A few weeks ago, a colleague shared his great customer service experience in receving his first Covid shot. The experience, however, was a little different the second time around.
Real World Story: “I was off to get my second Covid shot, and I was looking forward to another gold standard experience with the staff and volunteers manning the mega vaccinations site. Don’t get me wrong, though. The second experience was nice and pleasant. Everyone I dealt with was cordial and respectful.
“But it just wasn’t the same as the first time.
“The first time around, everyone went above and beyond. They simply exuded compassion and caring. Clearly, it was second nature to them. Nearly everyone wished me a blessed day. A nurse even offered me water and Gaterade as I waited to make sure I didn’t experience any side effects. The words they used and their body language was simply more personal; they related to me in a special and caring way.
“While I would definitely give the second experience a 10, it just wasn’t the gold standard I was expecting again.”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Intentional. Gold standard customer service is intentional. Simply put, you deliberately resolve to deliver great service. Then you instictively deliver that great service—like it’s second nature to you. Make sure to include or to make this conscious resolution your mission or vision statement.
- Repeatable. Gold standard customer service is repeatable. You’ve already resolved to deliver great service, so now you repeat that undertaking. Make sure standards are written down and team members know how they are held accountable to meeting those standards.
- Consistent. The key to gold standard service is consistency. So you’ve resolved to provide great service. You’ve written down your standards for great service to ensure everyone can repeat them. Next, you want to ensure that you continue to deliver that great service with every single customer, client or patient. Every hour. Every day. Every month. Every year. Year after year. Before you know, gold standard customer service is part of your brand.
Remember: People want to feel special. They want to feel cared for and important. So why not resolve today to deliver gold standard customer service? Getting a 10 out of 10 is great, but being known for the gold standard is an entirely different level.
What do you do to ensure that your customer service efforts meet the gold standard?