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There are companies with very impressive

consumer service policies that are not worth
the paper on which they are written.
The sad fact of the matter is that, in some
companies, the Moments of Truth are not
managed properly.
 
     
M Moment of Truth is a contract between the
company and consumer during which the
consumer decides if the company really is
consumer oriented.
Why is that important? Well, consumers rarely
read a company¶s customer service policy
statement and, even if they did, it would make no
difference to their feelings about the company.
(Except perhaps inducing some cynicism if policy
was clearly being ignored.)
So-o-o, the only way a consumer can judge a
company is on the basis of contact with it.
 
       
That contact tends to be at sporadic moments in
time, rather than one long continuous interaction
and it is during each ³moment´ that the consumer
decides if the company means it!
Notice the terminology - Consumers do not hold a
balance sheet of your company.
They do not say, ³Well, I have had five contacts
with the company. Two were bad but three have
been good, so they must be all right.´.
 
       
Most consumers are influenced by the most recent
contact. If it was bad, they feel negatively about your
company, if it was good, they feel positively.
Every contact we have with a consumer is an
opportunity to undo all the good that previous
contacts have built up and maybe lose the customer.
Mlternatively, if the consumer is still around, it is an
opportunity to make up for some bad consumer
service in the past.


  
 
To manage a Moment of Truth favorably,
you need to exhibit three qualities:
Ã
 

ou have to prove to consumers / customers
that you do personally value their business
and that you are prepared to put yourself out
for them, by sorting out complicated
arrangements on their behalf, for example.


  
    
Sp  

Consumers like the people with whom they

are dealing to have the authority and use
their discretion to make decisions.
Words like, ³I¶m not authorized to deal with
that and my supervisor is out at the moment.
Can you come back after lunch?´ are the
kiss of death to consumer / customer
satisfaction.


  
    
R

Most consumers know that suppliers are people too

and understand when things go wrong.
If the supplier then tries to ignore the problem,
minimize it, pass the buck or blame the consumer,
the Moment of Truth has been badly handled.
Consumers want the problem resolved quickly and
efficiently. If they can see that someone in the
company has made a special effort to correct it, they
are likely to become more loyal than customers who
have never experienced a problem.
 
   M
M

£our actions
* Crisis management
* Muthority levels
* Initiative
* Recommendations to your manager
JJ
 
 
Companies that handle Moments of Truth
well will tend to have the following  
characteristics:
1. Performance at every contact point is
assessed against the  

   .
This includes, for example,  

   of the company building / shop
/ lounge etc., mailings, standard letters and
so on.
JJ
 
   

º. Staff who a  
 and

regard it as their   
  to see that consumers
or customers are satisfied.
JJ
 
    

ÿ. They have   and well

understood  

 procedures
so that staff know how to  

in such a way that the problem is taken from
the consumer and  
 .
Ms one insurance company puts it, if you
give them your business they will never
make a drama out of a crisis.
JJ
 
    

. M
   facilitate  
   

5. The

 and methods of

control 
 to use their
 to serve the company well.
 
    


Consumer service survival requires instead of

retreating and distancing yourself from the customer:
you have to go in the other direction.
ou have to get even more sincere and authentic than
you normally are. The customer wants someone to
really listen to him and appreciate his predicament.
The customer wants you to do battle for them not
against them. That¶s the basis for long term
successful consumer service: p
 
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