Really think about that question before you answer.
It’s so easy to get lost in the important details of running a company or managing a department that you end up forgetting how business grows.
Business grows through improving customer relationships.
Good customer relations get better through employee training, clear communication, incentives, and rewards. In order for workers to invest in these functions, YOU have to sincerely commit to these foundational truths first.
Customer Relations expert Bruce Temkin highlights that good customer service boils down to what he calls The Six Laws of Customer Experience. Law #6 gets to the bottom-line issue for you, the manager:
Law #6: You Can’t Fake It.
If customer experience really is not your priority, employees will know, and no amount of cheering or encouraging will persuade the them to improve that customer experience.
Make customer service a top priority.
If customer experience is not a priority, then do not start a program or initiative that says customer relations IS a priority. Doing so will frustrate your employees and keep them from really engaging sometime in the future when your efforts are sincere.
Sometimes it’s better not to start.
If customer experience really is not a priority, customers will know because of the service they receive. No matter how much money you spend on marketing and advertising, you can’t convince customers they are your priority when their experiences with you communicate otherwise.
Marketing should reflect reality.
You can fool some people some of the time…but you can’t fool your employees. Make sure your marketing content reflects real conversations with customers. Use lingo that is clearly understood by your prospects and customers.
How does your personal behavior reflect a commitment to customer experience?
Temkin writes that the truths he outlines are “fundamental truths that define how organizations treat customers.”
Anyone dealing with customers should not just know these laws, but live by them.
Find additional information about these related laws:
Law #1: Every Action Creates A Personal Reaction.
Law #2: People Are Instinctively Self-Centered.
Law #3: Customer Familiarity Breeds Alignment
Law #4: Unengaged Employees Don’t Create Engaged Customers.
Law #5: Employees Do What is Measured, Incented, and Celebrated.
Related blog: Experience Matters from Bruce Temkin
What is your strategic commitment to customer experience excellence?
