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