Observation
Deck
Do You Really Want to Exceed Your Customers' Expectations
When is the last time you experienced really exceptional customer service? How do you define really exceptional customer service? Is it when you receive more than what you were expecting? Do you want to exceed your customers’ expectations? I say, no you don’t.
If you are consistently exceeding your customers’ expectations, then your exceptional customer service is not winning you new business. It is certainly helping you retain your client base, but not bringing you new clients. If you have the ability to provide exceptional, unusual customer service, then make exceptional, unusual guarantees. Put your money where your mouth is, as long as you can consistently meet the customers’ needs. Catch someone’s attention and win new business. Set the customers’ expectations extremely high, and then meet their expectations.
I was recently in the market for some new living room furniture and visited several of the large furniture chains in the local area. It seems like all of the stores carried the same things and nothing was perfect. Maybe I’m just hard to please, but if I have to look at something and sit on something for the next decade or so, I want it to be just right. Our requirements were simple. The configuration has to match the room and the colors have to blend with the curtains and the walls. It has to be durable (more like childproof) and it should match the Spanish look of our fixtures, mantle and fireplace. It has to be comfortable enough that I can spend three consecutive hours on it with no complaints, and salsa has to wipe right off of it (special football season requirements). It also has to be delivered in a couple of months before visitors come to town. Oh yeah, and my wife and I have to agree on it. To my dismay, that furniture doesn’t exist.
Lo and behold, I entered Bassett Furniture. I give them this shameless plug for the story I am about to tell. They have a program that allows you “build your own” sofas, loveseats, chairs, etc. On the sofa, for instance, we picked out the sock arm, with the bun foot, no kick pleat, detachable pillows with a “knife edge” (it’s more comfortable than it sounds), and two cushions instead of three. We also chose our fabric out of more than 500 at the location. It was reasonably priced, and here’s the customer service part…it was guaranteed to arrive within 30 days or it was ABSOLUTELY FREE! Wow. At most places, I couldn’t even get a 60-day guarantee to cover some existing furniture with one of 8 fabric choices. I was intrigued by this offer. That sounded even better than the old Dominoes Pizza guarantee that got their drivers into so much trouble. My expectations were sky-high. They told me up front that I can expect exceptional customer service from them, and they were willing to make a dramatic guarantee (far different than a mere “claim”).
Thirty-four days later, my phone rang. My new, perfectly designed, salsa-proof furniture was ready to be delivered to my house. I checked the calendar. “Hold on just a second please,” I said. (one…two… three…four…) yep, thirty-four. “So who do I talk to about getting my invoice credited?” After a few phone calls, I did get in touch with the right person. The Corporate Customer Service Manager said, “Mr. Myers, this has never happened before. We have never been late,” she said. “Thirty-four days isn’t bad, but our policy is our policy.” A couple of weeks later, I received a zero balance statement in the mail. I also received a letter with an explanation of what happened and the processes that were changed to ensure that it never happened again.
Not only did they make a sale because of their outstanding “put-their-money-where-their-mouth-is” customer service guarantee, they also earned my business for future furniture purchases, as well. Had the furniture arrived in 30 days, I still would have been a very happy camper. Had they not made this guarantee, or guaranteed it within 90 days, I would have been less impressed, and who knows, maybe not even have made the purchase in the first place. Maybe I would never have had the opportunity to experience their exceptional customer service.
We provide a similar guarantee at CDG & Associates. We guarantee a “go-live” on HRIS implementation projects, and we offer incentives, such as cash holdbacks if we do not meet agreed upon completion dates. It’s just another arrow in the quiver. One prospect attended a seminar we sponsored with PeopleSoft this year and said, “I remember you guys from a conference. You’re the ones who guarantee a ‘go-live’”.
In summary:
Set customer expectations high. It can be a competitive advantage for winning new business.
Make sure you have the systems in place to meet the high expectations.
If something happens, and you do not do what you said you were going to do, be prepared to pay the consequences, and do so with a smile and a handshake. You can still escape with a high-level of customer service.
Fix the system so that next time, you meet those expectations.
Dan Myers
Director of Marketing
