Recently, I argued against the use of the word 'customer' in educational contexts.
I concluded that that are many aspects of Service that can be of value, without bringing the baggage of the terms 'customer' and 'customer service' from a business environment.
For lack of a better term, I will call the opposite of that Uncustomer Service (on analogy with unconference.)
Rather than focus an a predefined relationship where one party is labelled the 'customer,' Uncustomer Service focuses instead on the qualities of the interactions that lead to positive results, whatever the relationship. Uncustomer Service is not about predefining a role or what someone else may say good service is, but rather learning from your own experience what those qualities are.
Here is a positive way to find out for yourself how to better your Uncustomer Service. It has only three simple steps. You can do this by yourself, but it will be even more effective if you do it as a group.
And I'm going to get Ben Franklin to help me out.
Collect
For one week, keep track of every single service interaction you have - shopping in a store, eating a restaurant, ordering something on the phone or online, asking for directions, trying to find out something, asking your roommate to bring you something, or any request you might have of someone else.
Just note down the date and time, what it was, and anything else of interest, including what you liked or didn't like about it.
But the most important thing is to collect every single one; not just some, but all. Write them down.
Analyze
Review the list of your service interactions. Go through them all and make of list of the qualities which made the service successful or not. Put them in two lists: Good and Bad.
For example: speediness, pleasant attitude, feedback, accuracy, one stop shopping, making alternate suggestions, and so forth might show up in the Good List.
Come up with a Good Service List of good aspects of service, about 7 to 10 items.
If you have trouble with the good ones, use the bad ones as a guide and then list the opposite. For example, if a salesperson was surly, then list its opposite, friendly or pleasant, in the Good list.
Implement
In his Autobiography, Ben Franklin (yes, that Ben Franklin) explains his system for helping himself improve.
He uses a chart with a list of his preferred thirteen virtues down one side, and the days of the weeks across the top. Franklin's method was to record his violations of these virtues for each day with a dot: the fewer dots, the better.
You should do the same.
Make a chart or borrow one but adapt it by putting your own list of the Good Service types down the left.
Then each day of the week, keep track of all of YOUR own service interactions for others. When you are are not friendly, timely, responsive, communicative, or whatever you have on your list, put a dot.
After a month of this, go back and do a review of the dots: Where are the patterns? What areas need improvement?
Then proceed as you think useful with any variations you think will help. Franklin's own system was to pick one virtue each week to concentrate one, then move on the next one the next week.
The most important goal has already been reached: you are doing your own version that is based on your situation, not just taking an off-the-shelf generic system and attempting to half-heartedly graft it.
The chart should be a way to see how you behave in comparison to the ways you wish to behave.
And that was exactly why Franklin devised it.
Links:
