(As published in Tempo magazine, February 2012) By Ian Mason
Maybe it was the festive cheer, the silly season or even the thrill of a new year, but I have recently experienced a rush of great customer service in Abu Dhabi, some from unexpected sources. By great customer service I don’t mean an attendant who smiles like a robot and drones automated phrases like ‘have a nice day’. That is not customer service.
No, I am talking about genuine, out-of the-ordinary customer service that makes you feel good about the company, compels you to tell dozens of friends and keeps you returning to experience the brand.
Customer service is the simplest and easiest way to increase revenue; your customer is already doing business with you. It is critical to develop this contact into a long-term, loyal customer. What a priceless asset that is to your business!
Current customers are more cost-effective than new customers and easier to maintain…that’s if you look after them.
Do loyal customers come in an IKEA box? No. What it takes is a bit of C-A-R-E. Care and attention and a genuine desire to please.
Frankly, I am sick of the well-worn phrases that come straight from the ‘Customer Service 101’ manual. It makes me want to reach for the nearest bucket.
Excellent customer service comes from throwing away the manual. Sure, there are some basic ‘rules’ but excellent customer service is about bending the rules, being flexible, listening intently to the customer and giving them what they want, not what the company wants.
I mentioned excellent customer service from an unexpected source. I am talking about Etisalat.
We recently made a new internet connection and had the pleasure of being served by a lovely young Emirati lady at Etisalat’s main Airport Road building – I only wish I knew her name so I could write a praising letter to her manager.
She said she was there to help us, and when my wife expressed concern about e-Life, insisted she wanted us to be happy and comfortable and would explain anything we didn’t understand as many times as she needed to. Which she did. After closing time!
Faced with complicated plans – and endless terms and conditions – this was so refreshing. It was genuinely offered, and showed she cared. Thank you!
Honourable mentions must also go to two other companies we have recently had dealings with (and I am not personally affiliated with them): Delight International Movers and the Subscriptions Department at The National. In different ways, they provided a rapid and flexible response to my queries. Both customer service representatives listened, cared and followed through on their promises to deliver brilliant outcomes, and deserve this public recognition. They are my new customer service heroes.
I can’t finish without acknowledging my all-time Abu Dhabi favourite which is Frankie’s Restaurant at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. Again, I have no personal gain here, but every time we go there – more than ten times now – the service is unfailingly friendly, efficient, personal and outstanding. Not once, not twice, but every time which is the hallmark of excellent customer service.
What’s more, they add extra touches to entice us back again and again. For example, when my parents visited from Australia, they inscribed ‘Welcome to Abu Dhabi’ on the plate of their (knee-wobblingly delicious) chocolate dessert. A simple and thoughtful gesture, and one I will never forget.
That’s why Frankie’s is in my Customer Service Hall of Fame, and I refer to them regularly during my customer service training.
So throw out the ‘Customer Service 101’ manual, and demonstrate genuine care and attention to your customers. It might just increase your business.
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Ian Mason is a Tamakkan trainer specializing in customer service and customer relations. Tamakkan offers a range of business workshops for companies and individuals, including selling skills, leadership, marketing, social media, customer service, project management and many more. Contact Ian on (02) 4918624 or emailinfo@tamakkan.org for a workshop schedule.
