Service or Self-service… It is about doing it right!!!
End of the day, it is about serving right while staying profitable….
Who would you rather have you serve… Interestingly, in many cases, you actually love serving yourself and have no problem paying more to be able to do so!
When done right, service is great! But when positioned right, self-service can be even better….
Think of buffets in restaurants, online reservations, DIY (Do It Yourself) kits, self-checkout lanes…. All these are conveniences made available with a view of making it easier for the customer… to improve the quality of service…. When positioned right, and made available in a manner where, we get to pick what we want… we would rather always do it ourselves….
However, impose self-service for the purpose of saving yourself the trouble or the cost….
Consider having to transport your own furniture… or to build that telescope all by yourself with no instructions on what goes where… or that DIY website builder that works only when you know how to build your Apache server from scratch…. You could end up with some pissed off customers!!!
By the same token, service rendered must also be balanced and right-sized…. I once went to an antiques store and the shop keeper was so committed to service, that he wouldn’t leave my side even for a moment! Feeling too entertained, I left… without purchasing anything!!!
And then there are those clients that simply can never be satisfied… Try as you may, they choose to stay unhappy. It may not just be about their mindset… it may be that they need some education on what it takes to deliver what they are asking for… helping them understand what they need Vs what they want. You may term it “Consultative Customer Service”…. But there may come a point where it becomes commercially non-sustainable or simply too much upkeep in relation to the business value coming out of that account!
Service is difficult! It is an art and a science…. determining the right model can get hard!
Like with any other aspect of business or life, you may have to try multiple recipes before you identify the mix… where your profitability and customer satisfaction fit in just right!
