In this customer service article Scott Lindsay looks at how to take the proactive step of creating a customer charter ..

A farm equipment company in Canada is blazing a new trail in customer service. REM Enterprises Inc. of Saskatchewan, Canada has developed a “Charter of Values”. This charter essentially lets customers know what they can expect from the company.

The basics of the REM charter…
Joy
Character
Integrity
Honor

One of the statements in regards to character reads, “We are committed to corporate and personal integrity every day, through every transaction, in every relationship.”

I don’t know about you, but this statement alone would cause me to be interested in the company – and I’m not a farmer.

This ‘charter’ bears a striking resemblance to the Arena Football League’s “Fan’s Bill of Rights”. This document delineates some of the following expectations…
The events will be wholesome in nature.
The events will feature fair competition.
The players will give their best effort.
Fans will have access to players and coaches for autographs.
Fans should expect all who are associated with the game to be positive role models.

Certainly there is more to the “Fan’s Bill of Rights”, but I wanted to give you a picture of what extremely positive customer service looks like.

The best customer service does not wait until after something negative happens to respond. No, it looks for ways to reassure customers and prospects that you already have their best in mind through outstanding customer service. A statement of what the customer can expect from your companies customer service can produce a radical and enthusiastic response from your customer base.

Of course, all the promises in the world mean nothing if you don’t back them up. Don’t promise the world and then deliver a deserted island.

If you make big customer service promises make big customer service deliveries.
The “Charter of Values” REM Enterprises developed was a way to bring the issue of positive customer service to their clients, but it was also a way to move their customer service staff to a place where they followed along with the customer service team. When everyone was on the same page, everyone began to respond in a way that kept the client’s needs the focal point – not bottom line profits.

Interestingly profits seem to be a direct result of making customers the main priority in business. This concept is one of the primary reasons the Arena Football League continues to see strong fan support at the cities in which they play.

If you take just one bit of advice from the marketing and customer service articles you read make it this one – be proactive in customer service. When your customer knows you are committed to them they develop trust much faster.