It remains interesting to me the surprise I will get when a company will do an unexpected service Wow! The overall positive impact that this level of service has on their customers can completely change their business platform, as well as their customer loyalty. In the service industry, awareness is a must. You have to be fully aware and fully present to give the level of service that makes people take notice and want more ~ not to mention, tell their friends.
How aware is your company/business in regards to service awareness?
Some people come "pre-packaged" with service awareness, others can be taught the skill, and sadly there are many that are service deprived. We experience each of these levels of service daily. Customer advocates that watch their guest for signs of needing assistance, even before the customer realizes they need it, fall under Optimal Service Awareness.
Recently a friend of mine went to get an oil change for his car at Valvoline. Obviously the service was nothing complicated. He paid for the service and headed home, but after a period of time, he noticed his garage floor covered with oil. Here comes the Service Awareness part. When he called and told the store what happened, his reason for calling was two-fold. 1) To schedule another oil change, and 2) To ask how best to clean his garage floor. The person he talked to apologized, scheduled the appointment, and said he would come over and personally clean the oil off the floor. WOW! He recognized and apologized for the inconvenience this caused his customer ~ and took it one step further. This is what it's all about!
Do all of your employees exemplify Optimal Service Awareness? When hiring, especially in the service industry, it's best to consider the service skill level you are hiring. There are 4 Levels of Service Awareness to contemplate with your current employees, as well as with new hires.
We have such an opportunity to make a great impression just by the attention we provide. Customers want to be noticed and heard, and if you fall short, your ongoing success, customer loyalty, and referrals to others will be at risk. Understand the 4 levels, and the impact of each, so you can best train all of your employees to have Optimal Service Awareness.
Chances are your customers are doing business with some of the world's finest service organizations, and because of that, your company's service experiences will be compared. So you need to ask yourself, how do we measure up in comparison?
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