Service as a USP

So you pride yourself on your exceptional customer service. Heck, you’re so proud of it, that “Service” is the first thing you blurt out when someone inquisitively asks “What is your Unique Selling Proposition?” Truth be told, one person’s customer service standards can be significantly different from another. Furthermore, client expectation(s) of service can also vary tremendously. Customer service is so important that many customers decide whether or not to do business with a company or individual based on their perceived expectation of it. Therefore, it is important to have a realistic sense of your own and be confident in your delivery.

So just what separates you from your competition when it comes to service? How confident are you in your ability to truly be the best? And, what can you do to improve your service, if at all possible? Following is a brief exercise I like to call the “Customer Service Self Test” which should (hopefully) shed some light on answers to those important questions and help you gain or sustain unbridled confidence in your ability to service your customers going forward.

Your Own Customer Service Rating Test

Answer the following questions:

1. Are you in the “service business”? Circle one Yes / No
2. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best, how would you rate your customer service to clients?  _______
3. Who among your competitors is the leader (or a close distant second to you) when it comes to customer service? ____________________
4. Circle the brand whose customer service is most similar to yours or your service can be classified as:
   1. Ritz Carlton (luxury, premium, white glove, service at any expense, no limits)
   2. Apple (smart, accommodating, informative, patient)
   3. Best Buy (there to help if necessary, several options)
   4. McDonalds (high turnover, fast, efficient)
5. How would you like your customer service to be perceived as by your customers?
   1. Ritz Carlton (luxury, premium, white glove, service at any expense, no limits)
   2. Apple (smart, accommodating, informative, patient)
   3. Best Buy (there to help if necessary, several options)
   4. McDonalds (high turnover, fast, efficient)
6. Quick (within 30 seconds only), name three (if you can) service incidents in the past 3 months where you went above and beyond the call of duty for a client and illustrated exceptional customer service: (bullets only)
7. Which of the following is an area where you feel the least confident about your service to customers and/or could possibly improve upon:
   1. Efficiency (You use time effectively and service customers with great efficiency)
   2. Providing Information or Education to customers/Consultative (You are the expert and really help customers understand your product or service)
   3. Accommodating (You will stop at no expense to service your customers. You drop everything to be there for them)
   4. Expeditious, Fast, Responsive. (Your customers know how to reach you and you get right back to them.)
8. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being “most likely” how likely is it that customers will refer you to others based on your service? ______
9. If you answered anything other than 10 for question #8, explain why here (note: Do not go back and change your answer to 10) ____________________________
10. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best, how would you rate your customer service to clients?  _______ (note: this is NOT a typo)

How’d you do?

Did your answer to #2 match your answer to #10? Was there a gap between how you perceived your service (#4) to how you think your customers perceive your service (#5)? Did you have a problem or serious delay in answering question #6? And what part of service do you feel you can improve (question #7). How do you plan to do that and become more like the company you listed in question #3?

Responses to the above self-assessment will give a good indication to your perceived confidence in this important business function. Remember, you are your brand. Many customers and other key stakeholders will do business with you based on their expectations of your service. And, lastly, if you deal with customers, you are in the service business. Those who take service seriously and are realistic about what they are capable of providing and how they deliver will stand to benefit the most and gain and/or sustain a competitive advantage because of it.

About the Author

Angelo Biasi is General Manager of SMART Marketing Solutions, LLC, a leading full-service integrated marketing company in Florida and New York since 2001. He has helped create and execute marketing plans and integrated marketing solutions for companies such as Playtex, Bic, Rogaine, Tauck, and over 35 colleges and universities, to name a few. Angelo has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut and teaches Marketing at New York University where he has for over six years. He has been quoted and/or featured in USA Today, Mobile Marketer magazine, Mobile Commerce Daily, Luxury Marketing magazine, BNET TV and Business Currents magazine, to name a few. For more information or to learn more, email him at abiasismartmarketingllccom  (abiasismartmarketingllccom)  , visit www.smartmarketingllc.com, call him at 239.963.9396 and follow him on Twitter @angbiasi