today. Excellent service providers always
deliver what they promise. When they commit, it happens.
 
Don't make promises you can't keep. If you think you can have something
for a customer by the end of the day, but you're sure you can have by
noon tomorrow, commit to noon tomorrow. Then if you are able to have it
by the end of the day, your customer will be ecstatic that you performed
even better than promised.
 
Most service complaints evolve from poorly managed expectations. Don't
waste your time trying to exceed customer expectations or provide added
value to your product or service if you don't have a fool-proof system
for the basics: delivering what you promise, when you promise it.

Make it an unforgivable sin in your organization to make promises that aren't kept.
 
3. Manage the Customer's Experience
 
The Palm Desert Marriott is a beautiful resort near Palm Springs, California. 
This past March, I was at the resort to speak to the American Hardware Manufacturing Association. The night before my breakfast presentation, I dined in one of the resort's fine restaurants, the Tuscany. While the food and ambiance were very good, the stand-out of my dining experience was my wait person. She was prompt, attentive, and pleasant. But what I remember most happened at the end of the meal.
 
"Thank you for dining with us," she said as she shook my hand. Each
year, because of my business travel and love of fine food, I eat at
least 300 meals outside my home. And yet, this was the first time anyone
had thanked me and shaken my hand! While such a move on the part of a
restaurant employee might strike most customers as odd, this wait person 
extended her hand in a manner that I found to be classy and natural.
 
Then she added, "And don't miss the comet, Halle Bopp, tonight-the sky
is especially clear. Also at 7 p.m., you'll want to watch for the lunar eclipse."
 
In those two closing gestures, a handshake and a suggestion to view the
night sky, my wait person added immensely to my enjoyment of the
evening. In fact, the real treat of my dining experience had nothing to
do with northern Italian cuisine! It was about courtesy and astronomy.
She managed my dining experience so that it was particularly enjoyable,
personal, and memorable. 
 
No matter what business you're in, it is critical that you manage your
customers' experience. Customer experience is a broader canvas for the
service artist to paint on. It's those seemingly little touches and
comments-that often have nothing to do with your specific business-that
will make your customers remember doing business with you as personal
and enjoyable. 
 
Your competitors are managing product or service delivery. You can
leapfrog them all by focusing on managing the customer's total experience.
 
4. Make Customers Insiders
 
Flight 675 had been slowly taxiing, waiting its turn to take off, for
nearly 30 minutes. It was Friday night, and travelers were anxious to
get home or arrive at their destination for some weekend recreation. I
was seated in 3B of the first-class cabin. The door was open to the
cockpit, where the captain and first officer were pointing out to two
flight attendants something outside, to the right of the plane. One of
the flight attendants came back to the first row to share her find with
some friends who were on board. She pointed out the window toward a
hangar, and soon her friends joined her in fascinated attention. Then I
overheard her laughingly say, "Everyone will wonder what we're looking
at!"
 
As a matter of fact, yes-the rest of us in the first-class cabin were at
least mildly curious about what the crew and a few favored flyers were
observing. And we felt like outsiders. Since we weren't part of the
"inner circle," we had to just sit there and wonder what interesting
thing there was to see.
 
More importantly, we wondered how long it would be before we took off.
But there were no announcements forthcoming from the crew, who were
obviously too preoccupied to worry about such customer concerns.
 
Airlines claim to be competing for customer loyalty. Most are losing the
battle. They just don't get it. Customers want to be treated like
insiders, not outsiders. They want to feel that the flight crew is
interested in letting them in on information that affects their travel
plans, allays their anxieties, and enhances their enjoyment. Typically,
however, silence from the cockpit and flight attendants, who often seem
incapable of empathy, is the norm.
 
Today's leading-edge companies make their customers insiders. FedEx, for
example, has a Web site that receives 108,000 hits every day. That's
because their site allows customers to track their own packages. You
can't get much more "insider" than that!
 
What are you doing to make your customers feel like insiders?
 
5. Create Ownership
 
On January 15, 1997, Barnett Banks, the 22nd largest bank in the United
States, made owners of all 22,000 of its employees by granting them
stock options. The program is a terrific effort to create ownership in
the hearts of minds of employees who work in this premier financial
institution.
 
 When I spoke at Barnett Banks' CFO conference later in the year, each
 attendee was wearing a badge with his or her name printed on it.
 Underneath was the word "owner." The enthusiasm of the attendees was
 palpable, and their commitment to helping Barnett reach the next level
 of success was apparent. 
 
 But employee ownership is not always such a rousing success. I recall
 one major airline's ill-fated attempt to make, and then advertise, such
 a move. Their posters and television spots featured the friendly faces
 of employee owners. Ground crew, gate agents, pilots-all were identified
 as the airline's "proud owners." 

However, my experience, and apparently that of many other customers, was contrary to the image of the airline's advertisements. While many employees of that airline are terrific-and they were terrific before they became "proud owners"-too many others
don't act like owners, proud or otherwise.
 
 Naturally, customers expect more of a business's owners than of its
 employees. After all, it is their business, and an employee can't be
 expected to show the same commitment as an owner. While making your
 employees owners can improve performance (and by the way, this occurs
 only when systems and processes are in place that allow employee owners to 
 effectively  impact organizational direction), be aware that it raises customer 
 expectations  and increases  their irritation when employee owners don't act the part.
 
 Be prudent when assigning and then advertising employee ownership.
 Ownership isn't about what you call employees; it is about how employees
  act. 
 
 Create a sense of ownership for your employees. Give them tangible
 incentives to perform. Link some part of their compensation with
 performance. Maybe even make them literal owners-but think twice before you create an
 advertising campaign around employee ownership.
 
 6. Have Fun
 
 Passengers on the 6:15 a.m. United flight from Denver to San Francisco
 are rarely at their perkiest. From experience, I know it can be a
 sleepy, uneventful flight. Of course, it depends on which flight
 attendant is on the plan's intercom.
 
 On one such flight, as we approached San Francisco, we were treated to
 some announcements from the unorthodox flight attendant who had been
 working the first-class cabin: "If you are having a hard time getting
 your ears to pop, I suggest you yawn widely. And if you are having a
 hard time yawning, ask me, and I'll tell you about my love life."
 
 He went on, "We are on our final approach into San Francisco airport. If
 San Francisco is your destination, I hope you'll have a safe drive
 home." And then, in his best disc-jockey voice, he added, "There is some
 blockage on the northbound 405, and there is a stalled car at the Market
 Street exit. But otherwise, traffic appears to be moving smoothly."
 
 The usually sleepy passengers were waking up; there was laughter and
 giggling throughout the airplane. But there was more to come. After we
 touched down, the flight attendant was back on the intercom for final
 instructions. "Unless the person next to you has beaten me," he quipped,
 "let me be the first to welcome you to San Francisco. You'll notice that
 the airport buildings are in the distance. We don't land next to the
 terminal because it scares the heck out of the people inside. That's why
 we land way out here. That means we'll need to taxi, so please don't
 stand up until we are parked at the gate and the seat belt sign has been
 turned off.
 
 "For those of you who are 1Ks, Premiers, and Frequent Fliers-there are
 too many of you on board to mention by name, but you know who you are-we
 thank you for choosing United for your extensive travels. And if you'll
 leave me a recent picture as you deplane, I'll be glad to mail it to
 your loved ones so that they'll remember what you look like.
 
 "My final hope is that when you leave the airplane, you'll do so with a
 big smile on your face. That way the people inside will wonder just what
 it is we do up here in the friendly skies."
 
 Take a clue from this delightful flight attendant: Take some risks. Have
 some fun. And just maybe your customers will have fun too.
 
 7. Recover Remarkably
 
 I used to buy my home owner's and auto insurance through an insurance
 brokerage. I'd been doing business with this brokerage for nearly a
 decade when I finally got fed up with their increasingly poor service.
 The service rep assigned to me was immature and incompetent, and when my
 wife called for a quote on a new vehicle, it took the broker a week to
 call back. By then we had taken our insurance business elsewhere.
 
 I figured I owed the CEO of the business an explanation of why I had
 left. So I called, presented a litany of the problems I had experienced,
 and informed him I had taken my business elsewhere. His response? "Mr.
 Sanborn, it sounds like there is nothing I can do to bring back your
 business. I'm sorry you decided to leave."
 
 The fact is, he might have recovered my business if only he had tried.
 Even the most jaded and upset customers might reconsider going elsewhere
 if the provider makes a sincere effort to regain their loyalty.
 
Given the cost of acquiring a new customer, to give up on saving an
existing customer's loyalty is a costly proposition. Even the best
service providers aren't perfect. But when they do make a mistake, they recover remarkably. Consider the following experience...
 
Based on previous pleasant stays at Ritz Carlton hotels, I had developed some high service expectations. However, one subsequent stay at the Philadelphia Ritz Carlton fell far short of those expectations. I was disappointed at the surprising lack of customer service. I felt it my duty to share my disappointment with the general manager 
prior to my check-out. When I finished outlining my dissatisfactions, the general
manager apologized-sincerely and without excuses.
 
 But what he did next was most astounding. "Mr. Sanborn," he said, "I
 regret that I can't turn back the clock and prevent the problems that
 occurred from happening. Your room balance, of course, shows zero." I
 was puzzled-what did he mean?
 
 He answered, "Sir, I would not expect you to pay for a stay at our
 property that was short of your expectations." (My bill had been more
 than $400!) "And the next time you are in Philadelphia, I would like to
 invite you to stay with us again-as our guest with my compliments.
 You'll be receiving an letter to that effect from me soon." And I did. 
 
 Needless to say, my disappointment was more than compensated for by this
 remarkable recovery. In my opinion, that's what makes Ritz Carlton among
 the best service providers in the world. Period.
 
 Remember, it's rarely ever too late to save a customer's business if you
 recover remarkably.
 
 8. Involve Everyone in Improvement
 
 Unique Ideas and the ability to implement them drive your business. And
 a critical key to success is your ability to involve everyone in
 generating ideas for improvement, or taking advantage of what I call
 "cumulative expertise." Two of your best resources for such idea
 generation are employees and customers.
 
 Dana Corporation is an auto parts maker. This company not only takes
 employee suggestions seriously, it also does an amazing job of mining
 the expertise of its work force. In 1996, Dana's 45,400 employees each
 submitted an average of 1.22 suggestions per month for a total of
 666,120 ideas for cutting costs, improving operations and productivity,
 and increasing profitability.
 
 How often do you ask your employees for suggestions about improving
 service? And how well do they respond? I’ve seen employee suggestion boxes
 covered with cobwebs. If you aren’t getting lots of employee suggestions, you aren’t 
 asking well.
 
 How does Dana do it? For one thing, 70% of all suggestions are used. For
 most employees, implementation of their suggestions is the best reward.
 Employees everywhere are tired of making suggestions that are never used. 
 
 Second, Dana rewards those who make suggestions with luncheons and other awards. 
 For example, a plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, rewards employees $1.89 for each idea
 submitted and another $1.89 if the idea is used. (Of course the appropriate amount of
 monetary reward that is depends on location and pay. Remember, you get what you 
 pay for.)
  
 How about customer suggestions? Consider formalizing a process for
 soliciting, rewarding, and implementing customer suggestions. Most
 customers would feel gratified if a service provider even simply
 acknowledged their suggestions. What I'm advocating is more radical. If
 you pay employees (people you are already paying) extra for their
 suggestions, why not pay customers (people paying you) for their best
 ideas?
 
 Maybe it's time for you to involve everyone in improvement by offering
 them much more than the proverbial penny for their thoughts. 
 
 9. Make Teamwork Work 
 
 Forget the concept of "internal customers." Like so many in business, I
 used to buy into the quality improvement process definition of a customers as“the next person in the process.” It sounded like a good idea at the time. The problem with this philosophy is that the paying customer ends up at the end of the line. I soon realized that focusing on internal customers diverts your attention from the only customer who matters-the one who buys your product or service.
 
 Don't misunderstand. I still believe that service is created from the
 inside out. Employees who don't feel well served probably won't serve
 well. But for the people inside your organization, the most appropriate
 description is "teammates" not "internal customers," because, frankly,
 providing "internal service" isn't the point. You don't get extra credit
 for that. Your real, live customers aren't going to say, "You know, they
 treated me like dirt, but they took such wonderful care of each other!"
 
 Promote the concept of teamwork in your organization. Teamwork works
 when there's communication, cooperation, and a desire to work together
 for a common goal. Rally your teammates around the goal of better
 serving customers and securing their undying loyalty.

 10. Do Everything Better
 
 When my younger brother graduated from high school, I gave him some of
 the only advice I would ever offer unsolicited. Inside his graduation
 card I wrote, "To be a success, do whatever you do better than anybody
 else who does it." I had no idea what career path my brother would
 follow, but I knew that being the best at whatever he chose would
 guarantee his success. 
 
 Recently, one of the world's most renowned restaurateurs was asked the
 secret of his restaurant's success. He said the secret is in doing
 everything they do as well as they can do it. He added that on his way
 to the top, he learned that it doesn't matter if you're making french
 fries, as long as you make them the best french fries anyone has ever
 eaten.
 
 Take a look at what everyone else is doing-your direct competitors as
 well as the best service providers in other industries-and set a simple
 goal to do what they do better than they're doing it. Load up a mini-van
 of employees, and take a field trip to a terrific service provider. Take
 notes. Capture the best ideas. And then put your own unique spin on
 them.
 
 Ask everyone in your organization, "How can we do it
 more, better, faster or different?" Make them sick of hearing this
 question so that they'll take you seriously. Take your cue from Midwest
Express airline where every seat is first-class sized. Or from FedEx who built its business on the concept of faster delivery, guaranteed. Or from Disneyland, who unabashedly calls itself "the happiest place on earth." 
 
Leave no stone unturned nor any idea untried. Do everything better.
 
The Challenge
 
Exceptional customer service. A simple concept. Not often achieved. 
 
To be anything more than a fleeting burst of brilliance, your organization must commit to a comprehensive service strategy. But beyond that, you must also commit to the hard work that follows. Your strategy must be implemented in such a way that everyone not only knows what to do to give exceptional service, but they actually do it-consistently and persistently. That is the practice of exceptional service. 

(excerpted from Best Practices In Customer Service, HRD Press, 1998) 

Copyright 2002 Used with permission of the author.  Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio for leadership development. He is a member of the exclusive Speakers Hall of Fame. For additional articles, resources and ideas, visit his website at www.marksanborn.com or call 800.650.3343.

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