As part of her research for the book, Branding and Marketing You Through Teams, Donna Rachelson examined teams in six leading companies to find out what was separating the ‘good’ from the ‘great’. Her key findings are in the summary below from BizCommunity:
If organizations still think that good customer service is their unique selling proposition (USP) or brand differentiator, they’re right out of step with modern competitive trends.
Customer Service From Good to Great
One of the teams that I interviewed was the Microsoft Services Management unit. To gain real insight into their operations, I spoke to a range of their clients. One client, in a state owned enterprise (SOE), was so blown away by the service he received from the team that he was almost on a crusade to prove that it wasn’t sustainable, and that they weren’t as good as they appeared.
To cut a long story short – he’s still trying, unsuccessfully, to prove his case. Within his own organization, that very team recommended using a competitor’s product when one of theirs didn’t meet the client requirement well enough.
Can you imagine the level of customer commitment that it must take for you to let a competitive product in through the door? But the impact that had on the client was beyond measure!
Insight and Understanding
One of the factors that emerges very clearly when working with top teams is that they go all out to understand the customer’s business. In some cases, they even embed team members in the client organization. This way, they become part of the system and really get to grips with how they can truly add value.
Become Indispensable
This was a brilliant tactic because it strengthens the client and service provider bond in such a way that the provider becomes almost indispensable to the client organization. Not in a threatening manner, but in a way that adds such value and unique knowledge that the inertia factor of finding a replacement will be very high…Even if things were to go dramatically wrong!
The Lesson Here?
Rather drill deep into client organizations, and get to really understand them to the point where you can start anticipating needs and suggest innovations – even before they think they need it.
That’s the real definition of being a strategic partner. And if you really want a USP – being a strategic business partner in your client’s organization is the way to go. It’s also an advantage that your competitors will struggle hard to match.
Continuously innovate – challenge the status quo and remain relevant.
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