The Real Impact of Exceptional Customer Service

Quality is not an act; it’s a habit. – Aristotle

How do you balance the need for maintaining exceptional service while challenged with the need for streamlining human capital? It’s not a magic pill or a secret recipe that makes some companies successful while others fail to deliver on promises. Organizations like Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Singapore Airlines and Apple Inc. have one underlying theme in common: they deliver “wow service” and empower employees to make a difference by owning customer issues, no matter how large or small. It’s been proven time and time again that there is a direct correlation to customer satisfaction and overall profitability.

According to Joseph Michelli, author of The New Gold Standard, the five leadership principles that set the bar for an industry are:

• Define and refine who you are and who you want to be
• Empower through trust
• It’s not about you
• Deliver “wow service”
• Leave a lasting footprint

Organizations such as Singapore Airlines (SIA) seem to have embraced these concepts. Over the years, SIA has become a role model for exceptional service in the airline industry. From inception, customer satisfaction has been the company’s highest priority. SIA has consistently been innovative with regard to its service, and focuses on not only satisfying customers, but delighting them. The airline has won many awards for its continuous efforts to maintain service standards, both in flight and on the ground. In 2008, it was awarded “Airline of the Year” for the third time in 10 years, “Best Airport in the World,” and “Best Economy-Class Service in the World.” SIA was also named to Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies list in 2009.

SIA’s superior customer service serves as the primary reason for its profitability over the years. Though its fares are higher than competitors, passengers accept the cost due to the exceptional customer service delivered.

Some areas of focus for implementing improvements in customer service include:

• Understand and manage customers’ expectations of service
• Align business strategy to meet these expectations
• Demonstrate consistency in service delivery style
• Perform as promised
• Allocate financial resources through investment in people, technology, business process improvement and physical plant/equipment
• Measure performance quantitatively and qualitatively

When applying the recommendations of Joseph Michelli to the relocation industry, it is possible to identify numerous areas of overlap for exceptional service to transferees/assignees (assignee), such as:

• Define and refine who you are and who you want to be: Within relocation, successful third party providers must define who they are, their global footprint, and servicing methodology. These definitions will influence the experience of the client and assignee, as major decisions can influence and improve the experience of these customers. The presence of locations in key markets, empowered Relocation Consultants and suppliers to make well-educated and timely decisions for the assignee, and strategic plans for controlled growth are considerations to ensure excellent customer service.
• Empower through trust: Assignees need to feel trusted by their organization to make the right choices during the assignment; in the same light, Relocation Consultants and third-party providers must be trusted to look out for the corporate clients in delivery of policies, servicing of the assignee, and return on investment (ROI) in the move. Working in tandem, all parties involved in the relocation process can build trust and program parameters, to make certain the needs of participating parties are met or exceeded. Trust is an important component of this delivery and empowerment.
• It’s not about you: It is about a team! Finding the right match of third party to corporate client, or Relocation Consultant to assignee, can significantly lower the stress of the process while providing a highly effective program for each party involved. The teams must work together in the best interest of the successful assignment, meaning that service goes far beyond phone calls and emails. It is an emotional investment of the parties, as the ROI of the organization must be protected, the family must be satisfied, and the assignee must be productive. So it is really about this trio, and the third party who will work endlessly to meet the needs of the assignment.
• Deliver “wow service”: Short-term, long-term, permanent...every move is stressful and all-encompassing for the family impacted. As a result, the goal should be “wow service” 100% of the time. There are a number of ways to guarantee this service, such as Service Level Agreements and building requirements into the performance reviews of any staff touching the assignee. Additionally, evaluating all components of the transferee/assignee experience to manage expectations and touchpoints is imperative to providing the service level required by the organization.
• Leave a lasting footprint: If the four items detailed above are achieved, the footprint will be lasting on a number of levels. With the proper definition of the players and program parameters, the assignment will be successful. Once trust is achieved, the assignee, family and corporations will be assured that their needs are being addressed. As the team evolves, the ROI for all parties will be clearly identified and managed. And once “wow service” is established, the standard for all assignments will be clearly identified and achievable.

Customer service remains a critical success factor for top-rated organizations, within relocation and business as a whole. As a result, satisfied customers and employees remain the most precious asset to an organization; hence companies must pay attention to servicing their needs and exceeding their expectations. By concentrating on the experience and substantiating the strategy through exceptional service, customer-service-based businesses will continue to thrive.