Do 'Captive Customers' Deserve Great Service?
A government
employee questioned whether my service teaching had
any value for his department.
After all, he reasoned, why bother giving a high level
of service to ‘captive customers’ who have
no choice?
I’ve got many answers to this loaded question.
These three pack a punch:
First, captive customers may have no choice about whether
or not to work with an internal department or government
agency, but they have plenty of choice about the attitude
they bring to the interactions.
The Department of Motor Vehicles in Connecticut, United
States has made a profound effort to increase speed
of service, upgrade office atmosphere and improve attitudes
of the staff.
What’s the result? Customers wait in line with
appreciation rather than frustration. They speak on
the phone with patience instead of displeasure. And
they approach the counter with a smile instead of a
frown.
Who wins from this effort to upgrade civil service?
The customers and the staff.
Second, how do government agencies attract and retain
good people? It’s not by profit sharing, and stock
options don’t exist.
In government service (and many private organizations)
extraordinary staff build long-term careers when the
organization is ambitious and attractive. People want
to stay when the organization is aiming for better performance,
working for better results, making it easier for people
to do a good job and feel fulfilled when the job gets
done.
This means creating a culture where service is a top
priority, where continuous improvement becomes a passion.
Dead organizations collect only dead wood.
Third, I am always surprised when government employees
think they have no competition. Don’t they understand
that every country and city must compete for investment,
for tourism, for immigration and retention of best talent,
for improving the quality of life?
Where would you rather build your factory, open your
regional office, launch or expand your career, or settle
and grow your family? Would you prefer somewhere with
a dynamic and progressive civil service, or some place
with a government bureaucracy that’s stuck in
the ancient past?
Government employees who think customer service is only
for the private sector have their heads buried in the
sand. Quicksand.
Key Learning Point
Don't take `captive
customers' for granted. They deserve the best service
you can provide. Your payoff may not be in profits, but
in the pride and pleasure you give, and receive.
Action Steps
Examine the attitudes
and standards you use when serving customers who `don't
have a choice'. Be sure they are up the same level you
would apply if your job or career was on the line.
Next Article in Customer Service Standards >>
Stop Looking for the 'X Factor'
First Article in Customer Service Toolset >>
Future Sales are Hiding in Service
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Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service.
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