Your Customer Service Sucks!

Okay, hear me out. It's not your customer service that sucks; but as a business advisor and marketing coach, I believe it's the concept of customer service that sucks. And it's because of this fact that those who market themselves by proclaiming they provide excellent customer service are shooting themselves in the foot.

Providing excellent or even good customer service was once acceptable. But back then, competition wasn't as fierce. People hadn't been exposed to superb customer experiences. The world wasn't as small a place as it is now.

Now, people want experiences. It doesn't matter if they are in a restaurant, working with a CPA, or having their houses painted; they want good experiences, if not amazing ones.

Look at the Apple stores. There is a reason that they are the leading retail stores when it comes to revenue per square foot. When you purchase a product, there's no standing in line to check out. An employee comes to you with a handheld machine and conveniently processes your transaction. They even instantly send a copy of the receipt directly to your e-mail, if you like.

Then there are those who make it difficult to buy or get information. Those who make prospects and clients jump through hoops. Those who set up their systems based on themselves, as opposed to their clients wishes and desires. And it's not restricted to personal interactions. Unfortunately, many companies provide less-than-satisfactory experiences on the phone and on the web.

Are you still trying to provide good customer service, or are you ready to provide excellent customer experiences? To get ideas on accomplishing the latter, take notice of your experiences. Which are amazing and which are poor? Which make you want to tell others about them -- good and bad? Take lessons from the good ones, alter them to fit your circumstances, and implement them with great zeal. Your clients will take notice, do business with you more often, and become your raving cheerleaders.