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.

courtesy dream designs FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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.

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