One of the BBC top executives caused a stir yesterday by claiming swearing in comedies is good. If it is one has to ask whether we have gone forward or back in terms of standards. It’s the same in Customer service. We live in a service economy yet I still find it difficult to great outstanding service. In many cases, I find it difficult to get the basics!

 

In the last week I have received three different phone calls from three different companies with three different propositions. Not one of them got the basics right with the right information – two of them even got my name wrong. With a name like ‘Baldock’ you can imagine what they came up with.

 

Each of those phone calls was a moment of truth for that company. The term 'Moment of Truth' was coined by Jan Carlzon, who managed the Scandinavian SAS Airlines. He used the term to mean those moments in which important brand impressions are formed and where there is significant opportunity for good or bad impressions to be made. If we can’t get the basics right when we have moments of truth with our customers, what does the future hold?

 

Surely the basics of delivering truly outstanding customer service are to recognise the customer, focus on the customer, understand the customer and love the customer. Not one of those phone calls included behaviour that enabled any one of those principles to be satisfied. Have you experienced the same?

 

What we are doing a lot of, at the moment, is working with clients to enable them get their ‘unfair share’ in their market, to punch above their weight, partly by delivering world class customer service.

 

With the swirling forces of competition all around us in our respective industries – if we don’t get the basics right, you can be sure our competitors will.

 

If you want to know more about the Be More Effective Customer Excellence Series get in touch