Use These 3 Key Steps To Spark Customer Service Personalization

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Ok, I admit it.  I may have a problem.  The topic of personalization as a growing #CustomerService trend has become an addiction for me over the past month.  A quick review of my latest blog posts will reveal that views on personalized service have been a focal point of my recent customer service musings.

I can't help it.  I continue to be intrigued by the topic.  I blame this obsession, in part, on my Dad who was a Southern Baptist minister. He demonstrated the power of personalized service in the way he cared for his congregation.  He delivered one of mankind's most important services to his target market in a manner few could; making those who looked up to him feel as if he clearly understood and anticipated their individual, specific needs.

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Is this analogous to customer service as we usually discuss it from a business perspective?  I would argue it most certainly is.  The terms "service", "care", and "love" have broad application in scenarios where individuals willingly engage a company, or in this case a minister, to have their needs met.

+Tyler Douglas, Chief Marketing Officer at Vision Critical, recently composed an article that underscores a key requirement for getting personalization right.  The points raised in his article, Three Ways to Transform Your Business By Showing Customer Love, hit the bulls-eye.

It is great to see someone in Tyler's position publish insights aligned with thoughts I've had on delivering personalized service.  I encourage you to read his article which can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-ways-transform-your-business-showing-customer-love-douglas.

At the risk of echoing some of Tyler's perspective, I share the following for your consideration when addressing personalization.

1. Remember the human element.

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Regardless of your business type, every dollar of revenue generated comes from customers who are living, breathing human beings.  They wake-up each day, go to sleep at night, have bills, joys, pains, responsibilities and needs when they come to you for service.

Instead of a homogeneous group, you must be able to see the shades the gray that separate one customer's needs from that of another.  Unless you are serving identical twins, each customer is unique;  possibly requiring just a little different flavor of service to make their experience with you standout from your competition.

Think about this.  How might your approach to service change if the monies received for services rendered contained the face of each customer instead of a U.S. President?

2. Remove the customer mask.

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Tyler cautions readers to "stop seeing customers as data points" and to "look beyond social media analytics".

In line with these thoughts, I believe organizations must not allow CRM systems, social networking trackers, call center metrics reports and other customer insight tools to mask drivers of customer behavior. Knowing what the customer's face truly looks like and what they really want may not always be revealed by data analysis.

There is a person behind each customer service report generated.  Your vision of the customer can be distorted by the mask created unless, as recommended by Tyler, you actually engage your customers directly.

3. Close your eyes so you can see the customer clearly.

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To personalize service you must see the world through your customer's eyes. Customer journey mapping can help and definitely should be used; however, I also recommend use of an approach that is a bit less complex.

Take the occasional moment to stop, sit back, close your eyes and become your own customer.  Better yet, place a close family member or friend in the customer role.  Envision how they would be touched along each service path you have established.  Consider what must be done to deliver the level of personalized service you would want them to receive.

I began this post by stating I may have a problem.  Now that I think about it, I won't use the term "problem" as a descriptor for my obsession with customer service personalization.  Instead, I will embrace my obsession and be thankful for my acute sensitivity to its importance.

I challenge every enterprise seeking to maximize their customer service success to boldly wear personalization on their sleeves.  At the end of the day, the good work we do at the personal level in all aspects of our lives truly rules the day.  By the way, it's also good for business.

To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.  I also invite you to view my website where you will find a link to all blog posts on the homepage.  I also have several Pinterest boards with content that may be of interest to you.

#CustomerService
#CustomerExperience

Take These Key Steps To Prevent Losing Your Customer Service Balance

courtesy kevint3141 via Flickr

If you have ever attended a circus, I am sure you would agree the high wire act is among the most exciting spectacles one could witness.  Take away the safety net and suddenly the stage is set for a death defying feat.  A feat where only the performer's skills and precision prevents a tragic ending.

While life and limb are not literally at stake, I find there is a delicate balancing act that occurs regularly under the big tent that is called #CustomerService.  This balancing act makes customer service the intriguing, interesting, and yes, exciting discipline it is.  Walk the tightrope successfully and your customers will cheer.   Stumble, and you run the risk of a prolonged free-fall during which customers will exit your business arena.

This balancing analogy occurred to me after recently reading two very interesting articles.

The first was an +Adam Ramshaw article recently shared by +Bill Quiseng.  Adam's article is entitled Proof that Exceeding Promises Does Not Pay Off.  The post can be found here:  http://billquiseng.com/2015/01/26/adam-ramshaw-proof-that-exceeding-promises-does-not-pay-off/.

In the article, Adam presents compelling research that shows over delivering on customer promises can have a lower return on investment than one might expect. The article goes on to explain why WOW'ing does not always work.  It also states the approach found to be most effective in driving customer loyalty; specifically, consistently doing what you say you will do.

Adam's article highlights a key balancing act those responsible for customer service must seek to master.  On one hand, making promises and allocating resources in a manner that ensures customer expectations are consistently met; while on the other hand, setting expectations and utilizing resources in a manner that ensures the service provider realizes a maximum return-on-investment when a WOW! experience is delivered.

courtesy Aaron Sneddon

The second article supporting my balancing act analogy was also shared by Bill Quiseng.   Entitled What Customers Really Want - And How To Deliver It, author  +Michele McGovern  offers research that provides insight into consumers' relative desire for personalized service.  You can read the article here: http://www.customerexperienceinsight.com/what-customers-really-want-and-how-to-deliver-it/.

Michele's article makes it clear that while personalization is important, there is an apparent stronger desire for efficient transactional service among consumers surveyed.  Balancing efforts required to address personalization with those necessary to continually enhance service efficiency presents a challenge for those charged with delivering the best customer experience.

Adam's and Michele's articles are representative of the many interesting factors that drive customer service advocates to continually assess their strategies.  There is not a magic formula into which all decision making criteria can be placed and a perfect balance calculated;  however, the following is offered as an aide in walking the tightrope.  Consider these factors when looking to achieve a strategic and operational balance while pursuing your customer service initiatives.

• Validate before you chase.
  
  Ensure your data mining programs provide the clearest picture possible of customers' current and evolving demands.  While you should always monitor trends touted by others in the customer service field, let solid research, specific to your market segment(s), dictate where customer experience resources are invested. Ensuring resource allocation is guided in this manner can proactively position you to meet customer needs and is one of the surest ways to strike an effective operational balance.

• Don't hesitate to imitate.
  
  If competitors are holding a strong position or gaining an advantage with customers, seek to understand what they are doing.  Insights gained into their approach will help you determine if adopting similar courses of action might be advantageous.  Always exercise caution.  Ensure the reason for taking any new paths are clearly understood within and fully supported by all the key stakeholders within your organization.

• Get the most bang for the buck.
  
  In an ideal world, there would be an unlimited banking account from which we could fund every customer service initiative desired.   Balancing competing ideas and priorities would not be a major issue;  just continue throwing resources on top of the programs until they produce the anticipated response.
  
  In the real world, achieving the best balance possible requires trade-off's. These trade-off's are very often determined by their relative financial impact.  Businesses must be diligent in their efforts to assess the true costs and returns of customer service initiatives.  When comparing customer service to other business operations, the balancing act between competing financial priorities may not occur within a single fiscal year. Utilizing resources in the most financially prudent way may require impact analyses that span 2 or more years.

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At times, navigating the increasingly important world of customer service can seem like a high flying trapeze act.  The best performers will strike the right balance between competing strategies and operational priorities.  In the process, they will deliver to their customers service experiences that keep them coming back for more.

To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.  I also invite you to view my website where you will find a link to all blog posts on the homepage.  I also have several Pinterest boards with content that may be of interest to you.

#CustomerService

#CustomerExperience