Service ... It's all about the experience!

"I'm sure you’ve all heard the saying “Success is a journey, not a destination” – well, we believe that customer experience is a journey too – a constantly changing one. Even after you've designed the best possible experience for your customers, their needs change and with it, their expectations of what good service means to them.  So delivering great service consistently and staying on top of customer’s needs is more crucial and challenging than ever!

But what makes a great customer experience?  You may be surprised to find that, as the supermarket says, “Every little helps” and when it comes to customer service, it’s the little things that turn good service into a great service – so how do we ensure one experience stands out from the next in order to create that great overall impression?

To begin with, ask yourself if you are really listening to your customers - in particular, listening to them on social media, where the smallest criticism on service can turn into a company’s worst nightmare; frighteningly 80% of people will tell approximately 13 people if they’ve had a bad experience, multiply that by the myriad of social platforms and the potential layers of friends and sub- friends and before you know it, your service secret is out!

Then, recognise that delivering first class customer service doesn’t have to be dramatic with grandiose gestures, but can just be about going the extra distance and making that one small gesture.  For many customers, a face to face interaction, a simple phone call, a personal acknowledgment can mean the difference between good service, and great service!

Think back to when you were really impressed with the service you received from someone at an organisation – it will have been a person that wowed you, it will have been a person that engaged with you and whether it was through humour, ability, professionalism or end result, your impression of the company is formed by your experience with that individual.  

Customers’ needs will change throughout the life of their relationship with you but one thing will remain constant, the need for an empathetic person to simply listen to them, understand them and demonstrate that human touch that shows them that no matter what, someone does care.

In case you didn’t know, today is the start of National Customer Service Week, a week dedicated to the importance of customer service and the individuals who provide and support customers on a daily basis. It celebrates people who turn ordinary acts into extraordinary experiences and that, in today’s age, is what we should all be aiming for."

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