Develop Service Tactics to Meet or Exceed the Customer s Expectations

Develop Service Tactics to Meet or Exceed the Customer's Expectations

Closely tied to the problem of determining the customer's service expectation is developing tactics to meet these expectations. Eight critical tactics for achieving superior service are shown in Exhibit 12-3. Notice that all these tactics, except dealing with delivery systems, are people-oriented and require the development of superior interpersonal skills. It also should be noted that these eight tactics are ongoing and are not sequential; they can be accomplished in any order.

Exhibit 12-3: Elements of superior service tactics.

Tactics	Implementation
Know your customer intimately.	Make your customer your friend. Understand the customer's goals and mission. Be aware of customer budgetary and political pressures.
Find and retain quality people.	Look for people with superior interpersonal, leadership, and technical skills. Foster the view that every employee is a marketer and customer service representative. Provide employees opportunities to exercise their skills and reward their achievements.
Focus your team on the service goals.	Align service program with company vision and mission goals. Ensure that employees are clear about job performance and service goals. Achieve service goals awareness through training, newsletters, service slogan displayed on company stationery, and business cards.
Make business easier with excellent delivery systems.	Automate work control systems to expedite work orders, record work performance. Install just-in-time purchasing/inventory systems. Electronically link corporate and site locations.
Train and support employees.	Provide comprehensive, multifaceted training for all to stay proficient with customer service procedures, processes, and tools.
Involve and empower employees.	Push responsibility and authority to lowest level possible to service complaints. Involve employees in service planning. Support employee decisions.
Recognize and reward good performance.	Be sensitive to and reward even small achievements. Avoid using customer service mistakes to punish employees. Acknowledge good performance with more than a "well done."
Set the tone and lead the way through personal example.	All senior corporate officers and all supervisors have to believe in the customer program and constantly reflect it in the treatment of internal and external customers.