WEEKLY FOCUS
What creates “Great Customer Service”?
Where does it start?
Listen here
Whilst I find shopping a pastime that I would not want to be engaged in on a regular basis, it does allow me the chance to watch and engage in activity that involves us all, and in which none of us are passive!
If you use the premise that we are all customers of each other in some shape or form, very often, this is given minimal thought by many…and to their detriment.
I recently went to a small privately owned cafe and received “Great Customer Service”…the young man that served me, was attentive, polite, and made useful suggestions about the menu. A short while later, the owner appeared from the kitchen and I watched with interest as he engaged with customers in a professional, relaxed and friendly manner.
The two were separate moments, yet both exhibited some of the essential skills to help to deliver “Great Customer Service”…was it by chance, coincidence or mentor relationship? Is creating a service culture top down leadership driven?
The following day, I visited a national chain café where the service offered was the exact reverse. Poor service, inattentive staff, poor listening skills.
Why was there such an evident difference? Can small be beautiful in the level of service offered? Does a leadership driven culture get watered down in layers of management?
While service should be the prime objective for all, how much is self-driven as opposed to management led?
Does your own performance and behaviours cascade to those that you manage in a bigger way than you realise?
What hinders both you and your teams delivering great service all of the time?
Can bureaucracy get in the way of great service?
What do you need to change?
“Happy customers are your biggest advocates and can become your most successful sales team.” Lisa Masiello