When I first skimmed Dan Gingiss’ recent article in Forbes, one rule caught my eye instantly. It made me want to go back and re-read the whole piece.
When I first skimmed Dan Gingiss’ recent article in Forbes, one rule caught my eye instantly. It made me want to go back and re-read the whole piece.
Lightly paraphrasing here, it was this tenet: “treat each customer’s time and attention like they are sacred.”
In this quick read, Gingiss points to how Amazon has cracked the code on meeting and exceeding customer expectations. As a result, we’re reminded that Amazon has also been a major influence on what our customers expect from all of us.
If you’re looking for better ways to meet and exceed your customers’ expectations, please reach out. We would talk about how Skybridge Americas can partner with you.
6 Customer Service Tenets Used By Amazon To Create Effortless Experiences
—Dan Gingiss
Amazon is among the most talked-about companies in the world, and for good reason. The e-commerce giant has literally reinvented multiple industries, including:
- Bookstores
- Virtually every other retail category
- Third-party selling
- Subscription services
- On-demand audio and video
- Independent publishing
- Package delivery
- Voice assistants
- Cloud services
- And many more
What’s remarkable is that throughout Amazon’s growth story, it has never lost sight of its customers, repeatedly developing seamless user experiences and continuing to add value to its flagship Prime program.
We often use the word “remarkable” on the Experience This! Show because it means “worthy of talking about,” and when other people are talking about a company it is far more credible than the company talking about itself. On the show, we’ve talked about our experiences with Prime Video, Alexa, Amazon Go and 4-Star Stores, to name a few.
What’s talked about less often is Amazon’s customer service, which can be attributed to at least two things:
- For many years Amazon more or less hid its toll-free phone number from the website, encouraging users to self-serve instead.
- The need for customer service is so rare because the experience is consistently so good.
Amazon’s six “Customer Service Tenets” – posted throughout its offices — explain a lot about why Amazon is so easy and pleasurable to do business with, and can be used as inspiration for any company looking to improve its customer service.
The six tenets are (with my commentary):
- “Relentlessly advocate for customers.”This is a truly amazing sentence because it demonstrates that Amazon clearly understands that many companies do not: Customers are not the enemy; they are the very reason a company exists. Without them, there is no business. To “advocate” means to be on one’s side, and the fact that Amazon “relentlessly” tries to be on the customer’s side is indicative of why so many people love the company. In fact, by relentlessly advocating for its customers, Amazon has inspired millions of customers to advocate for Amazon!
- “Trust our customers and rely on associates to use good judgement.”When you trust your customers, they trust you back. Yes, a small minority of customers will try to take advantage of this trust, but most will not. This trust is why my “easiest return ever” was able to occur. What’s also implied but not explicitly stated in this tenet is that Amazon trusts its associates, too. By giving them the freedom to “use good judgement,” the company frees its associates from rigid scripts and empowers them to help solve customer problems. And since happy employees equal happy customers, the effect of this trust is felt beyond just the individual associate.
Read the entire article here >
Bobby Matthews
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Skybridge Americas
bmatthews@skybridgeamericas.com
Find out how Skybridge Americas can help you delight your customers and grow your business.
We seamlessly integrate our superior customer care skills with your brand messaging. For more information, contact us at 763-299-4570 or submit our contact form.
