My Pleasure

 
The lost art of service is something that gets routinely overlooked in this cost-conscious approach to delivering value that so many retailers and service providers make part of their business process. Yesterday, I was reminded of just what great service sounds like when I called to reserve some services with the Ritz Carlton Spa. I contacted a consultant, not a mere operator. The person was friendly, engaging, said please and thank you and really communicated that she was there to help me. And at the end of every task was the Ritz Carlton response, "My Pleasure". Actually, the pleasure, which involved committing to spend quite a bit of money, was all mine.

Why don't more get this valuable part of the value equation? There is more to it than just price and discounts - which are indeed important. Great service creates evangelism more than price. Great service creates tolerance for future miscues. Great service is an identifier while price is merely a filter or category.

Two approaches to identifying top customer service companies have been undertaken by the fine folks at CRM Lowdown and Business Week. CRM Lowdown published their findings at the end of 2006. Apple was at the top of the list. They also cited Google and Southwest Airlines in their top 5. It really is only fair for me to comment on my personal experiences with the brands listed, so here it is:

Apple: I'm consistently amazed at the professional way they address my questions and the easiness and calm they instill in me as I wrestle with technology. They have thought through the user first.
Google: I can't agree with this one currently. As a user, it is easy and friendly, but as a client the experience is mixed. The business relationship managers are top notch and proactive at delivering great information that is relevant to me. The editorial review staff and they response times to issues are painfully slow and sometimes nonexistent - and their lack of clear customer service and support channels can make getting a resolution trying.
Southwest Airlines: I'm routinely amazed by the people who criticize SWA as a Cattle Call and primitive. They provide more frills for the same (and often more) money than any other carrier aside from Jet Blue and Continental. But Southwest employees deliver amazing personable service at every touch point. Their luggage handlers and gate employees smile, make jokes and make the horrendous experience know as air travel far more palatable.

Business Week puts Ritz Carlton on their list at number eleven. Ritz incidentally has a new web site that is much more upscale than previous, but leverages a very curious navigation element. It's rank should be higher, but at least it is on the list. They list Lexus at number seven. I concur as the experience has been wonderful as an owner, but I still must insist that any process which forces consumers to feel guilty about not completing and giving high customer service marks on surveys should be eliminated. It is a horrible practice in the automotive space that falsely raises scores and annoys customers. Lexus should know better. And finally, they crown USAA as the crown jewel. I have been a USAA customer for over 30 years. They have an amazing portfolio of services at great rates. Their customer service people are very friendly. However, their claims teams are unresponsive compared to otters I've experienced, they commit to time frames and information that they don't deliver against and they don't consult with the client to reach the best solution, but rather guess at a good solution. I think they've got lots of work to do, but they do answer the phone well. Any truly great service experiences flying under the radar?