A well-known overnight delivery company had 98% on-time deliveries. One of its competitors only had about 86% on-time deliveries. In a customer satisfaction poll between the two companies, guess which one won? The one with 86% on-time delivery.

How can that be? It doesn’t make sense, right? The company with only 86% on-time delivery, however, had a staff that knew how to spring into action when things didn’t go right. The company with 98% on-time delivery was – at the time – a bit paralyzed when things didn’t go right. Because they weren’t fully prepared, the team came across to customers as uncaring and a bit inept. Since the time of this survey, the company with the 98% on-time delivery has remedied those problems.

I am doing some work with a sales and leadership development organization and we are rolling out a nationwide program for a company on exceeding customer expectations. One of the things we stress is the role of the people in determining the customer’s satisfaction. In the above example, the people in the lower performing company made up for the gaps in process. They knew how to be empathetic and caring and they also knew how to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.

Whether you are in sales, service or leadership, people are more readily influenced by someone who exhibits that they understand, care and are able to resolve their issues and/or problems. Competence alone won't win over a customer (think of all those doctors you've been to in your life who were highly competent but were so abrasive that you vowed you would never return). Competence is necessary – nothing happens without it, but it won't set you apart.

Think about a time when you’ve been the customer and the person you were dealing with didn't seem to care about your problem or issue. How did it make you feel about the entire company? Given a choice, would you go back to that company?

What can your team do to demonstrate that they care about their customers?

To Your Success,

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