Authentic Customer Service: The process that produces warm fuzzies

We are fairly astute these days.  We can smell phony from a mile away.  One step away from what a company says compared to what they do is one step too many.  So how do companies create authentic customer service?  How do they produce that warm fuzzy feeling in clients and stakeholders?

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Thomas a few years ago.  He was instrumental in the customer service strategy at Westnet, a well known Australian Internet Service Provider.  Westnet had taken a different tact with their customer service compared to their competitors.  If they said they would ring you back, then they rang you back when they said they would.  They didn't close a support request until you, the client, said it could be closed.  This experience was not unique, I had heard the same story again and again with friends and family.  I had even experienced their service first hand as a client.  When it came to doing what the staff said they would do, it was done.

Now, they just hired the same people that you and I hire for customer-facing roles.  Of course you look for a certain type of person that is friendly and has the ability to build rapport.  However, without processes that are backed by the company, good intentions is mostly what you get with this strategy.  And blame isn't solely with the staff, who are often trying their best to fulfill more than they can due to time constraints.  Processes and company buy-in to those processes is essential to give great and authentic customer service across all customer-facing staff.

What Chris said about getting management investment was eye-opening.  Instigating processes needed complete backing and this was hard slog.  The bottom line is... you are implementing processes that require more time and effort, and thus, more staff.  This is on the same number of clients and income.  You have to have a true believer leading this, and you need the measurements in place to show that the numbers work.  You have to give the numbers time to work too.  It's a leap of faith that everyone takes, but it has paid off for Westnet, in both awards and with real dollars and cents (they were purchased by a competitor because of their customer service standards).

So, what were the measurements that Chris and his team used.  In gaining feedback, there was one question they asked their clients that really mattered.  One question on which executives pay was based.  If you want to know about this one question, it's time to read the Harvard Business Review article from the December 2003 issue - "The one number you need to grow" by Frederick Reichheld.

So, today's lesson?  Have processes, humanise your processes, connect them from the top down for authenticity, and measure the results.  Why else would you have goals?  Authentic customer service is about knowing were you are going and how well you are growing.