Welcome to the Monthly Mash, a mashup of tools, tales and tips on customer service and the customer experience from around the blogosphere.
Volume 28: February 2014
Thoughts on the Customer: Customer Experience as A Competitive Advantage
What differentiates your product or service for your competitors?
- Is it price? Are you the lowest game in town?
- Is it quality? Does your product stand out so much from your competition that it sells itself?
- Is it uniqueness? Are you one of the few who produces such a product or service?
If you answered yes to one of the above questions then 
congratulations, you have a competitive advantage that has nothing to do with customer service. However, for many, the answer to the above questions (and other questions like those) is no.
No, our product is not really special…
- Our insurance health screening test is the same as our competitors.
- Our toner refill service uses the same toner as the service down the street and for about the same price.
- Our speedy oil change service is… well, about the same speed as other oil change services.
When you can’t differentiate your core product or service, then your last bet hope for differentiation and competitive advantage is to provide a superior customer experience around your product or service. Customer experience can be the ultimate competitive advantage.
The Month in Customer Service Blogging
A collection of the best posts about customer service and the customer experience we read this past month.
Someone Was Listening
Sometimes the most popular post from the previous month; sometimes just the one I liked best.
We received some great feedback on our recent post Putting the Customer Ahead of the Customer Service Checklist. Having a customer service checklists can be a crucial part of providing a consistently good experience. However, when checking off a box on the checklist is allowed to override judgment at a customer touch point, the checklist is not being used correctly. The checklist is there to bolster your customer’s experience, not to diminish it.
