ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Apple. Southwest Airlines. Disney. It may seem like they’re not connected, but there is one core business value that links them: excellent customer service.
Each is known for going above and beyond to provide the best service to each and every one of its customers.
Above and beyond, that’s a key phrase. These companies not only meet expectations of their customers, they exceed them.
During a recent Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) webinar, three members of the textile services industry—Eli Cryderman of Gurtler Industries, Tyler Fowler from Mountville Mills, and Zach Sonnenklar of Iron City Workplace Services—discussed the customer service values of these companies and others and how the laundry and linen industry can emulate them to improve customer service.
WHAT IS EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE?
Before a company can strive to improve its customer service, it has to define what customer service is. According to Valerie Maltoni, founder and CEO of Conversation Agent, the essence of customer service starts at the top and works down to the employees. The company has to invest in serving customers, and it has to work to keep its employees happy.
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, once said, “If you’re truly obsessed about your customers, it will cover a lot of your other mistakes.”
Excellent customer service puts the focus on the customer, keeping the customer happy, actually caring about them and their needs.
As Dick Anderson, president of Land’s End, has put it: “A marketer deals with many; a merchant deals with one. A marketer moves from the mind; a merchant moves from the heart. A marketer is logical; a merchant is perceptive. A marketer does business across the world; a merchant does business across the counter. A marketer bets his all on a system; a merchant bets his all on his store.”
Excellent customer service provides a personal experience. So, how can big companies like Disney and UPS provide a personal experience? How can a textile services company provide a personal, perceptive experience?
CUSTOMER SERVICE MODELS
In the laundry and linen industry, there are several areas where customer service comes into play, according to TRSA. One of the most obvious is route service and sales.
But customer service goes beyond the employees who have customer contact. It also includes having a management structure built on service. It includes the care that is taken when laundering textiles. It includes managing customer inventory and dealing with anything out of the ordinary.
When a company looks at the customer service culture of companies like Ritz-Carlton and Zappos, it has to translate those models into the textile industry model.
Ritz-Carlton operates on a “3Steps of Service” principle. First, employees offer guests a warm and sincere greeting and use the guest’s name. Second, employees anticipate and fulfill the needs of each guest. And, finally, they offer a warm goodbye when the guest leaves.
Southwest has similar values by operating with a servant’s heart and having fun. Southwest employees put others first and treat them with respect. They have fun, and they are all team players. In short, they treat others as they want to be treated.
“If you look at Southwest and Ritz-Carlton, it’s kind of unique, because Southwest is known as being a low-cost carrier. The Ritz-Carlton is known as being high-cost, luxury hotels,” says Cryderman. “One of the takeaways here is that excellent customer service doesn’t have to cost a lot, but customers will pay more when they receive unparalleled service. Think about what is your value and service proposition to your customers, whether they are hospitals or buyers of textiles. Customer service doesn’t have to cost a lot, but it can be a way to up-sell.”
Check back Tuesday for the conclusion!
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].