Unless a business can boast of delivering stellar customer experiences, consistently, it’s state of service delivery is lukewarm. This state does not endear customers and I would wager a bit of defection may be in the cards, should a formidable competitor come along.
What, exactly, do I mean by lukewarm service? Essentially, it’s when hit and miss service delivery is the norm at a business, resulting in a disjointed, unpredictable customer experience, as well as an accompanying array of service failures and customer complaints flooding the corporate inbox daily.
Nothing irritates customers more than an erratic customer experience. At least with consistently poor service, the customer knows to expect little by way of a great experience, on a consistent basis and he or she, can adopt the appropriate mindset that will maintain an internal equilibrium throughout the encounters. I’m referring to a mindset that prompts the customer to, “expect the bare minimum of an experience.” Can you imagine that some businesses are comfortable occupying this position in the minds of their customers?”
Nothing irritates customers more than an erratic customer experience.
Lukewarm service delivery results in under-served customers, who may or may not communicate their dissatisfaction to the business. As a matter of fact, more than likely, it may mean that some customers can’t be bothered to communicate their true levels of dis-ease. When the majority of customers do not complain outright, this can lead to a false sense of security on the part of the business and a belief that customers’ expectations are being met. It would be extremely instructive to err on the part of statistical confirmation in determining just how many customers feel underserved and unhappy. Of course, the scope of this feedback process should not be limited to a survey that garners a ten percent customer response rate.
Of course, if a business is happy to rely on its own guesstimates around customer happiness, there’s likely to be a gap between perception and reality. The bottom line is that the quiet noise of customer unease should never be ignored.
There are some immediate actions that a business can undertake to shift the needle from lukewarm to customer-resonant. Like connecting the internal and external dots.
The bottom line is that the quiet noise of customer unease should never be ignored.
When a business fails to connect its internal dots to the customer’s external dots, lukewarm service and a disconnected customer experience are the outcomes. One of the internal dots of a business is the quality of existing internal relationships. Somehow, very few business leaders get the point that efficient and cohesive teamworking across the business, is a powerful value contribution to solution continuity and communication harmony. Harmonious internal relationships should be a high value priority for every business.
When multiple cultures exist across a business, cultural disharmony is the result. Nothing sabotages teamworking faster than cultural disharmony. When this scenario is present in a business, cross departmental communication is discontinuous and solution continuity from one department to another, is disrupted. The presence of multiple cultures, ultimately, will sabotage the smooth movement of the customer along his or her experience journey. The biggest loser is the customer, followed by those employees who are doing their best to be customer care champions.
Somehow, very few business leaders get the point that efficient and cohesive teamworking across the business, is a powerful value contribution to solution continuity and communication harmony.
Recruiting for brilliance matters, when connecting the internal dots. Every time a new employee is recruited, a business would have added to its future stock of talent, performance, results and accomplishments. Today’s recruit will either add or subtract value from the business over a stretch of time. Recruiting with a prospect’s potential for the ownership and release of brilliance, should be a guiding force within the interviewing and onboarding process of a business.
As a matter of fact, when a business nurtures a mindset that is anchored in excellence, there is a natural yearning and appetite for the attraction and release of brilliance.
A major internal dot, is the rejection of apathy in all of its forms, by the leadership team of the business. At no time should indifference to low performance levels, operational inefficiency, poor solution innovation, discontinuous horizontal collaboration, lethargic employee engagement, or listless energy of the business, be tolerated.
My call to action, is for every business to accelerate the process of strengthening its customer experience intelligence, whilst remediating the gaps in connecting their internal dots.
I have encountered businesses that, to their credit, have been eager to shift the service excellence needle upward and onward. The common challenge, however, has been leadership blindness to the internal dots that have led to the lukewarm nature of the service delivery and customer experience, in the first place.
My call to action, is for every business to accelerate the process of strengthening its customer experience intelligence, whilst remediating the gaps in connecting their internal dots.
After all, top of mind with the customer should be for the right reason, shouldn’t it?