Feeling un-loved? Digital aggregators and marketers love you, even if no one else does. All that is required to get this love is to have a smart phone and use it to research a topic of interest online, shop for a product or service online, or investigate a personal medical issue online, and post something to social media. Feeling the love yet? No? Well then, geo-tracking must be turned off.
These Big Data realities of the B-to-C world are well known and grudgingly accepted with varying degrees of discomfort on the consumer side. Marketers know people’s habits, desires, personal resources, political leanings, and other demographics on an overall intimate level of detail. No one in the online retail business actually knows their customers personally on such a level. Meanwhile, individual knowledge and customer connection in the B-to-B world remains on a much more personal level.
Expectations are transferring and expanding. In B-to-B, transaction is done between people, so we succeed largely through the quality of our relationships. Our customers, suppliers and employees are also consumers who most likely are veteran recipients of the service provided by Amazon/Zappos/Audible, Virgin America or Singapore Airlines, REI or Nordstrom, Kimpton Hotels or Four Seasons.
Excellent real-time service and quick solutions to problems are hallmarks of the best consumer experiences. The level of service in the above companies is strategic, cultural and consistent. When mistakes are made they are fixed quickly and respectfully.
What are leaders in your business doing to understand this reality and make conscious decisions about the related risks and rewards?
Some questions for B-to-B executive consideration:
- Is there a strategic advantage to being known for delivering a leading level of customer care and service in your industry? The number of businesses that claim this is some exponent larger than those who actually deliver.
- What would success look like to the essential constituencies? Success is the objective, perfection is elusive and exceptionally costly.
- What cultural changes would be necessary to become the industry leader? Employees who are poorly served by leaders are unlikely to serve customers well.
- What commitments and resources would be required were the decision made to take this on? Infrastructure and human capacity may need an upgrade.
Once the decision is made to do so, delivering class-leading customer service depends at least as much – and maybe more – on those who are not customer-facing. Consider this:
- Consistency at the baseline is an essential and tall order. Being on time, on-spec, and aligned with commitments persistently are the price of admission for industry leading service. Strong relationships, however, provide an occasional mulligan.
- See #3 above. Compliance with rules and processes is essential at some base level of function from each member of a team. The members’ commitment and the related discretionary effort leading to improvement and superior service from the floor can be earned or burned by the leader’s words and actions.
- Personal pride and ownership of the outcome are related. I worked in auto shops as a teenager. One of my first bosses taught me that when I replaced the brakes on a customer’s car, I was taking responsibility for a family’s safety. Do your team members feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves? Do they own connection to the end use of the product they produce? Are they proud of their contribution and of being a member of the team?
There are exceptional leaders in less-than-exceptional companies. Intrinsic motivation and a personal ethic of serving others well, combined with a focus on learning and growth can lead to unanticipated satisfaction, reward and opportunity.