How to improve customer services derailed by the pandemic

Service is a P A C T © 2009 Gangaadhar Krishna

A good structure can never be built on a weak foundation. This is true even for companies that dream of ‘WOWing’ their customers but have no clue of what holds good service in place. Just like any good structure, good customer service also should rest on sound foundations which ensures customer happiness, customer repeats and referrals.

So, what would be the pillars on which service excellence rests?

In the course of my study and research and, after much contemplation, I developed a simple yet powerful theory in service excellence that can be applied to any industry. The theory ‘Service is a P A C T’ talks about the four pillars that hold good service in place. If a business primarily focuses on strengthening these four keys areas, then service has to be good, satisfaction has to follow and business has to grow.

PACT colloquially is an unwritten agreement, where you take good care of the customer and the customer reciprocates and takes care of your business.

But P A C T is also an acronym for PROCESS – ATTITUDE – COMMUNICATION – TIME. The four pillars that hold excellent service in place.

In customer service, the foundations keep evolving based on the time and need of the hour. Hence, it needs constant focus and attention. Let me explain with a recent and simple example on how we saw and serviced our customers in 2019 BC (Before Covid) and the drastic change from March 2020 AD (After Distress). Businesses crumpled, not knowing where they went wrong, because in BC their focus was on building their profits than focusing on keeping their P A C T in place. So, in AD their policy and PROCESSES were not resilient to change, the ATTITUDE of all employees was in disarray, poor COMMUNICATION left customers in the lurch, TIMELY deliveries went for a toss. People responsible to hold these pillars were neglected, leaving customers to look elsewhere for their needs.

If you have a good PROCESS in place, you meet customer expectations.

A process is a series of activities that is designed to run smoothly to successfully meet the desired result. In customer service, they are a series of actions taken for customer satisfaction. And for a process to be good it must be seen outside in and worked inside out. You need to start with satisfaction and see how best to achieve it with your actions. Sadly, most organisations in the world see it the other way. They start with what they think they can do for the customer and expect the customer to be satisfied.

With a positive ATTITUDE, you pleasantly surprise the customer.

Every action performed; every word spoken is a reflection of your attitude.

For a process to be in place you require an attitude - a positive attitude. It is a positive attitude that nudges you to adhere to a process, perform diligently and strengthen the chain of activities. Process by itself cannot do it. It requires the human element. The human element that thinks positively, talks ‘Can do’ and works efficiently in keeping the process in place. Frontline or backend, chairman or chairwoman, it is attitude that lubricates the process to function smoothly. Attitude also has the power to compensate for many a shortfall in processes.

Effective COMMUNICATION keeps customers well informed and on top.

For a great customer experience, it is important to communicate clearly, calmly, confidently and with compassion with your customers. With effective communication you make the customer knowledgeable. And, a well-informed customer feels more in control and on top of a situation. This helps the customer to buy from you rather than selling to him.

Communication is more than just sending or receiving messages. It is a combination of words, manner and action. For the receiver, it is all about what is perceived and what is conceived. It is all about what you say and how you say it. Be it across the counter, over a phone, an email, letter or the social media.

Your process maybe the pits but if communicated in a manner that the customer understands, then maybe he will accept. Or, if you have a super friendly refund process but the agent at the refund counter had a bad day and she refunds without a word or even looking at you, I am sure she communicated volumes about their service (perceived) and about the establishment (conceived).

If you perform on TIME you satisfy your customer.

Time commitment is the fourth important pillar that holds service excellence in place. Timely performance reflects on the individual, the organisation and its brand. ‘Will get back to you in three hours’, ‘would be delivered by 30Apr’, ‘will meet you at 1:30pm’, ‘just give me two minutes’ are all time commitments that, if adhered builds a customer’s trust on the employee and his organization.

In today’s fast-paced environment, time plays a very important role in customer satisfaction. A timely act is appreciated than a delayed performance with excuses. While it has a direct impact on actual customers, it also has a domino effect when dealing with businesses as customers.

A simple mantra for on time performance is to ‘under promise and over deliver’. A mantra most organizations are aware of but don’t practice.

Though there are numerous other facets while serving or satisfying a customer, they all stem from P A C T. For, all service and satisfaction revolve around your P A C T with the customer. You keep your side of the P A C T and customers would keep theirs in building your business.

The four pillars are best understood with anecdotes about customer service from daily walks of life. Please read the next article in this two-part series tomorrow to better understand the theory and effectively implement it in your business.

Service is a P A C T © 2009 Gangaadhar Krishna was awarded copyrights under the Indian Copyrights Law and also from the Ministry of Economy, UAE. If you wish to use it, you may, by giving due credits.