National Customer Service Week is October 7-11, 2013. It is a week we spotlight the power and prosperity found in delivering an innovative customer experience. In the days leading up to Customer Service Week we will offer a key principle you can use to elevate the delight in your customers’ experience. Today, we’re exploring The Fly-Fishing Principle.
Warning! This is a proud granddaddy post! When Cassie was barely three she could write her name as you can plainly see! My granddaughter has always been a champion scribbler! Plus, she has two older sisters who could write their names! Not ever wanting to be last in any activity that even remotely could have competitive overtones, she announced to her mother, “I am going to write my name.” Without parental coaching or a model to copy, she proudly displayed her penmanship!
And, her mother widely propelled this proof into cyberspace!
Customers are a lot like my daughter-in-law! Monogrammed service can make them swell with pleasure and willingly tell the whole world! They can turn a ho-hum, okay reputation into the stuff fan clubs are made of. And, why is this principle called fly-fishing? Anglers with a hankering for fly-fishing know just any old worm will not appeal to a rainbow trout—only the fly uniquely crafted for the precise setting and presented with authenticity and skill will do. Now, please don’t push this fishing analogy too far. There are a lot of fishing metaphors that do not work in the same sentence with customers—like bait, hook, and catch.
What can you do to apply the FLY-FISHING Principle? Display the upbeat attitude you want your customers to have. Never let customers leave disappointed. As they do at Starbucks, repeat customers’ names often so you will know them when they return. Even if you can’t always give customers what they want, you can always give them a great service experience. Use the optimistic attitude of “The answer is ‘yes’ what’s the question?” Listen to learn, not to make a point and you’ll see that customers will indirectly tell you ways to personalize their experience. Thank customers like you really mean it. And never forget they have options. Customers feel valued when you show you never forget that fact either.
Tomorrow, we’re talking about the Easy Button Principle. Come back to find out how to remove the effort from your customer’s service experience.
