A lot of companies make their employees use scripts as they work with their customers. This is a major pet peeve of mine. Rather than keeping customers I believe it drives them away. When I know the person I’m talking with is working from a script, I question how able they are to help me. Because life does not conform to a script.

So if you use scripts and your customer deviates from it, then your employee is

Yesterday I emailed the company that makes the thermostat used in our house. It’ s big company, a major player in this business.  Still I did not expect a fast response. I guess I never do (unless the company I’m emailing is called Zappos).

I was surprised to get a reply email from the company in less than 24 hours. (Consumer appliance manufacturers are not known for being exceptionally speedy with their email customer service.) So I was pleased. But my good feeling only lasted several seconds because the email they sent me said this:

Hot off the presses today is a brief note from our friends at dslreports.com. They tell us T-Mobile remains the customer service champion of the big wireless carriers.  On the other hand, AT&T didn’t do so well.

“Our in-store experience left us with one question out of three unanswered and we were shocked that one representative couldn’t help get our email up and running (though another rep at a different store was successful). Our trial of AT&T’s web support turned up similar results when one online associate told us they don’t support Slacker software, and one of our phone support calls lasted 45 minutes without resolving the last of our issues.”

The secret to improving customer service (and therefore, increasing customer loyalty) is simple: Hire friendly people and don’t make them use scripts.  In the past few weeks I’ve experienced both sides of this coin.

I’ve had to deal with my share of customer service robots.  Too many of these people use scripts like life-support. They’ve erased all traces of personality from their souls (at least when dealing with customers.) Dealing with them satisfies my customer expectations no more than a plate of baked cardboard would appease my appetite.

But there’s good news!

“I think there’s a big difference between motivation and inspiration. You can accomplish stuff by motivating employees, but I think you could accomplish a lot more by inspiring them to a bigger vision that has meaning to them and that you’re passionate about.”

-Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos

In the world of customer service, the concept of going the extra mile is well known and well worn. But what it’s NOT is well practiced. If it were, I’d be selling shoes at Zappos rather than writing and speaking about how to improve customer service. Sadly, the art of the extra mile is a lost one.

That’s why I love this video. It uses humor to show us what’s missing in too many customer experiences. It shows us what going the extra mile might mean.

Twitter has stormed the Web 2.0 world and is now advancing on the rest of civilization. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Others (try to) ignore it. But it is here and it’s (most likely) here to stay.

Over at TwitterLoveHate.com I’ve posted a few things I like and dislike about Twitter. One of the things I like most is that it helps people get better customer service. (BTW, would customer service using Twitter be “customer twervice”?) Or to take a larger perspective, it helps customers and organizations communicate better so they can work together more effectively.

For example,

Every week I am faced with examples of how to get good feedback from customers. These days it’s a popular trend. It seems more companies than ever are surveying their customers. But many do it badly.

Most attempts to engage me (as a customer) are surveys that are either too long, not relevant or inflexible. They usually require too much of my time and fail to let me say what I really want to say. They do not allow me to offer feedback in a way that is easy and convenient. (And if you fail the “easy and convenient” test, then you need to start over.)

Customer feedback is priceless if

Many of us early adopters have experienced the power of Twitter as a customer service tool.  Whether you just want to rant or you’re looking for results, Twitter has proven a useful tool for customers and companies who want to communicate better.

Now, Salesforce.com has added legitimacy to the concept of Twitter as a customer service tool. By integrating Twitter into their online customer management platform, they are helping position Twitter as a business tool that has tangible value.  It’s not just for fun anymore!

Companies like Zappos and Comcast have done a good job using Twitter to talk with their customers. That alone makes Twitter a wonder since Zappos and Comcast couldn’t be more different in terms of the customer experience they deliver and the relationship they have with their customers. Zappos has used Twitter to continue to engage their customers and build an increasingly loyal fan base. While Comcast has used Twitter as a customer service safety net, a back channel for service when the normal channels fail.

Today’s lesson on customer service comes from an unexpected source: Donald Trump and his show, “The Apprentice”. This week’s episode saw the project leader (popular skater, Scott Hamilton) get fired because he ignored a cardinal rule of customer service: give them what they want.

The project this week was to create a cartoon character (for marketing purposes) for Zappos. If Zappos is known for one thing it’s customer service. They go to great lengths to give their customer the experience they want. And they have passionately loyal customers because of this.