What is "Extraordinary Customer Service" to you?

When I decided to post this question to the Startup.Biz forum, I searched Dictionary.com to determine precisely what does "extraordinary" mean, and here's what I found:

(1) Beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established.
(2) Exceptional in character, amount, extent, or degree.
(3) Noteworthy, remarkable.

So, within this context, share with us your experience(s) of extraordinary, exceptional, noteworthy or remarkable customer service.

And, in the next forum discussion, I'll explore with you how this experience affected how you deliver a higher level of customer service in your business.

Tags: Care, Complaints, Contact, Customer, Focus, Management, Relations, Relationship, Training, bad, More…care, crm, customer, service

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Permalink Reply by Area Light Explorer on August 23, 2008 at 11:50pm

Hi there,

I thought I'd respond to your question because it perplexed me somewhat. Most often, I've had great service from people who wanted to go the extra mile to make sure my experience with them was the best possible. Some companies have this down to a science and art- but I wouldn't call that extraordinary. Other companies fail miserably at service, yet there have been occasions when the specific person i was dealing with had a commitment to make it right as a matter of principle- or service. I wouldn't call this extraordinary either though. It's not so uncommon to find people who share that standard for excellence in whatever they do. I think it is more a reflection of personality and character- the distribution of it through society is probably the same as you might find in any community.

I worked for a company who decided to step outside conventions and get evaluated/ rated by JD Power and Associates. I think they set the standard for service points and measurement. We had great service but that can easily be disregardable to clients as a matter of specific interaction instance rather than a defining service methodology throughout the organization. As we got the service measures defined and started surveying clients, we even noticed there were a few points we hadn't even thought about from the customer perspective. So asking the question of what extraordinary service means to your customers is a very important thing to consider. Within a year we had a 98% rating which was unquestionably an indicator of our extraordinary service.

For me personally, I am redefining service- what I want to offer based on what I would want as a customer and a provider. So establishing a two way service relationship that "depends" each time. I threw a little video outlining my service concept in development on my group Modern Business Exploration if you want to check it out. Thanks for asking. It doesn't matter what you do, service is always a consideration. Today, more than ever, extraordinary service is key to distinguishing yourself from the masses in a very competitive environment.

Best,

Anthony

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Permalink Reply by Lee Woods - "BIZ BUD" on September 12, 2008 at 11:24pm

The best way is to under promise and over deliver! Always do whatever you promise and more. Listen to your customer so they know that you understand their needs.

Biz Bud

Lee Woods
www.accuratetalent.com