What is your ideal “customer service” experience?

What is your ideal “customer service” experience?

This week has been an interesting week in The Business Classroom office and an important reminder that every business and client have a different level of accepted customer service requirements.

An important point is that EVERY client has a choice to go someone else for the service or product you are offering, AND every business has the right to not accept you as a client if you do not align with their expectations of their customers or boundaries. Gone are the days that the customer is always right and business will bend over backwards to make them happy. Now it is about boundaries and expectations from both sides.

What do you expect when you deal with a business?

• Is it a business that replies to your queries immediately / withing 12 / 24 / 48 hours?
• Is it a business that offer’s services with a smile?
• Is it a business that goes the extra mile for all their customers?
• Is it a business that gets your order right 100% of the time?
• Is it a business that is exactly like you or who you feel you can be friends with?

With this list above if you run a business does your business operate on the same standards you set other businesses? How are they different? Why are they different? Would love to hear your feedback in the comments.

If you receive bad customer service :-

• What do you expect to be done by the business after you have lodged feedback (complaint)?
• Do you take the time to provide feedback to a business regarding it’s customer service standards?

If you run a business what standards do you expect from your customers / potential customers?

• To attend scheduled meetings?
• To call or contact you if they can not make the meeting?
• Prompt payment (payment within the terms – payment agreement)?
• Respect
• Meeting agreed time frames for projects
• To respond to correspondence – immediate, within 12 – 24 – 72 hours or whenever.

How are these standards different to what you expect from other businesses where you are the client?

This is not a simple this is the ideal customer service experience, everyone is different. Some people might allow their clients to be late with payments (even not pay at all), where others will terminate the agreement as soon as you have broken the agreement. But the interesting observation is that there seems to be some people who have double standards – what they would not accept in their business is exactly the sort of client they are to another business owner.

Take a quick moment to check your requirements for customer service and if they are the same both for your clients and when you are a client what you expect.

Would love to hear from everyone about their standards and expectations when delivering and receiving customer service.