Take Out Your Customers' Trash

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"Take out the papers and the trash." That was the opening line of the song "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters. It spent weeks as the number-one hit song in 1958. Teenagers everywhere wore out their shoes dancing to the hot song. The lyrics hold a strong message about how to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Customers today have higher expectations and shorter patience with a much greater propensity to go elsewhere with their cash if hassled. That should be a wake-up call to ramp up close attention to service garbage—whatever agitates your customers. It means user-friendly websites, customer-centric processes, time-sensitive expedience, and customer-facing employees who care about creating a great experience, not just delivering the expected product or outcome. No matter if the contact center is staffed in Mumbai, India or McRae, Georgia, the operator should be graded on how well they make the customer call comfortable…not more rushed or more robotic. Here are three ways to "take out customer trash."

Organize a "service garbage patrol" to identify and report places where the experience is a hassle for customers. Start with all customer entrances—the website and the parking lot. Are the parking lot's users (customers) favored over the parking lot's owners (your people, especially senior leaders). If the customer's experience in the parking lot were a picture of your entire service process, what would it tell customers about what you value, how you felt about them, and your real priorities? How would customers with limited computer skills assess your website?

Customer experience should always be the epitome of calm, secure, and easily accessible. Stop thinking in terms of "store hours!" When does Amazon close? Find ways to give your customer around-the-clock access, even if it is with limited service. Could a chatbot or some form of artificial intelligence make 24/7 access work? Customers of Oconee Cleaners near Lake Oconee, Georgia know comfort starts with owner Scott Joris. If you need to get your clothes on Sunday when Scott is normally closed, regulars know a call to Scott at home will get him there quickly. You may not be able to be as agile or personalized as a small business, but you can gain valuable insight by "thinking like Scott."