Many organisations and their leaders like to talk about how focused they are on Customer Service, while they merely pay lip-service to the cause. The sad fact is that, as customers, we increasingly come across organisations and service levels that are simply deficient in their delivery. And, in today’s age of Social Media, we waste no time in airing our opinions to any one who will listen – taking to our Twitter or Facebook accounts to warn friends and strangers of the particular brand/product/service.

Just to take two random examples of my own experience as a customer this past month, I faced deficiencies in services with two different brands for a product ordered online. The approximate value in each case was about 500 bucks – that’s what it would have cost these organisations to keep a customer happy. However, one chose to accept responsibility and offer a refund / replacement, while the other did not (and as a result, lost a customer from repeat business!).

In both cases, the amounts would not make a dent to these organisations. Nor would they add significantly to my monthly income or spends. But, it’s the principle of the matter.

Let’s see it from a different lens. I was speaking with a freelance professional who works in Shipping Logistics, and he was complaining about how his industry is cut-throat in pricing, and the service he offers is practically a commodity. How, then, can he improve his revenues without adding manpower and growing the amount of volume he currently handles?

I spoke with him about understanding his customers’ pain points and addressing them in any way he could. When shipping large volumes that cross the world’s oceans, what is lacking is information at every milestone for the customer in question. Can he not introduce a simple SMS system to inform his customers of the shipment’s progress at each key milestone? He replied that in his industry that would in fact constitute a “superior” service standard, as compared to his peers who don’t even do that much. If he did that consistently, continuing to add value to his customers in numerous ways, there is no doubt in my mind that he would become the preferred service provider one day.

When it comes to Customer Service, getting the basics right should not be considered optional by any organisation / brand / product / service. If you are wondering how to get started, here are five pointers to keep in mind…

1. Know your customer and understand their needs
2. Stay open to genuine feedback from your customer
3. Be receptive to customer inputs, and do what you can to make every interaction a positive one
4. Be aware of all the touchpoints that your customer interacts with, and ensure a consistent experience
5. Especially in the Service context, keep your customer informed about progress (or delays!) at every relevant stage

The solution is not always complex, nor one that would require significant resources. All that is needed is the right mindset.

Do we really care about the customer? Are we – at each level – empowered to take decisions that affect our customers positively or negatively? And if we are, do we keep the larger context in mind or choose the penny-wise-pound-foolish option?

As Jan Carlzon wrote in ‘Moments of Truth‘, a brand (or product or service) is experienced by your customer across millions of “moments of truth” – each can make or break the organisation. Isn’t it time we paid heed and did the right thing?