Excerpt from CRM Magazine interview with Robert Spector
CRM magazine: The introduction of the book* starts with what managers can do to create a Nordstrom-style service. What do you mean by that?
Spector: After you boil it down to its essence -
- It's all about thinking like the customer.
- It's empowering your front-line people to give great customer service.
- It's giving the people on the front line the freedom to make decisions, and management supports them in those decisions. That's the key.
I mean, let's be honest, customer service is simple stuff. Every one of us is an expert on customer service. We all know how we expect to be treated; we know what's good service and bad service. We don't need somebody who works in customer service to explain it to us. So why is it so hard for companies to give great customer service? They don't think like the customer, they don't put themselves in the shoes of the customer. They're thinking more about their own organization, processes, and rule book the way it's always been done. Most companies want to make life easier for themselves as opposed to the customer.
* The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence
See also: Empowerment prerequisite
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