Real or rote?
It’s no secret that now is the time to develop a strong and resilient competitive advantage.
You can use a number of strategies, yet, the ultimate strategy should offer a competitive advantage that becomes an enduring part of your brand value. Real brand value, like all good relationships, must outlast the first flush of physical attraction!
In South Africa, there is one such opportunity that stands out in all sectors – a singular need that very few are exploiting: engaging customer service.
By this, we mean the kind where the service provider is enthusiastic, informed and eager to help, where they actually listen and respond. We’re talking about the kind of service where employees can make decisions - and do; where you can even find a degree of trust and comfort. Yes, engaging customer service is human, and in many respects intimate in its character. This contrasts sharply with our daily customer service experience.
And it stands out.
For many organisations, customer service is a burden that must be perceived to be done. This perception is easy to create with a few well-designed and prominently displayed charters, credos and customer service promises.
No doubt these documents mean something, and no doubt they were generated with sincere thought, planning and intent (after a long and costly consultative process). Unfortunately, it may have also resulted in a narrowing of focus which takes away from the needs and wants of the customer and focuses on the details of a prescribed process instead. The result is scripted customer service where everyone is treated the same.
In following the script, service becomes rehearsed, unenthusiastic, and remote. Ironically, both the service user and the service provider share this experience. The relationship is essentially hostile from the start.