The fine line between creativity and communication makes the message memorable. The offbeat humor fits the quirky culture of Zappos.  After all, CEO Tony Hsieh encourages his customer service representatives to make a Personal Emotional Connection. The culture of the company is what the company is all about, and as new employees train with two weeks of classroom training and two weeks of practical knowledge answering customer calls, they are offered money to the tune of $1000 to quit if they feel they do not fit with the culture. Employees who decide to stay within the company are much more invested in their loyalties, and with Hsieh’s mission which is to “provide the best online experience possible,” employees are better able to think independently in order to achieve the goal. Every year each employee is required to write a short essay about the culture of the company. All of the writings are entered into an unedited book and distributed to the staff.  It is a place where employees want to come to work.

This same commercial that has probably made all of you smile by now was able to communicate who Zappos is, what they want you to do and makes you want to do it.  If Hsieh can encourage managers to goof off with his staff for 10 to 20% random time, have interviews over “vodka shots,” and paint the bathrooms “urine colors” just to be weird and funny, two very unusual puppets extolling the virtues of an unusual customer service phone call can only add to the uniqueness of a tremendously successful company.

The puppets bring home the concept of being humble, having fun and being a bit weird. It’s Hsieh’s mantra, “Deliver WOW through service.” The video is after the jump.

photo credit: adamjackson1984

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It’s important to set customer service apart by creating a strong brand which in turn can give a business the competitive edge. Since the reputation of a company is based on the experiences of their customers, it is important to give them positive experiences. Remember that bad experiences are emotional also, and customers may not come back, but that can cost a company the loss of many new clients because now friends, neighbors and co-workers have all been told about the negative experience. Also consider that the neutral experience a customer might have is almost as bad as the negative experience because it has no emotional ties and thus is not memorable at all.

In customer service, the process usually involves multiple steps. For instance, there is the initial call routing, interaction, resolution, and then finalizing the resolution. Human assisted services are here to stay since not all customer service requests, complaints, orders, procedures, etc. qualify for the one-size fits all. Emphasizing the human assisted customer service over self-service can brand a company with a positive memorable experience. Some people just prefer the human touch.

Team representatives can be matched with the brand of the company. It’s much more of a positive memorable experience perhaps to have an athletic looking person providing customer service at the running store. A brand aligned agent creates the consistent and repetitive visibility since the public’s memory is very short. It is much more effective to expose your brand to a small audience numerous times than it is to advertise your business only once a year to a large audience.

Finally when branding your customer service, it is most important to have  unified objectives so customer experiences stay consistent. If clients have to experience different communication channels and are forwarded from one representative to another, it is crucial that the training and education of the staff be logical and consistent with the branding of the company. Simply stated; make sure the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing.

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Eclipse Internet is known for its fast fiber-optic connections, its reliability, and, its support team. According to their website, the “team” gets a financial bonus for giving exceptional customer satisfaction. Happy customers stay longer and become loyal, and they go beyond what is expected to deliver the best customer service. The company’s claim for reliability is 99.9% uptime for broadband and web hosting. Their support calls claim to be answered in 60 seconds or less, and 70% of their faults are fixed at the first call.

The web site lists their November, December, and, January performance with the heading entitled, “How Are We Performing?” Included is a list of performance criteria:

• Availability of our core services
• Orders fulfilled on time
• Customers needing technical help
• Customers faults fixed at first call
• Fault rate compared to average
• Spam/virus blocked

This all made me ponder if money is indeed the motivational tool for employees to render better customer service? The company’s support team seems to have some impressive values listed. If so, how much and how does it influence employee productivity? Motivation is a huge part of the formula, but how does one evaluate the happiness level since happiness goes way beyond the job. People tend to be happier when they make more money because money is purchasing power, and the ability to purchase more plays an important part in happiness.

I am convinced that money does play an important part in employee motivation, but the key is to find the right candidate for the position. Capability, professionalism, patience, knowledge, and personality to fit the company marks the spot for success. Once the candidates are well-trained and given the tools to conduct business with the company’s success firmly implanted, the added monetary rewards for jobs well-done do seem to make a difference.

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The Wachovia branch in the subdivision of Abacoa in Jupiter, Florida knows how to build new cooperative and collaborative relationships with customers. Since consumers now can choose from a bank on nearly every corner, what sets a particular branch apart from another? Enlightened consumers have an infinite amount of choices.

Nearly every bank offers full services including checking, savings, loans, certificates of deposits, credit cards, brokerage services, etc. Almost all banks provide paperless services, online payment centers, call centers with English speaking representatives, and comprehensive websites with dozens of services, but the difference in local branches is the relationship bank employees build with local residents.

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never been to a Wachovia Bank, but special circumstances for an ailing relative brought me there. The Service Manager, Brandi immediately greeted me at the kiosk in the center of the lobby and was able to direct me to the financial specialist who could handle my  special banking needs. Admittedly, I had to wait a considerable amount of time and that was a legitimate complaint, but once I met with the representative, the transactions were effortless and efficient. When I was leaving, Brandi even asked me if my banking needs had been met to my satisfaction. Within a week, I had to make some more changes to this specialized account and returned to the bank; again a friendly and smiling Olinda greeted me at the kiosk. Senior Financial Specialist, Fred C. made changes for me, remembered my name and has gone out of his way to accommodate the special needs of my situation.

It can take weeks or months to find and maintain a good customer, but a satisfied customer brings in more business. Of all the banks in my area, the exceptional personal touch by the employees made a profound difference. Their service quality and operational efficiency with  improved data information services made my experience that much quicker. Their ability to immediately contact their legal department to help me set up the account correctly gave me the confidence I was not able to find at another financial institution earlier in the day. My congratulations to a team of professionals for going that extra mile for customers.

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

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There is no alcohol or grease here, and I have often printed off coupons to use, but I must warn you they are very strict about expiration dates. They offer freshly baked breads, pastries, sandwiches, salads, and soups during breakfast and lunch. Chairman and CEO Ronald Schaich has stated that the drop in wheat prices last year has been helpful in avoiding any price increases, but claims that the quality of products at Panera are of the highest priority.

So we have a few of Panera’s policies that set them apart from other restaurants, and that includes antibiotic free chicken, no trans fat, many natural ingredients and an impressive list of whole grain breads, but does that have a significant impact on customer service and the Business Week’s award?

Actually the company’s customer service award can be attributed to the attentiveness and concern for the well-being of their associates. Panera kept employee hours steady when other restaurants were cutting hours. Panera also provided cash bonuses for hourly workers as well as management incentives. When I checked the employment page, I noted that employee benefits are comprehensive ranging from complete medical, dental coverage to pension, and disability benefits.

Their philosophy of “happy employees” has brought in more customers. When the general restaurant traffic has decreased nationally by 4%; Panera boasts that their business has increased by 2%. Panera’s attitude towards their employees can only stress the importance of employee satisfaction delivering and contributing to customer satisfaction. In my own experience, I have been to this establishment several times, and I have never seen anyone behind the counter or even wiping the tables seemingly having a “bad day.” It certainly seems the Panera “way” is a success.

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Is perception much different when marketers and advertisers want us to believe in their products? I can’t help but notice the Maybelline mascara commercials promising lashes so lush and long that I can hardly wait to drive over to CVS and pick up the latest product. Is it realistic? There’s no possible way mascara can make eyelashes that long and perfect; my objectivity and verifiable actual experience will prove that at a later time, but the perception and a significant perceived improvement to me is what makes the experience real.

Delivering superior customer service is also a perception. A customer’s perception of an issue is often different than the actual circumstance. Let’s take the example of waiting in a Verizon store for the next available agent. I walk in and there are three people before me, three representatives attending to customers and two other employees not engaged with customers. I am impatient because I have to leave in 30 minutes to pick my kids up from school and my impatience grows especially when I perceive the two other employees should be aware that I need some customer service yet they have made no overtures to help anyone.

Excellent customer service, regardless of what the facts may be have to be especially sensitive to the customer’s viewpoint and perception of the issue. That’s where careful listening comes into play and suggesting solutions based on those very perceptions can make a profound impact. Insensitivity and indifference is a prelude to customer anger and the loss of the customer because they don’t really care who takes care of them since each representative is synonymous with the company. This is where standards of KPI or Key Performance Indicators come into play. Through training, monitoring, coaching, practice and new policies, employees understand that customers are driven by what they think about a business or service, and we want them to see positive perceptions.

As for my experience at the Verizon store, I did approach one of the two representatives and asked them if someone could help me and explained my circumstances. The manager came over to me, listened to my problem with my cell phone and my time restraints; asked me if I wanted to leave the phone and come back after I picked up my children, and during that time my phone would be either repaired or replaced. I must admit he had the right attitude, and I was satisfied that someone had worked to help me.

photo credit: Phil Guest

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The delivery of services should not be restricted by job title. Take the example of an employee stocking the shelves at a local hardware store. A customer comes in and asks the employee where she can find door handles. The employee walks the customer over to the aisle and asks if there is more he can do to help. The customer needs help sorting out the rows and rows of door handles to find one that fits her needs, and the employee assists her until her needs are met. Then the employee returns to stocking the shelves. Did the employee go beyond his job of stocking shelves? Absolutely, but the customer was so satisfied she made a point to congratulate the store manager about the excellent and helpful store employee.

In a local hair salon, a regular client was in the middle of a hair highlighting. The client had very long hair; the  foils were almost all applied, and her cell phone rang. The client’s 5th grade child called to tell her mother she had forgotten an important piece of her class project that was involved in the school fair and needed it immediately. The mom couldn’t leave the salon with bleach and tin foils. The receptionist volunteered to drive to the client’s home, pick up the piece the student needed and take it to her child’s school. Going out of her way? Absolutely, but the receptionist was able to break free and see her job as more than just a job title.

Going above and beyond sets any business apart. Instead of ever saying no, a business should always be able to present options or alternatives, but in order to encourage employees to perform in such positive ways as the above examples, the company has to empower employees and coach them in positive ways. Probably the most important aspect in being able to realize such outstanding service, is the company’s ability to present a positive approach to employees and help employees  work effectively with other departments. It is really hard to go above and beyond by yourself.

All good customer service is a result of an organized system and constantly improving what you want to achieve; the results can make a big difference. If a business just changes a little at a time and meets the customer’s needs beyond the product, the customer feels important, and that is what keeps customers coming back.

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When hired, an employee becomes part of the varsity team; perhaps one of the reasons the Ritz Carlton has the lowest turnover rate of any hotel in the industry. In the first year, employees receive more than 300 hours of training which includes a procedure manual containing  more than 1,000 examples of potential problems an employee might have to deal with while performing their job. Each team member who receives a complaint “owns” the complaint, and it doesn’t matter if you are the desk clerk, the bell boy or the housekeeper. Each team member has generous discretionary funds to handle complaints, and their ability to resolve these challenges without having to go through different channels eliminates 95% of potential problems with guests; after all guests don’t want to wait for a manager to come on duty to solve their problems.

The “Gold Standards” express the values and philosophy of the company. Briefly explained they are as follows:

• The Credo. The finest personal service will be provided including even unexpressed wishes.
• The Motto. “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.”
• 3 Steps of Service. We greet the guest. We anticipate what needs the guest will have and fulfill those needs. We bid farewell to the guest.
• The Basics. We are proud to be at the Ritz Carlton and we always want to improve our services. We want to learn and grow and welcome your suggestions. We respect your privacy and are responsible for your safety, cleanliness and comfort of our guests.
• Employee Promise. Guests are  most important at the Ritz Carlton.

As we were leaving early this evening, an older couple who apparently were not able to fly home because of the weather conditions northward returned to the Ritz Carlton looking very annoyed.  The desk clerk helped the couple get settled for another evening, and as the bell boy was piling their luggage on the cart, the woman remarked  to her husband she could use a hot cup of tea. Within minutes, the desk clerk returned with that cup of tea. What a difference it made to the guest; what a smile she had on her face.

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