Service delivery experience is something we take for granted. For starters, this experience is created at the point of the service delivery. Except, service delivery doesn’t just happen at just one point, does it? Let’s back up, a bit.
Which is why surveys which only measure post-service delivery quality often miss out on all the fun. There is more to service delivery experience than just the post-sale evaluation.
Service delivery experience is lasting, collaborative and cross-functional.
Think about it. Even though a field service call typically involves one professional, how many other post-sale service professionals create the experience within that single appointment? When we schedule service calls, even if preventive vs urgent, the person servicing our equipment usually is not the original person we call to set up the appointment. Other individuals are involved as well, if our issues are complex or multiple parts and questions need to be answered.
When we are put on hold, it is not necessarily because of poor service quality. In fact, we can be passed along to multiple folks responsible for handling complex service calls. Then, all of these service tickets “magically” combine into one order. Clearly, a well-trained customer success and service wizard and well-integrated software interface are waving their magic wands in the background.
Thus, pre-service scheduling is an entire service delivery experience in itself. Consider how the quality of this process sets the bar for just how well the service call will go.
The result of a coordinated service delivery scheduling experience is that customers anticipate the experience to continue.
When the right hand, indeed, knows what the left hand is doing, how great is the actual service call going to be? Even when the technician discovers a better part for the solution, and has to re-order. Because that technician is digitally connected to the data base. Also, because that technician knows just how your equipment is put together, since he has disassembled the entire machine in the past.
The technician also knows the network of folks on the inside. By name and function. As a result, he connects the dots across his own organization into our organization. The overall message: we have your back. Your experience will continue, post service call. Even when nothing needs to be serviced.
What does the service delivery experience your own organization offers “look like” to customers?
- Who initially responds to email or phone?
- Are these employees knowledgeable about what their counterparts across the organization “do”?
- How do their tone of voice and manner create expectations of their – and your organization’s – competence?
- Will you confidently and consistently have that client’s back, even when there is nothing that needs to be serviced?
All of these experiences “happen” even before the actual field service visit. Industry 4.0 service delivery experience involves a lot of moving parts, processes, software interfaces, equipment and, most of all, people.
Are the experiences your own organization offers positively impactful: before, during and afterwards? While customers purchase products and services anticipating never to have a service call, they are realistic. Think about the long term value of exceptional and consistent service delivery experiences.
These are the key factors your clients evaluate when choosing to continue to do business with you and your organization. And the people experiences factor large in their decision-making.
Start moving one millimeter forward beyond what is comfortable, today. Instead, let’s target what is Possible, together.
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Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset™ keynotes, breakout sessions and workshops help individuals, teams, organizations and associations leverage productive and profitable collaboration to catalyze professional innovation, workforce engagement and customer retention. She serves organizations as an inspiring speaker, strategist, coach and storyteller. Her speaking programs combine her training as a STEM design thinker, Six Sigma Green Belt and Voice of the Customer practitioner with her background in new product development, startups, market research and sales. How’s that for walking the cross-functional collaboration walk? She is a member of SME, ASQ, SHRM and the National Speakers Association. Babette’s Playbook of collaboration hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com.
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