Why a Customer Service Program Won’t Work in Our Industry

In nearly every customer service workshop that I conduct I’ll get at least one participant who will explain to me why such customer service practices won’t work in their industry. They’ll explain how their customers are different and have different expectations than other industries. Sometimes the supposed difference doesn’t involve the industry; they’ll say the principles won’t work in their particular area of the country (or the world). Oftentimes these participants don’t want to discuss the situation, they just want to provide an excuse for not implementing service excellence processes.

I’ve yet to meet a customer in any industry or any place who doesn’t want these three things:

• The organization to do the job right.

• The organization to be responsive to the customer’s needs.

• Employees who truly care about the customer.

So, if you want to provide great service, do the job right, be responsive, and show you care. Overly simple? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe we tend to overcomplicate things. Simple principles consistently applied create great customer experiences.

Most customer complaints (in any industry or locale) involve a break down in one or more the above items. So, rather than spend time focusing on why things won’t work, why not use the same energy to focus on how service excellence principles can be adapted to your own situation. Organizations who make this effort are the ones who become world-class customer service providers.

Please feel free to comment on this post!

Dennis