If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my forty-plus years in the business world, it’s that customer service is far more than a department name or a desk that shoppers or clients go to with problems and complaints. It’s not a website, or a phone number, or an option on a pre-recorded phone menu. Nor is it a task or a chore. It’s a personal responsibility. And it’s not the responsibility only of people called customer service reps. It’s the responsibility of everyone in the organization, from the CEO to the newest and lowest-ranking frontline employee. In fact, everyone in the company should be thought of as a customer service rep, because in one way or another each of them has some impact on, and bears some responsibility for, the quality of the customer experience. Even if you never see or speak to a customer (or potential customer), you need to treat everyone with whom you interact—your vendors, your creditors, your suppliers, and so on—with sincerity and respect. Trust me, the great service you give them will ultimately trickle down to your customers.
Great service serves bottom-line business objectives. Sounds simple, but I constantly meet executives who don’t understand that. They say things like “I’m in the commodity business, and it’s all about the product.” I tell them that they’d better have a great product, because the most extraordinary customer service in the world won’t compensate for a bad one. But then I tell them that unless their product is the only one of its kind on the planet (and will always be the only one), good quality alone won’t guarantee long-term profits. Time and again, customer service has been shown to be the best way to distinguish an outstanding company or organization from its competitors. Let’s face it, no matter what business or industry you’re in, there’s probably someone—or many someones—who offers more or less the same product or service you do. But if you provide the same product plus personal service that feels authentic, you will have a leg up. No matter what business you’re in, great service is a competitive advantage that costs you little or nothing but adds huge value for your customer. And it’s one advantage you can’t afford to pass up, because in today’s highly competitive marketplace your customers will leave you in a heartbeat if your service doesn’t measure up. Don’t take my word for it; look at the research. In one study, customers were asked why they stopped doing business with a company. Forty-three percent named “negative experience with a staff person” as the main reason for taking their business elsewhere, and 30 percent said they moved on because they were made to feel they were not a valued customer.
My point is that most people expect quality products and services. It’s the lowest common denominator. But if your company gives people the products or services they want and customer service that exceeds their expectations, you have an unbeatable combination, and one your competition can’t easily imitate. Don’t get confused about the difference between the services you sell and customer service. Services are what consumers come to you for and pay for. Customer service encompasses the entire experience, from the moment a person logs on to your website or walks through your front door until the moment they log off or walk out. It’s what brings the human factor into a transaction. Some hardened number types scoff at the notion of the human factor. But as I’ve learned over the course of decades working at some of the most profitable companies in the world, the emotional element is as important as—even more important than—the money that changes hands. That is why it should be delivered not just competently, but with ultimate respect, sincerity, and care.
Some managers and executives turn up their noses at the whole idea of service. They believe it’s too “soft” for someone in their position of importance to think about, what with all the decisions they have to make and bottom lines they have to meet and the competitors breathing down their necks. Creating better products, building fresh ad campaigns, pioneering new technologies or markets—those tasks feel sexy to them. They get their juices flowing. To them, customer service is a department. It’s something they can delegate to nice people who get along well with others. They couldn’t be more misguided.
That is why everyone in a company should be considered part of the customer service department. Several years ago, when I was in charge of operations at Disney World, we changed the title of our frontline managers to “guest service manager” and required them to get out of the office and spend 80 percent of their shift in the operations, providing service support to their direct reports. Overnight, our guest satisfaction scores rose sharply. So whether you’re the CEO, a midlevel manager, or the head of a small department, give your team members—and yourself!—responsibilities and titles that reflect their role in pleasing the customer.
Great service does not cost any more money than average or poor service. Yet the returns it delivers are spectacular. So invest in your company’s commitment to service by making it part of every employee’s job description and the guiding light of your entire operation.