| Businesses have been trying for decades to import | | | | not common practice. Ever see the sign that says In |
| good service practices and graft them into their own | | | | God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash? Or the cartoon |
| work settings. They use training programs or other | | | | of the four little men rolling on the floor with laughter, |
| means to try and "regimentalize" key service | | | | over the caption You Want It When? Everywhere you |
| behaviors-an outside-in approach that seldom makes | | | | look, you see businesses making it painfully obvious |
| things any better, and often only makes things worse. | | | | that they consider their customers unreasonable |
| Truly customer-focused businesses deliver outstanding | | | | intruders, potential criminals, annoying interruptions of |
| service from the inside out. The key is to get | | | | the "real work" the business is trying to get done. |
| employees coming up with their own ideas for | | | | In your employee brainstorming session, get the group |
| delighting customers, and then letting positive feedback | | | | thinking about ways to make customers feel welcome |
| from happy customers motivate the workers to | | | | and appreciated in each step of the transaction. The |
| continue implementing more of their own innovative | | | | ideas that emerge often cost nothing to implement (like |
| service strategies. This is the Flashpoint Effect, where | | | | smiling more, or addressing customers by name), and |
| employee motivation and customer satisfaction fuel | | | | yet these are the little things that can make such a big |
| each other in a chain reaction of contagious | | | | difference from the customers' point of view. |
| enthusiasm. | | | | Third Customer Focus Principle: Tailor the experience |
| Easier said than done, of course - unless the | | | | to fit the customer. |
| organization has an actual process in place to keep | | | | Where one supermarket invests in metal barricades to |
| the chain reaction bubbling. Such a process does not | | | | prevent the theft of shopping carts, its |
| have to be complicated. Follow these three guiding | | | | customer-focused competitor chooses instead to |
| principles to help your employees generate their own | | | | invest in carts that are even more appealing. Mothers |
| ideas for improving the customer experience, and | | | | with infants can use carts outfitted with a baby seat. |
| watch how quickly these service enhancements give | | | | Shoppers with older children can use a cart designed |
| your business a powerful competitive edge. | | | | like a toy car, so the kids can pretend they're driving |
| First Customer Focus Principle: Exceed the customer's | | | | while the parent proceeds along the aisles. There are |
| expectations every step of the way. Shoppers at | | | | even self-powered sit-down carts for the elderly and |
| Ireland's Superquinn supermarkets experience the | | | | the disabled. |
| wow-factor at every turn. When they first arrive, they | | | | Flashpoint businesses recognize they deal with |
| encounter a supervised play area for young children. In | | | | different categories of customers, and each category |
| the aisles they encounter a multitude of signs | | | | can have unique expectations. These businesses |
| encouraging them to report "goofs" (such as fruit that | | | | abandon the one-size-fits-all mentality, and look for |
| has over-ripened), in return for which they're given free | | | | ways to provide something special for each major |
| lottery cards. They discover bags of free vegetables | | | | customer category. |
| they can bring home for their pets ("Make Your Hoppy | | | | Invite your brainstorming employees to list the major |
| Happy"). At checkout the store provides umbrellas to | | | | customer categories in your business, and to come up |
| keep shoppers dry while they watch attendants | | | | with ways to wow each category individually. These |
| transfer their grocery bags from cart to car. | | | | are often the kinds of "personal touch" ideas that |
| Set up a brainstorming session in which your | | | | deliver the biggest impact. Even customers from |
| employees break a typical customer transaction down | | | | different categories will be impressed with the efforts |
| into its individual steps, and then challenge the group to | | | | your business is making to improve the overall |
| focus on each step one at a time, and to uncover | | | | customer experience. |
| ways to add a wow-factor element of delight in each | | | | Try applying these three principles in a brainstorming |
| step. They'll probably come up with more ideas than | | | | session with your own employees, and discover for |
| you can implement, but afterwards let them choose | | | | yourself how creating a customer service culture from |
| the best ones, and help them implement these ideas | | | | the inside out really can be as easy as one-two-three. |
| successfully. | | | | Customer-focus consultant Paul Levesque's latest |
| Second Customer Focus Principle: Make the customer | | | | book is Customer Service From The Inside Out Made |
| feel important. | | | | Easy (Entrepreneur Press, 2006). |
| It's just common sense, right? Maybe - but it's certainly | | | | |