Differentiate Your Organisation Through Amazing Customer Service

During the pandemic, it was perfectly understandable that levels of customer service in many organisations changed, and the level of service provided was different….. In the short-term it was understandable, and customers made allowances for the adverse conditions businesses were enduring

However, using the pandemic and staff shortages as reasons why customer service is lacking is now wearing thin …….. many customers are now voting with their feet, to find a business that can and does deliver what they say and really does have the customer at the heart of their business.

These organisations may still encounter supply issues and staff shortages due to illness. Still, the way in which they manage the situation and leave the customer feeling differentiates them from the rest.

We are all aware of the complexities and uncertainties facing businesses today and maintaining your edge and competitiveness in a global market has never been more critical. The only real differentiator a business can count on is its people and the service they deliver.

When I was starting out in the world, I recall a meeting I had with the school careers teacher – and when I informed her that I intended to go into the hospitality industry, her reply to me was “The only people who go into the service sector do so because they cannot get a proper job!”

What she did not realise, or many other people realise is that delivering amazing customer service requires a great deal of skill, it is and should be thought of as a profession …….. Whether that is delivering service to our internal customers or in retail, B2B or B2C.

Your product is only part of the customer’s need

All organisations have customers, they may call them by other names, clients, patients, guests, users, visitors, relatives and every time they interact with the organisation whether that be via the website, a visit to the premises, a telephone call, a brochure, email …….. it is an opportunity to stand out by delivering amazing service.

Traditionally we are taught to focus on the service or product needs that an individual has reached out to our organisation for……… but this is only part of the customer’s need. If all we do is focus on the product or service need, we will have very little to differentiate ourselves, other than the price from our competitors……… and if all we are competing on is the price it is a very fast downward spiral, where there are no winners.

The real differentiator in any sales or service situation is having a team who understands the need for a personal approach for each individual customer, a team who have the skills to identify individual customers’ needs about how they like their service delivered and are able to deliver service in a way which is the best fit for the customer at that specific time.

It’s the difference between the blanket approach of treating the customer as you would like to be treated and treating the customer as they personally would like to be treated.

Behavioural Preferences your leverage to amazing customer service

To deliver amazing customer service using behavioural preferences as your leverage, there is a three-step process

First, we have to identify the “Customer Mood” ……………… we refer to the behaviours of the customer as “moods” ….. Simply because what you are seeing and/or hearing is how they are presenting at that moment and may not be their behavioural preference if they were to complete a behavioural profile.

It may be that they are in a hurry because they only have a few minutes left on their parking meter or they are just leaving for an important meeting and as the service giver, we can only go with the “tells” as we see them.

Once we have identified the customer mood, that will then inform us about how the customer would like their service delivered ……. their unspoken needs……… meaning that the service giver can then adapt their delivery style to deliver a personalised service approach.

There will be occasions when the customer’s mood matches your behavioural preference, so little adaptation is required, and the interaction should be smooth, and enjoyable, as there will be a natural rapport.

However, in the majority of instances, the service giver may need to adapt their style to match the unspoken needs of the customer.

This requires the service giver to operate from a non-preferred behavioural style, which can be likened to writing with your non-dominant hand…….. It can feel quite strange, uncomfortable, unnatural even and it certainly uses much more energy than when operating from your preferred behavioural preference.

It is important to note that this is not about trying to be someone you are not, it is about, adapting your behaviour, accessing skills from your lesser developed preferences,…….skills and abilities that you already have but just don’t use as much and therefore they are not fine-tuned.