Consumers consider service personal.
It’s how they experience it, and, accordingly, how they value it.
Therefore, service can’t be sold. Experience and reflecting on those interactions and consequences, is the paradigm through which the value-package is qualified by those who consume and pay.
That is just one challenge for business entities and service providers. Another is establishing, embracing, projecting, supporting, complementing and celebrating universal service.
That’s right. For commerce, unqualified understanding of, commitment to and consistent delivery of service excellence by all is non-negotiable for those truly subscribing to the ideals. In some instances, service is personalised, to the benefit, advantage and benefit of customers and clients. Fundamental is that its delivery is universal. Always.
UNREAD WALL POSTERS
Many front-line service providers believe their service endeavours are compromised by a lack of delegated authority, inconsistent management policies and emphases on, and biases to immediate profit imperatives.
Company-wide campaigns, like “Customer First”, “Consumer Obsession” and “Service Above Sell” are typically dismissed as lacking meaning, belief and conviction by C-suites (read: ‘senior management’).
Attractive wall posters espousing virtues count for little and are seldom read by team-members, customers and clients.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, highlighted his commitment to personal and personalised service by being prepared to, and actually booking a loss exceeding US$2 billion over a period of less than two years, to improve service standards and to fulfil the promise of service/product delivery within as little as one hour. Service costs.
Above all else, service is multi-dimensional, delivered on omni-channels and its cost is, or should be integral to retail prices.
Since 2015 Amazon has made noticeable investments in bricks ’n’ mortar businesses and premises. It acquired the US national Whole Food chain, purchased many vacated Toys R Us premises and is about to establish its own national network of pharmacies. A progressive program of constructing localised fulfilment centres is underway, to facilitate immediate deliveries and collections. Jeff Bezos too, has concluded that on-line, digital and social media and channels should complement, not replace the human quotient.
He is now a believer. Neil Diamond wrote the song “I’m A Believer” in 1966. Micky Dolenz of the Monkees sang it. What took so long? Some essentials simply never change. Awareness and adherence are important. Harmony demands it.
DEPENDENCE OVER INDEPENDENCE
The economic, competitive and general well-being of participants and members of marketing or buying co-operative and franchise networks is enhanced by all providing continuity and consistency in service delivery. Dependence has its virtues.
Independence is compromising to varying degrees. However, the compensating benefits of mutual dependence, in the short, intermediate and longer term are substantial.
SERVICE IS TIMELESS
A genuine service culture knows no bounds. It includes all team-members, departments, locations, operations, seasons and campaigns.
Service should be all embracing. Therefore, specific promotional campaigns seem misplaced and inappropriate.
Short-term heightened service standards are incompatible with service excellence ideals of consistency and continuity. Variability in standards and emphasis is likely to be, confusing and contradictory.
Service excellence can be, and often is, hard to achieve and to maintain. It takes an uncompromising belief by all. Service cultures have no limits, particularly in terms of time and timeliness.
The construction sector, of new homes in particular, is an essential foundation of the broader Australian economy and lifestyle.
A significant percentage of Australians own, are paying off or aspire to own their own residence.
The industry is structured on subcontracting. Key elements and aspects of residential, commercial and industrial premises involve multiple subcontractors, including individual “tradies”, who operate under supervision, but can exercise considerable independence and self-determination on service standards.
That makes coordination and adherence to service standards difficult, if not impossible to achieve.
Interactions with expectant new home owners are rare, often limited by building company policies which deny access to sites during construction. Therefore, bonding and commitment to owners is distant, if it exists at all.
None of these policies, practices or characteristics foster close, positive personal customer service scenarios.
In many instances, relationships between subcontractors and the building company are limited to brief, periodic visits by supervisors and the accounts department. Thus, the customer and consumer of the services provided are focused on the intermediary building company people.
Recent collapses and enforced vacating of multi-story residential projects profile and highlight the deficiencies and consequences of a whole sector.
PERSONALISED BUILT-IN
In stark contrast, JahRock, which specialises in custom-built furniture, often featuring the Western Australian hardwood Jarrah, personalises each piece of furniture.
Stories are detailed about the base product, like dining room table legs being from the historic Bunbury jetty. Each chair in the set is personally signed by the crafts person who moulded and assembled it.
The strikingly attractive settings become conversation pieces. Now that is personal and personalised service.
It doesn’t take much to introduce a little retail or commercial theatre and personalised customer service into the buying process.
NO EXCUSES
Compromised phrases and attitudes like, “that’ll be good enough” have consequences. Brand damage is inevitable. Comparative competitiveness falters too. “Employer of Choice status” is invariably lost.
Internally, morale, cohesion, job satisfaction and staff turnover rates are negatively impacted.
Regrettably, the words good enough have a negative connotation.
It takes effort to excel and attain excellence. Just ask elite sports people, arts practitioners, scientists and those in medicine.
We may not aspire to mix with or match those. But, rest assured, most want to be serviced by those with such values and capabilities.
PREMIUM SERVICE
A common characteristic of entities that enjoy desirable brand images centred on personal service is the noticeable additional, if not premium allocation of resources to strive for, attain and sustain service excellence.
There are more than 29 definitions of the word premium. In some, premium is an impost, a penalty or cost. Insurance is a good example. Payment of premiums in such instances is why the service is widely regarded as a grudge purchase.
Service can mean above the norm. Advantage service provider. Particularly if the cost is included and not distinguishable in the price.
In business, thought processes and beliefs are the cornerstones of success, malleability, innovation and creativity. Those measures and attributes are accelerated when premium is applied in the best manner.
So go on. Go beyond.
Barry Urquhart
Conference Keynote Speaker
Marketing Focus
M: 041 983 5555
E: urquhart@marketingfocus.net.au