Capturing customer's hearts
leave the competition to chase their pockets
Customer service has been a
crucial focus for at least 15 years now. Does this mean that we can put our feet up, say
'we've done the customer' and move onto the next big thing? Not a chance. The continued
focus on customers is an imperative given the realities of the marketplace:
Good customer service is
still the exception, even after all this time. Okay, the staff may have : How can I help
you? on their name badges, and may have learned how to smile, but the service still
stops a long way short of excellence.
The customers' ideas of good
service have been transformed in the last 15 years. The rise of consumerism and consumer
rights attests to this - our customers expect more now. Much more.
The opposition has not stayed
still. If our relationship with our customers is to be a prime driver of differentiation,
it is necessary to take a whole step further into customer satisfaction.
Survey after survey has shown
that customers are deeply unhappy with service levels. When I was gathering stories to
illustrate this book, it was very | easy to get examples of bad customer service - but
many, many people could not think of a single instance of great customer service. To make
the customer relationship the driving force behind repeat business and differentiation
calls for a quantum shift. From consumer friendliness to charisma. We don't want to be
nice to our customers, we want them to love us. To desire our company's products. To speak
to other people about our company with awe in their voices. We need to capture their
hearts.
The cynical response is,
'It's nice if you can fake it.' But this isn't about faking it. Capturing Customers'
Hearts looks at companies where the product or the company itself generates a special
reaction in the customer, something much more than brand loyalty - true affection. You
will never look at your customers in the same way again.
To make the customer
relationship the driving force behind repeat business and differention calls for a quantum
shift. From consumer friendliness to charisma.
The continued focus on
customers is an imperative given the realities of the marketplace.
222pp