Commitment to customer service excellence

I am amazed at the effort companies put into building service brands on the outside, yet how fragmented they can be on the inside when it comes to customer service excellence. When fragmentation on the inside is experienced by customers on the outside, real trouble is brewing for the brand and any changes of being known for customer service excellence.

My student, KP, bought a new notebook computer at his nearby Mega-Mall. He was already brand-loyal - this was his fourth computer in a row from the same company. He believed in the company's commitment to customer service excellence.

So what should you do when a difficult customer complains?

Everyone has customers who complain. Complaining customers tell you what you've done wrong and how you can improve. If you measure customer value and decide to work to keep them happy, they will keep you in business. That's normal, but there are times when women business owners need to measure customer value and see a need to part ways.

Some customers will complain and complain and complain. They never stop complaining. No matter what you do, they still complain. If you work too hard to keep these "pain-in-the-neck" customers happy, they can run you right out of business. At this point, there's a need to measure customer value.

After all, difficult customers don't want to be satisfied. They like being unsatisfied. They frustrate your staff and irritate your other customers. Measure customer value and you might find they are not worth keeping around.

I Choose Words Every Day. When Speaking, Writing, Requesting And Deciding, I Use Some Words And Not Others. You Do, Too.

The words we choose create meaning and mission in our lives. This became clear when a close friend said he was "still looking for a wife." I know this guy. He will only get married when he decides to stop looking - and start finding.

Listen to the difference in these few words:

"What do you want?" or "How may I help you?"

"I didn't mean it." or "Please accept my apology."

Three steps to make your customers feel recognized, appreciated and welcome

What a conversation! A British gentleman working in global logistics, his American entertainer wife who recently became a mother, an Australian event coordinator and me. Four different cultures - and different points of view.

We talked about the service we received at retail stores, banks, restaurants, hotels and airlines around the world. We each had very different opinions about what constitutes "good service."

The logistics guy likes fast and efficient; pleasantries are incidental. The entertainer wants time to browse before she is approached, and feels "hurried" if someone comes too close, too soon. The Australian feels just the opposite. She wants attention right away or she walks right out the door.