What We Can Learn From Non-Publishers on How to Build a Customer-Centric Company
You might blame me for being part of the karma parade, but there’s one thing that’s going viral for most companies and that is their dedication to customer service. I’m talking about going above and beyond the call of duty and it doesn’t always require taking down the so-called “gates” and exposing your brand.
One company that’s famous for its customer service is Zappos.com. One notable story I’ve heard is of one of their customer service reps staying on the line with an elderly woman for a full forty-five minutes to help her pick out the perfect pair of shoes.
There are plenty of other stories to go along with this. So much so, that the CEO got a book deal to talk about the culture they have within the company that promotes going above and beyond.
Other retailers are just now seeing the dot-com in their rear view mirror. “The [footwear] industry was in shock when they found out the numbers Zappos is doing and how popular they are,” says Miles Olson, an independent sales representative for Simple Shoes and UGG Australia.”
This is what we call standing out from the rest of the pack.
Sure, you don’t sell shoes, but you sell magazines. You do your best to give away as much content as you can on your website in an effort to sell a more physical product.
But how are you defining your company against others in your space? If both you and your competitors are producing excellent content, where is there an area for you to shine?
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Another heart-warming example is of the grocery store chain Trader Joes. According to an article on American Express’s open forum:
An 89-year old Pennsylvanian was snowed in around the holidays, and his daughter was concerned he wasn’t going to have enough food to last the inclement weather. The daughter called multiple stores trying to find someone who would deliver, and finally learned that Trader Joe’s doesn’t normally deliver, but they would in this special instance. They took the order, and also suggested other items that might fit the elderly man’s special low-sodium diet.
After the daughter ordered around $50 worth of food to be delivered, the Trader Joe’s employee told her that she didn’t need to pay for it, and to have a Merry Christmas.
Here are a few tips from companies that respect and provide excellent customer service:
- “Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.” (Nordstrom Inc.)
- “Spontaneous service brings joy to both receiver and giver. Good customer service has to come from people who like people and enjoy being nice to them. It starts at the top.” (Neiman-Marcus)
- “Positively Outrageous Service is a matter of choice. It involves giving of your time and talent while performing your job; it is a true reflection of how you live your life day to day.” (Southwest Airlines)
When performing customer service, give your customers what they really want: fairness, friendliness, understanding, control, options and information.
Go above and beyond and don’t put a time limit on how long it takes to help a person. This includes using social media as a part of your outreach strategy. For some companies, sites like Twitter and Facebook have become their #1 source of customer feedback and appreciation.
Finally, what can you do to get customers talking and tweeting about their experience with you?
If you have to give away a free subscription, give one away. If someone is unhappy with your white paper, give them access to an upcoming webinar that is more elaborate.
At Mequoda, I worked directly with our customers for years. If we were late sending out webinar CDs, I included a bonus related webinar CD in the package. If someone was unhappy with one of our reports—whether we gave them a refund or not—I’d offer them another report to leave a better taste in their mouths. I’ve taken customers that were confused or enraged and turned them into delightful happy people that wanted to shout about us from the rooftops. Many of them do it through Twitter, which is obviously a big boost for us.
At the end of the day, the goal of customer service is to make your customer happy. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. You have to spend money to make money and it will always pay off when both parties are happy.
