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Rules of Service 101

Guest post by: Alexander Acker

Article Overview: Good service can be distilled to down these 4 basic rules.

Rules of Service 101

I recently had a bad experience with a plumber. It had nothing to do his plumbing skills, but it had everything to do with his people skills. He was disrespectful and rude while accusing my sitter of lying to avoid paying an overcharge. When I tried to explain to him that it was a simple misunderstanding, he wouldn't hear it. Needless to say, his business number has been deleted from my contacts.

Now I can pay any number of plumbers to fix my sink but I hired this particular one based on two key areas that are important to me: experience and reputation. When a company is hired, the sum total of the value comes not only from the job performed but also from the experience itself. If someone has a positive experience, the company hired will enjoy repeat business whereas negative will yield the opposite results. Plumbing, like all service industries, is based on just that-service. So how does a well-known, local business fail to offer good service when they're in the business of service?

After I cooled off, I started to think how he could have turned a negative experience into a positive one and, as a result, gained a customer for life? Pretty simple – Service 101:

Be courteous. Yes, it's that simple. Say “thank you” and be appreciative of the opportunity to perform the service you are providing-no matter what you're doing for your client / customer. Consider the fact that a company like Citi thought it was important enough to develop a whole marketing program around the words 'thank you'.

Go the extra mile. We learned this lesson a long time ago... go the extra mile-always. Be flexible and make this a regular practice in the way you conduct business. It will pay for itself in repeat business and clients that believe in you.

Make it transparent. The concept of transparency has gotten a lot of play lately, and that's a good thing. Gone are the practices of hiding behind a veil of secrecy. Revealing a little about your process can help demystify it for your client and it also helps them understand your approach to providing a solution to their problem with more clarity. With clarity, there's peace of mind knowing that it's based on a solid strategic and developmental process-not smoke and mirrors.

Be a guide. No, not a sherpa leading your client through the Andes mountains but a thought leader in your expertise. If given the opportunity, take it. When you assume the role of guide, your clients will view you not just as a vendor or resource but as a trusted partner. Take the time to guide them through the process and they will be grateful to have gained some new awareness they didn't have before. So I'd like to say 'Thank You' to this plumber for treating me poorly. So poorly, in fact, that it reaffirmed my commitment to these basic rules of service when working with our clients back at Adventure House. Perhaps I'll send him a thank you note. Well no, maybe not.

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Article Tags: 101, honesty, plumbing, relationship, rules, sales, service, thank, transparency



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Re: Service Or Product? - I agree with starting a Service-based Business in the economy. Here is what I think is critical: 1. Researching that your Service business has a market. 2. Marketing the Service with as much leverage as possible. 3. Product-izing the Service (aka Package Expert Knowledge). This will only help elevate you as "the" expert in your niche and make you accessible to people in different price points.
Who Said Twitter Doesn't Work...? - Last month, the BBC World Service programme, The Strand, featured 21 year-old Icelandic pianist/composer Olafur Arnalds. Arnalds achieved extraordinary success through his internet-led project to compose 7 tunes in 7 days, post them on his website and then post links to it via TWITTER. As a result his website got thousands of visitors eager to listen to his music, catapulting him to fame and bringing his music to the attention of the BBC, who featured an interview with him on the World Service programme, The Strand! So who says Twitter doesn't work? (HINT: It does help if you have something uniquely your own that other people want to get hold of...)
Re: Ways to Boost Productivity - 1. Give Employees More Than a Paycheck 2. Provide Better eSupport Channels to Promote Self-Service 3. Complete your most dreaded tasks first thing in the morning. 4. Outsource as much as possible 5. . Turn off the TV.
Trump and Stewart - I really enjoyed Trump: The Art of the Deal and The Martha Rules. I think the best advice you can get is from people who have made it and not just consultants who haven't been there. Evan's site is great because of all the famous entrepreneurs and their advice directly from them. Donald Trump and Martha Stewart are 2 great examples of successful entrepreneurs and the books are written in their own words which I find extremely valuable and motivational.
Re: Service Or Product? - Service company always thrive in down economy. Let look at the advertising industies in any economy, you need to advertise your products or services even if you cannot afford any other things


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