News for the Hospitality Executive |
Service Excellence: The MOST Important Thing To Create a Service Culture!
July 11, 2011 I have two confessions to make. One is…I am
a huge fan of
Zappos.com. So much so that I am dedicating a large chunk of this
article to
their renowned service culture. Every time I meet someone who has
shopped at
Zappos.com, the reaction is always the same, “I love Zappos!”, “They
are the
best”, etc. For those who don’t know, Zappos.com is a successful online
shoe
and apparel retailer. My second confession is, as this article is being
written
(June 27, 2011), I have never actually shopped at Zappos.com, although
I intend
to whenever I get a moment. In case you are wondering why I seem to be
such a
staunch advocate of their brand without personally shopping their yet,
the
answer is simple. They understand the most important ingredient needed
in order
to build a world-class service culture. So, the fundamental questions in this article are:
Tony Hseig is the CEO of Zappos.com and in his book, “Delivering
Happiness”, he recounted the exact moment that he and his team
decided that
service would be the Most Important Thing they would do. He wrote, “Even though it would hurt our
growth, we
decided to cut most of our marketing expenses, and refocused our
efforts on
trying to get the customers who had already bought from us to purchase
again and
more frequently. Little did we know that this was actually a blessing
in
disguise, as it forced us to focus more on delivering better customer
service.
In 2003, we would decide to make customer service the focus of the
company.” Tony went on to explain, “Our philosophy
has been to take
most of the money we would have spent on paid advertising and invest it
into
customer service and the customer experience instead, letting our
customers do
the marketing for us through word-of-mouth”. After reading that
passage, I
began to wonder about how powerful it would be if businesses
truly
understood the positive ramifications of that quote. "An example of us using the telephone as a branding device is what happens when a customer calls looking for a specific style of shoes in a specific size that we’re out of stock on. In those instances, every rep is trained to research at least three competitors’ websites, and if the shoe is found in stock to direct the customer to the competitor. Obviously, in those situations, we lose the sale. But we’re not trying to maximize each and every transaction. Instead, we’re trying to build a lifelong relationship with each customer, one phone call at a time.” Hopefully, the message is resonating with
you by now…the
most effective way to build a service culture is to clearly make
service the Most
Important Thing your company does. Of course, you
still have to execute your core business flawlessly whether it’s a
spa,
hospital, or an airline. Massages, clinical procedures, and landing
airplanes
still must be done with excellence. In the Washington DC metro area, there is a
chain of grocery
stores called “MOM’s Organic Market”. While their company mission is to
protect
and restore the environment, it is obvious that providing exceptional
service
is vital to their business success. We are fortunate to have a MOM’s
store not
far from where we live, and I try to visit at least a few times per
month.
Recently, I decided to visit the store to buy a brand of organic milk.
It was
around 8:20AM, so I assumed that the store was already open. When I
arrived to
the store, however, the sliding glass doors at the entrance didn’t open
(gasp!). I then looked at the hours of operation on the front door and
it
clearly stated that the store opens at 9AM. Before I could turn to walk
away, a
store employee came rushing to the front door, unlocked it, opened it
and gave
me a big “Good Morning! Come on in.” I was a bit confused, but
delighted at the
same time. Then when I actually got inside, I noticed that there were
at least
two other shoppers already picking up groceries. Of course, I had to
ask the
store employee why the store opened before 9AM, and he said, “Because
we try to
open as early as possible to accommodate those customers who need to
stop in
before they go to work. By the way, please watch your step because we
are still
mopping and getting prepared to officially open at 9.” Wow. After I commented to him how impressed I was
with the
store’s service-centric philosophy, he went on to tell me that just
yesterday,
one elderly shopper forgot her credit card at the cash register. One of
the
store employees knew where she lived in the neighborhood and
volunteered to
take it to her house. Wow times two! About the Author Dr. Bryan K. Williams is the Chief Service Officer of B.Williams Enterprise, and the author of Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar. Bryan’s passion is world-class customer service, and has facilitated workshops and delivered keynotes all over the world for various companies. He speaks on a variety of topics related to service excellence, employee engagement, and organizational improvement. As a consultant, Bryan works closely with companies to design, develop, and implement sustainable service strategies. His company’s online store includes a growing collection of customer service products that are well-suited for your training library. |
B. Williams Enterprise, LLC |