Message from Kyle Rhodes, CEO and Founder of Focus Staff.
Every customer says they want it and every company says they have it. We assume it’s going to be there until it’s not. Then we get bewildered, upset, even angry. What is it? Customer service. Examine the mission statements of top organizations like Nordstrom, Southwest Airlines, PayPal, Google, Museum of Modern Art. They all either say or infer their goal is to deliver excellent customer service. But what enables a company to deliver fantastic customer? It must start with a commitment to the end user.
In recent years corporations have tried to use technology to improve their customer service. The results have been mixed. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to check the progress of your order or even freeze a misplaced credit card simply by using an app on your phone. Those examples of customer service are so routine; we often don’t even think about them. It’s a great service that was expected and delivered.
What about when things go bad? Every company fails the customer at some point in time. When the expected level of service comes up short, what happens then? It’s then the level of commitment to the customer is truly defined. Organizations often fail at these critical times for a variety of reasons.
Perhaps they’ve chosen to rely solely on technology. You have no doubt had a simple question or problem but experienced being stuck on the phone in an endless loop of voice-activated prompts. You emailed a concern only to have it ignored for days or weeks. It is critical that customer service never loses it’s personal or human touch. After all, the customer is human. Another reason is they have failed to empower their employees to deliver excellent service. Have you ever had a complaint and had to ask to speak with the manager? Even worse, have you spoken with the manager and were still unable to have the issue resolved. Generally, employees care about their job and you as a customer. They know how they would like to be treated if they were a customer. Unfortunately, corporate policies and bureaucracies prevent them from delivering outstanding service.
As the owner of Focus Staff, I want to say that I am 100% committed to our medical professionals. Your satisfaction and happiness are what motivates us and determines the success of our business. Our goal is for our customer service to be so outstanding, you don’t even notice it because we delivered what you expected.
I am a realist and recognize that we will make mistakes. If Starbucks can mess up your latte, then at some point we will mess up too. Consider that latte has 3 ingredients and 2 people involved. We are dealing with human resources, travel logistics, payroll, etc. When you include the number of people involved, the opportunities for miscommunication and mistakes increases exponentially. This is not an excuse. It is a fact of life.
The real question is – When errors do occur, what will Focus Staff do about it? Our commitment is to imitate the great organizations of this world. If your latte is wrong or not what you wanted, Starbucks makes it over. Was your Amazon order damaged in delivery? They replace or refund your money. Likewise, if something is wrong, we will make it right.
We embrace technology and use it to be more efficient. However, we have not lost sight of the need for personal interaction. Our staff has been empowered to make sure any issue you face is resolved in a timely fashion. If it’s not, please contact me directly. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for how all issues are handled. I want to make sure all concerns are resolved in a quick satisfactory way. That’s right. No need to ask to speak with a manager or supervisor, go directly to the top.
So please get in touch with me. Tell me what you love and let me hear what needs to be improved. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Kyle Rhodes
Founder/CEO