A Simple Way to Improve Customer Service
I was recently watching the Season 7 Premiere of “The Profit” on CNBC. Now I know there is a lot of opinions on the star of the show Marcus Lemonis, but he’s not what this article is about. However, a valid point that he made is my topic today. The general point that he brought up is that if a business is not personal, then the business itself will have a rockier road than what it really should.
I agree 100% on this opinion and wanted to write my thoughts on it. However, I did not want this to be a random rambling mess, so I want to focus on the customer side of things specifically.

Many companies have very stringent policies when it comes to how customer service professionals can and should do their jobs. Some have tight requirements for doing simple things, such as refunds. I understand every company has its’ reasons for having the policies that they do… What is the problem with this? It affects the human element of the customer, the transaction, and of the company themselves.
Think about the last time you went to call on the customer service department of a company. How did it feel having to talk to a machine, that half of the time doesn’t understand verbal commands and cues? When you finally got a hold of a real person, did you notice how it seemed to be a general script that they were reading from rather than helpful assistance? These experiences only alienate the customer.
I am a real believer in the theory that customer service, just like sales is a division of marketing. Why? Because they are the face/voice of the company in the customers’ view. Fundamental consumer psychology consists partially of how a customer views that company and what it means to them. Study after study has been done showing that consumers do make purchase decisions based on friends’ recommendations, right? Why can’t a customer support professional be that friend? Why can’t businesses (especially larger companies as many of them appear weak in this regard) put a focus and emphasis on building relationships with their customer base? I mean seriously, could you imagine trying to make a sale without warming the customer up to it?
Unless if a customer is dealing with a small company, they’re not speaking to an owner or higher-level manager. They are talking to those that are typically at the bottom of the totem pole. Unfortunately, the way business seems to handle things these days (especially highly scaled companies), the voice of the company that is speaking to a customer isn’t able to engage on a personal and, more importantly, an empathetic level.
If a company cannot be personal, then why bother to have customer service, sales, and marketing departments? Being personal is where companies can truly make a difference in their customers’ lives. Saying that you as a business cares about me as a customer isn’t enough anymore. Actions speak louder than words. How have you shown that you care about your customers? And for Pete’s sake, please don’t tell me that you sent out a generic mass email as your attempt. What I’m talking about is sitting down and getting, you know, personal with the customer.
So what can you do with your customer service teams to make this difference? Get rid of the strict policies and scripts. Allow your people to become personal with the customers, allow them to truly be empathetic towards your customers, rather than just stating it merely as a buzzword in a job description. Allow them and empower them to make the decisions necessary to take care of your customers the right way the first time AND every time.
If you do these things and make the commitment to hold steady at it, you might be surprised at how well your customers will pay it back to you in dividends through more repeat purchases, word of mouth, etc.
When I worked in retail, I would talk to the customer as we’d be walking down an aisle (or even to the other side of the store) to show them where something was that they were looking for; we would chit chat all the way through. I was one of the few associates that never actually had a customer complain about me. Instead, they were typically filing compliments with my bosses and the corporate office. Customers just want to be understood and shown that they matter. It’s not that difficult to figure out how to do that. It’s called getting personal.
Remember, people buy more from whom they know and trust. Be flexible, be genuinely empathetic to their needs, and most importantly (and yes, I’m a broken record ;p )… Just get personal!