Delivering a Better Experience

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What does better service look like and how do I get there quickly?

People look at service from so many directions. Companies are trying all kinds of ways to get people’s attention and to keep them coming back. Client service staff genuinely want to serve clients and often spend hours upon hours of working through client requests in the hope of bringing them back again and again. If all else fails, they tell the client, they will act on behalf of the client.

Today, the culture needs to change. It is time to really look hard at the service process and find ways to make it simpler and reduce the amount of manual work. Amazon started out very manual in the 1990’s but it is quickly becoming more and more efficient through the implementation of technology, distribution warehouses and cleaner web pages and app processes.

Unfortunately, our current reality regarding our online solution is the following:

It’s hard to drive people to our website today. (People value their time much more)

People go to websites to look for “one” specific item and that item is not the same for everyone. (The mobile experience is becoming the norm. If customers cannot find information quickly, they move on. )

People want answers on their time. (This is happening more and more in the evening and on weekends)

Creating a Disruptive Service

What does the future of service look like?

The Netflix Experience

How can I deliver an experience like Netflix for our clients where they have many choices and they can access services all of the time at their convenience. Netflix sees ad-free as a better experience for customers into the future. This goes completely against an advertising model for revenue. Netflix continues to stay strong with their subscription model

Amazon continues to evolve and expand service

Amazon is getting into natural foods with its purchase of Whole Foods

Amazon announced July 11, 2017, that they will be bringing on a new service, (in-house consulting service to help implement Alexa technology into homes)

What does this mean for our own companies?

Delivering a better experience is a tough topic. It really starts with a vision of where you see the company going. I always think about Kodak. Kodak had digital technology in their building and ignored it because it did fit their model. In 2000, Blockbuster had the chance to buy Netflix but they could not envision the future.

For me, I am constantly working on delivering a better deliverable to clients. As a part of that deliverable, I continue to see how I can involve customers in that process. I look at Southwest Airlines a lot. They came up with an approach to engage clients in a check-in process to get people to check-in and upgrade their place in line in the hope at getting a better seat. Yes, some people are annoyed by this process, but if you fly Southwest regularly, you are aware of what the expectations are and that you, the customer has a say in the experience.

For now, I will continue to look at other companies and try to find ways to create a better experience for clients that is completely different than my industry competition. It is the only way for me and I hope to get there sooner than later. The stakes are high and the risks of not pursuing a “better experience” will be dictated in not being on people’s radar in the future.

Photo credit: Antonio Guillem, Shutterstock

Source: B2C