Customer Service Tips

Customer Service Training:
Align Customer Experiences and Customer Expectations with Customer Service Training

A well-designed customer service experience means aligning every point of customer contact, every "touchpoint," with your brand promise. Many companies tout the uniqueness of their brand, but fail to consistently deliver on their promise. Expectations are then dashed and the brand erodes over time, as customers have a multitude of other options to consider.

Lippincott Mercer, a leading brand strategy consultancy, says that the brand is transmitted in every interaction with customers over the lifetime of the relationship. And, they found that human interactions have the greatest impact on how a customer feels about a brand.

Every touchpoint with your company and its customer service either reinforces or chips away at the credibility of your stated promise. Are brand disconnects happening in your organization? Research shows we stay with a company that delivers an experience that matches our expectations and their promise.

To ensure brand alignment and customer loyalty, implement the following six strategies:

1. Determine the touchpoints of your brand-from the first contact to after-sales service. Plot them out so you capture the sequence of events and every possible contact point in every channel of interaction and in every stage of the buying process. Keep in mind that the customer experience often continues long after someone leaves a store or even a website.

2. Analyze how well your organization is delivering on your promise in each touchpoint. Identify gaps as well as any barriers to delivering on your promise, such as the most prevalent identified by Lippincott Mercer:

1. Inadequate staffing and training
2. Inefficient business processesLack of timely and complete information
3. Misaligned incentives and rewards
4. Poor communication with associates and customers

3. Seek input and feedback from customers. Customer input will help you further define the gap between your stated promise and the ideal customer experience. Once you obtain this feedback, align your people, processes, and products/services with the needs and expectations of your customers. Continue to seek feedback to stay attuned to their ever-changing needs, particularly in these shifting economic times.

4. Focus on those touchpoints that have the greatest impact. Lippincott Mercer found that human interactions have the greatest potential for delight-and problem resolution and customer service are the top touchpoints for improving customer perception. Provide associates with a quality standard for these priority contacts, then provide training and coaching to ensure the consistent delivery of that standard.

Interestingly, they also found that electronic interactions do not delight customers, but they have a great potential to destroy brand equity. So think first before replacing people with technology. It may help efficiency, but it could hurt brand equity.

5. Engage your associates in the process. They are the true keepers of your brand. Ask for their input on how to delight customers and encourage their creativity and initiative. Focus on their continued development and find ways to empower and reward them to model the standard in every contact. Employee commitment and engagement will have a quantifiable impact on the customer experience.

6. Assess and reassess! Many organizations believe they are delivering a "superior customer experience," yet often only a small percentage of their customers give them this rating. Our perception may not be reality, which means it is important to objectively evaluate your progress on each of the identified gaps. Use customer service feedback to determine if changes are needed in products, processes and people. You may also need to refine your assessment process along the way to include new variables identified in customer satisfaction.

Source: Diane Berenbaum: http://www.communicoltd.com/

Article Content: Customer Service Training

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Customer Service Training:
Align Customer Experiences and Customer Expectations with Customer Service Training