Just the other day I was picking up a few things at the local grocery store. Of course the local grocery store is not the “mom and pop” kind of local grocery store that most of us grew up with. And even if it is, it has likely been acquired by one of the big guys, and they haven’t yet gotten around to changing the name. Anyway, I only had a few items and decided I would use the self-checkout that they recently put into place. Actually, all the self-check out stations were being used, so I was standing in line, waiting to use one. The person in line in front of me grumbled to no one in particular that she was not happy that she now had to “stand in line for the privilege of waiting on herself.”
This started me thinking about the overall phenomenon of “self service.” Generally we don’t grumble when we pump our own gas, or when we use an ATM. So what makes those experiences different? Is it that we simply got used to doing for ourselves? Is it because the experience is actually better than dealing with a bank teller or a gas station attendant? Is it because we have been rewarded to “wait on ourselves?” Maybe it is all over the above…
In any case, customers do often demand the option of self service. As a company providing goods and services to your customers, it is important to understand why and how to offer more “self serve.” Are you doing it to cut costs? Are you doing it because your customers have demanded it? Or, are you simply doing it because the competition is. It is the answers to these questions that will help a company deliver the right mix of personalized service and customer service.
At Profitable Growth Partners, we specialize in helping companies get their customer service strategy right. Getting the right blend of self-service and personalized service is critical for most every business today, and it starts with clearly defining a strategy, and then executing that strategy in a way the not only pleases customers, but actually exceeds their expectations.
