Remembering the Experience: What 9/11 Teaches About Customer Service

  

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This past weekend, we as a country observed the ninth anniversary of the worst terrorist attack since Pearl Harbor.  Most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing the minute we found out that the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were hit.  People have a tendency to better remember the negative things that happen than the positive, not just when it comes down to world events, but the day to day dealings. 

In business, you want your customer to remember the good things.  You want them to remember exactly what day it was and what it was they were doing the day the first encountered your company because it was such a great experience.
    
Part of creating a great experience is maintaining a great customer service portal.  Wherever you come into contact with consumers you must be at your best.  Have information concerning everything about what your company does and the product you produce.  Answer questions before customers ask them. 

Do not limit your services to a nine-to-five, Monday through Thursday and nine-to-three on Fridays.  People have lives that can’t be confined to rigid time frames set to someone else’s convenience. You need to be flexible. 

One method of flexibility, and one that has become exceedingly popular with customers and easy to use, is an online self-service center and knowledgebase.  Customers can send in incident tickets at their own convenience and even research or ask questions of other customers in the online forums on your website.
    
Simplicity is everything.  People like the online customer service portals because they are easy to get to and they can do it on their own time.  But....you must keep that online port easy to use otherwise the reason you got the online self-service center is lost.  People hate calling customer service hotlines because they are time consuming and complicated.  Keep your site simple and flexible and your customers will remember that great experience.

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