After the meeting, I reflected on the numerous meetings that I have had with dissatisfied customers. I provided them with the same layout, the same check in the box list of meaningless phrases that lacked real change. Did I want to mean everything I said, yes, I did, but wanting change isn’t enough. Putting change regiments in writing isn’t enough either. Change must be ingrained in the culture of an organization. I repeated the script a million times or more, knowing that the behavior or level of service displayed had been too often left uncorrected, often repeated, and not hidden from those in authority.

My experience wasn’t unique, it was not an isolated incident. The speech given to pacify, or to supposedly deescalate a customer dissatisfaction, almost had a rhythmic flow- you could put the speech to music. The band played as the choir sang, with organizations renewing their membership daily.  Of course, the singers were Intune with the words, at least in the moment. But after the song ends, customers want to believe in the melody they heard, they want action.

As a global pandemic arrived in our world, impacting every facet of their lives, including how we live and how we die. More than ever it is a necessity that organizations reevaluate how they do business. There’s just no way customers should be subjected to mediocrity and poor service any longer, people have experienced enough.

Customers have expectations that organizations have prepared to meet their needs. It is the service providers' responsibility to change how they conduct business, to ensure those needs are met. It cannot be merely a marketing strategy or lip service, but a people-focused initiative that says we care about you. Adjustments are often limited to the nuts and bolts outlined within a policy that tout’s commitment but lacks true implementation. We put committees in place, we talk about a plan, document the plan, and then implement the plan without accountability standards to ensure a positive outcome. 

And so, there you have it, another functionally meaningless plan, another check in the box.

Don’t Get Caught Up in the Process of Change That We Forget the People. Say what you mean, mean what you say, and make the words come alive through the implementation of plans that have standards of accountability as their foundation. 

Yes, on occasion there may be lapses in service for various reasons. However, bringing the customer back to a state of satisfaction requires organizations to reaffirm the guidelines detailed in their commitment in order to keep their promises. 

Keeping promises to customers is a business necessity in order to achieve customer loyalty. 

Here are a few tips to ensure our words are not hollow promises:

1.     Embrace commitments that create value for customers, and employees. 

2.     Ensure that all employees know and deliver on brand promises.

3.     Make sure every department leader is holding their staff to the same standards

4.     From senior leadership to frontline staff, become versed in the art of problem-solving

5.     No broad promises set a date for a resolution and share it with the customers and employees.

6.     Continually check for contradictions

Companies that succeed in keeping promises to customers will gain a reputation of being reliable and trustworthy. Not another check in the box!