One of the key challenges of senior leadership is to understand what is really happening within their business. How are people actually responding to the vision, direction and guidance given? I have no doubt that 99.9% of senior leadership intention is positive. However, intention and reality can be oceans, if not planets, apart.
Building reliance on a process
In our efforts to make life easier for our customers we increasingly rely on technology to streamline the interaction. We can create fantastically clever interfaces to make selling and purchasing an incredibly efficient set of actions. Our customers may even be complementary of the process: “I never have an issue . . .” “it’s so easy. . .” “I don’t even need to speak to anyone…” Who would argue with that from either party’s point of view?
Bearing in mind that “to err is human”, the result of this is that we often go to great lengths to remove the humans from the process. Making things efficient often means cutting down on, or cutting out, the human interface, but at what cost?
Relationship trumps process
The everyday example that we are all starting to experience is the visit to the local pub / restaurant. We can sit down, scan the app, decide, and order, and our choices magically appear from the kitchen and the bar. The interaction has been systemised and made into a process. But as a customer if all I want for the evening is food delivered to my table why not order to home through Uber Eats? Also, as the process of ordering is just a process, I tend to order once and not bother with additional purchases.
As the owner of a wine and café bar, I know we have to offer more than the food and drink. All our competitors sell the very same drinks and food. Our competitor is not Wetherspoons but the standard of the average living room. We must answer the simple question; why would people come eat and drink with us rather than stay at home? The answer is NOT logical, it’s emotional.
I argue that the customer loyalty that all businesses crave is based on how people feel, not just the product or service they receive.
Our brilliant wine bar manager, Karl, describes this as “the perfect pour”. It starts not at the pump or bottle, but as you walk through the door. You are met with a greeting, stranger or local, that makes you feel like you are welcome and that you belong. If the pint, glass of wine or coffee is not perfect we’ll rarely argue*, just replace it. A customer with a problem solved is proven to be twice as loyal as a customer who’s never had a problem.
Scaling up the principle
If we scale this principle up to large corporate contracts and projects, millions can be lost to poorer performing competitors who do a better job of relationship management. Your business nemesis is out there – another outfit that knows how to do things magically ‘old fashioned’, talk to people and set up loyal relationships. People like efficient processes but mostly purchase on a feeling.
When customer service becomes a process, it’s no longer customer service. Your customer doesn’t feel served, just processed!
Leadership questions
Leaders should ask bold and difficult questions. The question “How do you feel as a customer?” is bolder, and potentially more challenging than “What do you think of our service?”
The other question you could ask yourselves is: “Is our focus on our processes limiting the quality of the relationship with our customer?”
By Colin Dulson – Managing Director Berrison Ltd
* Refers to 99.9% of customers who are great, and we’d replace your product with no question. However, 0.01% (not a researched figure) of customers can be a pain in the ass and are just out for ‘a free lunch’ and we’d be happy if they didn’t return . . . just being honest, as we all should be, poor customers cost businesses sustainability and future employment for people.
If you would like to know more about how Berrison can help develop your people and your business, please contact us: connect@berrison.com
