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What business are you REALLY in?
When clients ask me to help them with customer service issues, they are often surprised (and a little annoyed) when I ask them a question about what business are they really in. Now I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m just trying to help them identify—at an emotional level—the specific need they are satisfying with their product or service.
Because once you identify what business you are really in, you will automatically know the core promise your brand is making to your customers.
You’d think this little question would be easy to answer, but I can tell you from experience—it’s not. Here’s how the conversation typically goes:
Me: ”What business are you really in?
Client: ”What business am I really in?! I’m in (fill in the blank.)”
Me: ”No, that’s what you do. I’m asking about the emotionally compelling need you satisfy. What emotional comfort do you provide for your clients?”
There are usually some awkward moments of silence. Finally, I’ll typically step in with some examples, such as:
- Aren’t insurance companies really in the “peace of mind” business?
- Isn’t Disney really in the “happiness” business?
- And what about fast food chains? Sure, they serve food, but aren’t they really in the “consistency” business? Think about it. No matter where you are on the planet, you know that your McDonald’s Big Mac, Burger King Whopper, Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, or KFC Extra Crispy Chicken are going to taste exactly the same as they do in your town. Isn’t that the real need that fast food establishments satisfy?
Now it’s your turn
So—what business are you really in? Take a minute to consider the emotional need you satisfy for your customers. Look beyond the actual product or service you are providing—look at the big picture. Think about the emotional need your product or service satisfies. That’s where your brand promise lives.
When organizations get off track, it’s usually because they lose sight of the bigger picture. Don’t let the day-to-day tactical requirements obscure the real business you are in. Think bigger—and talk to your teammates about it, too. Together I’ll bet you’ll find some insight—and you’ll have a better handle on the core promise you are making to your customers every day.
About the author:
Ann Phillips is a senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies. You can read Ann’s posts as a part of our customer service series that appears twice montly.
The Number One Key to Great Customer Service
I travel a lot, and in my travels, whether for business or pleasure, I try my best to stay in the same hotel chain. Why? Because I know what I’m going to get.
Similarly, when I’m traveling overseas, I actually look for a very recognizable quick service restaurant chain. Why? Because I know what I’m going to get (and depending on where I’ve traveled, sometimes I just want food I recognize, HA!)
I’ve come to realize that this restaurant isn’t primarily in the food service business at all…they’re actually in the CONSISTENCY business. They just happen to sell fast food.
Consistency in delivery will keep customers coming back
How’s your company doing when it comes to delivering consistent service? It’s so important to get it right because it is the foundation upon which the service event rests. Think about your own experience. Why do you patronize the stores you do? Isn’t one of the reasons because you know your expectations will be met? You may say, “I just like shopping there, eating there, staying there,” but behind those words is consistency in delivery.
Process and People
A consistent delivery experience has two components—a clear process, and people to implement it. You need both to be successful. Here’s a simple five-step model that will help you to begin identifying where you’re at when it comes to having a process and the people in place to deliver a consistent customer experience every time. Put it together and you’ll see it spells out “I CARE,” which is a great reminder also!
- Ideal Service—what’s your picture of the ideal experience you want your customers to have?
- Culture of Service—is your environment focused on the customer?
- Attentiveness—do you know your customers and their preferences?
- Responsiveness—do you and your people demonstrate a genuine willingness to serve? What specific behaviors do you want to see?
- Empowerment—are you taking the time—and providing the training—to empower your people to implement the service vision?
Organizations are only as good as their people. This is especially true in any environment where you are directly dealing with customers. Remember the I CARE model to improve your process and provide a model for your people. It’s one of the best ways to get started with creating the consistent experience that keeps customers coming back time and time again. Get started today!
About the author:
Ann Phillips is a senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies. You can read Ann’s posts as a part of our customer service series that appears twice montly.
Do you have a customer service mindset? 3 ways to find out
Here’s a little game for you. Finish the following phases:
- “Do unto others as you would have _____ ___ _____ ____.” (Yes, the Golden Rule)
- “Beauty is in the eyes of ____ _________.”
- “If it were me, this is what __ ______ ___.”
I trust you were able to complete these very common sayings. While well meaning and mostly true, these are not just sayings, they are mindsets. They are beliefs that determine behavior and how we act toward other people. This is all fine except when it comes to service.
Find your focus
In my last blog, I said that service was all about you: your willingness to serve, your decision to serve, your instinct to serve. But what you do—your actual behavior and how you approach a situation—has to be about the customer, if you are genuinely interested in wanting your customer to feel served.
In their original form, these sayings all sound as if they are actually focused on the customer. However, with careful analysis, you will see how they are not:
- “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (There’s an assumption here that everyone wants to be treated the way you want to be treated. Not necessarily so!)
- “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” (Guess what? The beholder is you. The customer might see the situation in a completely different way!)
- “If it were me, this is what I would do.” (Oh, wouldn’t the world be a better place if we were all just like you!)
A better approach
If you were to finish those sayings with the customer in mind, they might sound something like this:
- “Do unto others as they want to be done unto.” (Ah yes, The Platinum Rule!)
- “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholden.” (Much better!)
- “If it were me, this is what….” (On second thought—rid your vocabulary of this one altogether!)
At least the first two can be “spun” to focus on the customer. But the last one—“If it were me, this is what I would do”—is one of the most dangerous phrases in the English language. It’s all about you in the worst possible way.
It is advocacy disguised as choice. It completely blocks you from understanding or giving any consideration to how other people think, feel, make decisions, or in any way might act differently than you would in a given situation. Unless you’re giving casual advice to a friend, stay away from this one.
A one word reminder
So what’s the cure for, “If it were me, this is what I would do” syndrome? In a word, LISTENING.
Listen to understand. Listen to be influenced. Listen to learn. And when you’ve felt that you’ve heard enough—listen just a little bit more—it really is the best way to put yourself in the customer mindset!
About the author:
Ann Phillips is a senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies. You can read Ann’s posts as a part of our customer service series which appears on the first and third Thursday of each month.
Customer Service—it can’t be about THEM until it’s about YOU
There’s a common misconception that customer service is all about the customer. Surprise—it’s not necessarily so. Service is definitely for the customer—internal or external—but it’s about you, the service provider.
“What?” you may be asking. “No, it’s about my client.” True … kinda. But it can’t be about them until it’s about you.
The service experience begins and ends with you. That experience is primarily within your control. You get to decide the kind of experience you want it to be. It’s your vision, values, and behavior that drive the service experience.
A case in point
Many years ago, on February 14, I was flying from Chicago back home to San Francisco. I remember the day not only because it was Valentine’s Day, but because I had a reason to be excited that it was Valentine’s Day. (HA!—a rare occasion at that time in my life.)
I arrived at Chicago O’Hare Airport in what I thought was plenty of time to catch my flight, only to discover that I had misread my flight time as my boarding time. Now, instead of being early, I was running late. Once through security, with my briefcase and coat in one hand and my purse in the other, I started running to my gate. As I was running, a felt someone take my briefcase.
I stopped, looked up, and a guy with his hand on my briefcase said, “Where are you goin’?”
I said, “To Gate 75.”
He said, “Let’s go.”
He then took my briefcase and coat and ran all the way to Gate 75 with me. Once we arrived, he handed me my briefcase and coat, wished me well, and left.
Thinking beyond the job description
I don’t know who he was or what he did at the airport. From the jumpsuit, my guess is that he worked in engineering, facilities, or something of that nature. My guess is also that no place in his job description did it say, “When you see a woman running frantically through the airport with a coat and briefcase in one hand and a purse in the other, stop whatever you’re doing, take her coat and briefcase, and run to Gate 75 with her.” I would wager big bucks those words did not exist in his job description anywhere—but he did it anyway.
Service experiences are visceral. What will that experience feel like, look like, and sound like, with you? As a trainer, facilitator, speaker, and consultant, I want to leave participants feeling inclined, compelled, perhaps even inspired to act—to learn more, share information, try something new, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!
So, decide:
• What’s your goal for the service experience?
• How do you want to leave people feeling?
• What do you want people saying about you?
Since decisions can become behaviors and behaviors can become instinct—decide carefully.
About the author:
Ann Phillips is a senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies. You can read Ann’s posts as a part of our customer service series which appears on the first and third Thursday of each month.
