In Customer Service Word of Mouth is Caring
Often people express that they get the most traction from word of mouth experiences. Has word of mouth changed? In customer service, word of mouth is caring, it is also about selling, branding, and marketing.
For many organizations, I can’t stress enough that your customer service is never about what you say it is, it is always about what the customer feels.
Convinced
Many individuals and organizations try to convince me of their exceptional delivery. They tout their brilliance and success while suggesting that their customers will back it up. Perhaps, but it is still never about what the vendors says, it is always about what the customer feels.
Today much of our word of mouth has become world of mouth. The incredible wave of communicating electronically has made our world smaller and our reach longer.
There is a saying, “People will not always remember what you said, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.”
Feeling Average
People don’t talk much about average. Average is too easy. The regular haircut, the normal cheese and peperoni pizza, the typical commute to work. It isn’t discussed.
However, when the barber slips, or the hair coloring is off. We hear about it. A bad pizza or improperly cooked steak, we hear about it. A little road rage or a traffic jam, we hear about it.
The biggest fallacies I witness with organizations pursuing a culture of customer service is that they evaluate their level of service based on costs and their own perceptions. Nothing about good service is cheap, but it (good service) also isn’t always expensive.
The question that organizations should be asking themselves is, “Expensive compared to what?”
Word of Mouth
People aren’t talking about normal or average. They will repeat a pleasant surprise, and they’ll shout it out about unhappy experiences. Average, normal, or the basics aren’t enough. Certainly, poor service is a disaster.
Do you want world of mouth? Show your customers that you care because the most expensive customer service of all is when you are picking up the broken pieces. Word of mouth or world of mouth, both are about the outstandingly exceptional or else the drama filled disaster.
Most people just want to know that someone cares.
That is a feeling, not a slogan, phrase, or bumper sticker.
How much does a feeling cost? It is priceless.
– DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
