Customer service just isn't fair. What I mean by that is: if you take care of your perfect customer, to make them happy, may not always take the biggest, strongest effort on your part. It may be just listening to them when they have a question or a problem. It may be taking them out to lunch. It may be buying them a cup of coffee. A lot of organizations have a blanket customer service rule. The employees are allowed to do this and only this. When they make a return, you must have a data receipt within thirty days. And it's actually negative consequences from within the company on the employees. That's the thrust of the customer service. A lot of customer service plans/guidelines are "Hey Mr. Employee, if you don't get this then you're in trouble". The thrust of a good customer service policy is. Let's make the customer who's facing us: who has a problem; who is unhappy; let's make them happy. And then they'll keep us as a preferred vendor. We want them to keep coming back and making purchases from us. So what your focus here should be: setting up customer service policies that delight the customer. Someone who's literally written the book on this is a deli in the Midwest called Zingerman's. Zingerman's guide to customer service is a short one. And you, as the owner of your company or the principal of your company, should read it. And then make sure that all your employees read it. Customer service. Isn't fair. Sometimes it takes a smile and a handshake. Sometimes it takes a whole new product or a whole new service to this book to read and let me know what you think about it in the space below. Pass.

Video – It’s Not Fair

It’s Not Fair from Scott Gardner on Vimeo.

Most customer service policies are unintentionally constructed to punish both customers and employees. One Size Fits All doesn’t work. What does it take to create a superior customer service policy?

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