Tweet

Service Interaction

Written by: Paul Bridle

Article Overview: In your business, the difference is……? What makes a modern business? Today business needs to re-invent itself and find a niche. Business is about networks. Business is about helping your customer achieve their goals. Business is about thinking differently about the way things have been done. The trouble is, businesses don’t fully understand the areas of a business that make it happen. In most cases there are three things that are needed to make a business a success, assuming that the company has a solid cash-flow.

Service Interaction

The first is, a good product or offering.

The second is, the infrastructure, which includes the physical looks of the place, the branding and the layout.

The final one is, the service, human interaction.

Now let me use the example of a restaurant.

1. You go to a restaurant for a meal and the food was good, the place was nice, but the service was poor. The waiter does not smile. He looks like he would like the shift to be over and he looks harassed. Would you go back and if so, how frequently?

2. You go to the same restaurant and the food is very good, in fact it is above average by quite a bit. The place is very tastefully decorated and impressive. But the waiter does not smile. He looks like he would like the shift to be over and he looks harassed? Would you go back and, if so, how frequently?

3. You go to the same restaurant and the food is good but not outstanding. The place is clean but a little worn and could be described as a little tired. However, you are made to feel that you have come into their home. The welcome is genuine, the service is amazing and the engagement with the people in the restaurant makes for wonderful interaction. Would you go back and, if so, how frequently?

I believe that the biggest driver of the business is the service or human interaction and this impacts on the cash-flow and profits of any organization.

Now we have known this for years. However, the main effort is always put into the product or offering, and the image or infrastructure. Creativity and innovation have been applied to these areas for a number of reasons, and made easy by the advancement in technology and the dynamic ideas that have been generated in the last few years. Companies have reinvented themselves in terms of their product and their infrastructure or brand.

But few have been paying attention to re-inventing their service delivery. In fact, I would go so far as to say that many see this as a secondary importance. There are numerous examples of how important the relationship business is and factual proof of the impact it has on the bottom line.

I am lucky enough to study organizations and see examples of outstanding practice, organizations that value relationships, and more importantly work hard at building them.

Notice we are talking about building relationships and not about customer service. There is a big difference. If your people are capable of building relationships, customer service will be an automatic outcome.

The difference to your business is the relationships you have with your people and your customers. It is less about the product and infrastructure. If you ever doubt it, ask yourself, which warmed you the most:

The warm food your Mother prepared for you?

The warmth of the kitchen she worked in to prepare the food for you?

The warmth of the times you spent together?

Think of it in this way, two sales people from two companies visit you trying to sell you a product that is very similar in nature. The one sales guy loves his product and tells you about it with passion. There is emotion in what he says. The other tells you factually how good it is and even has graphs to prove it.

Which one do you respond to or warm to? Assuming that there is no major difference in product and price, most people would respond to the first one because the passion is contagious.

Paul Bridle

Leadership Methodologist

Related Articles
  Sales and Service: 7 Steps for Positive Customer Interaction
  What is Successful Marketing Without the Push?
  Are Your Client Delight Efforts Misplaced?
  What are you doing...outside of the office?
  THE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP BANK

Article Tags: advancement in technology, cash flow, creativity and innovation, dynamic ideas, human interaction, infrastructure, nbsp, paying attention, profits, waiter



Related Forum Posts
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.
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
Show the Benefits - Offer a free test drive of the Product or Service with a Money Back Guarantee - Take the Risk out. This will help them make the decision but you have to work with them to realize it by explicitly state the benefits they are receiving.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales Training – Top Salespeople Are Not Dunces

Four Secrets to Earning Income as an Author

Emotional Energy is Our Engine

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.