I am one of the people who cannot avoid evaluating the quality of customer service every time I visit a company, store, pharmacy, etc. And not with the desire to create pressure on the people who attend me, but because I think there are always things to improve. Much has been written about customer service… we all know that a company cannot differentiate itself if it does not have a service philosophy “injected into the vein of its people”. Despite this, organizations continue to make the same mistakes when thinking that the customer will return….
In Lima, an interesting phenomenon has been occurring and I am referring to the increase in places to have coffee. Starbuck is one of the busiest. I am not going to talk precisely about this success story, but about the Peruvian versions that have been positioning themselves more strongly in the minds and hearts of Peruvians. I usually have coffee with my wife, when we want to find a space to talk, to remember the good times, to talk about how the children grew up and everything that a couple who wants to escape from the hustle and bustle in the 21st century can share.
A few days ago we went to a new place that was inaugurated in Chacarilla, an area that has been populated with this type of space. I have to admit that I was impressed with the attention they gave us. Since we arrived with the car; We had valet parking staff ready as if it were a team of Formula 1 Pits, then we entered the premises and a person was already waiting for us to attend to our concerns, while we walked to the table, the waiters that we encountered were greeting us as if outside a catwalk, all pending of one, without intimidating you of course. The young woman who took our order had a fresh, natural smile and a disposition that made us ask for the entire list if possible. All of this that I comment, allowed us to have the peace of mind to converse smoothly, as if time had stopped.Then when we finished and left, we felt that the staff close to us stopped doing something to give us a smile and ask us what did you think of everything? Do you have any comments, something that was missing? The truth is that we were very satisfied with the desire to tell everyone what we had experienced… as simple as that!
Achieving a service like the one described does not come from divine inspiration, there is an entire effort embodied in a system, which has contemplated all the needs, perceptions and expectations of people. Customers, we are tired of seeing the advertising that seduces us to buy and after you go, you discover that it is more of the same, that is, you find people who serve totally disconnected from the customer, with jaw pain and a frown, because they cannot continue to hold a smile that is not born to them… and that they look forward to the moment of returning home.
We all know that the experience we live during customer service is what determines loyalty. Who has not felt the indifference of the person who answers the phone when you request a delivery of a pizza for example? We are talking about people more concerned with "reciting" the greeting protocol than what they are saying to the client, then while one is talking about the order, they start talking with their colleagues… when the call ends, the endless wait comes, a mixture of feelings caused hunger and annoyance, so much so that they force you to call one more time and endure the greeting protocol again!.. This should not be strange for sure. Regardless of the anecdote, the important thing is to highlight that customer service is much more than a smile and seduction techniques.
Personally, I like the natural and that is felt when people are clear about their vision, the mission of the company and live the values in each action they take.
Customer service is a philosophy that must permeate all the people who make up an organization. They must be clear about the image they want to give him, try to see through his eyes, define a culture that allows to withstand the demands and changes of the market. One of the most common mistakes is to focus only on the external customer. As the saying goes "outside flowers and inside tremors" If we want to be perceived as a company that breathes and lives for the customer, we must start by treating the people who work inside well. If the working climate is tense… it will hardly reflect a kind and cordial treatment. Installing new computers, state-of-the-art telephone answering machines to provide "intelligent service" is not the solution… computers cannot perceive customer feelings, people can! It is not difficult to perceive when a worker is not motivated and has to offer you his product, fighting against himself to convince himself that he is doing the right thing. On the contrary, it is nice to see engaged employees, sure of what they do, always trying to make you feel at home.
Generally this is the consequence of a culture where there are clear objectives, where information is shared so that everyone knows what is happening, where the vision motivates them and is understood by all, where the team is worth more than the work of a single person. In addition, there is a leader capable of seeing beyond mistakes and "reckoning" to save his reputation. The true leader, increasingly scarce, has a strategic vision, is aware of the team's operation; They strive so that the people under their charge see the client as the most important person at that moment and that all the effort that is made deserves it.
I could go a lot further on customer service, but I want to save it for another time. I promise that I will continue to share the experiences that occur around this. They were probably expecting formulas that would transform a standard service into a superior one, perhaps like turning an annoying customer into a satisfied one. I would prefer that they focus on reviewing their internal processes, on improving the selection of personnel, in promoting customer-oriented teamwork, in reinforcing the behaviors and attitudes of its employees that can destroy an effort of years, in strengthening motivation and finding leadership in each of the people who have the responsibility of attending to an internal and external client, leadership is not exclusive to positions, anyone is capable of positively influencing others.
And… now I leave you because it is coffee time… Until next time.
