One of the biggest challenges any business organization faces is knowing what their customers want. It’s arguably the most important, most difficult and yet most ignored information in our organizations.

It’s important because we cannot give our customers what they want (or how they want it) if we don’t know. And guessing doesn’t count. Yet the reason customers come to us (and give us money) is to get something. They need our help in the form of a product or service. Fail to give them what they want and they’ll disappear faster than a light snow in July.

Here are a few updates on what’s happening at Amazing Service headquarters these days.

Kevin Stirtz speaks at Small Business Forum

A few weeks ago I was asked to be a part of a small business forum at Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. It was sponsored by the UBS Forum as part of MPR’s Public Insights initiative. As a group we talked about how businesses were weathering the recession and what we, and our clients, were doing to be successful despite a challenging economy.

The broadcast aired at noon today but you can listen online here.

The Amazing Service Guy is on CD!

Logically we know when customers complain, they’re giving us useful information. But emotionally we don’t like to hear it. Especially since some customers tend to be a little rough about how they deliver their feedback. And employees get tired of being beat up by customers, all the while knowing nothing will be done to prevent future complaints of the same kind.

But Frank’s boss (above) got it

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Get back to the basics

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

I read a news item recently that quoted well-known venture capitalist, Anthony Lee on the state of customer service in his industry. He compared them to United Airlines, which says plenty. More interesting was how Lee suggested they improve:

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Match your actions and attitude

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

This can be difficult to correct because people who do it rarely realize it without frequent and direct feedback. It happens when an employee does almost everything right. They are friendly, polite and attentive. Everything seems fine and then wham! Instead of stopping at your table, handing you your food and interacting with you, they rush by, barely slow down and almost throw your food at you. Or they swing by your table to fill a drink or remove empty dishes and they never stop, never talk, never even make eye contact.

Their actions are

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Put yourself in their shoes

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Think about when you’re the customer. How do you feel and what do you want from people you buy from? What are the top three things you want from them? Most people want similar things like courtesy, helpful information, solutions (rather than dead-ends), a friendly smile, fair value and quick service.

Customer Service for Dummies

Customer Service Book Review: Customer Service For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) by Karen Leland and Keith Bailey

This is a useful nuts and bolts type book. It’s not sexy or shocking in any way. It does what it should:  It offers practical, proven ideas and guidance to help any organization improve customer service.

This hefty (408 pages) tome covers a lot of topics. From service selling to help desks, call centers and IT departments.  The authors provide help for management to create a customer focused organization. And they offer tactical tips and advice for customer facing employees to sharpen their skills.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Apologize if the customer feels you or your company let them down.

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

An apology is a bridge-builder. It can mend a broken relationship faster than anything else. And it shows the customer you are willing to take responsibility for helping them get what they want.

When you apologize, you’re not necessarily taking blame for causing the problem. But you are taking responsibility for resolving it. A sincere apology can turn angry customers into loyal customers. And, it’s easy to do!

In my world customer service is a high priority. It’s easy to argue that it’s never been more important. Especially in this difficult economy, more and more businesses are finding if they improve customer service they can increase customer retention.

But it’s possible to go too far.

A recent article at ManagementToday.com points to a study done that suggests too much customer service can hurt profits. And I agree. Too much of anything can be a bad thing and that includes customer service.

That’s why we want to remember the cardinal rule of Amazing Service:

I need your help!

Here at Amazing Service Guy Headquarters, I’m busy planning a new set of customer service products. These will be focused on one topic with the sole purpose of helping you improve customer service in your organization.

But before I roll my sleeves up and get to work, I’d like to know what you think. (Because that’s what matters most.)

I’ve chosen a few topics to start the conversation. But if you have other ideas – other topics you feel are more useful right now, please share them.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Focus on solutions for your customer, not dead ends

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

When you fail to help a customer, you’re giving them a dead end. When all you do is quote policy or simply tell them “we’re all out” of whatever they want, you’re giving them a dead end. Dead ends give customers only one option: Go somewhere else to get what they want.

Dead ends push customers away. On the other hand, if you focus on solutions, you’ll build customer loyalty. Your customers will see that your goal is to help them. So they’ll keep coming back.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Connect with your customers

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Recently I reached out indirectly to several large companies. As a customer I’ve had less than desirable experiences and I wanted to let them know. But neither of them make it easy to offer feedback. A visit to each of their websites reveals no quick and convenient way to communicate. No phone numbers, no email address and no “Contact Us” links, buttons or forms. So I delivered my message using Twitter and other social media (because it’s convenient for me). Neither responded. So, from my perspective they either didn’t hear me or they don’t care. Either way, I feel like an invisible customer.