Good service will serve you well

Comedy writer Robert Orben had an interesting take on customer service: "You go to a coin-operated store and wash and dry your clothes. Then you go to a filling station where you pump your own gas. And on to a fast-food restaurant where you carry your own tray. And what is it being called? A service economy!"

The irony has not escaped customers, who will be the final arbiter of the current options.

Electronic self-service may be the wave of the future, but lots of consumers are bucking the trend. The CRM Buyer website reports that researchers surveyed more than 24,000 consumers in 12 countries about customer interactions, and here's what they found:

— 80% prefer customer service from a human instead of an automated system.

— 83% say that interacting with a customer service rep is important.

— 68% believe they're more likely to get a better deal when negotiating in person instead of online.

— 18% said they would renew products or services because of good personal customer service, even if they were more expensive.

Companies are facing new and serious issues meeting the expectations of customers. Hiring difficulties, pandemic restrictions, merchandise shortages and financial challenges have made many organizations rethink their practices. And stressed employees need support more than ever as they handle extra work and procedures.

In addition, customers who got accustomed to online shopping and home delivery have prompted many businesses to make adjustments to their services.

Those challenges aren't disappearing soon.

And an unhappy customer who receives poor service can make or break a business. Bad online reviews can cripple an otherwise thriving operation.

So the one constant that must not suffer is good customer service. There are some fundamentals to keep in mind.

Keep score. If you don't measure performance, your team will be in perpetual warm-up mode. Let employees know what they're being measured on and how it is relevant to them, their customers and the organization's bottom line.

Make sure you reward the desired outcome. For instance, if you want your salespeople to create relationships and long-term accounts, reward them with commissions, bonuses or some form of appreciation.

Practice what you preach. If you want a motivated customer service rep, you need to be motivated. If you're not sincerely motivated, you'll never motivate others to provide excellent service.

Give employees the power to actually serve the customers' needs.

Steve Hardison, an executive coach, began his career in sales at Xerox. Product returns were against company policy, but according to a story in the Chicago Tribune, one day he decided to let a customer return a copier. When his boss demanded an explanation, Hardison said, "If I lose a job because I took care of a customer, then I never had a job."

Referring to a column on customer service a few years back, one of my loyal readers sent me an e-mail about the power of the personal touch. He and his wife serve on the welcoming committee at their church. Before each service, they try to greet as many people as they can with "happiness and appreciation."

He mentioned an occasion on vacation when attending another church, only one person spoke to them. As they left, the pastor greeted them, and that made all the difference.