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Blogs
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Just think about how many customer service interactions you have with businesses on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. There are bills to pay, clothes to buy, grocery shopping to be done and restaurants to choose for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The number of customer service interactions you have is probably much higher than you would think. Now think about how much you actually talk about your customer experiences to your colleagues, friends and family. Are you noticing any themes in what you’re talking about? We want you to share your insights with CSA soldiers and civilian consumers alike by writing a blog!
Soon all CSA soldiers will be able to create blogs to write about any aspect of customer service they choose. For now, check out the blogs from the Commander-In-Chief, founder of Customer Service Army.
"Customer Service Should Be More Than A Financial Transaction."
(January 2007)
 Written by: CSA Commander-In-Chief
Every business is capable of providing a financial transaction to sell products and services to a customer with minimal effort. However, in my opinion, this level of service is average, and therefore unacceptable. Average customer service is a problem that is often overlooked by both businesses and customers. When I consider where to buy my next product or service I compare businesses to see who is offering the best customer service.
There are too many businesses that provide no customer relationship value when selling their products and services. Added customer relationship value can be as simple as providing me with a personalized experience based on my needs, or providing me with an education about the products and services I am considering. Businesses need to give me a reason to be their repeat customer after every customer interaction - in person, over the phone or online. I would gladly pay more for better customer service. This is a sad reality though, because “medal winning customer service” should be included for the price you pay for something. Average customer service = customer attrition over time.
"Great customer service should always be like a fine dining experience with the best waiter you’ve ever had."
(December 2006)
Written by: CSA Commander-In-Chief
Think about the best customer service you have ever received from any business. Hopefully, you have had the opportunity to treat yourself to a fine dining restaurant with a wait staff that tends to your every need. I had the pleasure of dining at Al Biernat’s restaurant in Dallas, TX and had the best customer service experience of my life. And that is saying a lot coming from me – as my regular job critiques customer service on a full-time basis. The experience was so impressive that it inspired me to interview my waiter and include his story in a book on customer service. The book idea fizzled, but it was one factor that led to the birth of Customer Service Army.
The service experience at Al Biernat’s was fabulous. My party and I were greeted promptly at the door, and we were quickly seated after mentioning our reservation at the front desk. After being seated, our waiter stopped by to introduce himself and let us know that he would be taking care of us. And man, Lance meant exactly what he said! We perused the wine list and he answered our questions in a fashion that could rival an accomplished wine steward. He was more than well versed on the menu and appetizer selections and helped pair our food with our wine selections.
We ordered our food and enjoyed conversation over several bottles of wine. At one point, I wanted to ask our waiter for something, and I noticed him looking right at our table. He was there in seconds to accommodate the request. At another time our entire party went outside to the patio, as several people wanted to have a cigarette. Without asking, our waiter brought our wine outside. This was over-the-top service and greatly appreciated. It was a first for me.
As things were winding down, we got our check and I asked Lance a few questions about himself, including how long he had been at the restaurant. I thanked him for his impeccable service and asked him if he would be interested in getting together for an interview on customer service. He agreed, and we met several weeks later. One thing he said in particular really stood out. That is the fact that there should be two sets of eyes on a customer party in a fine dining restaurant at all times. Greeting times and customer requests should be received in a matter of seconds, he added. Now wouldn’t it be nice to be treated this way in every customer service interaction?
Granted, different businesses provide different kinds of things and everything isn’t exactly the same as a dining experience. However, I think all customers should know this feeling of being served at such a high level, no matter what type of business it is. I can tell you one thing, Al Biernat’s can count on me for repeat business for years to come.
"The average business wants customer service to be a square peg that fits into a square hole."
(November 2006)
Written by: CSA Commander-In-Chief
In my experience, I have noticed a theme with the average business - they don’t want to accommodate a customer if it means any extra effort. This is especially true if you are trying to get a lower level employee to meet your needs and he/she does not care about your satisfaction. If your customer service request isn’t a square peg that fits into a square hole, then you are out of luck. The average business is only equipped to handle certain customer requests and that’s it. We have all been in the customer situation of knowing exactly what we want, but can’t find a business that has it or can get it.
In getting Customer Service Army up and running I experienced this unwillingness to accommodate outside-the-box requests more than ever. I thought we were living in the new age of customer personalization. You see commercials from the likes of HP and Dell advertising this, but does it really exist? I think the answer on is no, and it reminds me of the new fad among businesses saying they are dedicated to customer service. I seriously laugh when I hear this, knowing the kind of service provided by the company which claims to be customer focused.
We have a lot of work to do in the war on customer service before the average consumer will notice any significant improvements. In my opinion, about 90% of customer service is bad, and only 10% of customer service is good to great. I am disappointed on a daily basis by the kind of customer service I receive. Why should I have business interactions as a consumer and expect that I will get average or bad customer service? This is what the CSA fights for every day - to improve the customer experience. Occasionally, you will find businesses that are willing to do anything it takes to accommodate you. However, these are not average businesses.
Customer service in today’s marketplace seems like a dictatorship to me, where the average business is dictating everything to the consumer. We have all been in the customer situation of giving up on getting that perfect something because the business can’t deliver exactly what you’re looking for. So you accept your dictated fate, buy the product or service with incomplete satisfaction and move on. It feels like you are constantly fighting to have your specific needs met.
Then there are situations where customers give up on the whole customer service process all together. I mean, who actually looks forward to calling their cell phone provider to dispute seemingly higher bill charges. You ask yourself - do I want to be on the phone with automated prompts and incompetent call center employees for an hour? The answer is usually no for the average consumer. This is why Customer Service Army was founded - to stand up for all customers and improve the way customer service is practiced in all businesses.
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