I know I picked on the Post Office a bit last month, and am about to again, but let me say before I get started that most postal carriers I know are hard-working folks with great attitudes. That said, it seems to me that a good portion of the Post Office leadership might be cut from a completely different cloth.
A while back the Post Office was flat broke and was looking for ways to become profitable again. So, the brilliant solution they were considering was to do away with first class delivery. In short, that meant that instead of your letter arriving sooner, it would get there later.
Now, knowing this, let me ask you, are you more likely to use the Post Office, or less? I thought so. Who on earth thinks, “Hooray, this company will give me less service, so I’m going to do business with them!”
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to single out the Post Office. They certainly aren’t alone in this thinking. When the airlines were in trouble during the midst of the recession, one of the first things Delta did was cut service by removing certain juices from their menu. People complained and they wound up putting them back on their menu a couple of months later.
You might be thinking, c’mon, Charles, do people really make buying decisions based on length of delivery time and choice of beverages? The quick answer is, yes, yes, and yes again. In a challenged economy, competition gets a lot tougher and it’s the little things like customer service that can make the difference between success and going out of business.
It’s a lot like apple shopping. When you are looking at two apples but you only need one, you are always going to choose the shinier one without the bruise, right? It’s just common sense. If you’re running a business, the lesson is simple. Make sure your apple is the shiniest one with the least bruises. Make sure you distinguish your business by surprising your customer with excellence rather than disappointing them with less service.
How does this principle apply to individual customer service standards? Simple. Be the shiny apple.
Can I let you in on a little secret? I’ve had the responsibility of being the boss of my own company for many years, and the thing that most bosses never tell you is that we don’t want to lose the people that are making the company money! No, most bosses are looking for the people who are willing to step up, do a little more, work harder. Those are the people that can be trusted, promoted, and rewarded!
So why not control your career destiny by being the person that shines? Why not choose to be the energetic individual that is willing to work harder and go further for the customer?
If you adopt a customer service attitude, I promise you that you are not only serving your organization, you are serving your own best interest. There is no job security like competent customer service.
Feel free to reprint this article in your organizational publication. We only ask that you use the following attribution blurb at the bottom of the article:
© 2013 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous motivational speaker and author. Visit his Web site at www.charlesmarshall.net or contact him via e-mail at info@MPowerResources.net.
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