As I’ve said previously, everything a business does is marketing. The customer service we provide is a prime example of this. It’s the core of our whole business. It’s what determines whether we lose clients or retain clients who recommend us.
The root cause of bad customer service
This begs the question: When customer service is this important, why do we regularly experience such poor service?
The answer is simple. Bad service, like good service, is a reflection of a company’s culture.
A company’s culture is what nurtures the kind of service their customers receive. It attracts and rewards incompetence or it attracts and rewards excellence.
For example.
- An employee will not get away with offering poor service for long, if their company is serious about great customer service. Their poor quality service will quickly stand out. It will not be tolerated. They will then either be trained or fired. Period.
- Conversely, an employee who believes in great customer service will find it hard to work for a company with no real commitment to customer service. The employee will either leave or be slowly beaten down into offering the same low quality service as their colleagues.
In both examples, employees find out what is expected of them. They then know what they need to do, to comply with the company culture. They know how low or how high the bar has been set.
Customer service and marketing
As business owners, we create the customer service culture of our businesses. Whether we are a solopreneur or have a team, we determine what’s expected.
This means we can choose to shoot for service excellence. And service excellence is the culture that attracts the best employees and the best customers. Plus, we’ll retain our customers for longer and they will become passionate advocates — recommending us to their friends.
That’s why customer service excellence is a foundational part of effective marketing. That commitment to excellence is also an outstanding way to build a business.
Here are 2 posts with examples and ideas, to help you improve your customer service experience:
