Rules of Engagement Tip from SBDi Consulting: Customer Service

Starbucks gets it. They know that it is the experience that matters most. Sure, you may be able to go somewhere else and get a cheaper cup of coffee. Your place may provide great service sometimes. Your special place may even know your name and have a sense of community. The Starbucks difference is that Starbucks teaches every person to do it, how to do it, and to do it every time. Consistent customer service rules!

I recently had a Starbucks negative experience. After waiting for 20 minutes to get to the ordering station, I asked for a plain medium cup of black coffee. The barista stated: "I apologize, we're out of coffee." I replied: "This is Starbucks, right?" "Yes," the barista answered politely, "but we can only offer cappuccino right now." I walked away shocked but found it very amusing.

I submitted a comment to Starbucks online. Not in anger, but mentioned the irony of a Starbucks in mid-town Manhattan being out of coffee! Starbucks replied less than 12 hours later. Again, they were very apologetic and requested a mailing address. They explained that the street in NYC had a water-main break that prevented them from brewing additional coffee until the street was repaired. It wasn't their fault. However, they wanted to make sure that I came back and gave me $10 worth of coupons.

Why do you have a job? If you answer because you are the best network engineer or software architect, you're wrong. The reason why you have a job is that the business needs your services. Business is your customer. You are in Customer Service. Therefore, it is your responsibility to consistently provide a GREAT customer/business experience.

Business is not asking dumb questions. They are not interrupting you. They are to be your respected customer. They are the reason why you get paid! They are the reason why you can put food on your table. The reason you can send your kids to college or take that special vacation. They are your paycheck!

Now, what kind of service do you give your business customers? Is it as exceptional as Starbucks on a continual basis? If something doesn't go right (a project is delayed, you didn't figure out the problem yet, the network has a glitch), how do you talk to your business customer?

I'm sure you have heard (but have never said yourself) these same replies to the business:

Did you place a help desk ticket?

I'm too busy now to find out why this is happening.

Not my job.

Re-boot and call the help desk.

No you can't request that now, it changes the scope.

I'll put it on my list and call you when I get to it; maybe by next week.

You didn't tell me it worked that way (aka you didn't tell me you wanted that).

It's user-friendly to me.

I don't support that.

Did you follow the proper channels (aka follow the procedures).

Talk to my manager.

It's the other applications's problem, not ours.

This may all be true. Help Desk tickets are valid. They help IT uncover a bigger problem within the system. The system is not the concern. It's the business customer experience that we provide a business person in need. To paraphrase Jeffrey Gitomer (Gitomer.com) as it applies to IT: A business person calls in need of help. What we give them in return is just the first 3 letters!

Never let the process or procedure limit your ability to provide the Starbucks experience. Policies, process, and procedures are guidelines, a necessary activity, a starting point. The three "P's" are NOT the end point, a crutch, or a disclaimer. In fact, they rarely limit your ability to go that extra service mile.

Let me ask you a few questions:

If it requires a help desk ticket, do you help the user fill it out?

If you can not get to it right now, do you explain and tell them you will give them a status by the end of the day?

If it does change the scope, do you explain the cost and time implications so the business person can decide on the priority?

If it is out of your job requirement, do you walk the business person over to the proper contact and explain the problem to the other IT person?

Bottom line, do you provide the business person with consistent exceptional experiences like Starbucks? If the answer is NO, then let the business person find someone cheaper to handle his concerns.

Yes, there are always requests that you can not handle at the point in time. If you show some respect to the business person more often than you do, those few times they will understand.

Case in point. I was once so swamped that I could hardly think. A business person came by and asked for something that I did not have time to support. I listened, told him about my current situation (briefly) and committed to get back to him by the end of the next day. He understood and said that by the end of the week would be fine. It was because I had always supported him in the past that he understood that I meant I would get back to him as soon as I could breathe.

In another instance, a business person was not as amenable. He didn't know my reputation but went on his own experiences with other IT folks. I explained what I could do at that moment. I also called him at the end of the day with an update and said that I had to transfer this to another individual that was better qualified to satisfy his request. I then continued to follow-up with the other IT person to make sure he satisfied the business person's request. I did the same with the business person to ensure he didn't feel abandoned. It actually took 3 days with all the other things we were working on. When it was all over, the business person sent both the IT person and me a thank you note. Apparently, that was the first time he had done that. It was the first time an IT person treated his request with respect.

What's in it for YOU? A business relationship built upon respect. A memorable experience that gets you noticed!

Remembering we are in the area of customer service and that business is our customer builds a relationship that lasts. It wows them. It makes them pass the word. It makes them remember us when we want to work on their great project.

Treat every Business Person with a Starbucks experience.

SBDi speaks both Business and IT languages. Bring SBDi in to help communication between both organizations. Let us help you find the right flexible solution that will help business increase revenue.

Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator