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 Studies
show that most consumers (91 percent according to one Atlanta
Constitution survey) believe that the quality of service has
declined over the last twenty-five years. One Atlanta Constitution
reader wrote: The animals are running the zoo. There is no
doubt that the American economy has become service oriented,
but there is a stark contrast between being merely service
oriented and providing service with a capital "S".
In fact, much research in the area of behavioral science is
offering insights that might surprise you. Despite the new
evidence and the evaluative tools that can improve customer
service, an interesting dichotomy remains.
Find one company that doesn't make some
kind of service excellence claim. Good luck. Fact is that
there are plenty of buzz words---"Exceeding Customer
Expectations," how about, "Customer Ecstasy?"
What about "Customer Enthrallment?" What we find
most often is Customer Disillusionment. Its true, firms pay
great lip service to the concept of service on the one hand,
on the other, there are probably more four-lettered words
uttered from the angry lips of consumers in connection with
the word "service" than any other in the dictionary.
Well executed Service is not what is said it is something
that firms do. But like beauty, customer satisfaction is often
measured through the eyes of the beholder and is very difficult
to measure because it is so intangible.
The ubiquity
of technology has undoubtedly streamlined the way in which
we deliver products and services and has clearly reduced costs.
Technology was supposed to revolutionize and enhance customer
service and satisfaction. We are heavily dependent on technology
for collecting, processing, interpreting and leveraging information.
While we may be able to do all this "Business at the
Speed of Light," humans, for good or ill, still move
at the speed of emotions and we are motivated and informed
by them in conjunction with perceptions, false and otherwise.
In the end service is a function of these two factors: the
emotions and perceptions of the consumer.
The most successful companies are those
that recognize and take advantage of Service Opportunity
Voids. We know through the lessons of such service giants
as Disney, Nordstrom, and L.L. Bean that quality service wins
big. So how can you learn the lessons and put them to work
for your organization? You can start by sitting down with
a Public Virtues consultant to talk.
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