Customer Service Tips

Customer Service Training:
Why it is So Screwed Up Out There?

"So, if there are so many experts out there...and so much money being spent...how come so much of customer service is so doggone bad?"

Well... I think I know part of the reason why. A leading example is in a new blog on Forbes.com by the former CMO at eBay and Best Buy, Mike Linton.

While I'm certain Mr. Linton is a wonderful person, certain statements in his blog post are the kind with which I respectfully disagree. He asks the question, "Is Customer Loyalty Dead?" - and then proceeds to inform us why he believes it's pretty much the case. "All of that is still important, just less so," he tells us.

He goes on to say, "Companies must do everything they used to do and also ensure that their value proposition remains attractive to a more cost-conscious population." And, while that wouldn't normally raise an eyebrow, take a closer look at what it implies.

"Companies must do" - re-read the next part - "everything they used to do."

That's the problem. They do NOT need to be doing everything they used to do... they need to be doing something distinctive from their previous model to maintain customer engagement.

If you walked into Best Buy, and they were still selling the old Motorola cell phones that weighed seven pounds and came in a big bag... wouldn't you be aghast? If you were looking for a computer, and they were marketing the Apple IIe... wouldn't you wonder if you'd stumbled into a time warp?

So then, why... WHY... do we presume that the customer who has become so accustomed to technological advances and wizardry in our products and services would then believe that our methods of creating an experience for them should remain static?

And, while I certainly do not disagree with all of the points Mr. Linton makes - some are, in fact, right in line with what I'm advocating, as well - it is that core of the "death of loyalty" that causes me to shake my head.

Want to know the reason most organizations work so much on their products and so little on their services?

Here's an analogy: I had a professor in college who would reference the old line: "We can put a man on the moon, but we can't cure the common cold." He would then ask the class, "So what does that statement really mean?"

Naturally, we students would pontificate on lack of health care priorities, spending too much on space exploration, and so forth.

Our professor would then smile and say, "No. It's much simpler than that. If you could invent a pill that would immediately cure the common cold, it would be worth billions. It's not for lack of trying.

"It simply means that it's easier to go to the moon than to cure the common cold."

It's easier for GM to design and build new models than it is for them to get the dealers to create compelling experiences. It's simpler for Starbucks to keep adding new product lines than to continue to deliver the service that originally made them so distinctive.

It's easier for your business to focus on the product or service you sell than the customer experience you create. Because to do that...you would have to do something NEW and challenging, instead of modestly improving what you already build.

So...we keep doing what we used to do...and wonder why those darn customers aren't as loyal these days. We even ask if customer loyalty is dead...

Do you have the courage to attempt a new strategy to secure customer loyalty? (Here's a clue: It's ALIVE!!!)