Can We Do Better?
I have three questions…
Are your customers/guests happy?
Do they come back and buy again?
Could you do better?
Yes. We could all do better. Even someone who offers five-star concierge-level service is always striving to do better.
That being said, the first step to offering concierge-level service is to map out your customer/guest experience. From the very first greeting to the last, what happens? Where do they go? Who do they speak to? Map out the steps. ALL the possible steps, no matter how many.
Then, after you’ve mapped out your customer’s journey, there are some questions you might ask.
- What could ruin a customer’s experience? Brainstorm them all and then solve each one.
- How responsive are you to incoming customers/guests’ questions and issues? How long does it take your staff to respond via email, telephone or online?
- Does your support staff have all the tools they need to effectively do their jobs?
- Does your staff understand your business?
- How often do you talk about customer service to your staff? ALL staff, not just the new ones.
- Does every interaction with a customer/guest include “please”, “thank you” and “it was my pleasure?”
- Have you “mystery shopped” your staff to see how they are doing in regards to customer service? Don’t forget to do it via telephone, in person and online.
Now it’s time to figure out how you can do better!
- What additional things can you do to take the customer/guest experience above and beyond so that they have an exceptional experience? Brainstorm how and when you will implement these ideas as well as what order you will roll them out.
- How will you educate your staff on this? How often? Who is responsible for managing it?
- Decide how the new standards will be measured. Discuss how to verify that the staff is actually doing them.
- Recognize staff who not only use the new standards but go above and beyond. What gets recognized gets repeated.
- What are the ramifications if the staff don’t use the new standards?
Audit your customer service monthly to make sure the new standards are being used. As weeks go by people get lazy and slip back into old habits. It’s the leadership’s responsibility to make sure that your new standards stay fresh. Regularly remind them about the company’s commitment to concierge-level service.
You got this!
Katharine
