June 21, 2010

Are You a Customer Opportunity Spotter?

If your organization really is obsessed about customers, the following happens routinely because it is a fundamental part of your Strategic Game Plan, but for most it’s not even on their radar.

I’m talking about the inclination and ability for someone (normally a Customer Server) in the organization to anticipate an opportunity - a Moment -  to do something UNUSUAL for a customer and do the thing that will dazzle them. Give them something they don’t expect. Blow them away. Surprise them. WOW them.

SPOT > ACT!

My son and his family recently vacationed with us in Maui and they took the opportunity to spend an evening in the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, comforted by the fact that the kids were in good hands with Gramma and Papa.

Knowing that I am an absolute Service Fanatic, he told me the story of what happened to him around the Ritz pool; he was obviously very impressed. Apparently he was lying in his lounger struggling to adjust the back position of his chair and was startled when a pool attendant came up to him and said “Here, sir let me help you”, at which point the attendant adjusted the chair back to the precise position my son desired. My son said he did it cheerfully, with a gleam in his eye and an attitude that shouted out “I want to help you (no, I really do)!”.

A Customer Opportunity Spotter in action! Not serendipity. Not a fluke. Not an isolated incident. This was an occurrence that I would bet is hammered into Ritz employees heads as an expected behavior. Look for every Moment to serve a customer in a way that they DON’T EXPECT.

This is the essence of creating Dazzling Customer Moments. If you can surprise them and do something they don’t expect you will (as Chip Bell says in his new book) “take their breath away”. They will remember The Moment. They will tell others about The Moment.

They will take every opportunity to visit you again, and again, and again…..

So if your organization professes to provide great customer service, does your strategy include the Customer Opportunity Spotting Tactic? Does it articulate this specific expectation of Customer Servers? Is it included in the Server Performance and Compensation Plan?

If not, your Customer Server journey has just begun.

Cheers, Roy

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Related Blogs
The Serving Customers Model
Serving Customers NOT Providing Customer Service
The Four Steps to Dazzle Customers
Customer Contact: A Moment of Strategic Opportunity

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Posted 6.21.10 at 08:00 am by Roy Osing | Read Comments (0) | Leave a Comment