My thinking partner often remarks that one’s last article is motivation for their next; they are right. Over the past couple of days, I have been reflecting on what to share this quarter and the mind settled on service and the need to return to the very basics of serving customers.
It is a timely topic as we usher in the International Customer Service Week (CSW) running from the 2-6th of October. The idea itself—of celebrating customers, should be celebrated. I recently looked up its history and was amazed at how a good idea can go global, organically.
The CSW which has been celebrated since the late 1980s was, in 1992 proclaimed a nationally recognised event by the U.S. Congress and has since spread across the globe. In 2016 the Week was celebrated in all 50 U.S. states and 60 countries—including Uganda.
It is impressive to note the broad range of organizations participating in the CSW, including leading financial, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, retailing, hospitality, communications, not-for-profit, and educational organizations, as well as government agencies, and others. This simply means that regardless of the industry, the customer is at the core of any trade.
Back to service basics
American former professional mixed martial artist Daniel Cormier, once said in an interview that one doesn’t get to the highest levels of sport without having the basics in order.
Growing up, it was always easy to identify the well-mannered children from the simple traits. For some It was in the words they used during any interaction like thank you, sorry, please etc. that affiliated you with good manners. Today these same attributes have shaped professionals all around the globe.
If we all asked the question: what does doing the basics look like for my business—be it micro, medium, or large businesses as a starting point.
So, as we go through the CSW, I thought I would share the following basics of achieving the highest levels of customer experiences that could apply across diverse businesses:
1. Know your customer: Start by understanding the customer journey to spot and remove any friction along the way. It was important for me to ensure that customers trust the brand first before anything else. My first-year schedule was packed with customer engagements wanting to know what their interests, future aspirations, purchase patterns, dislikes, likes etc. This allowed me to connect with so many people and get an appreciation for each customer experience. Being able to use this information in management meetings, product cycles and marketing continuously creates a positive shift in the business.
2. Be willing to improve your skills: I remember my greatest fear before applying for my current role as Head of CX was the fact that I was not a tech guru or your typical system’s developer, Software engineer, or data scientist so I always had the perception that CX was categorically formulated for experts in those areas. I however believed in my abilities to solve complex problems by building a strong internal Customer centric culture that enabled the tech skills I wasn’t good at. I knew though that I had to learn the basics of technology and data science and how they contribute to great CX in the process.
3. Understand how CX enables business growth: It was important for me to identify the value drivers for CX and how they generate revenue for the business. Working closely with the data and finance teams to map out the critical areas that would drive customer lifetime value as this would enable repeat usage of our products and services as well as the customer being able to do more with the business. I look forward to using tools and models that have been developed to measure Return on customer Experience for future deliberations and more strategic conversations.
4. Leveraging networks: This is such a powerful approach used to elevate the right conversations where solutions to business-related problems can be found. Some of my profound career experiences were through networking events across the continent. I specifically love the fact that I meet people with vast knowledge and the goal is to find points of mutual connection not one-sided connection. And because you want to find ways to help each other, and by doing so, you all grow.
As renowned voice coach Bill Dewees once said, “The golden rule for clients is that you have to make it easy for them to work with you.” Happy Customer Service Week! May we all find ways of mastering the brilliant basics of service, starting with making it easy for the client to work with us.
