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| courtesy Master Isolated Images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
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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| courtesy ebony.com |
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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| courtesy Pixabay |
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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| Courtesy graur codrin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
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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| courtesy imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
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.
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#CustomerService
#CustomerExperience
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