Below is an Autogenerated Transcript

Hello. My name is Ron Kaufman. I have been working in the field of customer experience and customer service for decades. So long that I’ve been able to see the evolution of this field, this vital area of business, government, social and human interaction.

I’m going to share with you what it is that I see. To help you see where you are now, and to think about where you want to go. We all live in a very fast changing world. Technology changes, society changes, the way we work, study, shop, exercise, relax and even play are changing, and what we mean by customer service is changing, too. It is important that you see what stage your services are at right now so you can understand how much farther there is that you can still go. 

Now, years ago, customer service was a specific job. It was a role or a department inside an organization. These were the people you looked for whenever you had a problem. When something broke, you took it to the service center because they had all the spare parts and could do all your necessary repairs. 

If something was wrong with your account, you called customer service  so they could help you and set things right. Customer service at this stage is about troubleshooting, problem solving, reacting, responding and fixing things. It’s kind of like a caboose at the end of a train, and it comes long after all the marketing, product development, sales, manufacturing and distribution. 

At this stage, customer service is a cost so organizations try to minimize it, and it’s not always the most prestigious place to work inside the organization. But then customer service evolved. Some leaders recognized that service was not just about fixing problems, but actually was more about satisfying customers, and so organizations focused on avoiding mistakes and meeting expectations in the first place with things like ISO certification, Six Sigma quality tools, and clearly written standards and service level agreements. Satisfaction was measured after service with surveys. 

Surveys like these. Was your problem solved quickly? Was it solved correctly the first time? Was your representative helpful and friendly? and are you now satisfied, very satisfied, or not very satisfied?

At the next stage of evolution, some people realize that great customer service could actually be a powerful competitive advantage. So they looked beyond satisfaction and they focused on creating customer delight. People worked hard to earn compliments, exceed expectations and surprise their customers with moments of magic and personal touch. 

But the problem is this wasn’t always consistent, and being amazing often depended on outstanding service stars, heroes, champions, and not on having an outstanding organization. So the field of customer service evolved again. Organizations and leaders turned their attention to the whole customer experience from start to finish. The complete lifecycle. The customer journey across time, across channels and across the service from end to end. 

Now the focus became smoothing the journey, reducing the effort, making it easy for customers to learn, buy, use, enjoy and buy again. This kind of service leads to building relationships with customers earning and keeping their loyalty so they become your repeat customers and you’re advocates and ambassadors and raving fans.These customers recommend and refer you to others. They praise and promote and even protect you with their comments and their compliments. In-person and online. But the evolution of customer service doesn’t stop there.

Today we are seeing the evolution of service to a level that only the very best leaders, teams and organizations will ever achieve. Customer Service that demonstrates authentic customer care. At this stage of evolution, you understand what really matters to those that you serve. You are committed to their well-being, now and into the future. You listen, you appreciate and understand. 

Then you create new ideas and you take new actions. You empower your customers. You encourage your customers and your colleagues and the communities in which you live and work, and even the ecology in which we all live and serve together. At this stage of evolution, you become a highly respected service provider, a trusted advisor, a true and valuable partner for the future. 

So what stage of service evolution are you in today? Are you still problem solving? Ensuring satisfaction? Delivering delight? Providing a great overall customer experience? Or are you at the leading edge of service? Creating more value with and for others with your devotion and your delivery of authentic customer care?

Wherever you are or wherever you want to be. The purpose of my speaking, writing, online workshops and training programs is to help you do better, achieve more, create value, and become more valued. Because you, like everyone else, can contribute to the well-being of others. You are in a position to serve.