Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Guide to Delivering Best-in-Class Customer Care (78-slide PowerPoint presentation). This document is a collection of best practices in delivering world-class customer care. The document is organized across the four performance dimensions: cost, revenue, customer satisfaction infrastructure, and frontline performance. It includes example performance of top performers , as well as [read more]
Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Customer-Centric Design (CCD), take a look at Flevy's Customer-Centric Design (CCD) Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.
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Editor’s Note: Jim Cucinotta is a very senior executive, with over 20+ years of experience in leading sales, marketing, and operations teams. He is also an author on Flevy. You can view his firm’s business training guides here.
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We hear a lot about customer satisfaction, servicing the customers’ needs, and being customer centric. But what we are finding out, these terms mean different things to different people. Without a clear understanding of what service means, all parties involved will be disappointed.
When we discuss service in our company, we focus on P.A.I.R., realizing that the buyer and seller need to be coupled in order to achieve mutual success.
Proactive
The key to being a star in the service world is to anticipate what your client is going to need. You need to truly understand who your customer is, what they like (dislike), and how you fit into their lives. Then make sure you have what they want ready when they want it.
Attentive
Paying attention to your clients’ needs is another important skill to establish a culture of good service. You need to “tend” to your client. Listen and interpret what they say. Focus on your customer when they have a concern and follow up with them even if you think the matter is closed.
Interactive
The best companies know that the client experience needs to be interactive. You need to take the time to talk with (not at) your customers to understand how, when and why they use your product or service. You also need to provide tools to help them learn about the ways your product or service helps them live better.
Responsive
Reacting to a situation and turning it into a positive experience is another key service feature. This could be as simple as returning a phone call, email, or tweet. The key is that your customer receives a response. Respond promptly within an established timeframe (ideally within 4 hours) and discuss the situation in layman’s terms to ensure your client understands the resolution. Too many times, one side is disappointed because they do not understand what they agreed to.
The P.A.I.R. method of customer service works with internal and external customers. It is vital to understand that you need to service your colleagues with as much or more vigor than your customers. Without your company working cohesively, there is no chance that you will deliver on your promise to your customers.
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Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Customer-Centric Design (CCD). Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.
In the modern Digital Age, advances in technology and communication, combined with the explosive growth in data information, have given rise to a more empowered global customer. Recent economic and political events highlight the need for organizations to understand how consumers view the world and the most important attributes for their purchasing decisions.
Thus, increasingly more organizations are seeking to invest and focus on Customer-centric Design. A clear understanding of customer needs and behaviors across the organization will help drive profitable growth strategies and provide the confidence to invest in opportunities at a time when staying within budget can be extremely difficult.
Learn about our Customer-Centric Design (CCD) Best Practice Frameworks here.
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