There seems to be some confusion around the definitions of "customer service" and "customer experience." Many organizations still think they are the same, or perhaps they recognize some of the differences, but do not understand what the overall effect of a great experience does for the customer and for their business. The function of customer service and the customer experience, which will always work congruently, are two very different business strategies.

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.  Walt Disney ~ "Do what you do SO WELL that they will want to see it again and BRING THEIR FRIENDS." 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?

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.

Let's make customer service fun. Why?  Because you do better when it's fun, and if you aren't having fun, it's time to evaluate why.  Now the "why" could be for a lot of reasons outside of customer service, but I just want to focus on service.  How exactly do you do better when you are having fun?  Many reasons, but the biggest are that it leaves a lasting impression on your customers so that they want to return for more, and you feel so good doing it that you want to do it more! 

Our last couple of articles have been about some extraordinarily sad service mishaps. Service mishaps that should not have gone the way they did ~ and in some cases are still going on! They were not hard things to fix or manage, by any means. So the question remains, why do some companies/businesses understand the basic fundamentals of producing good customer service exchanges, while others struggle with these basics? 

In our ProSo world, we live and breathe improving customer experiences.  It's the foundation of our business, supports every effort, and is at the core of every service we provide.  Truth be told- it's a bit of a thorn in our sides because we can't just be a "normal" customer in our day-to-day lives.  Every time we are the customer (and not on the ProSo clock), we over analyze and evaluate the experience.  We constantly think of what was done right, what could be done better, and more. This means our team is the perfect resource for creating a customer loyalty cheat sheet.  So here I present to you what a company can do to sell us and keep us coming back for more...

I was raised to care deeply about the lessons my parents instilled in me in regards to manners. They were completely inflexible about my saying "please" and "thank you."  It was expected that I would address adults with terms such as "Yes, sir," "Yes, ma'am," and "Mr." and "Mrs."  My mother also taught me how to write a proper thank you note, and to this day, I will still write three paragraphs, just like she taught me. So why do I mention all of this? Where have manners gone?  In the hospitality industry, one would think manners matter and would get the focus it deserves with people serving people. Yet, still, we are unpleasantly surprised with the poor manners displayed around us in the service industry.