Rules, rules, and more rules! Rules for your customer service employees, rules from the IRS, and rules from the community zoning board. However, where are the rules your customers can hold you to? They can go to the Better Business Bureau, but what about a policy that holds your reputation on the line? What about using a "Ruler" to help you measure customer service?
After walking into numerous family owned stores and large franchises has anyone noticed something missing? Remember when every business had customer service guidelines written on a board behind the cash register? Then it moved to the back of the receipt, which has since been transformed into a fine-print return policy. The true question is where your “Customer Ruler?” is a ruler has numbers listed to help you know the length of something. If you have a ruler you can measure and improve upon the data that is collected.
Setting a policy is the first step that is vital for you to measure your customer's experiences. This customer service policy should include: the experience the customer should expect, expectations of quality, expectations of customer service provided, where to find help, what to expect if their dissatisfied, etc. These guidelines will help you provide better customer service because they will hold you accountable. This accountability has been shown by Nordstrom probably the best. Everyone knows the story about how they let one of their best customers returned a tire (they don't sell tires) in order to keep his business. They provide the ultimate customer experience in every shape or form.
The next crucial step is displaying this "Customer Ruler." The "Ruler" should be in a place that will grab the attention of the customer and cause a small talk conversation amongst your customers. Aldi has the "Double Back Guarantee." Jet Blue has the "Customer Bill of Rights." What do you have for your customers? These customer satisfaction policies allow Aldi and Jet Blue to differentiate from their rivals. These customer service policies grab the attention of customers and non-customers. Customers know what to expect and non-customers try the company to see if they stand by their customer service policy. This concept is something that will make your business better and help you develop a higher standard in customer service.
Lastly, this "Ruler" is like a handshake to your customer. You are only as good as your word in the business world. You must keep your word to keep the satisfaction of your customers high. This means that if a product is failing for your customers you should replace the item, but also look into getting a better product to ratify future problems. Good customer service and good quality equals good business.
