Customer Service = Customer Loyalty

“I have to tell you,” my friend Elaine said to me. “The customer service I received today when I called the main office was downright amazing.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m so pleased,” she continued. “I just have to tell everyone about it!”

“Okay, tell me,” I replied.

HOLD THAT THOUGHT.

“That’s it. I’m done,” I said to Larry.

“That bad, huh?” Larry inquired.

“Worse,” I said. “This company has no idea of the meaning of customer service. First, they send me a commission check that is all wrong. So, I call them to get it right. I’m already upset.”

“I would be, too,” Larry interjected.

“When I call, they put me on hold for about 10 minutes. Then, when they finally talk to me and I explain how they paid me wrong, they tell me I need to write it all down and send it to them by fax to the Commissions Department. They have absolutely no value for my time.”

“Makes you want to put your energies into something else, doesn’t it?” I asked.

“You bet and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

***

When it comes to customer service, direct selling and network marketing companies face a volunteer army of a sales force who can pack their bags and join another business opportunity company at a moment’s notice.

To minimize flight, astute companies realize that customer service is about not only how companies react to customer requests, but also how proactive they are to promote loyalty.

To create loyalty, however, customer service needs to be redefined as equivalent to customer loyalty. Whatever needs to be done to promote “stickiness”, the bonding of a customer to a product or a company… this is what all companies should have as their higher purpose in customer service.

Whenever possible, companies need to put themselves into the shoes of their customers and their sales representatives. Asking the question, “How would I like to be treated?” is a good first step when forming any customer service policies.

Empowering customer service personnel with the right to exercise good business decisions is another wise move that true promoters of the words “customer service” understand.

***

Customer Service Departments should develop programs to promote their obsolescence. In other words, Customer Service should do what it takes to minimize phone calls in the first place.

How do you do that?

To achieve its goals, Customer Service Departments need to be aware of all of the reasons that their customers contact them. These reasons include requests for information and reporting of problems.

Customer Service management should mandate that each contact with a customer or a distributor is identified with a reason. Working with its service teams, a master list of contact reasons can be prepared and managed. The frequency of each type of call needs to be measured to identify problem areas and to identify trends.

Good systems are needed for this to work. Both human processes and supporting software are required. All software systems are not equal in the degree to which they help you build customer loyalty.

Business consultants with experience in your marketing channel can offer procedural solutions and recommendations on software to elevate Customer Service to the role of a strategic initiative instead of a reactive function.

When a company implements best practices for customer service, it fulfills the mission to equate customer service to customer loyalty. As loyalty builds, attrition will decrease and profits will increase.