Amazon has led the way with customer service innovations. Companies have to meet and exceed these new standards to impress customers and retain their business.
Amazon has certainly made a splash in recent years with out-of-the-box thinking in terms of customer service! Who thought Sunday deliveries would be possible? Same-day deliveries are becoming commonplace. Immediate downloads of a huge selection of Kindle books is expected. Drones are a discussion point.
What can we learn from Amazon when it comes to customer service? A few tips pop to mind:
- Speed rules: If you aren’t decreasing your lead times, you’ll be passed up by the competition. Immediate deliveries are not just increasing with Amazon. Just ask your customers.
- Customer experience: Good is no longer enough! Do you stand out in the crowd in terms of your customers’ experience? Dig deep to understand your customers and find ways to delight them.
- 24/7: Typical Monday through Friday bankers hours don’t cut it. Special customers want to know how to reach you wherever you are and whenever they have an urgent need. Are you findable? How would your customer service attitude be at 9 a.m. on a Sunday?
- The right combination of self-service and full-service: Amazon does a great job in understanding its customer base. Some folks like to research, do everything themselves and just place an order, whereas others prefer guidance and/or someone to talk with. It is possible to talk with a person!
If you’d like to learn more about the results from my Amazon effect research study, please reserve your free report.