In this day and age where margins are lower, customers are more educated and options are many, there are some key factors that will certainly impact your company or organization. The C.U.S. Customer Service Framework will help you identify these factors and ensure your customer service strategy is a success.
What is a customer?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “Customer” as one that purchases a commodity or service. While this is accurate, we can’t start and stop at such a limited definition. Customers are much more than passive purchasers and studying them is an essential business practice. Understanding your customer ensures you can serve their needs and servicing the customer is integral to the success of your business.
Do you have a customer service strategy?
Many businesses and organizations believe their regular approach to gaining customers is adequate. However, with the customer being so important to a business’ or organization’s success, we need to change our mindset to craft a customer service strategy that promotes customer satisfaction, engagement and/or willingness to return.
You can craft the best customer service strategy using a 3-step Customer Service Framework I developed called “C.U.S.”.
There is no CUStomer without C.U.S.
C.U.S. stands for the following steps in developing a sound customer service strategy:
Step 1: Identify the Customer
- Identify the Customer
- Understand their Needs
- Service those Needs
Do you know who the customer is? The first step in the framework is hyper customer-centric. To identify the customer you must first recognize everybody you meet as a potential customer. This includes: employee, employer, colleague, counterpart, competition, family, friends, barista, bartender etc. Your interactions in these personal relationships help then inform how you should interact with your actual customer. It should be personal moving from a regular customer approach to “My” customer approach. You’ll then work to identify with your customer and maintain proper relationships with them by caring about what they care about, communicating how they communicate and working to make life easier for them.
What if sales treated accounting like their customer? What if legal treated operations like they were their customer? How much more unifying would this make your team and/or the organization? If internal people and departments treated each other like customers, how would that impact the external customer?
Step 2: Understand their Needs
Once you’ve identified “MY” customer, it is time to understand how they function. Do you call somebody who likes to text? Do you drag out a conversation with somebody who is direct and to the point? Do you crowd somebody who likes space? All of these questions and many more are important in understanding how “MY” customer operates.
There is the golden rule that says, “Treat people how you like to be treated.” However, Dr. Tony Alessandra coined the platinum rule, “Treat others how THEY want to be treated.” Since it is now “MY” customer, you take it personal by listening, watching and paying attention to what your customer says and how your customer responds. It is not about you, it is about the customer and their needs.
Step 3: Service those Needs
The last part of the equation is to service the customer’s needs. Many times we get all of the information we need about a customer and then proceed to not use it. That’s like completing a major assignment for class and when it’s due, you don’t turn it in. It’s your job to gather and use all the information you can to work with “MY” customer. This helps internal communication and facilitates a true teamwork atmosphere. It also fosters the right mindset that supports external customer relations and the customer experience.
James is an engaging and motivational customer service keynote speaker. Is your business or organization interested in improving internal employee relationships? Are you looking to improve your frontline employees engagement with external customers or clients. Invite James to speak at your next workshop, seminar or conference.
