Rethinking Customer Service

Roger Staubach once said “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” As we all face a dynamically changing economy, I think it is a great time to stop and take another look at customer service. I am reminded of the popular quote “If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.” While this might still be true today, I would like to propose a very different concept. With the consumer confidence index hovering at all time lows, I think there is a key aspect of the buying process that traditional customer service models ignore. With the consumer confidence index in the 50’s, it is no longer feasible to view the consumer buying process as “my competitors or me”. The new consumer is initially struggling more between buying vs. not buying, and not the comparison process. Therefore we must focus on a truly excellent consumer experience and throw out anything less than comprehensive programs that address our customer’s needs and earn referrals. Even though satisfying your customers is always important, there is no time more important than the current economic and competitive landscape we are in. A happy customer can be your brand advocate and the most cost effecting advertising your product will ever have. The alternative was best described by Jeff Bezos, “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.” In summary, we must always respect our customers for choosing us, but we must give them more respect for choosing to do something rather than nothing.