The UK is a relationship economy – how to achieve ‘exceptional’ status

Jonathan Dow, Managing Director of Class Club Investments Ltd, writes about acheiving great customer service.

We are unhappier with the way we are treated by the UK’s top 50 companies than we were two years ago, according to the latest customer service survey.

As I am passionate, perhaps bordering on obsessive, about the subject of customer service – how to provide it, measure it and improve it - the results of this survey by the UK Satisfaction Index made compelling reading.

Apparently the people most likely to be dissatisfied with levels of customer service and to complain are from younger age groups - and I thought it was just oldies like me that complained! As a result I would expect customer expectations to continue to rise over time - so organisations will need to adapt in order to maintain their customer

So what has propelled this? Is it the fact that the younger you are, the more likely you are to reach for your mobile phone or tablet to post a complaint? And, what exactly leads youngsters to feel more dissatisfied in the first place? Again, perhaps it’s likely to be down to the modern technology they are used to using – it brings everything to them in super quick time and if they don’t receive this in other walks of life, they feel unhappy.

Obviously most businesses will try and keep complaints to an absolute minimum, but when someone complains about your service, how exactly do you deal with it? Do you brush them under the mouse mat as though they never existed or do you view them as an opportunity to put things right and improve in the future?

The truth is it’s much better to know. Most service companies, like ourselves, rely on repeat custom and on customer recommendations. Customer satisfaction surveys are an important tool to help businesses really live our customer’s experience. If there is a complaint, dealing with it so the customer will see it for what it is - a ‘one off’ - will only help retain loyalty.

It was in the early days of owning Club Class Chauffeurs that I recognised that providing great customer service was the one and only factor that could truly set my business apart from the rest. Most businesses are not reinventing the wheel and operate in a competitive market place - so making your service exceptional, rather than just good or mediocre can really be the X-factor that sets your reputation and profits soaring.

A friend of mine recently retold the story of when she visited a well-known children’s shoe shop while nine months pregnant. She had an extremely lively toddler with her who she was trying to buy shoes for. After finally finding a style she wanted it was found that the shop didn’t have the right size. But after a quick phone call a pair was discovered in a nearby department store that had a concession store within it. Unfortunately nobody from the shop was prepared to go and collect the shoes and she just didn’t have the energy left for the short walk. The friend was so incensed that when she got home, without the shoes she wanted to purchase, she rang the shop’s head office to complain.

The next day the shoes appeared on her doorstep accompanied by a huge teddy bear – both of which were free of charge.
What a great way to end a horrible situation, retain the customer’s loyalty and get some great PR to boot.

Sometimes though it’s the simple things. Just thanking customers for their business can really build a firm relationship. If you found a handwritten note attached to your window screen after booking your car into the garage for a routine service, as a friend of mine once did, wouldn’t that make you feel your business was appreciated? You would never want to go anywhere else.

This all got me to wondering about what exactly are the fundamental reasons why good customer service is so important to people from all walks of life.

And I have come up with an answer. One of the basic needs we all have as humans is to feel significant, loved and cared for.
People don’t want to feel just OK about your service; they want you to make them feel great. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

8 Tips to help achieve ‘exceptional’ status:

• Remember your customer is your boss. You are in the business to service your customer’s needs. I always remind my staff that it is the customers that pay their wages, not me.
• Listen carefully. It is only when you identify your customers’ needs and know exactly what they want that you can provide it.
• Try and anticipate their needs ahead of time, so you can offer to provide them.
• Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and if you have seen them before – remember something about them. Compliment them in a sincere way where you can.
• Know how to apologise when you get it wrong. Go out of your way to put the problem right. Deal with complaints immediately and explain to the customer what you have done. Value their complaints as it gives you the opportunity to improve your service.
• Give more than expected. Thank them, even when they don’t use your service
• Get regular feed back. Encourage suggestions about how you could improve. Make it easy for your customers to do this.
• Treat your employees well. They are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. If they are happy in their job they are far more likely to pass that on in their work.

Finally I can only whole heartedly agree with Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service when she commented that the evidence in UKCSI shows a clear correlation between high levels of customer satisfaction and increased trust, loyalty, recommendation and sales growth. Here’s to going the extra mile.

Jonathan Dow is the managing director of Class Club Class Investments Ltd, which includes the Club Class Chauffeurs brand with hubs in Sussex, Glouscester and Leicester, as well as Club Class Insurance Services Ltd. His company has been awarded several national awards for its exceptional customer service. The organisation is also an Investors In People Gold Standard company, placing it in the top 3% of all UK companies for world-class business performance through its people. For more information visit: www.clubclassonline.co.uk.

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