Customer Service and the 21st Century Business Model

The changing dynamics of our everyday lives in the business community dictates what we must do to build a completely satisfied customer base. Our immediate reaction to any customer comment is necessary because if our consumer is left out of the equation (as seems to be the case in so many business structures today), the very foundation of why you started your business in the first place will be demolished.

One of the most important things any business needs to do is determine what type of service you are able and/or willing to give your customer. Many times, businesses get too comfortable with the type of service offered and never take into consideration how our changing environment may be affecting your core business. Are you keeping up with the available technology? For example, once people finally became accustomed and comfortable with downloading music and video onto their MP3 players and computers, the need to actually sell hard copies of CD's and DVD's became obsolete. So those companies that dealt in such things had to change their business structures to sell the people what they were ultimately interested in buying and get rid of the services they didn't use any longer. Times change, technology changes and so must your direction.

I'll bet around the turn of the 20^{th century when Henry Ford started creating the first automobiles, there were buggy whip manufacturers that had to change their own direction and start selling something else or simply go to work for Henry Ford. As technology changes, what you offer your customer must also change.}

A wise business owner will also check out the competition to see what the "other guys" are doing to gain market share. If your company isn't doing what the competition is doing, it's worth an internal discussion to determine whether your purpose is to build a specialized niche or whether the competition may be leaving you in the dust. It's important to find out your best and most profitable direction sooner than later. If you wait too long you may lose your opportunity.

I also feel that the corporate hierarchy must get closer to their specific business situation to better understand what is really going on with the customer base. Each manager, leader, or vice president must get a clear understanding of what the customer is thinking and needing from your company. Many times, decisions are made by individuals who are not in tune with what is actually happening in the day-to-day operations of their own field locations. Corporate leadership should consider placing their management teams in actual store locations to give them a first-hand understanding how the customer truly interacts with the company.

Let's say you work in the corporate office of a leading department store chain. Imagine having the corporate leadership sent out to work with the store employees and interact with the customer base at that location for a week or so. Observing how employees are scheduled, understanding the inventory needs and experiencing the hardships by actually running a facility could be an eye opener. I believe that after a week of this kind of experience, the corporate management teams might have a much better perception of how their decisions in the board room impact the field operations. Hopefully that would improve the way business is conducted and ultimately improve the customer service aspect of the business. If it's done on a continuing basis, the customer base should certainly feel a difference which might just translate into added revenue for your bottom line.

One thing is certain; the need for effective customer service has never been more important than it is today. There is so much information that is immediately available through the Internet, and communications has never been easier and cheaper. While I agree that technology makes customer service efforts a lot easier, never lose sight of the fact that your customer is a "real" person with "real" needs. It is incredibly important to make sure that your company "touches" as many people as possible throughout the day, through personal phone calls or even individual visits (when possible) to insure that your credibility and your concern for their success is completely understood. While a customer may appreciate your service or product; the need for personal contact is, in my opinion, the "make or break" task that can generate a devoted customer base. If you do that, you might just create a customer for life.