You never want to hear this when you own a business:
"Our customers are revolting! They are demanding more for less and want world class products and services and they want it now. If we can't provide what they want, they will find some one who can. We must provide great customer service."
One of the best customer service definitions I have come across is:
excellent customer service (is) the ability of an organization to constantly and consistently exceed the customer's expectations
This customer service definition is from the ACA Group which is an alliance of highly trained and experienced consultants and instructors providing Consulting Services, Training & Education to a variety of manufacturing and service organizations, in both the public and private sectors ranging from five million dollars in annual sales to Fortune 500 companies.
By believing this definition we have to consistently exceed customer expectations in every aspect of our business. We must make a commitment to learning what our customers want and need and developing a plan for action.
Given that definition, how then do we go about improving our ability to constantly and consistently give the customer what they want and need?
Organizations exceed customer expectations by focusing improvement efforts in three areas: customer friendly processes, employee commitment to customer service, and customer dialog according to Eberhard Scheuing in his book Creating Customers for Life. You must be excellent in all three areas to achieve excellent customer service.