Twenty years ago, while doing research on customer service, I stumbled upon a guy named Jan Carlzon. He was President of a failing, also-ran airline (SAS). He wrote a book called “Moments of Truth” detailing how he turned the airline around by making it a customer oriented, customer friendly business.
“We have 50,000 moments of truth everyday,” said Carlson as he exhorted his staff to service excellence. What the heck is a moment of truth? And why are there so many?
His theory is that every single point of contact, no matter how brief or seemingly insignificant, counts. The attitude of the guy checking your bags; the unfriendly ticket counter agent; your first encounter with the flight attendant; the amount and type of information shared especially when there’s a delay; quick bag retrieval at baggage claim.
Think about it. He’s right. You’ve have a great product. You have worked hard to create a strong delivery and service system. You’ve turned it into a process that works…well, most of the time, until some $8 an hour idiot does something stupid. And there goes the perfect customer experience right down the drain.
How many points of contact are there in your business? Make sure you list each and every one, no matter how small. Are there more than 50,000 per day? Probably not. But there are probably more than you think.
Does every person on the team know their role? Have they been properly trained? Are they regularly evaluated and graded on their ability to please customers? No one is perfect, but how often do you score big on all your moments of truth?
Understanding and pleasing customers is no longer just a nice idea. In THE NEW AMERICAN MARKETPLACE it is mandatory.
How does your business stack up?
