Expanding Your Concept of Service

Your definition of service shapes every interaction you have with your customers. If you hold the common idea that service is only giving customers what they want, you may well paint yourself into a corner every time a customer asks for something that is impossible for you to provide. If, on the other hand, you expand your definition of service to include fulfilling the multitude of less obvious customer needs, you will never encounter a time when you can't provide your customers with some level of service.

By addressing less obvious customer needs such as listening with empathy to customers when they have a problem or providing options and alternatives when you can't give customers exactly what they want, you widen the gap between you and your competitors.

Six basic needs
Every time customers do business with you, they are, without fully realizing it, scoring you on how well you are doing, not only at giving them what they want, but at fulfilling six basic customer needs.

Following is a list of these needs:

Friendliness: The most basic of all customer needs, friendliness is usually associated with being greeted politely and courteously.

Understanding and empathy: The most basic of all customer needs, and it's usually associated with being greeted politely and courteously.

Fairness: The need to be treated fairly is high up on most customers' list of needs.

Control: Control represents the customers' need to feel as if they have an impact on the way things turn out.

Options and alternatives: Customers need to feel that other avenues are available to getting what they want accomplished.

Information: Customers need to be educated and informed about the products, policies, and procedures they encounter when dealing with your company.

A popular piece of customer service folklore states that if you give customers what they ask for (just say yes), then you end up with satisfied customers. This folklore is false. Customers do ask for what they want, but they usually don't ask for these six basic needs. When did you last go into a pizzeria and say, "I'd like one slice of pepperoni pizza, please," and then add, "Could you please be understanding, friendly, and fair?" Customers don't ask for these other needs, but they miss such gestures when they are not provided. To really provide top quality customer service, you need to move beyond the yes folklore to fulfill all your customers' needs.

Reconsider who your customers are
Who are your customers, really? Too often, the definition of customer is limited to someone who is outside of our company. Look up customer in your dictionary. The first definition of customer is a person who buys. The second definition is a person with whom one has dealings.

In fact, everyone who works in a company has customers regardless of whether they work with external, paying customers or internal co-workers. Customers fall into external and internal categories.

The external customer
These are the people you deal with, either face-to-face or over the phone, who buy products or services from you. They are customers in the traditional sense of the word. Without them there would be no sales, no business, no paycheck. If your definition of a customer stops here, you are only seeing half the picture.

The internal customer
The other half of the picture is the people who work inside your company and rely on you for the services, products, and information that they need to get their jobs done. They are not traditional customers, yet they need the same tender, loving care you give to your external customers.

By expanding your definition of a customer to include your co-workers, you are taking a vital step toward excellent service.

The internal customer chain works both ways. Sometimes you are the customer and other times you are the service provider. For example, a co-worker may come to you and ask for a printout of a report. In this case, you are the service provider because you are giving him what he needs. However, ten minutes later, you may turn around and go to that same co-worker and ask for help on a project; now you are the customer.

The customer chain
The relationship between internal customers and external customers is what forms the customer chain. If you have a back room kind of job where you rarely see the light of day, let alone a living, breathing customer, you can easily begin to feel that your work has little or no impact on external customers. But if you look at the bigger picture, you can see that everyone in a company plays some part in fulfilling the customers' needs. Barely an hour goes by during the day when you are not, in some form or another, providing something for somebody. Each interaction with an internal customer is an important link in a chain of events that always ends up at the external customers' feet.

About two years ago, The Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled, "Poorly treated employees treat the customer just as poorly." Boy, does that hit the nail on the head! A frightening percentage of managers do not realize that their staffs are their internal customers, and that the quality of service that a company provides to its customers is a direct reflection of how the staff of the company are treated by their managers. Make it a priority to view your staff as one of your most important customers and treat them accordingly. Doing so means focusing not on what your staff can do to make your job easier, but on what you can do to make their jobs easier.

Many companies seem to overlook another very important link in the service chain — their vendors. By using the techniques of customer service with your vendors, you will not only enhance your relationship with them but also receive better service.

積分獎賞十種最流行玩法

前文提到，折扣咭無助增加客人重訪率，大勢所趨乃是「積分制度」，原因是積分有數個致勝特性：包括多消費多「著數」的累進式優惠制度；設定有效期的積分產生在期限前再消費「追分」的效果。「積分制度」已成為全球大小企業最經常使用的「客戶忠誠計劃」獎賞準則，除上述原因外，積分的好處是「玩法」眾多，不同的商戶可按著自己的需要和目的，制定一套積分獎賞制度，以達致「留客」、增加重訪率和消費率的果效。

市面上零售業的積分獎賞制度大致有如下「玩法」 ：

一、 消費積分（Spending Bonus）
這是最主流的一種「玩法」。顧名思義，消費積分就是將消費金額與積分建立一種比率的關係，譬如說，每消費十元就可取得一分。當然，這個比率由商戶自訂，視乎產品價格和商戶說定獲得積分的難易度。

二、 轉介積分 （Referral Bonus）
「客戶忠誠計劃」的主要目的固然是留住舊客，吸引他們重訪消費，但成功的「客戶忠誠計劃」還會帶來額外的果效，就是「舊客帶新客」。忠誠的客戶都有一種習慣，就是向親友推介「好東西」。若會員推介新會員能獲得積分獎賞，則這種果效就會更為顯著了。

三、 感謝祭積分 （Appreciation Bonus）
香港的零售商戶很多時都會用「大減價」來吸引客人，日本則稱之謂「大割引」。不過，在不少客人的心目中，「大減價」的貨品都是賣不出去的「倉底貨」，價值感覺不高。於是，日本的零售企業以另一名目，稱為「感謝祭」，這有點像香港的Pre-Sale，挑選一些特別日子，貨品絕不是「倉底貨」，以優惠的價格，優先讓尊貴的會員選購。會員除了可享受優惠價格外，還可得到額外的積分獎賞。這種「感謝祭」的優惠讓VIP感受到做會員的實質好處和特權感覺。

四、 特別時段積分 （Happy Hours Bonus）
很多零售業都面對一個頭痛問題，就是所謂的「尖峰時刻」（peak hour），不少來客得不到即時的接待而離開，商戶是有生意也接不到。但這個尖峰時刻很短，其餘時間都是門可羅雀。若能把來客分流到非繁忙時段，商戶既可做多點生意，客人亦可得到更佳接待。現時一些商戶用所謂的「Happy Hour優惠」，以優惠價格或「套餐」，來吸引客人從尖峰時刻延至非繁忙時段來訪。積分計劃對這方面亦有幫助，商戶可設定「特別時段積分」，會員在這個時段來訪，可享更高的消費積分比率。

五、 到訪積分（Visit Bonus）
不少零售業都會定期舉辦活動，如展覽、同樂日等，積分設定中有一項名為「到訪積分」，會員出席活動，就可得定額積分。當然，主辦單位除了給與積分外，也可贈送禮品，增加會員的喜悅感覺，從而使他們更忠誠於你。

六、 幸運積分 （Lucky Draw Bonus）
購物固然是為了滿足需求，也可以是一種樂趣。事實上，愈來愈多企管研究顯示，購物過程的樂趣在消費者的心目中愈益重要，企管學者為此起了一個新詞彙，叫做「體驗經濟學」。其中一種不錯的方法是在購物之後來一個幸運抽獎，抽出來的獎品要在下一次消費時才能兌換，此方法有助增加客人的重訪率。很多時幸運抽獎以幸運積分的方式出現，幸運積分可以是一個定額，也可以是「消費積分」的倍數。

七、 生日積分 （Birthday Bonus）
「體驗經濟學」的精意其實是想方設法讓客人在購物過程中感到愉悅，也就是盡量討客人歡心。要討客人歡心，其中一個辨法是在他們的特別日子送上祝福和優惠，譬如會員在生日當天或當月購物可享額外積分和禮品。

八、 積分 + 折扣 + 現金券
前文曾提及，根據一間國際顧問公司的研究結果，會員折扣咭在留住舊客這方面已失去效用。不過，這並不表示折扣制度完全不可行。不少「客戶忠誠計劃」結合「積分」和「折扣」產生極佳的留客效果。商戶可設定在限定的日子之內，會員累積積分至某個數額，就可獲得會籍升級，並享受一個極具吸引力的購物折扣率。這樣會員就有足夠的誘因在期限前消費「追分」。另外，積分亦可與傳統的「現金券」（cash coupon）共用，跟上述的的機制雷同，即會員在期限內累積足夠的積分，就可兌換購物現金券。當然，積分、折扣和現金券可以藉著不同的組合製造出很多不同「玩法」。

九、 月度、季度、年度積分
有一些零售商戶採用所謂的月度、季度、年度積分，即會員必須在每個月都累積到足夠的積分才可獲得優惠，譬如是現金回贈，如未能在「死線」前累積足夠的積分，則僅有的積分亦會報銷，不能使用。之後再有季度積分指標，達標的會員可得到更吸引的優惠。最後是年度積分，在這一年積分達標的「超級會員」，將獲得一個大獎，以作獎勵。這種制度的好處是令會員在整年都保持著「追分」的狀態，商戶亦可藉此辨識誰是真正的VIP，並好好地與以 維繫。

十、 積分貨幣
一些商戶開創了一個十分成功的「客戶忠誠計劃」，客人入會率和會員活躍度都極高，甚至禮品的需求比起貨品的還要大。這個時候，積分就會供不應求。一些商戶設定積分與現金比率，讓會員以現金購買積分。有商戶甚至容許會員之間交換、商借或購買積分，積分儼如成了貨幣。這種制度增加了會員儲分和追分的誘因。

一個成功的「客戶忠誠計劃」除了要有切合目的的積分制度和定立具吸引力的獎賞制度外，當然還需要其他配套措施，例如宣傳推廣包括海報、說明小冊子或單張、禮品換領展示、內部人員培訓……。當然，還必須有一套合適的管理系統，用作會員資料處理和分析，環環相扣，缺一不可。

作者簡介：徐少驊｜Jeff 畢業於澳洲悉尼科技大學。先達智能有限公司創辦人及行政總裁，多年從事VIP、會員、客戶管理方案及諮詢服務，經常主講有關全球「客戶關係管理」（Customer Relationship Management, CRM）趨勢，為多間報刊撰寫企管文章。jeff@chinetekintel.com

原文刊於《盛世》月刊2006年9月號