Many companies claim to have great customer service, yet most do
not. It must be about serving the needs and concerns of customers, and
not simply slogans, promises and rhetoric. Real cutomer service, whether in a product - based, or service - oriented industry (such as Real Estate), is not about claiming you focus on your customers and/ or clients, but rather a continuous commitment, in that direction! Having consulted to, and
trained numerous customer service teams for more than three decades, I
have always emphasized the need for direction from the top, and that
success results from a company's actual commitment to enhancing and
optimizing the customer experience. True service is not making empty
promises, or using catchy slogans. It is a corporate philosophy that
only arises from genuine commitment. This point was driven home to me, several years ago, when I cruised aboard the Norwegian Sun. Norwegian Cruise
Lines (NCL), a company which obviously understands that corporate
commitment, and runs internal programs to assure their employees live
and breathe that commitment.
1. A great example for all of us to emulate is a man named Christian Schlugel. Christian is the Restaurant Manager, and exemplifies what this truly means. He is always the first officer that one observes on the restaurant deck, and the last person one notices in the evening. His contagious smile, charming personality and demeanor, and obvious enjoyment of both what he does and the passengers he serves, shines through in everything he does. He truly leads by example, and no company could even hope to have a better ambassador than Christian. I was fortunate enough to have many extended conversations with him, and he told me that he recently thanked his father for making him successful. He proudly told me that he has never been out of work for more than one day in his adult life. Christian's father asked him how and why he thought his dad was responsible for his success, and Christian responded that he taught him to "look people in the eye, listen to them, smile and be pleasant." Isn't that the true basis of customer service?
2. This is also about a company's commitment to making the satisfaction and positive experience of the consumer a primary objective. This requires management clearly demonstrating to employees, from the moment they are hired, and throughout their employment, that they prioritize serving their clientele. It requires training employees, supervisors and managers as to how they want things done. It requires getting the customer involved, and encouraging customer feedback, throughout the experience. NCL has comment cards located everywhere, so that it is easy for someone to provide feedback. They created a catchy title for their commitment, which they call, "STYLE," which is a mnemonic for those aspects that they consider most essential for their employees. At every show, their Cruise Director, on this Norwegian Sun cruise being a perky, charming, friendly woman named Jaimie, emphasized how important it was for them to make their guests happy. Executive Officers made themselves available to guests, and demonstrated their commitment to the company's view of customer service. At the end of the cruise, they emailed an informative, detailed survey, to encourage honest and complete feedback. Isn't that what customer service should be about?
3. Another superb example of desirable, quality customer service is Viking Cruise Lines. Everything they do, from the pre - cruise contact, to meeting and greeting, to exceeding your expectations, every step along the way, epitomizes what customer service should be all about!
Invariably, companies that emphasize customer service have a far higher degree of repeat business than those that do not. Successful companies understand that the more they enrich the customer experience, the better the response and reaction. We have all experiences some less - than - stellar customer service (or perhaps disservice) examples. Which do you prefer?
1. A great example for all of us to emulate is a man named Christian Schlugel. Christian is the Restaurant Manager, and exemplifies what this truly means. He is always the first officer that one observes on the restaurant deck, and the last person one notices in the evening. His contagious smile, charming personality and demeanor, and obvious enjoyment of both what he does and the passengers he serves, shines through in everything he does. He truly leads by example, and no company could even hope to have a better ambassador than Christian. I was fortunate enough to have many extended conversations with him, and he told me that he recently thanked his father for making him successful. He proudly told me that he has never been out of work for more than one day in his adult life. Christian's father asked him how and why he thought his dad was responsible for his success, and Christian responded that he taught him to "look people in the eye, listen to them, smile and be pleasant." Isn't that the true basis of customer service?
2. This is also about a company's commitment to making the satisfaction and positive experience of the consumer a primary objective. This requires management clearly demonstrating to employees, from the moment they are hired, and throughout their employment, that they prioritize serving their clientele. It requires training employees, supervisors and managers as to how they want things done. It requires getting the customer involved, and encouraging customer feedback, throughout the experience. NCL has comment cards located everywhere, so that it is easy for someone to provide feedback. They created a catchy title for their commitment, which they call, "STYLE," which is a mnemonic for those aspects that they consider most essential for their employees. At every show, their Cruise Director, on this Norwegian Sun cruise being a perky, charming, friendly woman named Jaimie, emphasized how important it was for them to make their guests happy. Executive Officers made themselves available to guests, and demonstrated their commitment to the company's view of customer service. At the end of the cruise, they emailed an informative, detailed survey, to encourage honest and complete feedback. Isn't that what customer service should be about?
3. Another superb example of desirable, quality customer service is Viking Cruise Lines. Everything they do, from the pre - cruise contact, to meeting and greeting, to exceeding your expectations, every step along the way, epitomizes what customer service should be all about!
Invariably, companies that emphasize customer service have a far higher degree of repeat business than those that do not. Successful companies understand that the more they enrich the customer experience, the better the response and reaction. We have all experiences some less - than - stellar customer service (or perhaps disservice) examples. Which do you prefer?
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