Business Turnaround

Where do we do get our notions about what qualifies as exceptional customer service?

Fast Company's editor, Mark N. Vamos believes it comes from "an unspoken expectation that's rooted in an idealized image of early-20th Century small-town commerce. We want to feel as if we're looking the proprietor in the eye over a wooden counter. We want the owner of the hardware store to know us. We want the waitress in the cafe to call us by name and pour our coffee with cream, no sugar, without being asked."

I slipped that into my "Wish I'd written that" file. He concludes that the companies best known for superior service are those that have learned how to leverage technology and training in such a way it actually personalizes the relationship between the customer and the business. You might enjoy his complete “Letter from the Editor" in the September issue.

This month the magazine features their Customers First Awards. The winners are described as those businesses that "transform ordinary transactions into entertaining experiences - delighting customers..." Sound familiar?  If you're not thinking about your business in the context of providing a compelling experience, you're missing a unique opportunity for a deeper connection with your customers.

We do personalize the relationship with the people and companies with whom we do business, just as our ancestors did when they looked the local merchant in the eye across a wooden counter. That is what Roy Williams defined as the “Personal Experience Factor.” Provide lousy customer service and the PEF drops below freezing. Enhance the customer experience and you raise the PEF thermostat. Do it right consistently, and you raise profits.

From the mom-and-pop businesses of a bygone era to the mega-corporations of today, the formula for success is timeless: Treat customers as friends. Generously reward their loyalty. Focus on fulfilling their needs and wants.

What do customers want? Simply this – personal attention.