What is Customer Service?
Canyon Telecom knows Business Communications and Business Telecom in Phoenix AZ!
Customer service is an overused term these days. What organization doesn’t suggest they provide excellent customer service? But what does good customer service look like? To paraphrase former U. S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it”. Of course, Justice Stewart was referring to pornography, but it seems appropriate when discussing customer service as well. For me, what’s most important is how an organization treats you when there is no immediate benefit to them – a variation on judging someone based on their behavior when no one is looking.
To us at Canyon Telecom, we also know it when we see it. While we make mistakes in serving customers, our objective is to minimize those mistakes, admit them and correct them promptly, and do everything we can to exceed our customers’ expectations.
The owners of Canyon Telecom are both members of Rotary, the international service organization.
Our approach to business and to service, follows the tenets of the Rotary “Four Way Test of the Things We Think Say or Do”.
We find these guidelines to be an effective and simple guide to the way we do business.
First, is it the truth?
Second, is it fair to all concerned?
Third, does it build goodwill and better friendships?
And Fourth, is it beneficial to all concerned?
Surely a very simple set of guidelines, but then usually doing the right thing does not require elaborate manuals or rules. Let’s look at the Four Way Test in the context of business.
Truth: Integrity is the foundation of trust. Without integrity, it is impossible to build a relationship with customers. As simple as it is, we strive to treat all customers with respect, recognizing that we are here to fulfill their need and in the process we need to cover our costs and earn a return on our investment.
Fairness. Fairness these days seems to mean different things to different people. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Fair as “marked by impartiality and honesty”. We see fairness in business as making decisions and recommendations for customers and prospective customers which we believe to be in their best interest. The key to fairness is that you do what is right and appropriate for that customer, even if it does not maximize your short term profits.
Goodwill and Better Friendships. For a small business building “goodwill” is the essence of growing the business. Without goodwill there are no referrals and no references. The business of Canyon Telecom has been built by building “goodwill and better friendships” which have resulted in countless return sales and referrals. While we may not be “friends” with all our customers in the traditional sense, we treat them as we would treat friends by providing that little bit of unexpected “extra”, taking responsibility for problems – even if we didn’t cause them – and being polite and courteous even when someone else is having a stressful experience.
Beneficial to all concerned. This relates back to fairness. In any human interaction, whether business or personal, if the transaction or experience is lopsided someone will go way unhappy. Our objective at Canyon Telecom is to provide a quality product and service at a fair price. This doesn’t mean the lowest price it means the highest value. The most rewarding experience I have in my 20 years in this business is hearing that we managed to exceed a customer’s expectations to the point they are willing to recommend us to an acquaintance.
I will leave you with this thought: The next time you are on hold with an organization and the delay announcement (really, that’s what they are called) says “Your call is very important to us” ask yourself, if that was true why would you be on hold instead of talking to someone who can actually assist you? I ask myself that all the time.
Questions? Call our Fearless Leader, Mike, (602) 331-7224