Devoted to customer service and the principles of exceptional customer services

Nice analogy, but I would like to think of investment in Customer Service as more of a 401k rather than a roullete wheen. Contributing to a 401k does not ensure a payout, but over the long haul, evidence supports that you will end up better off.

Maria,

I'd agree with Benjamin that it isn't such a gamble. However, the plain fact is that prospective clients I talk to think it's a gamble. Customer Experience initiatives across the board (including service) start to pay off right away, grow in impact over time if well-implemented, and take on a life of their own in growing a business. What's the risk?

It can't be touched. You can't say to your banker, your spouse, your suppliers, or your friends, "Hey, come look at my shiny new Customer Service. I've got it in the office until the company comes to install it in Saturday. This is really gonna pay off." So when an owner is describing the work he/she is doing with CS, the cash outlay, and all the growth potential, there's the question of whether it's The Emperor's New Clothes, in the back of everyone's minds.

Knowing the Customer Experience is not where it should be and being willing to deal concretely with it are sadly not the same thing. To the owner, it looks like a gamble, even though it is absolutely the most critical move to make.

In this business, the biggest competition we have is Doing Nothing. And like the house, Doing Nothing wins an awful lot of the time. For the risk-averse client, that's the real gamble.

Regards,

Kelly

Great minds think alike, Maria

Check out my earlier post on the subject of business and gambling, inspired by a chance encounter on a plane with a successful professional gambler

http://blog.capablepeople.co.uk/blog/LeadershipManagement/_archives/2008/2/7/3508045.html

Shaun

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone! It's interesting that many people still think that customer service is a gamble, but I'm glad that we're all here to help educate and let people know that customer service is not a cost, it's an investment.

Just to clarify my position Maria, I don't view customer service in itself as a gamble, but business decision making is, and there are no certainties

Getting your strategies right is the gamble, most importantly understanding the equation of investment (time, money) versus payback and ensuring that the latter exceeds the former

Economics are important and you can run yourself out of business very quickly with an unsustainable business model (even though the customer may be highly delighted with the great service and low, low prices so long as it lasts)

Shaun

Shaun,

I think I also need to clarify because maybe Kelly and Benjamin think that I believe customer service is a gamble as well?

All I'm saying is that people who are risk takers will probably be more successful than those who aren't.

Thanks for sharing your post, by the way ;)

I think it’s definitely true that there is some “gambling” involved in starting a business. But you’re right that, just as for people that are very good at playing the odds, part of it is not luck but careful planning and calculated movement forward. Knowing how to invest and how to choose what you invest in when it comes to your business is all part of smart business planning, and it’s something that often people miss when they are trying to get off the ground.