Do you ever wonder why some people are selected to (or choose to) work in customer-facing positions?  I do.  I believe businesses could do a much better job of choosing their employees… To make sure they have the “right people in the right seats on their bus,” so to speak.  Alas, life is not that simple. (sigh)

The problem is sometimes people working in service businesses get so wrapped up in following instructions, or completing the task at hand, that they forget about the most important part, the customer experience.  It happens all the time, especially in a society where speed seems to take precedence over everything else.

A Service Dilemma Illustrated

A couple of weeks ago I attended a conference at a historic, beautiful hotel.  By all accounts the hotel did a great job of accommodating our group, consisting primarily of meeting and event professionals.  For the hotel, this was no easy feat, given our chosen line of work, as we are probably some of the most critical business people around, when it comes to service expectations.

I noticed, over the 4 days of the meeting, the hotel was always very much on top of their game.  They efficiently and quickly refreshed our meeting rooms, replenished coffee breaks, and promptly attended to our catered meal functions.  In fact, the banquet staff was so eager to provide service that at times it became annoying.

At one lunch the waiters (they worked in teams) at our table relentlessly picked up food items from our place settings, before we could even finish eating them, without asking us for permission.  Trust me, that is a quick way to ruin a good meal.  Finally, unable to contain myself any longer, I lost my patience.

With a sudden verbal expression of frustration I stopped them dead in their tracks.  I even surprised myself, for a moment, at my outburst.  Interestingly,  I later learned most everyone else at the table felt the same way I did, but had just been hesitant to say anything.

In hindsight, these waiters were clearly under pressure to meet a deadline, as communicated by someone in hotel management.   I would imagine (not a fact, only speculation) the conference organizer requested expedited banquet service to keep the conference program on schedule.  The wait staff followed instructions, some of them abandoning, in all the stress, the other important aspects of a service experience.

So, what customer service lessons can be learned from this story?

Customer Service is a Art

Great customer service does not come easily.  There is an art to delivering an awesome service experience, regardless of what business you are in.  Here are some thoughts on how to get there:

Pay attention To Your Customer — First and foremost tune in to them.  Seek to understand their needs and demonstrate to them, through your actions, that you do.  Prompt service, without attention to overall needs, is downright foolish.

Care Like You Mean It — In order to deliver exceptional service, you must first truly be interested in providing it.  Delivering service in a robotic, drone-like manner is not engaging, and won’t be appreciated.  If you don’t care about the quality of the experience, customers will notice that, and you will lose them.

Show Some Artistic Flair– Find unique ways to show customers they are special.  Intuitive remarks, extra touches (such as personal note-cards), and sincere compliments show you care, and they will appreciate you for it.  It will distinguish you from other suppliers, and make their service experience memorable.

Have Some Fun, Enjoy Your Job — Don’t take what you do so seriously that you can’t relax, enjoy people around you, and laugh a little.  Smiles and Humorous comments are infectious, and people do love them.  Take time to savor the experience, and your customers will too.  It will make your day go a lot smoother!

Question:  What are you doing to raise your game, with your customers?  What are some of the most effective personal touches you have used to connect with them?  What did I miss in this article?  Please share with us!

I have been a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) since 1993.  PCMA has a rich history of providing quality education to its members, both at the chapter and national level.  As with most associations PCMA frequently calls upon their members to donate their time as speakers and moderators at their educational events.

This week I attended an educational course, offered by PCMA, called “The Skilled Moderator” Workshop.  The premise behind this class is to teach participants best practices and hone their skills as effective moderators for Panel discussions and other similar events.  One of my personal goals has been to receive some education in public speaking so this event was right up my alley.

The class, led by Curt Peoples, was terrific.  It was well worth the full-day time commitment and I learned much from the experience. Curt has a very engaging style in his presentations and delivers them with pointed humor, which I always appreciate!   He will be speaking at the PCMA Annual Meeting taking place in Dallas, TX in January.  (See PCMA Website for details)  If you have an opportunity to attend his session (Facilitating a Culture of Collaboration) I highly recommend it!

What made this workshop so special is the entire day’s events were provided by PCMA to me (and the other attendees) at no charge!  From my vantage point this was a brilliant move by PCMA.  Here’s why:

• As a PCMA member/customer I appreciate that this organization respects me enough to provide me with a professional development opportunity without expecting any financial investment in return.  This is an example of customer service at its finest!
• PCMA’s one-day investment in those of us who attended this workshop has now generated a pool of trained members with the enhanced skillset to volunteer their assistance as Moderators at future PCMA educational events.  That is intelligent business!

Some times its the little things that make all the difference in the world.  I am already an active member of PCMA, but the good will they generated by including me in this workshop deepens my already strong loyalty towards this organization.  A special thank you goes out to John Potterton, VP Education for PCMA, as he extended the invitation from PCMA to me for this workshop.

In this highly competitive business environment we live in today, customer loyalty is the most important focus for any business to sustain its long term viability.  Organizations finding ways to deliver personalized service to their customers, such as quality education,  will receive the ultimate return on their investment… Loyalty and business referrals!

Are you finding ways to provide special touches and added value to your customers?  How are you generating loyalty towards your organization?  Tell us about it!

Have you reached into the hearts and minds of your customers?  This is an essential component of becoming customer centric … especially if the products and services you offer are complex and supported by customer interfaces spread out among various units within your organization. (From Customer Advocacy, a whitepaper published by  Customer Centricity, Inc)

With the shift in business thinking during this historic recession, the top priority for “forward-thinking” organizations is to deepen the business relationships they already have.  Today’s customers are looking for vendors they can develop real partnerships with, built on the pillars of mutual trust, commitment and open honest dialogue.

So, what is customer advocacy? According to Wikipedia, it is defined as follows:

“Customer advocacy is a specialized form of customer service in which companies focus on what is best for the customer. It is a change in a company’s culture that is supported by customer-focused customer service and marketing techniques.”

Simply put, customer advocacy is unselfishly doing what is right for a client, even if that means referring them to a competitor to address a particular business issue.  It is fulfilling the “trusted adviser” role in its purest form.

So who is a customer advocate (for purposes of this article I refer to them as a “CA”) and what do they do?  Great Question…. Here are some thoughts:

• Facilitators — or as I like to refer to them they are “dot connectors.” CA’s are the guiding force or compass to connect the “dots” between what a customer characterizes as their need(s) and the best available solution(s) to address that/those need(s).
• Passionate about relationships – with their clients.  They have an inner hunger to learn as much as they possibly can about them.  CA’s understand how their clients prefer to do business and recognize their most important challenges.
• Big-Picture Thinkers — CA’s look at business issues from 30,000 feet.   Strategic actions will always be driven by the goal of “doing the right thing” for the long term health of their business relationships.
• High Integrity — CA’s walk the talk… they don’t just “drink the koolaid” of advocacy but they live in it.  When a commitment is made to a customer their top priority is always delivering on that promise, no matter what it takes.
• Transparent Communicators — In their interactions with people, there is no hidden agenda.  CA’s are forthright in their communications, even when it means they must admit a mistake, or engage in a tough conversation.

Customer Advocates are really successful in initiating and cultivating strong business relationships.  A company fortunate enough to build a complete team of employees with this mindset and style will thrive in the marketplace.

Looking ahead to the “new normal” for doing business, it is actions, not a marketing message that will propel an organization forward into significant growth.  Does your organization have this depth of commitment to its customers?  How are you personally fostering a business culture built upon customer advocacy?  Please share your thoughts with us!