Have you set the bar high enough to ensure your success?
You’re reading Taking It To The Next Level, day 5 of 5 Days to Outstanding DBA Customer Service. What prompted this journey into exploring what is Outstanding Customer Service for the Data Professional? Good Question. You can find exactly why in day 1 here.
"It's time to raise the bar"
This week we’ve been looking at what good customer service is for the Data Professional and how to provide it. Now it’s time to raise the bar.
Why Provide Outstanding Customer Service?
Your customers are the most important and influential element of your business. Their happiness and satisfaction are what determine your success. It stands to reason then that we should be doing everything we can to ensure that the quality of service we provide our customers is of the highest standard.
This is about more than just satisfying our customers expectations, it’s about consistently surpassing them.
What is Outstanding Customer Service?
Delivering outstanding customer service can be achieved through following and then building upon the principles we have covered this week. Together we have looked at:
- Why to Provide Outstanding Customer Service
- Thinking Like a Customer
- How to Really Listen to Our Customers
- How to Manage their expectations
By building upon the foundation of these principles we can now look to raise the bar and strive towards delivering outstanding levels of customer service. Ultimately it’s about giving more to our customers.
Giving “Something” More to Your Customers
Your business, your customers and your relationships with them are unique. It is for this reason that there is no precise formula you can implement to achieve outstanding customer service. Instead I offer you direction based on what has proven to be successful in my own experience.
Show Your Customers That They are Important To You
- You want your customers to know that you are there for them. Let them know you’ve got them covered and that you are looking out for “their” interests.
- Always be available to support your customers at all times.
- They should never have reason to doubt your ability or commitment. In order to give you best you have to be at your best (The DBA Ultimate Fitness Workout Plan).
- Let them know how you can be reached for all circumstances.
- Remember the power of saying YES. You should do your utmost to avoid rejecting a client request. Instead work with them to find suitable alternatives, workarounds and compromises.
- Continually strive to give your customers the very best you have to offer.
Always Endeavour to Add Value
- Here are 10 Things Every DBA Should Do. No doubt your customers would see benefit from them too.
- Suggest optimizations or improvements to existing solutions.
- How could you save your customers time?
- How could you reduce your customers costs?
Demonstrate Initiative
- Perhaps your customer has a repetitive task or process that you could help them with? After all The Best Database Administrators Automate Everything.
- Be proactive. Don’t stop at delivering to specification. What more can you do?
Exceed Your Own Expectations
- Are you happy with the level of customer service that you are currently providing?
- Regularly review your own performance. You can often be your harshest critic and could perhaps identify potential for improvement.
Now Go Forth and Be Outstanding!
I really do hope that you have enjoyed this series over the past 5 days and that you find it valuable on your own journey to providing outstanding customer service. I would love to hear of your own experiences and suggestions.
This was my first venture writing a daily post series. It certainly proved more demanding and challenging than I had originally anticipated but I feel that it enabled me to really focus on the subject, which I hope produced a more valuable collection to share with you. Let me know if you would enjoy reading future content in a similar format.
Thanks for reading. Now don’t keep those customers waiting any longer, go and give them an outstanding experience.
