Jane Streat, Head of Client Services at Lexington Reception Services, discusses the importance of avoiding complacency in well-reputed organisations.
There are numerous awards for excellence in customer service and many organisations invest considerable time and money into winning these prestigious gongs to make them more attractive to prospective customers. Why? Because customers are more focused than ever on service excellence – one bad experience and they’ll jump to a competitor without a second thought.
The issue here is that some organisations appear to rest on their laurels and not progress their services when they achieve these awards and commendations. So what do we need to do to prevent complacency setting in and organisations losing their hard earned reputation for fabulous customer service?
I was browsing around a well-known, well respected, retailer recently enjoying the customer service they are so well known and trusted for providing when I decided to grab a bite to eat in their in-house restaurant.
Looking forward to good customer service and some quality food I headed to their restaurant but when I arrived I wasn’t greeted with the warm smile I expected or the level of courtesy or manners that are normally offered; instead I was greeted by an individual who seemed stressed and worn out, someone who, quite frankly, left me feeling like they couldn’t wait to get me served and out of their way.
They were obviously short staffed and the counters were not as full as they should have been bearing in mind it was lunch time. The food was lukewarm, tasteless and either had been reheated or left under a heat lamp for hours. The food dining experience definitely wasn’t worth the premium price I had paid for it. It left me disappointed and still hungry.
This standard of service isn’t something I’d expect from the worst of cafés let alone from one of the most trusted and respected retailers. So how had things got to this stage? Why had the food been allowed to sit for so long and why had the staff member been allowed to offer such a low level of service? We pride ourselves, in the service industry, on providing a level of customer service excellence which never falters, irrespective of what’s happening in our own lives, our customers come first.
Was this complacency? How many organisations become lazy once they have achieved the recognition for a great customer journey? How long can the organisations that fail to drive higher standards or just maintain their existing levels of excellence last before their reputation is damaged?
Achieving recognition for great customer service should only be the beginning of the journey for organisations. We need to continue pushing to do things better and invest in learning and development to drive customer excellence and develop the skills of those people who hold the key to the organisations success. We also need to invest in recruiting the right people and communicating our values to ensure teams continue to provide fabulous service.
Every savvy organisation operating in the service industry spends considerable time and money investing in its people to ensure they provide a customer journey, which is a cut above the rest, because they know it’s this that will ensure customer loyalty. It’s essential that this continues.
Consumers have more choice and access to more information about brands in today’s digital age, reviews, rewards, accolades and most importantly existing customer voices. This ultimately means they are more likely to change their supplier if their expectations are not met or they can get a better service elsewhere.
Research from Oracle finds 89 per cent of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience – this is not being fickle, it’s being a smart customer.
We know the importance of good customer service – so how do brands who are known for their fabulous approach to customer service end up getting things so very wrong? The simple answer is that they become complacent and forget customers/clients are buying the relationship they promise them. If they don’t fulfil this promise, their customers will leave and go elsewhere.
The moral of the story is don’t become complacent. Invest in your people – listen to them and work with them to ensure you continue to live up to your promise. And check in with your customers to see how they feel with the way things are going – is there anything they’d like to see more or less of?
It’s this engagement, two-way communication and investment in training that will help ensure complacency doesn’t set in.
