Customer Service is business-philosophy, not (only) a department
There is in essence not much happening in
the field of customer service. Okay, there are almost daily articles and
researches published. The content is mostly the same, i.e. customers demand
better service and are even willing to pay for that better service. Some
companies provide sites and/or apps to facilitate the complaining process and
to give more voice to the individual.
There are still only a few companies who
have made awesome customer service their basic business-philosophy, like Zappos
( do you know any new examples??).
I think the main reason is that companies
see customer service still as only a department, a department that does not
generate revenue and only costs money. That is still the prevailing, limited
view. If that view remains then the focus on cost-saving will not disappear.
And the quality of the provided service will diminish even further.
The only way to – structurally- improve the
customer service experience is to make it a part of your culture, your
business-philosophy. Then customer service becomes a way of being and doing
throughout the entire organization. Customer service then becomes the only
sustainable way to really differentiate yourself.
What is your view on customer service?
Enthusiasm drives Excellence!