Helping people is essentially a cornerstone of society. If we didn’t help one another, then we probably wouldn’t get anywhere as a civilisation. If you’re in a customer facing role, then your primary goal should be to help your customers to the best of your ability – or in my role as a Recruiter, our candidates and clients.
We all know how important customer service is, so why are many companies across different sectors getting it so wrong? Especially when there can be awful consequences.
The Importance of Customer Experience
I took my three-year old daughter out for brunch the other day, to our favourite café because I’ve always had impeccable service from the staff there during the week. We went on a Sunday and my daughter really wanted bacon (never mess with a three-year old’s desire for bacon!). During our time in the café, I had a think about how they had handled their customer service:
· Whilst I was advised that there may be a delay on the food (so I ordered a snack to keep her going), the food took even longer than advised. (Fail)
· When the food eventually came out, it was salmon instead of bacon. (Fail)
· My daughter, who was faced with another long wait for her bacon, became increasingly restless. (Fail)
· We received a free coffee (Win) by an obviously miserable waitress, who appeared to be taking the brunt of the customer complaints. (Fail)
· As we left, I noticed there were three ‘busy’ Chefs in the kitchen servicing a small, half-filled café but were not prioritising cooked meals for existing customers. (Fail)
· Overall, the staff looked miserable, the Chefs looked stressed and the customers looked fed up. (Huge Fail)
Have I been back? Well, yes, but only on a weekday for takeaway coffee and pre-prepared food, and not as often. Have I recommended them to others? No, absolutely not.
Setting Your Customer Service Standard
My poor café experience had me thinking about the differences between good and bad customer service and how it is similar for most industries. It’s therefore understandable that senior management normally pay close attention to the performance of their business’s customer service. However, most often fail to devote enough time to train and motivate the people at the front line leading to gaps between objectives and delivery. Having worked with a broad range of managers over time, here are some of the top tips we’ve seen used to foster great customer service:
Summary
In my role at OCG my top priorities are to help candidates find their perfect job and ensuring our clients are connected with great talent. As a recruitment professional, I always try to go above and beyond what is expected. Whether it’s small things like responding punctually to job applications and being on time to client meetings, or taking my time to help candidates with their CVs, I know it makes a big difference. So if I can help someone I will. If they end up getting their dream job because of it then it truly makes my day. I’m lucky that OCG supports and encourages me in doing this because it is ingrained in our company values which also closely match mine.
So if you are looking for a new opportunity, or just want to dip your toe in the water to see what’s out there, please get in touch. Or if you’re a client with a vacancy to fill, then talk to us today. We have specialists in many industries here at OCG, so I may not be able to directly help you, but I will do my best to point you in the right direction and to offer advice. Because I do actually enjoy helping people, it’s a passion of mine!
Sources
http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2016/06/12/14-ways-youre-training-your-employees-to-give-lousy-customer-service/#695ab2ad48cd